… because it was a monumental birthday after all.
Hmm – who was celebrating and presented with a cake with all those candles?
Well, we know former President Jimmy Carter reached the century mark on October 1st, but no, it wasn’t him.
Nor was it Dick Van Dyke, who is now 99 and pushing 100. (Pardon me, but I thought he had passed away and I only learned he was alive because the national news reported he, his wife and pets evacuated their Malibu home because of the ongoing Franklin Fire – oops.)
It must’ve been someone special.
Well, thank you for BEARING with me as I teased this out a bit. Now I’ll share who turned the big 8-0 this year.
It was Smokey the Bear.
Smokey is all over social media and I’ve followed him since he was mentioned on the National Park Service site on Twitter/X, so a few of the photos that pepper this post are from his official X site. Here is Smokey asking for “likes” on X for his August 9th birthday.
Lest you think Smokey is just a cartoon-like figure who does PSAs, this national mascot for fire prevention WAS a real bear. The name “Smokey Bear” (minus the word “the”) originated from an orphaned bear cub with badly burned paws and hind legs which firefighters found in a charred tree during a raging New Mexico wildfire in the Spring of 1950. They feared the cub’s mother had died in the fire and a kindly rancher/member of the fire crew took the cub home to care for him. But a New Mexico Department of Game and Fish ranger ultimately sent the cub to Santa Fe to have the burns taken care of. Smokey Bear’s recovery and media coverage gave him instant celebrity status (yes, similar to “going viral” nowadays) and Smokey became a wildfire prevention mascot and living legend for the wildlife prevention campaign begun in 1944. If you would like to read more about the history of Smokey the Bear and see photos of the original Smokey and also Smokey II from the official Smokey Bear website, just click here.
Along the way, Smokey Bear became Smokey the Bear, but his official name was/is Smokey Bear.
To commemorate the big bruin’s birthday event, I participated virtually in the Smokey Bear 5K Run/Walk held on September 28, 2024 at Bass Lake, California. Proceeds from registration fees and donations benefited the local community, notably CAL FIRE and USFS Fire Prevention Programs. This was the 37th year of the event, but this was the first year it was opened to virtual participants to honor Smokey, so I was fired up, (pardon the pun), to participate.
My swag was a nice, long-sleeved tee-shirt and my bib number.
Here is a quick peek at the event. There was a professional photographer that took photos of every participant and posted them on his website, without any licensing restrictions, so people could have a free image as a memento of the event.
If you see or read the national news or follow social media, you are well aware of how many wildfires CAL FIRE firefighters/first responders battle each year in California. The ongoing Franklin Fire is a perfect example of the devastation to trees, wildlife and homes.
While you may think I only have an affinity for squirrels and birds, I also like bears, um … the stuffed, roly-poly kind with sweet smiles. In fact, my Christmas post next week will be all about teddy bears, but I digress.
Smokey Bear a/k/a Smokey the Bear.
I’ll bet you were introduced to Smokey the Bear when you were very young. And, chances are you learned about his campaign to end forest fires from TV and magazine ads. I remember a fireman or maybe our City’s fire marshal coming to my elementary school to impress us with stats about just how devastating a forest fire could be. He probably brought along a Smokey Bear stuffed animal to make a point.
You’ve probably heard Smokey Bear’s booming voice: “only YOU can prevent forest fires” so I was impressed by this factoid: in 2022, 87% of wildfires were caused by humans. I truly thought most of the wildfires had natural origins, like severe drought conditions or sparks from lightning, more than someone carelessly leaving a campfire unattended or still smoldering.
And, if you have never heard Smokey Bear’s wise words, you’ve surely seen some posters throughout the years. Like this early poster of Smokey dousing a fire.
I like this poster of Smokey surrounded by forest critters.
As of Thursday, 4,000 acres had burned and only 20 percent contained in the Franklin Fire in Malibu – this was a photo I saw from CAL FIRE on Twitter/X – pretty horrendous isn’t it?! (It is still only 28% contained as of Saturday evening.)
What venue did I choose for MY virtual 5K?
For all the other virtual 5Ks I participate in, I generally choose the same site as the actual race, just the day before/after. So, Bass Lake in California looks like a beautiful place for a Run/Walk event but much closer to home, I chose a waterfront venue too, lovely Elizabeth Park in Trenton for my walk.
Unlike most excursions to Elizabeth Park where I’m sure to find many Mallards or Canada Geese gathering along the Canal, there were very few waterfowl and the ducks I saw were snoozing away, head under one wing, likely the casualties of the tail end of their annual molt. As I strolled the Boardwalk along the Detroit River, I couldn’t even scare up a Ring-billed Seagull and even the rotund Groundhog who pops out of his burrow to beg for treats was MIA.
