WEB EXTRA: Smokey Bear 75th birthday Web Extras by: Bill Shannon Posted: Aug 9, 2019 / 03:48 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 9, 2019 / 03:48 PM EDT It’s Smokey Bear’s 75th birthday! The Forest Service and the Ad Council created the Smokey Bear Wildlife Prevention campaign in 1944. Here’s a look at Smokey over the years.