Wildfire prevention icon gets primetime exposure in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Forest Service’s Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history.
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Image 1 of 4MANHATTAN, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Balloon handlers fight the strong wind and struggle to keep The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Smokey Bear Balloon low but safe as he makes his way down Central Park West during the 93rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade marched down from 77th & Central Park West south and ended at 34th Street-Macy's Herald Square was held in the Manhattan borough of New York on November 28, 2019, USA. (Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Image 2 of 4A marching band leads Smokey Bear balloon during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, New York on November 25, 2021. - This year marks the 95th annual parade. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) (UKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 3 of 4NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: The Smokey the Bear balloon during the 95th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2021 in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
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Image 4 of 4Smokey the Bear balloon during the 95th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ( )
NEW YORK -- Millions of parade enthusiasts watched the 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on Thursday and likely saw Smokey Bear with the long-running catchphrase "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires."
The phrase represented by the 51-foot tall helium balloon has been around in some form since the 1940s and is considered the longest-running public service campaign in U.S. history.
According to The Ad Council, the development of the campaign happened because of threats exploding ordinances posed to Pacific forests during World War II and has stuck around ever since.
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While the slogan has seen minor tweaks over the decades, the mission of helping to cut down on human-caused wildfires remains the campaign’s chief priority.
A recent congressional report stated that the U.S. averages nearly 63,000 wildfires that annually burn around 7 million acres.
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And Smokey Bear has his work cut out for him, an estimated 88 percent of wildfires that occur are human-caused.
Forest Service wildfire prevention tips can be found on smokeybear.com.