 In the spring of 1942, a Japanese submarine surfaced near the coast of Southern California and fired a volley of shells at a Santa Barbara oil field. The news of the attack on the mainland shocked the country. Many citizens feared that further attacks in that region would not only bring disastrous loss of life and property, but could turn the nearby national forest into a raging forest fire. With the country at war, most of the experienced firefighters had gone to serve in the armed forces. Fire prevention and forest protection became a matter of national importance. Citizens had to be reminded to be more careful with fire, because it was estimated that 9 out of 10 forest fires were preventable. So in 1942, the United States Forest Service organized the Cooperative Forest Fire Campaign. The campaign officials sought the aid of the newly formed wartime advertising council. This volunteer agency was composed of dedicated people who donated their time and talents to help the United States government get important messages across to the people. The wartime advertising council used their creative talent, the advertising agency of Foot, Cone and Belding Honig, to write and design colorful ads for the new fire prevention program. The wartime advertising council, later to become the advertising council incorporated, grew increasingly successful. State and federal forest officers were also lending their assistance to the success of the program. The use of an animal character to gain the public's attention was suggested. Naturally, everyone thought of Bambi. Walt Disney graciously donated the character for a fire prevention poster. The success of this poster proved that an animal was an excellent media tool, but Bambi was only on temporary loan from Walt Disney. An original character had to be found that belonged only to the Cooperative Forest Fire Campaign. In August of 1944, artist Albert Staley painted a bear pouring a bucket of water to drown a campfire. The bear, appropriately named Smokey, was used for the 1945 fire prevention campaign. Smokey Bear's appearance on posters and cards soon made him a popular figure. Smokey was so successful that artist Staley was asked to do two more paintings for the 1946 and 47 campaigns. Compared to today's pictures, these early Smokey posters look almost like a different bear. But the identifying Ranger hat, shovel and blue jeans were there, plus the confident manner in which he stated his fire prevention message. These were enough to fix him firmly in the affection of the American public. The artist who was responsible for reshaping the way Smokey looked was Rudy Wendolin. Rudy became Smokey's official artist until he retired in 1973. Soon after Wendolin started painting the new Smokey in 1946, the associates of Foot, Cone and Belding Honig suggested the famous slogan, Remember only you can prevent forest fires. When Smokey came to radio in 1947, a noted radio personality of Washington D.C. named Jackson Weaver became the official voice of Smokey. Legend persists that he accomplished the familiar voice of Smokey by putting his head in a barrel. By 1950, Smokey had become very popular. When a raging fire in the Lincoln National Forest made a bear cub an orphan, he was flown to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he became the living symbol of forest fire prevention. Celebrities such as Edward P. Cliff, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and Hop along Cassidy came by to pay their respects. By 1952, Smokey Bear was attracting commercial interests. In order to bring the use of the Smokey Bear symbol under the control of the secretary of agriculture, an act of Congress was passed and signed into law by President Eisenhower. The act authorized collected fees and royalties charged for the use of the Smokey symbol to be used for additional promotion of the program. One of the first fire prevention programs funded by these collections is the Junior Forest Rangers. Since 1953, children who write letters to Smokey in Washington, D.C. to become Junior Forest Rangers receive a personal reply from Smokey. By 1965, the volume of letters was so great that Smokey Bear received his own zip code. He's the only celebrity ever to have this honor. In 1966, Smokey starred in a highly successful television adventure program on the General Electric Fantasy Hour. This program opened the door to Smokey starring in his own half-hour animated television series in 1969. An educational message on conservation was worked into each program, and Smokey was able to present his forest fire prevention message directly to the viewers. When children playing with matches became a growing cause of fire, Smokey's friends don't play with matches became the national slogan. As part of a nationwide effort, new messages are developed every year used in posters, public service announcements, and fire prevention education programs. The appropriate use of Smokey Bear costumes has allowed the image of Smokey to directly influence children in classrooms and assemblies all over America. To provide recognition for outstanding achievement in the field of wildfire prevention, there are the Smokey Bear Awards. These awards are sponsored by the Ad Council, the National Association of State Foresters, and the U.S. Forest Service. The Oscar of the Smokey Bear Awards is the Golden Smokey Bear Statuette. This award is given to organizations or individuals who have provided sustained outstanding national service for wildfire prevention. The Silver Smokey Bear Award is given to organizations or individuals that provide outstanding national or regional service for wildfire prevention over a period of at least two years. And finally, the Bronze Smokey Bear Award is given to individuals who provided outstanding regional or statewide service for wildfire prevention over a period of at least two years. Other Smokey Bear Awards include the Smokey Bear Citation, the Smokey Bear Appreciation Award, and the Smokey's Helper Patch. Complete details regarding criteria, approval, and procurement of these awards are in the U.S. Forest Service Manual. In 1971, another small orphan bear was found in the Lincoln National Forest, Smokey's former home. It was decided that this little cub would be an ideal successor to the aging Smokey. Special ceremonies welcomed little Smokey as he moved next door to the famous bear. The original Smokey Bear died on November 9, 1976, leaving Smokey's heir to fulfill his duties at the National Zoo, greeting over three million visitors each year. Smokey, the firefighting bear, either live, in costume, or in print, continues to be an important part of fire prevention in America. You can camp upon his doorstep and he'll make you feel at home. You can run and hut and ramble anywhere you care to roam. He will let you take his honey and pretend he's not so smart, but don't you harm the trees for he's a ranger in his heart. Smokey the bear, Smokey the bear, growlin' and growlin' and a sniff in the air. He can find a fire before it starts to flame. That's why they call him Smokey, that was how he got his name. Each