Symbols from my youth ...

I happened to be thinking the other day about some of the symbols from my youth. Yes, some of these might date me a little bit, but hey, it is what it is. I was thinking about characters like this Mr. Yuk who seemed to be everywhere, maybe they really weren't everywhere, maybe it just seemed like it because they were parts of my education. Mr. Yuk is older than me, though not by much. It's funny how much information you can learn about things via the internet if you really take the time in the midst of the day to do so. I learned that Mr. Yuk is actually a trademark of a hospital in Pittsburgh, and here all along I thought it was some National Poison Control symbol. Oh, well.

Now, here's one that I haven't thought of in a while. Woodsy Owl. Woodsy's famous slogan (at least during my era) was "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute" Good slogan, seemed to put the message into my head. Though, I have to admit I've been a lot of places lately where they could use that slogan.

When I was in New York a few weeks ago, we walked along a roadside that seemed to be the collection place for all kinds of trash. Woodsy would have been very sad to see that roadside. It got me wondering if Woodsy is still "alive" at it seems that Woodsy is indeed readily available to visit your school or other organizational meeting. Click Here to learn more.

What I have found just a little ironic is a web page that talks about how to dispose of your old Woodsy Owl costumes. I didn't do enough research to find out if the problem is that the old costumes don't portray the right Woodsy anymore or if the problem is that they are tattered, but apparently the appropriate thing to do, According to the USDA Forest Service is to "1. Incinerate the complete costume with the oversight of an official USDA Forest Service law enforcement officer*.2. The entire Woodsy Owl costume including each of the separate pieces is to be destroyed beyond recognition." Now, am I crazy or does it seem like incinerating Woodsy Owl flies in the face of everything that Woodsy stands for?

Lately here in California there has been much discussion about Forest Fires. Let's face it, we haven't done real well with forest management lately. As I type, the fires are still burning in Southern California, though they are getting "under control". But this brings to mind one of my favorite characters from the past, and that is Smokey Bear.

I was actually thinking if I could find a Ranger hat that I would try to dress as Smokey for Halloween ... afterall, it's an easy costume, a pair of jeans, a ranger hat, and a shovel (I guess some boots, too). But then I thought that maybe it would be a bit too frightening if I were walking about with no shirt on, afterall, I do look a bit too much like Smokey (he doesn't have a 6-pack).

I think Smokey is probably one of the more commonly known characters from my past. I mean, who doesn't love a bear who tells you that "Only YOU can prevent forest fires?" That's partly a lot of responsibility, but partly a chance to do good. Hey, I haven't started any forest fires, so I'm at least living up to Smokey's expectations for my life.

One of my favorite memories about Smokey was being in First Grade and learning the "Smokey the Bear" song during Fire Prevention Week. I even found a copy of the song so that you can sing along (you may need to click on the image so it's large enough to read).

A little known fact is that prior to the song, Smokey's name was simply "Smokey Bear" but the songwriter needed an extra syllable, so the "the" was added in the middle. Since the song was so popular, people quickly came to know Smokey as "Smokey THE Bear" ... oh, well. What's in a name anyway?

All this bear talk got me thinking about another bear icon from my youth. The Hamm's Beer Bear. I haven't seen Hamm's beer on the shelf of a store in a long time (I think I bought it once when I was in college simply because of the nostalgia factor) it seems it is still sold, but only in select markets (I'm sure northern Minnesota is one of them).

I do have to say, though, that Hamm's is not nostaligic to me for the beer (yes, my Dad drank it and I'm sure I stole my share of "sips" from his bottle or can as a child) but what really makes it nostaligic is the commercials that they ran.

Thanks to YouTube I was able to relive a bunch of those memories. Seeing one or two of these makes it clear that outside of the current "ban on cartoons advertising alcohol" that some of these are less than politically correct, but they are nostalgic pieces of history and very much a part of my childhood. The Bud Light "Real Man of Genius" commercials have nothing on the Hamm's Beer Bear!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cz3qITy-nE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc7HoWEk6y8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zYzqrh-_UQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnUA5KWZVjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcIT0Tb5aEk