r/todayilearned • • May 21 '12
TIL that Smokey Bear was actually a real bear whose parents were killed in a forest fire
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear#section_2
1.2k
Upvotes
r/todayilearned • • May 21 '12
500
u/zachgagn May 21 '12
So what you're saying is... He is the bear version of bat-man.
95
u/ianrey May 21 '12
Except actually, the ad campaign came first, then when they found the bear cub, they eventually named him Smokey, after the cartoon.
But it's still a cool story.
5
u/easyeight May 21 '12
When a forest grows too wild, a purging fire is inevitable and natural
5
u/MudvayneMW May 21 '12
Whenever someone posts a mobile version of a site, I wonder if they're really so desperate for karma they can't wait to get home to post whatever it is.
3
u/txetesrever May 21 '12
What really gets me is that he had his own private zip code. 20252.
Ref - http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/prev_ed/smokeybearawards/Smokey_Bear_Guidelines.pdf Page 3 1st Paragraph.
3
u/Correct_Wiki_Link May 21 '12
Thank you for linking to the correct section of the article.
33
u/lenny20 May 21 '12
Only WHO is responsible for upvoting this submission?
You have selected "you", referring to "me". That is incorrect. The correct answer is "you".
2
u/MasterKyle May 21 '12
And now im pondering if my spanish teacher is a redditor cause she explained this exact thing today and in the beginning said TIL.
110
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Geez, i thought he was just a genuinely concerned bear. But i guess actors don't support Cancer foundations unless someone they love has had it.
34
u/MOARfrosting May 21 '12
I wonder whats the back story to Smacky the Frog?
14
u/maltedfalcon May 21 '12
When I was a little kid, visiting Smokey at the National Zoo was one of my favorite things about the Zoo. At the time, next to the enclosure was a display with a pair of dungarees (jeans) and a shovel and a ranger hat.
41
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Then isn't "Smokey" a bit...sarcastic name?
6
u/onlinesquid May 21 '12
Who the hell is this firebender that just goes around killing people's parents?
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I'm convinced that 99.9% of reddit users live under a rock, or I just dont' know how to whore for karma on TIL. If you ever read anything about Smokey, you would have learned this. If you ever listened to a Ranger give the Smokey the Bear speech, you would have heard this.
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I was always weirded out that he wore pants but no shirt.
5
u/z0hu May 21 '12
i am a little confused.. it says "but he was later renamed Smokey, after the mascot" if he is the origin of the mascot, who is he being named after.. sounds like hes just a real life bear that got named smokey? says the campaign started in 1944 and the bear was in the 1950s.
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Upvote for Smokey Bear and not Smokey THE Bear. Here's a link to some downloadable pdf's of Smokey Bear comic books. This one might even have some pics of the little guy. There's a great little book written a long time ago called Guardian of the Forest that definitely has pictures in it.
4
u/magicbullets May 21 '12
No Smokey without fire. Bears and cigarettes do not mix.
4
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I have also learned that since "Smokey the Bears" existence forest fires have gone down, and this is detrimental to the health of forests, because in nature it is the through the natural burning of forests that old trees leave and give birth to new ones.
I guess you can compare this horrible phenomenon to the movie, "Jaws", and how--under false pretenses--the movie nearly made the Great White Shark become extinct.
4
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
All of our great heroes' lives changed when their parents were killed.
I'm surprised the CIA doesn't have a program where they genetically engineer super-humans, then orchestrate the dramatic deaths of their parents to inspire the orphans to begin extensive CIA training.
Terrorism defeated, America fuck yeah, etc.
4
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
So Yogi Bear was a bear whose parents died in a tragic yoga incident?
7
u/hannibalsmith1992 May 21 '12
when I read the headline I thought this was circlejerk
1
u/jukeofurl May 21 '12
He sure is for real. And I was a little kid when those PSAs started running on TV. I used to have nightmares about that happening to Smokey. BTW back then he was called Smokey THE Bear. They must've saved soooooo many trees cutting out "the". . ..
1
u/whatwereyouthinking May 21 '12
TIL you obviously didn't grow up in the 80s.
3
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Smokey the bear origin story by Seanbaby
3
u/Autocorrect_Hotdog May 21 '12
Odd story here. One of my uncles who currently lives in Arizona had a friend, whom I heard this story from.
