The Story of Hotfoot Teddy

Little Judy Bell had a teddy bear, and he was special.  Some of her friends had teddy bears too, but Judy’s was different.  Her little teddy bear was gaining fame rapidly and would soon be known in every corner of the United States, and over much of the world.

In fact, I’ll bet you’ve heard of Judy’s bear.  His named was Hotfoot Teddy.

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It was a windy day during the spring of 1950.  A fire lookout in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico spotted smoke.  He reported his sighting to the nearest ranger station and fire crews were alerted.

When the crews arrived, they found a major wildfire already rushing over the ground, pushed by the wind.  They called for help and soon more crews were on their way.  Forest rangers, local crews from New Mexico and Texas, and the New Mexico State Game Department set out to gain control of the raging wildfire.

As the various groups fought the fire, reports spread among them of a lone bear cub that had been seen wandering around the area of the firefight.  The fire crews were so busy battling the blaze that they didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about the little animal.  Some of them reported hoping the cub’s mother would return and take him to safety.

They quickly had worse things to worry about than one little lost bear cub.

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Due to a change in conditions, a portion of the wildfire switched direction and about 30 of the firefighters suddenly found themselves directly in its path.  They found death at over 2000°F rushing at them faster than they could get away.  The group was lucky enough to find a rockslide that was relatively brush-free.  They lay face down for over an hour as the intense heat passed over and around them.

They were fortunate, but not everyone was quite as lucky as them.  The little orphan bear cub had been trapped by the fire as well.  He had taken refuge in a tree that had been “completely charred” by the flames.  The cub had survived the blaze but had gotten his paws and back legs badly burned.

The rescuers knew that the badly burned orphan didn’t have much of a chance to live if they left him on his own in the burned-over forest, so they pulled him from the tree.  One of them, a rancher who lived nearby, took the bear home with him. A New Mexico Department of Game and Fish ranger happened to be staying in a camp near the group that found the cub.  The ranger, a kind-hearted man named Ray Bell, heard about the tiny bear and drove to the rancher’s home with an offer of help.  Ranger Bell took the cub on a plane to Santa Fe, and then to his home where Bell’s wife Ruth and their children Don and Judy took him in.  They enlisted help from local veterinarian Dr. Edwin J. Smith in caring for the cub now called Hotfoot Teddy.

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The national news services got wind of the unfortunate bear cub and published articles detailing his story.  Hotfoot Teddy was becoming a celebrity.  People began to write letters and call to ask about Teddy’s health and recovery. 

Someone in a position of authority at the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish felt that the little bear had a bigger future than the department was prepared to handle, so he contacted the chief of the United States Forest Service, offering to present the cub to the agency, with one stipulation.  The game department would give Hotfoot Teddy to the Forest Service on the condition that he would be dedicated to a conservation and wildfire prevention publicity program.

An agreement was made.  Hotfoot Teddy was put aboard a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser airplane to make the trip from New Mexico to Washington D.C. 

When Teddy arrived at the National Zoo in Washington, he was met by Boy and Girl Scouts, photographers, and media.  At that zoo, Teddy was given a home for life, plenty of food, good medical care, as well as a career and a new name…the name you know him by…Smokey Bear.

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Smokey Bear lived at the National Zoo for 26 years (from 1950 until his death in 1976).  During that time he received millions of visitors as well as so many letters addressed to him (more than 13,000 a week) that in 1964 the United States Postal Service gave him his own ZIP code.  He developed a love for peanut butter sandwiches, in addition to his daily diet of bluefish and trout.

Upon his death, Smokey’s remains were returned by the government to Capitan, New Mexico, and buried at what is now the Smokey Bear Historical Park, which is operated by New Mexico State Forestry.  This facility is now a wildfire and Smokey interpretive center.  In the garden adjacent to the center is the famous bear’s grave.  The plaque at his grave reads, “This is the resting place of the first living Smokey Bear… the living symbol of wildfire prevention and wildlife conservation.”

Generations of American children knew and loved Smokey Bear, and could immediately tell you who uttered the words, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”  Relatively few, however, know that the famous fire fighting bear was an actual living, breathing bear for 26 years.

But I do, and now you do too.

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Addendum I: Some of my readers may be aware of the fact that Smokey Bear already existed before Hotfoot Teddy took over his persona.  During World War II the U.S. Forest Service had an idea to increase public awareness of wildfires.  After the release of Bambi in 1942, Walt Disney allowed his characters to appear in a public awareness fire prevention campaign for one year. Wanting to keep the successful program active so, after much discussion, the Forest Service came up with the idea of using a cartoon bear which would be named after a New York City Fire Department hero who was burned and blinded during a bold rescue in 1922.  That firefighter’s name was “Smokey” Joe Martin.

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Addendum II:  I would be remiss if I did not make mention of Goldie Bear and Little Smokey.  In 1962, the National Zoo brought in a female bear to mate with the famous Smokey and produce an heir to the throne.  Well, when 1971 came around, and the couple was barren (bear-un?), the decision was made to bring in another orphaned bear cub, and dub him “Little Smokey.”

The original Smokey Bear officially retired from his role as living icon on May 2, 1975, and the title, “Smokey Bear II”, was bestowed upon Little Smokey in an official ceremony.  Little Smokey died August 11, 1990.

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