Did you know Smokey the Bear was going to be 75? He was created in August of 1944, the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is the longest-running service advertising campaign in U.S. history. He is an American campaign and advertising icon created by the U.S. Forest Service with artist Albert Staehle. The Ad council, U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters employ Smokey the Bear to educate the public about the dangers of unplanned human-caused wildfires. In his 1st campaign “Smokey says~ Care will prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires.” It was 2001 that the slogan officially changed to “Only YOU Can Prevent Wildfires.” According to the Ad Council, 80% of outdoor recreationalists correctly identified Smokey Bear’s image and 8 in 10 recognized the campaign. Fun fact: did you know that Smokey Bear’s name has always been intentionally spelled differently from the adjective “smoky?”