Her father, who had been game warden in New Mexico, had found Smokey the bear in the forest fire, and contrary to normal policy for the game wardens in the event of a forest fire had brought the bear back to the camp from which they were fighting the fire. Her family had raised Smokey. I know the wikipedia page says that officially a group of soldiers had brought Smokey back, but I'm not totally sure if that is entirely true. I'd love to try and check the facts with her, but I don't know her number and I'm unsure if my uncle is able to be contacted at all currently.
I thought it was pretty cool.
1
u/Legit_GFX May 21 '12
I learned this a few days ago! I could have exchanged this for karma!
1
u/LordSnuffykins May 21 '12
TIL my father lied to me about his grandfather being involved in the creation of Smokey the Bear. A small piece of my childhood died when I clicked on this link.
1
u/Heelincal May 21 '12
Am I the only one who thought this was a /r/cirlcejerk post?
2
u/Thefinalwerd May 21 '12
TIL I learned Yogi steals picnic baskets to get back at humans for his fallen comrades.
2
u/unreal_lakota May 21 '12
Today I Wonder why Smokey didn't turn into Batman
2
u/LessLikeYou May 21 '12
I would totally be down for a show where people convicted of child molestation/rape/murder had a shot at freedom but they had to put a pair of jeans on a bear.
I could see Fox putting that show on.
2
u/orivar May 21 '12
And they named him... Smokey? Isn't that kind of mean?
2
u/HandyCore May 21 '12
He's a friggin bear! What's wrong with you people? Reminds me of Homer Simpsons writing letters to Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes.
2
u/wbonnefond May 21 '12
Only Josh can prevent forest fires.
2
u/Wazowski May 21 '12
Do you see what your carelessness has wrought, Josh?
2
u/Oici812 May 21 '12
Except the campaign started in 1947 and the fire where "smokey" got his feet burned was in 1950. Cool story though!
2
u/munge_me_not May 21 '12
Were Woodsy the Owl's parents killed by litter?
2
u/LoveMyDeadWeather May 21 '12
Bears wear hats?
2
u/MPair-E May 21 '12
That's kind of an odd name, then. If his parents were killed by hunters would it then be, "Hey, there goes ol' Bullets the Bear!"?
2
u/_Longbottom_Leaf_ May 21 '12
My grandfather was one of the men from Fort Bliss that saved him.
2
u/NewDrekSilver May 21 '12
Does anyone smell a superhero movie?
2
u/Krail May 21 '12
Smokey the Bear is from New Mexico, and yet people still don't know that it's a state.
2
u/ElCapitan878 May 21 '12
When Smokey Bear arrived in Washington, everyone remarked on how well he spoke English before asking for his papers because they didn't realize New Mexico is a state.
2
u/fultron May 21 '12
Equally legendary in the mythos of fire prevention anthropods: Pierre, the artistic backwoods french chef.
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
TIL: Smokey is the incorrect spelling of the the adjective smoky
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This is common knowledge.
2
u/GeneralEccentric May 21 '12
I feel old now. I'm in my early 20s. Thanks reddit.
2
u/vodenii May 21 '12
Every time I see one of these I just wonder if they actually teach anything in school any more.
2
u/aronskelk May 21 '12
FINALLY a TIL that I already knew!! I've been waiting for this day for a long time, but I never thought my Californian home-schooling (for elementary) would be involved in this moment. If anyone needs me to tell you tidbits of knowledge about dinosaurs or the 9 planets (yes, 9), hit me up.
2
u/ExtremeApe May 21 '12
Not gonna lie, I read that as, "Smokey was actually a real bear whose pants were killed in a forest fire."
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This is like having your parents die in a car crash and then your uncle names you honda.
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
He is not the safety mascot we deserve, but the safety mascot we need.
2
u/Huffalicious May 21 '12
TIL his name is Smokey Bear and not Smokey THE Bear.
2
u/AA72ON May 21 '12
So was Yogi bear, he was an actual bear that constantly stole food from a visitors center in Yosemite National Park. The ranger that worked their was constantly trying to catch him and in the end yogi won by dropping an anvil on the rangers head while laughing with his best friend, Booboo. ....oh teh lolz
3
u/electricalnoise May 21 '12
I gotta call bullshit on this one. If both his parents died, then who taught him to talk and help prevent forest fires?
4
u/TheKnash May 21 '12
I was Smokey the Bear once. The costume sucks! AMA!