So I focused on “critterless” things as I strolled along the Boardwalk that day …
I didn’t even see a squirrel, odd because this park is full of them, although they don’t beg like the squirrels at Council Point Park. But some kind soul is looking out for the squirrels at this venue by putting cocktail peanuts into this hidey hole in the tree.
I thought of Terri, who enjoys stand-up paddleboarding, when I saw these women.
Who could ask for more … my favorite season, plus a perfect weather day, the kind I already miss as we just got out of the deep freeze – ugh.
Terri’s Color Challenge for this week and next is “METALLIC (gold, silver, copper, bronze)” and I will have my contribution on Wordless Wednesday which I’ll call “All that glitters is not gold” and I’m going to sneak in a pewter porringer dish as well. 🙂
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I like this poster of Smokey surrounded by forest critters, too, Linda. It only needs YOU with a camera in it too!
I hope that you are staying warm on this dreary winter weather day!!
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I liked that poster too TD – who can resist seeing baby animals? And, after all, Smokey was just a cub when he suffered such bad burns. Thank you – I wish I could have been there. 🙂
The weather has turned a corner for a few days … we went from zero “real feels” to temps in the 40s today and tomorrow; it was rainy/foggy today and expected to be the exact same tomorrow. It is dreary and I don’t like the rain, but I’m glad it isn’t snow!
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I’m glad that it is not snow too.
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I think our Winter will be more normal this year, but they are still saying La Nina (more moisture than usual). Rain is fine but hopefully not freezing rain. I hope the two bouts of cold will kill off all the ticks and mosquitoes unlike last year.
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Less bugs is one good thing about winter. Here they are anticipating level 3 water restrictions next week because the rain isn’t landing in our water sheds. Means no watering anything or cleaning with water outside. Everything that isn’t dead already will die. And critters will relocate to survive. Del Sal Water is a hot controversial subject. Less bugs is a good thing for me!
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That’s terrible – cant they truck in water like they did for California during their severe drought several years ago? I remember the restrictions and penalties for water usage at that time was severe. Poor animals – like here, they rip everything up then get mad when coyotes roam the residential neighborhoods in non-rural areas. Less bugs is good, especially ticks!
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Level Three Water Restrictions went into place yesterday. Making adjustments as needed. And I realize that the restrictions are just temporary.
I’m probably overthinking the issues the critters might be having about water restrictions. My moods have been quite low lately.
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Well hopefully the water restrictions are not too restrictive. We had temps in the mid-40s today and my neighbor’s Magnolia bush is in bud again, the fifth or sixth time this year, but those buds will freeze off as we are going to be back to a real feel of zero this weekend!
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A fun post!!
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Glad you liked it Ann!
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Something screwy with the dates Linda? They found him in 1950 and he later became a National symbol in 1944?
Did I read this wrong?
Also, that picture showing the fence shadow on the bridge reminds me of the burnt in shadow of the bridge in Hiroshima.
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I saw that too, Wayne, the dates are correct–an injured baby bear became the living symbol in 1950. The Smokey Bear campaign began in ’44.
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Thanks Terri. I just replied to Wayne that my sentence was poorly worded, so I just went back and edited to clarify the campaign did begin before Smokey came onto the scene as a mascot. I had heard the story about Smokey years ago in elementary school, so it’s nice they had a real mascot at one time to make the fire prevention message resonate.
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So Smokey Bear came before Smokey Bear.
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The campaign came before the injured cub, but truly, they should have been celebrating the anniversary of the campaign being 80 years. I did not make it clear in my post, but I took it almost vebatim from their site.
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Hi Wayne – Thank you for noticing this. I just went back and read what I wrote which was poorly worded. So I changed it just now. There was a campaign in place for forest fire prevention that was instituted in 1944, 80 years ago, then, when Smokey came along, his plight made him a good mascot for their cause. So really and truly, it is 80 years for the campaign not Smokey’s birthday per se, but that is how they are celebrating it.
The pictures of the fires are pretty horrifying. That was last week and I also saw some photos of students at nearby Pepperdine University sheltering in place and all you could see was a massive orange blaze looking like it was coming toward them. I can’t imagine how scared they would have been – nowhere to run!
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Thanks for explaining Linda!
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You’re welcome Wayne!
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Happy Birthday, belated, Smokey! What a nice virtual 5k!
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It was a beautiful day here in Michigan and in that gorgeous venue as well. Smokey is aging gracefully. 🙂
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Thinking about Smokey the Bear and seeing all those old posters again led me on a long trip down memory lane. 80 years! That means I was about 13 when “the” Smokey came into my life, for some reason I thought I was much younger, but maybe I vaguely remember something about the Smokey Bear that preceded him.
