Smokey Bear to celebrate 70th birthday, with no plans on retiring

"He's one of the most popular icons throughout this country," Tom Tidwell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, told TODAY.com about the bear, who is actually known as "Smokey Bear," not "Smokey the Bear," as many people think. "And he's well-recognized internationally because of the success of this campaign."

Since 1944, Smokey has served as the face of fire prevention for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Forest Service, encouraging people to take personal responsibility when dealing with flames with his signature phrase, "Onlyyou can prevent forest fires."