It definitely did use to be “Smokey the Bear” in common parlance, including in my 1960 World Book Encyclopedia in the article on fire prevention. But it wasn’t recently by any means that the Forest Service tried to deny the “the”. I’m sure I remember hearing before 1970 that it was supposed to be “Smokey Bear”.
I never understood that; the “the” just makes so much more sense. If I name my dog Spot or my cat Rocco, then Spot The Dog or Rocco The Cat sound far more natural, and Fido Dog and Rocco Cat.
“Smokey Bear”, IMO, seems how it would be spoken by someone whose native language is not English, and does not have articles.
Me leaving the parking lot at Rich Stadium: Boy, if Iron Eyes Cody were here, he’d be inconsolable.
Besides, there are a lot of Smokeys out there. How do we know which one you’re talking about? Edward was The Confessor, Simon was The Zealot, and Smokey is The Bear. The fact that his last name is also bear is just a coincidence. If he changed it to Eisenstein, he’d still be “Smokey the Bear.”
IIRC, the original Smokey was a real bear – a cub rescued from a forest fire. His name was thus “Smok[e]y Bear.” I guess there’s something about a Mountie hat that calls for a “the.”
I never put this in one the “Things other dopers never would have guessed about me” threads, because I never thought of it then:
I have been both Smokey Bear (several times) and Woodsy Owl once. Kevbabe works for the Forest Service, and I get recruited. Actually it’s fun, and I don’t have to (and am not even supposed to) talk to anybody.
I started reading backwards, got as far as “FIR,” and … ooh look! Shiny!