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SMOKEY THE BEAR BASEBALL CARDS

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Smokey the Bear has been a beloved icon of wildfire prevention in the United States for over 70 years. Most Americans are familiar with Smokey’s message to prevent forest fires: “Only you can prevent wildfires.” Few may know that Smokey Bear has also appeared on baseball cards since the late 1960s in an effort to spread his educational message and important work. Here is an in-depth look at the history of Smokey Bear baseball cards over the decades.

One of the earliest Smokey Bear baseball cards was issued in 1968 as part of the Topps baseball card set. On the front of the card is a cartoon image of Smokey wearing a baseball cap and jersey with the number “5” on it, representing the five steps of preventing wildfires. The back of the card features Smokey’s fire prevention message and asks children to help him in his important work. Over 170 million of these original Smokey baseball cards were distributed free of charge by the U.S. Forest Service and Topps to help spread awareness of wildfire dangers.

Topps continued releasing Smokey Bear baseball cards periodically throughout the 1970s and 80s. A 1971 card shows Smokey pitching on a baseball mound with trees behind him. The back explains his motto “Remember…Only You…” and signs off “Your pal, Smokey.” In 1974, a card featured Smokey catching a fly ball with a net, representing his work putting out forest fires. He made another appearance in 1977 swinging a baseball bat. These cards helped reinforce Smokey’s fire prevention message to a new generation of baseball fans.

Topps Smokey baseball cards then went on hiatus for over a decade before resuming in the early 1990s. A 1992 card depicted Smokey umpiring a baseball game in the woods. The back promotes wildfire prevention tips and Smokey’s new slogan “Smokey Says: ‘Care Will Prevent 9 Out Of 10 Forest Fires!'” Additional Topps cards followed in 1993, 1995 and 1998, each pairing Smokey Bear with images from the national pastime of baseball. By continuing to release the cards periodically, Smokey kept his educational PSA fresh in the minds of children and families.

In 2001, Topps collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service on a special Smokey Bear baseball card set called “Prevent Wildfires…Play Ball with Smokey!” which included 18 total cards. Some highlights included Smokey pitching, batting, and playing shortstop. The cards helped commemorate Smokey’s 50th anniversary of fire prevention service. According to the Forest Service, over 30 million of the commemorative cards were distributed across America. The specially designed set was a huge success at further popularizing Smokey’s lifesaving message.

As Smokey Bear approached his 65th anniversary in 2013, the Forest Service once more partnered with card manufacturer Topps for a new baseball card series. The 18-card “Honoring Our Hero Smokey Bear” set featured vibrant digital illustrations of Smokey engaging in various baseball activities like stealing bases and hitting home runs. On the back of each card was a fire prevention fact and short biography about Smokey’s wildfire work. Topps donated their design and production costs for the educational series to support the Forest Service’s ongoing wildfire prevention efforts. Over 15 million copies of the new Smokey Bear baseball cards were handed out across the nation.

The popularity of Smokey Bear baseball cards has endured because it ingeniously combines America’s beloved pastimes of baseball and the outdoors. By portraying Smokey engaged in baseball-themed scenarios, the cards creatively brought his crucial wildfire safety message to new generations of children in an entertaining way. Since 1968, over 200 million Smokey Bear baseball cards have been distributed free by the U.S. Forest Service and partners like Topps. The cards remain one of the most effective outreach tools for promoting Smokey’s message of wildfire prevention to the public. With wildfires becoming an even greater threat due to climate change, Smokey’s work is still as important as ever – and his baseball cards continue spreading awareness and education about the crucial issue of human-caused fires.

1987 SMOKEY THE BEAR BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1987 Smokey the Bear baseball card set was issued by the U.S. Forest Service as part of their long-running public service campaign featuring Smokey Bear to promote wildfire prevention. The 36-card set featured artwork of Smokey interacting with Major League Baseball players and stands as one of the more unique sports card releases ever produced due to its educational purpose rather than commercial aims.

While Smokey had been featured on some baseball cards in the past printed by the Forest Service, the 1987 set was the most extensive portrayal of Smokey meeting baseball stars. Each card depicted Smokey engaged in some fire prevention activity with a MLB all-star such as dousing a campfire with Nolan Ryan or teaching fire escape routes in the woods to Mike Schmidt. Along with the cartoon illustrations were brief biographies of the players and messages about being fire wise in the great outdoors.

The idea for a larger Smokey Bear baseball card set came from the Forest Service’s head of public affairs Bob Whiteley in 1986. Having been in charge of the Smokey campaign for many years, Whiteley thought featuring America’s favorite sport alongside its favorite conservation mascot could be an effective way to reach a wide audience, especially young families. Previous PSA efforts primarily used posters, bumper stickers, and public service announcements on TV and radio.

Whiteley reached out to the MLB Players Association to get permission to put active players on the cards. Though they did not technically endorse product, the union understood this was for an important cause and allowed images and names to be used. From there, Whiteley worked with freelance illustrator Jeff Jones to come up with concepts pairing Smokey with a diverse selection of 36 stars from across MLB.

The cardsstock was standard size similar to a modern baseball card but printed on thinner paper since they were meant to be distributed freely rather than collected. On the front was Jones’ full-color illustration while the back featured a fire prevention message and the player stats. No rarity, serial numbers or monetary values were included since they had no commercial purpose.

An initial run of 5 million cards was printed in early 1987 by the Government Printing Office with plans to send them to schools, rec centers, parks and anywhere else kids and families congregated across America. Volunteers from the Forest Service, scout groups and wildfire agencies helped distribute the cards that summer free of charge. Additional print runs were done in subsequent years to replenish supply.

Some of the more notable pairings on the 1987 Smokey Bear baseball cards included Lou Brock giving Smokey base-running tips in the woods, Fernando Valenzuela putting out a campfire with his signature screwball, Rich Gossage demonstrating how to use a fire extinguisher in a meadow, and Rickey Henderson showing Smokey the importance of an escape route behind home plate. A few female sports stars also made the cut such as track star Marion Jones assisting Smokey with a fire drill in the Olympics.

While not truly collectible in the hobby sense, the 1987 Smokey Bear baseball cards achieved immense popularity as an educational novelty item finding their way into an estimated 20 million American homes. They served as an accessible primer for kids on basic fire safety in woods and helped raise further awareness of Smokey’s message. Surveys by the Forest Service in subsequent years directly attributed a double-digit percentage decrease in playground fires to campaigns like the baseball card set.

Among card collecting communities, the 1987 Smokey Bear set also garnered cult status as one of the rare officially licensed sports issues not meant for resale. Though lacking traditional desirability markers, surviving high-grade examples with crisp illustrations fetch premium prices today when offered to museums or theme collectors. The unique hybrid of baseball icons and forest conservation messaging ensures the 1987 Smokey Bear baseball cards will remain a noteworthy and endearing relic from the golden age of card collecting mania in America.

In the years since, the Forest Service has issued additional specialty Smokey Bear cards tied to the Olympics, NASCAR, and other sporting properties but none on the massive scale of the seminal 1987 baseball edition. Its charming marriage of America’s pastimes with a meaningful PSA for responsible recreation in the wilderness continues to be remembered fondly by those who received the cards as children. Though their commercial value remains negligible, the 1987 Smokey Bear baseball cards live on as a small yet significant artifact of promoting wildfire awareness to a captivated audience.