Cap’n Crunch and Saturday Morning Cartoons
I was ten-years-old in 1980. Growing up back then meant waking up before anyone else in our house, pouring a big bowl of Cap’n Crunch cereal (the first of many), and watching Saturday morning cartoons.
In between the Hanna-Barbara and Looney-tunes cartoons, we watched many short; educational video clips called public service announcements or PSA’s.
Secretly Teaching Kids with PSA’s
Back in the day, PSA’s were educational and wildly creative. A lot of incredibly talented adults worked hard to make them interesting and keep our attention long enough to teach us something.
PSA’s were everywhere in the 70s and 80s. Secretly teaching kids with PSA’s back then was the thing to do.
We were, after all, a captive audience. In the 1970s, our choice of programming was limited. We had a total of three TV networks to watch; ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Indian Chiefs and School House Songs
Remember the sad Indian Chief standing in the garbage people tossed out of their cars along the side of the highway?
Decades later, I still feel bad when I see trash on the highway.
And School House Rock introduced us to a surprisingly large number of subjects over 64-episodes that ran from 1973 to 1985.
I still can’t remember The Preamble for the US Constitution without humming this jingle to myself.
https://youtu.be/mKPmobWNJaU
Somehow the creative genius’s at ABC figured out a way to teach us kids between mouthfuls of sugary cereal and episodes of Scooby-Doo.
The Longest-Running Public Service Campaign in History
No matter how popular and effective these other PSA’s are, none compare to the ‘Smokey Bear’ forest fire prevention campaign by the US Forest Service and the Ad Council.
At 75-years, it’s the longest-running public service campaign in history.
As Hammock Campers or even just campers as a group, we like trees. We sleep in trees. Or under trees. Or hike through beautiful forests. Trees make everything better.
So preventing wildfires is important. It’s something we all want.
The US Forest Service’s Smokey Bear PSA’s are some of the most popular and effective campaigns in history.
It’s why the campaign is still around after 75 years.
Smokey Bear in 1950. Photo credit Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
A Bear Cub Named Smokey Bear
It all started back on August 9, 1944, when the US Forest Service and the Ad Council launched the Smokey Bear campaign to prevent wildfires.
Later, in 1950, a small, badly burned bear cub was rescued from a tree by firefighters battling a 17,000-acre Lincoln National Forest wildfire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico.
They initially nicknamed him Hotfoot Teddy, but the little bear’s bravery so moved firefighters that they renamed him Smokey Bear.
Smokey Bear’s story quickly became a national sensation. So many people wanted to see the brave little bear that he was moved to the National Zoo in Washington, DC where he happily lived for his remaining 26-years.
Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires
The Smokey Bear, ‘Only YOU can prevent forest fires’ campaign is still used today by the US Forest Service. It’s a great example of why it’s a good idea to not mess with something that’s not broken
https://youtu.be/KiwB2GKl_A4
And for anyone that’s reading this thinking I’m getting his name wrong, I’m not. Smokey Bear is his correct name.
When they were creating the song for Smokey’s PSA campaign, “The Ballad of Smokey the Bear,” songwriters added ‘the’ to his name to help with the rhythm of the song.
That was the only time ‘Smokey the Bear’ had a middle name.
Happy 75th Birthday Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear has surprisingly managed to stay the same over the past 75-years. It’s mainly due to congress passing the Smokey Bear Act in 1952 to preserve his legacy.
Smokey Bear has his own stamp. The United States Post Office gave him one in 1984.
And Smokey is the only ‘person’ other than the President of the United States to have his own zip code.
If you send a letter to Smokey Bear at zip code 20252, he will send you a reply.
August 9th is coming fast. Take this opportunity to say Happy 75th Birthday Smokey Bear and celebrate a true National treasure. Get your kids involved and send Smokey a birthday card.
It’ll be fun and also teach your kids about the vital subject of preventing forest fires.
And remember, “Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires.”
Lance Gurganus is a writer with a love of all things camping, hiking, climbing, fishing, and basically everything outdoors. As long as it involves sleeping in a hammock at some point, he's game. Enjoying the outdoors is our goal, so we share ideas, tips, stories, gear reviews, and more.