Smokey Bear is getting old. He’s celebrating his 75th birthday this year. While he’s not retiring, he’s getting a new voice — or should we say voices — people like Sam Elliott, Stephen Colbert, Jeff Foxworthy and Al Roker.
The idea is to reach younger Americans with messages that go beyond “only you can prevent forest fires.”
Oh, a bit of trivia: Smokey’s eyes are always dark brown, his jeans are always blue and his belt buckle is always gold. And, if there is any confusion, he uses a round-point shovel, not a flat shovel or scoop shovel.
Here’s a 30-second message from Smokey spoken by late night TV host Stephen Cobert.
https://youtu.be/29kjsFKyha0
