Comments on: USDA Forest Service Reins in Freewheeling Woodsy the Owl

By: Dave Zallar

Dave Zallar — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:50:43 +0000

In response to Carol from Feb., 2007:
Carol this may sound crazy, but in 1967 I was a 3rd grader and entered a national poster contest for the US Forest Service. I was living in Ohio at the time and won the local contest. The museum that was running the local contest told me that they sent my poster on to a national contest. I never heard anything else, so I assumed that I did not win in the national contest. However, just a couple of years later the US Forest Service came out with their new slogan. It was word for word exactly as I had it on the poster! I even used the mascot of Woodsy Owl.
Across the top of my poster I wrote “Woodsy Owl says: Give a hoot don’t pollute”
Somehow you must have come up with the same slogan for the same poster contest.
All I know is that Chuck Williams did not come up with the slogan himself. As an advisor to the Lassie show, I’ll bet he was one of the judges in the National Contest and sat on the slogan for a couple of years before he presented it to the Forest Service. Just like you, I wish I had the poster to prove it, but I was a 3rd grader, who new it would amount to anything. I remember my Dad telling me that by entering a poster contest we lost all “rights” to the slogan. I’ve never pursued it with the USFS especially when I found out that the slogan is a trademark of the US government.
My Dad is actually the person who came up with “Give a hoot don’t pollute” and I came up with the Woodsy Owl character.
Carol, I wish I could contact you to see if your story is simialr to mine.

By: Joli

Joli — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:50:56 +0000

In response to Richard Ripley (Jan 15, 2007)
Both Icons are represent 2 different organizations.
Woodsy Represents the Forest Service (Government) while Smokey Bear represents the State Forestry. They are both important in their domain and stand for different venues. My former husband worked for the Forestry and dressed as Smokey Bear to give programs to school children about forest fire prevention. The Garden Club that I am in has Woodsy as our mascot as he stands for what we are about, conservation.
As a matter of fact, Our Woodsy was a penny bank. We passed him around at our meetings for donations to pay for the church room where we hold our meetings. After being around for 20 or so years he finally met his demise. Our new treasurer accidentally dropped him on the tile floor of her kitchen and he broke into a million pieces. She was devastated. If anyone knows where we can get another Woodsy bank we would be most grateful!!!

By: Gilmoure

Gilmoure — Tue, 22 May 2007 22:40:13 +0000

Man, classic Woodsy looks like he’d go and show you where the magic mushrooms grow and warn you if Witchy Poo is around.

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:41:42 +0000

Well they say Chuck Williams invented that slogan,, but in Holyoke Mass around 1967, they ran a poster contest,, and long before Chuck Williams had the slogan,, I had made a poster with the same slogan. I was the original inventor of it. Darn, I wish I still had that poster to prove it..

By: Ricky

Ricky — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:41:41 +0000

I feel like beating woody

By: Chappy

Chappy — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:14:15 +0000

Ha! Seen this?!?

By: Coyote

Coyote — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:16:52 +0000

“Give a Hoot, Shoot an Owl” Lordy lordy. Let us keep the old one!

By: Benitoite

Benitoite — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:50:13 +0000

Don’t knock Smokey, I used to chill with him at the Folsom Zoo.

By: Xtine

Xtine — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:57:59 +0000

For those who REALLY hate the old costume:

http://www.symbols.gov/woodsy/costume/oldcostume/destroy-costume.shtml

By: Invasion Of The Furries

Invasion Of The Furries — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 07:56:36 +0000

Chris is right, the old Woodsy and new Woodsy are both furries... but man, the updated version is one UGLY fursuit. Speaking of which, have you seen Horribly Pixelated Woodsy?

By: J-Dog

J-Dog — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 05:32:06 +0000

Kudos to the person who posted the research! It was interesting to read the stats, especially with such a large sample. I was surprised the “Every litter bit hurts” wasn’t as popular as the other slogans, I like it. Also surprised that Republicans out-numbered Democrats. So, why did the R’s lose last time around?
anyway, they should have kept the original Woodsy, I mean, they resurrected Orville Redenbacher for cryin’ outloud! The new one is lame and kids won’t like him.

By: jane

jane — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:30:06 +0000

I think part of why woodsy faded into obscurity was this…
spotted owl=woodsy
woodsy=spotted owl
The USFS lost their mascot that reminded the loggers of the spotted owl and their lost jobs!

The new woodsy sucks big time! Geeish.

By: Lou

Lou — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:17:58 +0000

Sometimes the people of the internet get so bent out of shape about something without bothering to even read what they are reading. If you take a look at this page, about two-thirds of the way down, you'd realize that Woodsy was re-imagined about ten years ago. Ten years ago. This isn't new.

By: Ron E

Ron E — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:52:21 +0000

I honestly think people who object to the change are on a nostalgia trip or something. I grew up in the seventies and am very familiar with the old “Woodsy”. Looking at it again with fresh eyes, it looks like a creepy, fat, ill-dressed caricature of some sort of animal-mutant wood gnome. I can just imagine 2-5 year olds scarred for life after seeing it. I can also imagine all the square 10-12 year old kids with creepy stickers of the old woodsy on their trapper-keepers.

The new woodsy looks a little more “hip”. but doesn’t look much like an owl to me…..

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:40:53 +0000

@Justin:

Dude, I thought the same thing! It’s just a half fursuit instead of a full one, and it seems like it was quite the downgrade.

Though, granted, they are both /technically/ furries if you look at it that way… mascots and more skintight fursuits still technically fall equally under the ‘furry’ banner. Although the only exception here is that the original suit looks more like an owl, and less like some anthropomorphic..owl..thing.

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:24:43 +0000

The new Woodsy is a #$%@ing Furry!

By: AKA John Doe

AKA John Doe — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 21:59:06 +0000

As someone who was fully adult (at least chronologically) by the 1970’s, I always viewed Woodsy Owl as a feeble attempt to revitalize on the heels of the first Earth Day and an unfortunate detractor from the more impressive Smokey the Bear.

Nevertheless, as Woodsy Owl has been in existence now for several decades it appears that it is time for a new generation to make their mark. Rather like the “New Coke” of forestry, perhaps. In any case, the new Woodsy Owl is just putrid. The entire staff and management of the organization conceptualized, designed, and approved this needs to be sacked. What a travesty.

By: specialkae

specialkae — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 19:13:35 +0000

Man, I had a stuffed Woodsy the Owl that I slept with every nite when I was a wee one…he had a glow in the dark belt buckle too. The new Woodsy just looks stupid and not a bit like an owl.