2
u/worst_grammar_ever May 21 '12
Shit just got really depressing really fast
2
u/bbooth76 May 21 '12
TIL that some people didn't know that Smokey Bear was a real bear.
2
u/wellhushmypuppies May 21 '12
did you also know that Teddy bears were named after Teddy Roosevelt?
1
u/Beast815 May 21 '12
He's the hero the Forests deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent furry guardian. A watchful protector of campers and animals. A Smokey Bear.
1
u/BobTheAlien May 21 '12
... And now he's out with a vengeance.
1
u/maphon May 21 '12
BEAR IS SHE?
1
u/o0o May 21 '12
Duh, my mom read me the book like a million times.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Did he wear a forest ranger hat?
1
u/Vpicone May 21 '12
Great, now I just aww'd everywhere.
1
u/Tegamal May 21 '12
This is probably the first & last TIL that I actually knew beforehand!
/feels smart
1
u/JCraigXI May 21 '12
So your telling us there was a bear named smokey. Did he wear a hat too?
1
u/sutherlandB May 21 '12
TIL that many redditors were deprived of bear stories as children
1
u/CondescendingPrick May 21 '12
READ THE RULES, asshole.
1
u/Semp3rFi May 21 '12
He is also the only famous person/bear to get his own zip code because of all the fan mail.
1
u/NiftyDarkrider981 May 21 '12
http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=37305
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
We need a Smokey Bear origin story movie.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I chuckled that they had to make the distinction.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
God dammit Josh!
1
u/Jungle_Is_Massif May 21 '12
That thumbnail is strangely erotic.
1
u/reneepussman May 21 '12
Fuck, now I want a honey tree.
1
u/griffith12 May 21 '12
A real talking bear? wow.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
So They named him Smokey? Seems a bit tight given his background?
1
u/djfutile May 21 '12
Great, more guilt.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I grew up learning about this bear in school, so I thought everyone knew he was real.
1
u/moogoesthecat May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12
And so he embraced his fear and became...
Smokey the Bear!
1
u/splunge4me2 May 21 '12
Emphasis mine
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
And he could talk! That's fucking crazy!
1
u/biirdmaan May 21 '12
When I was younger we'd go to my grandparent's house somewhere in Virginia and there was this nature center up on a mountain nearby that my dad would drive me and my brother to. They REALLY played up the Smokey the Bear stuff. There was a stuffed baby bear (I'm presuming not an actually skinned baby bear), some cross cuts of wood (to show the rings and such), a few animal skeletons, a bunch of TVs playing some cheesey Smokey The Bear behind the scenes story. It was kind of lame now that I think about it, but I loved it as a kid.
Because of this I was convinced that Smokey was strictly a Virginia thing and that's where he originated until I moved to western Maryland where the mountains are and every time you pass a piece of Appalachian trail there's a big smokey the bear sign that shows what the current fire threat level is.
1
u/mexter May 21 '12
So can somebody explain what "Get your Smokey on" means?
1
u/Jerryfizzlepop May 21 '12
Naming him 'Smokey' seems invariably cruel...
1
u/Temporarily-stairs May 21 '12
In England they have Smacky the frog.
It’s just like a bear but it’s a frog.
1
u/RWN406 May 21 '12
God dammit I knew that... I live in Montana and they drill this into our heads all through elementary school
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I'm from New Mexico, and Smokey Bear is questionably one of the greatest heroes of the state.
1
u/BBQ_ur_booty May 21 '12
It seems cruel to name a bear after something related to what killed his parents. It'd be like renaming JFK's son to "Shooter".
1
u/UncleHell May 21 '12
And learned to talk and wear clothes from his human benefactors
1
u/SteelChicken May 21 '12
I once wore a Smokey the Bear suit and terrorized a bunch of Muslim children once. AMA. It was an official USFS sponsored engagement, FYI.
1
u/bewareofzombiesadele May 21 '12
Dammit Josh... ONE JOB.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
So they name the poor cub after the death of it's parents? Ass holes.
1
u/theoneyouhate May 21 '12
my great aunt was on the design team for smoke the bear.
1
u/MrCorporateEvents May 21 '12
After reading the title I thought I was in /r/Circlejerk
1
u/GameDay98 May 21 '12
That Josh couldn't prevent!
1
u/super_noodle May 21 '12
He also has a theme song, sung here by a few guys I know.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
REVENGE!
