Do you remember Woodsy Owl? Sometimes I wonder if all the green living info aimed at children today is actually making an impact then I think of good old Woodsy Owl.
Woodsy, an icon for the U.S. Forest Service, made his first appearance in the early ‘70s when there was a resurgence of environmental awareness. Woodsy always told us children to “Give a hot, don’t pollute.” Seems simple enough, but after 40-plus years, I still remember that saying.
I am not exactly sure who created Woodsy Owl. If you search the Internet, a few sites say the original Woodsy was created by eight-year-old Kimberly Ann Haufrect as part of a contest held by the United Way.
However, the consensus seems to be that Woodsy was created by Harold Bell, a colleague, Betty Hite, and two forest rangers, Chuck Williams and Glenn Kovar. The four came up with Woodsy Owl as the mascot for the first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970. Rejected mascots included a bull elk, a raccoon, a ladybug, and a rainbow trout. Why an owl? Because they live in the woods, are so wise, and can see pollution from the top of a tree.
(This image is a work of the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.)
As you might imagine, Bell was a marketing agent. Working for “Lassie,” he also came up with another public service announcement icon you may remember – Smokey Bear. Williams and Kovar were technical advisors for the show.
President Richard M. Nixon made “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute” a federal slogan in 1970. Woodsy was the mascot of the first Earth Day, which was established in 1970. He became a protected image in 1974 when Congress signed the Woodsy Owl Act.
Woodsy has had songs written about him (“The Ballad of Woodsy Owl” and “Help Woodsy Spread the Word”) and has appeared in countless commercials.
Like many icons of the ‘60s and ‘70s (Iron Eyes Cody and his “Keep American Beautiful” commercial comes to mind), Woodsy has rather faded from sight.
But, what’s the saying – what’s old is new again? It looks like Woodsy Owl may get new life. PineTree Pictures is hoping to raise money through the crowd-funding site KickStarter to make new Woodsy cartoons.
I hope Woodsy makes a comeback!