I enjoyed your “critterless” 5K waterfront walk. It’s fun to focus on the beauty in plants and human beings and the things they build and create when the wildlife is hiding. I really like the picture of the man fishing. It must be a good spot and the water is so blue. I wonder if he caught something good for dinner.
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Barbara, I remembered that Smokey the Bear campaign from my youth when looking at the website which is very comprehensive and interesting. I spent some time perusing the old campaigns which they separate by decades and seeing Smokey as a cub – so cute. I remembered someone speaking about it at our elementary school … we had it drilled into our heads to be careful around fire in the forest at an early age.
It was a beautiful day, not only at Bass Lake, California, but here in SE Michigan as well. It was odd that it would be a “critterless” walk for me – usually there are always geese parading around, including across the one perimeter road where vehicles enter and exit the park. The geese often cross the road en masse and take their time. 🙂 I’ve seen lots of fishermen along the Boardwalk or the Canal, but it is the first time I’ve seen someone climb beyond the decorative railing on the Boardwalk and onto the boulders. It must have been a good place to fish, but I’d worry if it was a big fish, would he be steady on his feet to reel it in? The Detroit River, for all its freighter traffic is surprisingly clear.
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Thanks for the origin story behind Smoky the Bear, it was quite interesting. It is rare for the concept behind a PSA to have such a long and successful life – one that shows no sign of ending.
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JP, I’m glad you enjoyed reading about Smokey and the campaigns’ origin. I spent a lot of time on the website looking at their old posters which they separate by decade and how the Smokey campaign evolved and yes, as you say, the PSAs and campaigns are still going strong.
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I remember Smoky from when I was a kid!
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I did too Kate. I remember someone from the fire department coming to our elementary school to lecture us on fire safety in the forest.
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Thanks for the back story on Smokey; had no idea he’s based on a real bear. Also appreciate your use of “bruin” because it’s a nod to my late parents (UCLA alums). Those photos from the Malibu fire are jaw-dropping, even after I’ve already seen several other images in the news. I assume the first one you posted includes the sun – always eerie when a familiar natural element doesn’t look quite right. On a lighter note, it’s nice to recognize the Gordie Howe from personal experience 🙂
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I found the website very interesting Dave and I enjoyed looking at their campaign for fire safety which they had shown through posters, by decade, from its inception. I’m glad I could give a fleeting happy moment to you about your late parents. There will be more bruins in next week’s post. I just went and looked at my post and yes, the sun was eerily hanging out there in an already-orange sky. I saw some photos of nearby Pepperdine University where students had to shelter in place and were watching the flames from a room with glass windows (I wondered if that was safe). I am sure they were terrified as the fire looked to be very close. The bridge is coming along – still set to open in 2025!
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So pretty & beautiful Smokey bear. Wonderful all photos. Delicious birthday candle with cake 🎂. I hope that you are staying warm on this dreary winter weather day!!
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Yes, it was quite a story about that poor bear cut Raj. Luckily it survived and became the well-known mascot for fire prevention.
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Thanks, Linda!
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Hi Linda, your post went to spam. I love this!! Smokey Bear was always my favorite and I was always inspired to be a good camper as a result of the campaigns, all the years we camped in national parks. Happy 80th birthday to such an important icon. You know, kids get excited about learning about Smokey in school then tell their parents to be careful. Pretty good marketing for the 40s. I did spy some metal objects in this post, so link again on Wednesday with your other post 🙂
Countdown here to our travel day this Friday! It snowed most of the day here today. The temp is mid 30s so it will be gone tomorrow. Nice to see it though, since I won’t see any until February! BTW, I’m going to add French to my Duolingo studies beginning New Years Day. Bonsoir!!
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That’s amazing Terri – I wonder why it went to spam? The Smokey Bear campaign was great and memorable to me as a youngster too. It was some very good marketing. I spent some time perusing the Smokey Bear website and saw all the vintage ads which they separated by decade. Good for those kids getting on their parents to be careful thanks to Smokey!
You’re right about the metal(lic) objects … Smokey’s bucket, the firetruck from the 5K and the the series of photos about the metal railings along the Boardwalk. I didn’t think about that when preparing the post. I will link again for Wednesday.
Fleeting snow is always nice – we’ve had it twice. It gave you a taste of it for the Christmas season. As I write this comment at 8:30, our temp is 53! A few days ago we were in the Deep Freeze (0 “real feel”).
