Hotfoot Teddy

Southern California may still be smoldering from its latest wildfires, but don't blame Smokey Bear for lack of trying. The fire-safety grizzly has been reminding the public for 65 years that when it comes to preventing wildfires, it's on you, America. Born in 1944 as a creation of the U.S. Ad Council, the bear has appeared in campaign posters, comic strips, cartoons and television commercials, and even got his own commemorative stamp in 1994 for his 50th birthday. In one unforgettable (read: disturbing) PSA from the 1980s, he even masqueraded as actress Joanna Cassidy of Starsky and Hutch.

Read "Americana: No More Mister Nice Bear" from TIME's Archives.

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