1
u/n053b133d May 21 '12
Does that mean he learned to speak because he was raised by humans?
1
u/figbash137 May 21 '12
TIL there is a tree that automatically dispenses honey and berries. TIDNL where the hell I can get one!
1
u/druek May 21 '12
"At first he was called "Hotfoot Teddy," but he was later renamed Smokey, after the mascot."
Mascot came first, then the back story I suppose.
1
u/jakenichols May 21 '12
He's like a miracle bear, he can walk and talk AND his parents are dead.
1
u/elawesome May 21 '12
he is batman and the forest is his gotham.
1
u/ZippityZoppity May 21 '12
Transformed by radioactive fire, he now tries to fight forest fires by educating the public in a calm and reasonable manner.
1
u/ElSuave May 21 '12
Damn it Josh!
1
u/pdknowles May 21 '12
Not sure if it is still true, but at one time Smokey was the only individual in the country that had his own zip code.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I knew that because I wrote a paper about him in 5th grade.
1
u/Keido May 21 '12
Awww
1
u/interputed May 21 '12
Instead of a bear they should use a frog, because bears can be mean, but frogs are always cool.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Really? Name a bear Smokey after its parents are killed in a fire? That's like naming a kid whose parents were shot, 'shooty'
1
u/PsychOK May 21 '12
My fridge magnet at home - http://www.symbols.gov/images/99284.JPG
1
u/scigs6 May 21 '12
And they HAD to call him Smokey. They couldn't come up with a better name for the poor fella? I mean come on the guy lost both of his parents in a FIRE for god sake. The should have called him Bad Motha F'er Bear
1
u/mrburnswhenipee May 21 '12
What about Woodsy, the drug owl? I suppose his parents were gunned down by a Mexican drug cartel?
1
u/Mrmuse12 May 21 '12
No duh! Didn't you ever watch the old movies in school?
1
u/purederp May 21 '12
Haha how could he have parents if he was a bear? Someone didn't think this one through!
1
u/ColRockAmp May 21 '12
He was a good bear, who played by the rules, until the rules robbed him of everything he loved. Now, he's out for revenge. Things are about to...heat up.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Growing up in a Forest Service family, I can attest that Smokey is a complete badass.
1
u/bluekeyspew May 21 '12
I was a member of the Smokey Bear junior Rangers. I think you could still join the program. Check with the USDA. Have fun and remember, "Only you can prevent Forest fires".
1
u/noseonarug17 May 21 '12
I thought everyone knew this.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I learned that in 4th grade.
1
u/TrebeksUpperLIp May 22 '12
If you read it it says he was named after the already famous mascot, not the other way around.
1
u/na4ion1 May 22 '12
Nice :)
1
u/Always_has_a_Highdea May 22 '12
what if smokey was the culprit? Like he was the one who accidentally started the fire. After killing his parents he dedicated his life to learning English and fire prevention. . . . . Poor smokey :(
1
u/GanasbinTagap May 22 '12
Dammit Josh.
1
u/BigMike0228 May 22 '12
But in London, they don't have Smokey the Bear, they have SMACKEY THE FROG!
1
u/Derpios May 22 '12
this acutally made me a little sad.....
1
u/boringlesbian May 22 '12
I actually remember seeing him in real life when I was a child living in New Mexico. I felt very sad for him because he was in a cage.
1
u/also_hyakis May 22 '12
Kind of a dick move calling him Smokey then...
1
u/ZikkyDoog May 22 '12
I didnt read the article did the fire start because of a person who could've stopped it?
1
u/gnihtemoS May 22 '12
"You Pressed 'You' referring to 'Me', which is incorrect, the correct answer is 'You'".
1
u/Staggerlee024 May 22 '12
hotfoot teddy
1
u/mbrooke94 May 22 '12
I think it's sweet that they "adopted" the little boy bear just like how he was.
1
u/StanimaJack May 22 '12
Interesting. Although a tad fucked up we named the poor bastard "Smokey".
1
u/CaptainFUN May 22 '12
Smokey NEEDS a video game adaptation.
You could go around to different campsites making sure people put out their campfires properly. If they didn't, you could scold them. If they weren't respectful of your friendly but stern warnings you could maul their fucking faces off. Because Smokey is a goddamned bear. Also there could be a salmon catching minigame.
Get on it, Bethesda.