Smokey Bear, America’s longest-running PSA campaign, celebrates 80 years of educating audiences about preventing wildfires

Few mascots are as recognizable to audiences as Smokey Bear, whether they are age five or 65, reports Marketing Daily.

Smokey Bear has been educating audiences about preventing wildfires for eight decades, with the character’s generation-spanning “Only you” message (which debuted a few years after the character) almost as recognizable.

In honor of the 80th anniversary of the fire-safety-focused campaign built around the character, who debuted on a fire-safety poster in 1944, the USDA Forest Service National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the Ad Council, and FCB — which has served as partner for the PSA campaign throughout its history — are throwing Smokey a big birthday bash.

“Smokey Bear is the longest-running PSA campaign in American history,” the Ad Council campaign director Tracy Danicich tells Marketing Daily. “Partnering with the most relevant industry and community partners and trusted voices is truly a part of Smokey’s legacy.

More here.