Smokey (the) Bear ???
By applsofgld
@applsofgld (2506)
United States
March 22, 2007 12:02am CST
Okay, we were watching a commercial tonight, and I called him Smokey the Bear. My husband says wanna bet? He is Smokey Bear and has always been Smokey Bear, not Smokey the Bear. I have always called him Smokey the Bear. I know this may sound silly, he said I would look silly if I posted this. But he said he'd bet me money he was right and I was wrong. I always thought the commercials said, Smokey the Bear says lets prevent forrest fires,not Smokey Bear. So please help us settle this "silly" issue.
9 people like this
17 responses
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
22 Mar 07
My husband will be gloating :) He was so sure of himself, I should have known.
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11177)
• United States
22 Mar 07
hmmm
I have a comic book around here somewhere and I am pretty sure that it is titled "Smokey THE Bear"
The Bear's name is Smokey, not bear(as bear only indicates his genus) so he is called Smokey The Bear.
My cat is Mabel, the cat. She does not have a last name of Cat...it identifies the creature that she is.
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
I have always called him Smokey the Bear, not Smokey Bear. I don't remember those commercials saying Smokey Bear says prevent forest fires. But he may have. My hubby is going to just love it when I tell him he is right :)
1 person likes this
@monkeywriter (2003)
• United States
23 Mar 07
I recall those commercials though. Smokey Bear says only you can prevent forest fires, except again I thought it was Smokey THE Bear. It only makes sense.
Smokey Bear sounds like a full on name, while Smokey THE Bear sounds like his only name is Smokey and he is a bear. So its Smokey THE Bear. :)
2 people like this
@princess07031980 (5412)
• United States
22 Mar 07
Well with the first writer's response, even so much as putting the first dated poster as "Smokey Bear," well sh is probably right. I have always called him SMOKEY THE BEAR. I wonder where the variation came from?
2 people like this
@princess07031980 (5412)
• United States
23 Mar 07
LOL surely not me. I can't recall too many people calling him Smokey Bear, but hey, you learn something new every day!
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
I never really thought about it until my hubby corrected me the other night. I haven't yet told him that he was "right", ha ha. I just always have called him Smokey the Bear, who knew.
1 person likes this
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Okay, I thought it was Smokey the Bear too. So, you will have to let us know the outcome of this. I rated you a + for such a cute posting. Keep them up.
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Thank you so much for the encouragement. I love reading the responses, they are as much fun as they are informative. I mean, who knew, certainly not me. I was so sure I was right, Smokey Bear just doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps because I always put the "the" in it :)
1 person likes this
@Bee1955 (3882)
• United States
23 Mar 07
You lose - hubby wins. Check out http://www.SmokeyBear.com for the whole story. It originally was Smokey Bear, but over the years people kept putting "The" in the middle for some inexplainable reason. But the intent was to name the cub, "Smokey Bear".
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Thanks for putting the link in your response. I did check it out, I can't believe I didn't know this, LOL. Plus he is still so popular after all these years, I can remember him from my childhood, but I still have always called him Smokey THE bear :)
1 person likes this
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Well I always thought it was Smokey The Bear too. I guess we learn something new everyday... and sometimes more than once...lol I would have bet on it...and lost...hehe
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
I still haven't told him that he won, he he he. But I was so sure.... but it looks like from the responses I've rec'd, he is definitely the winner here :)
1 person likes this
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
24 Mar 07
The problem, as I see it, is that all of us have memories that may have faded a bit through the years. Some folks remember songs better than just words. I figure it this way. If Theodore Roosevelt's bear can be Teddy Bear since the early 1900's then why can't Smokey Bear be proper? How about some more thought's on this subject?
1 person likes this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
24 Mar 07
My husband said that Smokey Bear is his name, I thought it was Smokey the Bear. I just have always called him that, but in the responses I have received on this post, it seems that the correct name for him is indeed Smokey Bear. It probably doesn't matter, but I thought it interesting to find that I have been wrong about this all these years. I must have associated his name with the song :)
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I always thought it was Smokey THE Bear guess what we were both wrong:...this link gives his history!
Forest Fire Prevention - Smokey Bear (1944-Present)
http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=129
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Thanks for the link. I never knew, you would think since 1944 i would know something like this. My hubby will love it that he is right :)
1 person likes this
@bestisyettocome (1531)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I've always called him Smokey the Bear.
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Me too, who would have thought any different. Not me that's for sure :)
1 person likes this
@chaygylmommy (2469)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I have always said Smokey Bear, but I am not sure. LOL You and your husband sound like me and my husband. LOL It's too cute!
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I just have always called him Smokey the Bear, and he was the first one to ever correct me, so I was shocked!
1 person likes this
@monkeywriter (2003)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Actually *I* thought it was Smoke THE Bear as well! *L* Oh well. Its Smokey Bear, who kno? Surely NOT me! :)
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
23 Mar 07
I know, I was sure it was Smokey the Bear, not Smokey Bear. I can't believe that, to me it just doesn't sound right to say just Smokey Bear.
1 person likes this
@yvonne1968 (1063)
• United States
22 Mar 07
You are right it has always been Smokey THE bear.
I was even at the ohio state fair this morning and they had a automated one that talked to little kids and on the sign it did say Smokey the bear, and you would give the childs name and he would say Smokey the bear says....
so you are right in my eyes you won the bet LOL
2 people like this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I appreciate the responses, I'm afraid my hubby is right, I've had more responses in his favor than mine. :)
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
22 Apr 07
I always thought it was Smokey the bear. Smokey bear does not sound right to me.
1 person likes this
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
8 May 07
I know it doesn't sound right to me either, but I think we're out numbered on this one :)
@emeraldisle (13138)
• United States
14 Apr 07
Actually in part you are both right. I did a bit of a search because I always thought the "The" was there as well. Although the name of Smokey Bear never officially changed to Smokey The Bear it was used in the anthem written for and about him. With the song there were some commercials that had the extra the but also the one book I had which told the story of the original bear had "the bear" in it as well. So you had both used even though officially his name was just Smokey Bear.
http://www.smokeybear.com/vault/name_main.asp
Hope that helps.
