Polite Dissent

This is a comic that was produced by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council during the 1960s and early ’70s. I remember owning it when I was a preschooler. It was always one of my favorites. It tells the true story (more or less) of Smokey Bear, who went on to become Smokey The Bear and the forest fire prevention mascot of the U.S. Forest Service.

As the comic starts, a forest fire rips through Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. Most of the forest animals flee, but many perish in the flames. One lone animal survives the fire: a badly burned bear cub stuck in a tree. The firefighters rescued him and he was bandaged up and his burns treated. The rangers called him Smokey and he became the mascot used to remind the public that “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.”

Smokey lived out his days at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. I remember seeing him as a youngster in the ’70s, so I’m sure he has long since passed on. I just remember that I could care less about the pandas and the other exotic animals, it was Smokey that my sister and I desperately wanted to see on our visit to the zoo.

• Thanks to the Minnesota Department Department of National Resources, you can download your very own copy of this comic. About 3/5 of the way down the page, under the “Smokey comic book audio CD” heading is a link to a pdf file of the comic (though the last four pages seem to be the same in my copy).
• In addition to this freebie comic, Smokey had Gold Key comic book series that ran for 13 issues from 1970 to 1973. Not to be outdone, Woodsy Owl (”Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”) had a ten issue series, also from Gold Key, from 1973-1976.
• Wikipedia tells a slightly different origin of Smokey the Bear. I’m sure theirs is correct as it is more politically expedient, but I prefer the comic book version.
• Why should you, as a comic reader, care about forest fires? From the comic book:
  Smokey tells them how he hates forest fires!
  How they destroy his animal friends…
  How they burned up timber that could have been used to make homes — perhaps a new home for you…
  How they waste wood that could have gone into furniture…