year the Ad Council creates new National Public Service advertising to present a forest fire prevention message to the general public. The Ad Council packages these materials into media kits and distributes them to television and radio stations, newspapers and magazines across the country. Here are some examples of public service announcements released in the past years. This is Smokey Bear and there's only one wish I had for my 40th birthday. For people to be careful with fire in the forest, remember, only you can do it. That's why I don't take our National Forest and Parks for granted because proud pine trees and sleepy streams and songbirds can disappear as quickly as throwing a match out of a car window. As fast as walking... I'm BB King. If Mother Nature held a jazz festival, no one would be able to sing the blues better than our National Forest. Man, they've paid their dues. They've been burned. Imagine a city laid waste by fire. City streets ravaged by a sea of flames, gutting buildings, destroying property, killing entire families, hot tongues of flames, scorching flesh, and searing lungs that can't cry for help. Picture your town devastated by a wall of... Take seven dollars out of your wallet and burn it. You do it every year anyway because it's your money that goes up in smoke when a forest is damaged. Your money that's spent to protect our resources and fight forest and range fires caused by people. Over one billion tax dollars a year. We don't want to burn money. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. Much bigger than Mr. Peterson suspected, I suspect, because his campfire got a second wind. He woke up and quickly led his family to safety, but by the time the rangers got the fire under control, it had damaged over 300 acres worth nearly $100,000. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. A public service of this station, the Forest Service, USDA, your state foresters, and the ad council. The first stirrings of America's freedom began under the Liberty Tree. The Pine Tree Shilling was our first coin. And George Washington's Cherry Tree, our first tall tale. Names like Old Hickory and Abe the Rail Splitter just naturally seem to fit our country's giants. Our legends, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, Davey Crockett, come from the forest. We built our churches, our homes, our tools, our rifles, our toys, our books, all from trees. We traveled west on wooden wagons and canoes and blazed a path to the ocean on wooden ties. America and America's forests have grown up together. So please be careful with fire. Because a country without its forests is a country without its future. One careless second with a match and America the beautiful becomes America the ugly. Please help prevent forest fires. Happy birthday, America. Here's a kiss and a squeeze. Thank you a lot for your beautiful tree. You grew them real tall and put them in forests to help out the carpenters and the squirrels and the florists. Yes, thank you, America, for the trees in your hair and for keeping them safe with smoky beer. A public service on behalf of the Forest Service and your state foresters. And Charlie Wong. And Sloan Wren. What a lovely day for a picnic. How about that spot over there? Perfect. I'll go get some firewood. Don't get lost. We're going to eat some hot dogs. Done yet? I'm just about ready, dear. Come along now, Junior. It's time for fire. I'll forget it. It'll go out by itself. You wouldn't want bears to be careless with fire in your home. So don't be careless in theirs. Since 1947 forest fires have been cut in half because people have been careful from smoky beer and all of us who use the forest. Thank you. And God bless you, America. I like the way the forest sounds. The way the leaves rustle in the wind and fall to the ground and crunch under your feet. The way the birds sing and the chipmunks chatter. The way a squirrel scrambles up a tree. That's why I'm asking you to please be careful with fire. Because when we lose a forest, we lose a lot more than meets the eye. I ought to know. I'm Ray Charles. Hello. I'm Smoky Bear. This is my friend, Thumper. He lives here in this forest. Bambi's family lives here too. It's their home. But sometimes people come here and they get careless. Please don't be careless. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Only you. Over two million years ago, prehistoric man discovered fire. He learned how to cook with it, stay warm with it, even light up the darkest night with it. But he never learned how to be careful with fire in the forest. After two million years, isn't it time we acted our age? The deadliest animal in the forest isn't the biggest. Or even the strongest. The deadliest animal rarely travels alone. It fears the darkness. But it's cunning. It strikes without a moment's notice. Each year, nine out of every ten forest fires are started by these animals. The deadly ones. The ones with the brains. In the time it takes to grow a tree, you can grow a country. Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air. What you can do for your country. It only takes a minute to wipe out a century. A flash and nothing. And even the birds won't come anymore. He told me when I go up, I can be a fisherman. Just like he is. My daddy told me when I go up, to be careful with campfires. Just like he is. Daddy, when are you going to grow up? A fish died. Because it couldn't breathe. Because its gills got clogged with silt. Because mud ran into the river. Because there was nothing to trap the rain. Because all the trees were gone. Because someone got out of the water. Because there was nothing to trap the rain. Because all the trees were gone. Because someone got out of the water. Because someone got careless with fire. So please, be careful with fire. Because. A monster in every one of us that can destroy a forest, as long as we treat fire like a toy. Please. By the time the second hand reaches 12, forest fires will have burned down another 100 trees, unless you help. Remember, when you're in the forest, you're among friends. It's a life in the forest. A lot of things can die. So please, please don't be careless with fire. For age, pumpkin, there were trees everywhere. But people got careless. And every year they started forest fires. And all the trees burned down. Then the birds died. Because without trees, there's no air. So everything dies. Grandpa, I wish I could bring back the trees for you. Maybe you've never seen a forest fire. I thought much about how it affects you. But maybe you should. Because last year alone, this country spent a quarter of a billion dollars to fight these fires. And restore the land. A quarter of a billion dollars. Now guess who paid for all that? That's right. You. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Only you can make Smokey's wish come true. It's peaceful and quiet. A place where animals play. It's called the forest. But every year we start forest fires. A careless match, a cigarette, and poof, fire. So the next time you're in the forest, be extra careful. If you knew it was me, would you have listened?