National Archives

Seventy-five years ago, arguably the most famous fictional member of the ursine family made his first public appearance, but there’s still confusion over his name.

Wendy Melillo is an associate professor at American University and author of "How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America: A History of Iconic Ad Council Campaigns."

The Show spoke with her to flesh out how Smokey got started and became synonymous with preventing forest fires and wildfires.