Smokey Turns 65

He’s sixty-five years old and still a noteworthy public figure. He recently joined Twitter. He appeared shirtless on the Today Show and Al Roker didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he handed him a jar of honey. That’s right -- it’s Smokey the Bear. This past weekend, one of America’s most recognized spokesmascots celebrated his 65th birthday. Now Smokey, like many other aging public figures, has to tackle the question of how to remain relevant without losing the characteristic quality -- ranger-hatted bear minding the fine line between civic-minded and corny -- that made him a star. If Smokey's past 65 years have any lesson, it may be: sometimes you have to stick to what works. Smokey wasn't the first forest-fire prevention mascot. After a Japanese submarine surfaced in 1942 and fired shells that ignited a blaze dangerously close to the Los Padres National Forest, the Forest Service tried characters that ranged from Death on horseback spewing fire (too apocalyptic) to eerily smiling Nazi officers above the text “Our Carelessness, Their Secret Weapon” (too ominous) to Bambi (too copyright-infringing). Finally, in 1944, they settled on a bear mascot, and Smokey was born. His original slogan was a little passive -- “Smokey Says -- Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires,” so in 1947 Smokey shifted to, “Remember -- Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” This remained the slogan for more than fifty years. Now that Smokey is 65, he’s started experimenting. He’s joined Facebook, MySpace, Youtube, Flickr, and Twitter...WPost