Smokey Bear Was A Real Orphaned Bear Cub In A Wildfire, And The Pictures Of Him Are Equal Parts Adorable And Heartbreaking

So, it's Smokey Bear's 80th birthday on Aug. 9, which is a really long time to be preventing wildfires.

But I actually learned recently that Smokey isn't a fictional character, and started out as a real bear with a backstory that should get the Hollywood treatment ASAP.

In 1950, a wildfire in New Mexico was spreading rapidly when firefighters got a report of a lone bear cub near the fire line. The firefighters couldn't reach the cub and got caught in the firestorm's path, laying face-down in a rockslide for over an hour until the fire burned past them.

Nearby, the lone bear cub took refuge in a charred tree, escaping with his life but badly burned and injured. A rancher among the firefighters agreed to take the cub back to his property.

From there, a New Mexico Department of Game and Fish ranger heard about the cub and came to the rancher's home to escort the cub on a plane to Santa Fe to get it treated for its burns. Look at the little cartoon bear with a sling! 💔

When the press got a hold of the bear's story, support for the cub poured in, as well as letters asking how the bear was doing.

The state game warden offered the bear to the Forest Service as long as it would be dedicated to a conservation and wildfire prevention publicity program.

The cub was given the name Smokey and lived at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC. At his height of popularity, Smokey received over 13,000 letters a week from kids all over the country. (If you ever want to send him a letter, all you need to address it to is: Smokey Bear Washington, DC 20252.)

Smokey died at the National Zoo of old age in 1976, but his message lives on.

HBD, Smokey! If you need ideas for presents, here's one: Don't start a wildfire.