Sponsored by Dren Productions LLC

On July 8th, 2025, the Kickstarter campaign for Smokey’s Junior Rangers #1 will launch. The officially licensed title is the first Smokey Bear comic in over 50 years. Here’s everything to know about Smokey’s Junior Rangers #1!

Smokey’s Junior Rangers

In Smokey’s Junior Rangers #1, subtitled Meet the Elder Tree, four kids are enjoying a camping trip together. Naturally, this leads to the quartet getting a fire going, for hot dogs and marshmallows. But they’re interrupted by the arrival of Smokey Bear.

Smokey is there to share tips about how to safely start (and extinguish) a fire. In addition to a helpful acronym that will assist campers in remembering how to enjoy a campfire safely, Smokey also introduces the Junior Rangers to the magical and wise Elder Tree. Just like Smokey, the Elder Tree is eager to share some essential safety insights with the Junior Rangers.

This is a fun comic that’s geared towards young readers. As you might expect, Smokey is there to teach not just the characters about fire safety, but the young readers as well. In addition to the comic itself, there are also two pages of back matter that include fun activities: a maze, word search, cryptogram puzzle and a quiz to ensure you learned the acronym.

Smokey’s Junior Rangers #1 has a script by James Mascia, art by Miguel Guzman, colors by Daniel de la Cruz, letters by Thomas Owens, and cover art by Guzman, GS20Art and Marcio Abreu. The comic is published by Dren Productions LLC, and Smokey Bear is used with the permission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Only You Can Prevent Wildfires

Smokey Bear is the face of the United States’ longest-running public service advertisement campaign. He is well known for his long-standing catchphrase: “Remember… Only you can prevent forest fires.” But back when Smokey originally debuted in 1944, it was alongside a different slogan: “Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires.” The “only you” catchphrase that is probably more familiar to readers was rolled out in 1947. And in 2001, the slogan was updated to “Only you can prevent wildfires,” to clarify that fire prevention isn’t just for forested areas.

In 1942, Walt Disney allowed the titular character from Bambi to appear in public service announcements regarding fire safety. But because the loan of the Disney character only lasted a year, the Forest Service was soon in need of a new face for their campaign. Thus, Smokey was created by the the U.S. Forest Service, the Advertising Council and the National Association of State Foresters.

Throughout the intervening years, Smokey appeared in many print and onscreen advertisements. Over this time, he has been voiced by a number of talented voice actors. These include Roger Charles Carmel, Jim Cummings, Frank Welker and Sam Elliot. In 2019 alone, he was voiced by Stephen Colbert, Jeff Foxworthy and Al Roker. As of 2024, his official voice actor is Brian Tyree Henry.

Smokey has become a national icon, and is widely recognized by the American public. He has appeared on postage stamps and license plates, on the large and small screen, and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And now, he’s getting his own comic for the first time in half a century.

Coming to Kickstarter Soon

Do you want to get your paws on a copy of Smokey’s Junior Rangers #1? Do you have a Junior Ranger who could benefit from learning more about preventing wildfires through the greatest educational medium of all: comics? Then you’ll want to mark the date on your calendar.

The Smokey’s Junior Rangers Kickstarter campaign launches on July 8th, 2025.

Sponsored by Dren Productions LLC