That’s a good new year’s resolution. I am enjoying the French lessons immensely and I think you will too. As of today, I’m in Pearl league and I’ve learned 423 words in 52 days. Some of the “stories” are very funny and a good way to learn phrases. Bonne chance!
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I gathered you were rather pleased they included virtual participants this year. Nice t-shirt.🙂 I remember seeing the actual Smokey in a zoo when I was a child. Hmm. At least I’m pretty sure that a real memory.😁 Who knows anymore?
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Yes, I was pleased they had virtual participants Eilene. I think it is a good cause and I may do it again next year if they offer virtual. I liked the t-shirt too. You had the option of short-sleeved or long-sleeved. I’ll bet Smokey did some guest appearances “for the cause” and there were two them, the original and then the successor “Smokey II” so you just may have seen one or the other.
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Wow was this post a flashback from the past! I can still visualize and hear Smokeys deep voice. I was shocked to hear 87% of fires are caused by us! So many lives and property could have been saved. You have competition with the peanuts. I’m sure the squirrels will take them from anyone but we all know your peanuts are the best!
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They used to play Smokey’s voice and public service announcements on the radio and TV all the time back in the day and especially in the Summer for camping season. I was surprised to read that statistic too Diane – how can that be? It shouldn’t be.
I was smiling when I saw what someone did in this little hidey hole in the tree. Well thank you Diane. 🙂 I went to the Park late today as I had errands and didn’t get there until early afternoon. I know they all mostly forage in the morning, so I figured I missed them, but I had bought some corncobs suet balls and opened two bags of peanuts (left my groceries in the car while I walked as there was no refrigerated foods). I figured we are having snow tomorrow, so I wouldn’t make it there tomorrow and we had rain yesterday. Friday is looking like a potential 1-2 inches of snow first thing. As I walked the perimeter path today, there were no squirrels or birds. Made my little “droppings” and by the second time around the path, all the critters were coming out of the woodwork – they ignored the corn, but won’t do that after the peanuts and peanut suet balls are gone. They are like little kids about the corn … they will save it til last and then gobble it up. They are still burying peanuts. And, don’t want to forget to tell you that my neighbor’s Magnolia tree is in bud again – probably five or six times it has bloomed this year already!
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Peanuts are dessert for them just like the sunflower seeds are to our birds. Those squirrels aren’t dumb! That’s crazy about the magnolia tree Linda. I bet it won’t flower this time now that the cold is here. I love those trees but they are so messy.
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Yes, those peanuts in the shell are a treat for them and when I see a triple peanut as I’m handing them out, I usually put it into my pocket to give the older squirrels who are fearless and run right over. Some of the youngsters are still skittish. They figure corn is boring, peanuts first. 🙂 I think the buds are frozen as it was a lot colder today than yesterday – one day it will kill that tree. They are beautiful trees. Marge’s is small and the bush in the back is small as well, but a couple of blocks over is a huge tree and when the wind blows, you can’t see the lawn for pink blooms.
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Congratulations on doing another charity walk! I loved Smokey Bear when I was a kid, still do actually. That poster of the baby Smokey bear putting out a fire is really cute. I also thought Dick Van Dyke had died !
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Thank you Susan! I always loved Smokey Bear too – we had so many ads to prevent forest fires and I remember a fireman or fire marshal coming to our elementary school. That is a cute vintage poster of Smokey. On the website they show all the vintage posters from inception of the campaign to present. I wonder why we both thought Dick Van Dyke died? It is like Abe Vigoda, the actor whom everyone thought died and then he really died many years later!
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Miss Linda……………………………Smokey the Bear is a young kid!………………….nice picture of the International Bridge……………………
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Yes, a mere 80 years old and lookin’ good – a very young kid and still telling the world to be careful not to start fires. You probably told your students about Smokey the Bear. That was a clear day so I got a better close-up of the International Bridge. I could get closer from Bellanger Park in River Rouge but I know they had elevated lead levels and closed the park in 2023, so I’ve not been back there.
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Happy Birthday to Smokey! I remember him well. It’s tragic his message isn’t getting around enough, since so many forest fires are caused by humans. ☹️ What a fabulous post, Linda, chock full of info and imagery. Sorry I missed it earlier.
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Smokey looks great and is aging gracefully. 🙂 It is a shame that humans are mostly to blame for all the devastating forest fires. I really thought it was more weather-related, so that surprised me. I am glad you liked this post Debbie. It was fun to put together and I was tempted to post the original Smokey Bear and Smokey Bear II pics too, but I wanted to include the race event photos as well. The photographer posted a ton of photos of the race and participants, with no licensing restrictions or charging for them, which I thought was nice. I remember Smokey from way back when, so seeing the vintage posters of his good work made me feel a little vintage too!
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