Waste of the Day: Throwback Thursday – Smokey Bear Balloon Has High Price Tag

Topline: Smokey Bear is fond of reminding the public that “Only you can prevent forest fires.” But, in reality, federal funding for actual firefighters would probably be more effective.

Six figures for a Smokey Bear balloon

Yet since 2008, the Department of Agriculture has spent $482,000 for a giant hot air balloon shaped like Smokey’s head to appear at fairs and festivals around the country. The money is worth $657,000 adjusted for inflation.

The expense was first highlighted in 2012 in the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a white-hot spotlight on federal frauds and taxpayer abuses. 

Coburn, the legendary U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, earned the nickname “Dr. No” by stopping thousands of pork-barrel projects using the Senate rules. Projects that he couldn’t stop, Coburn included in his oversight reports.   

Coburn’s Wastebook 2012 included 100 examples of outrageous spending worth more than $18 billion, including the funding for Smokey’s airborne adventures.

Key facts: The “Big Smokey” balloon was built in 2005. It’s 97 feet tall and weighs 1,130 pounds. And it’s not free.

The nonprofit Friends of Smokey Bear Balloon is primarily funded by the federal government, and it requires a volunteer staff of at least 12 people at each event to launch the balloon. Another team is needed to chase the balloon when it lands. 

The volunteers are not paid, but they need money for lodging, food and more. It also costs money to transport the massive balloon. 

Smokey Bear and R. H. Macy

Last year, Smokey Bear appeared at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and the Montague Hot Air Balloon Fair in California, among other events.

Government funding for the balloon reached a record $67,349 in 2018, but it has decreased since then. It cost $10,314 last year.

The government has also spent $2.5 million since 2022 on “Smokey Bear copyright management, protection and promotion.” The money went to Perpetual Licensing LLC, an advertising firm based in Los Angeles.

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Summary: It may be “your” job to prevent forest fires, but it’s also the government’s job to manage its budget responsibly.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.