Remember Sparky the Fire Dog?

Sparky as he looked when launched as a fire safety mascot in 1952

On Friday I featured a 1950s cartoon dog on this blog. Well, here’s another one of Man’s Best Friends in cartoon form from that same era.

This is Fire Prevention Week, so it’s a good time to shine the spotlight on Sparky the Fire Dog, the longtime fire prevention mascot of the National Fire Protection Association. The cartoon Dalmatian wearing a firefighter’s hat and outfit been teaching kids about fire safety since 1952.

Here’s some of the publicity from Sparky’s launch as the symbol of home fire prevention. This ran in the Journal Times on April 16, 1952.

And here’s some early newspaper advertising art. This appeared in the News on October 4, 1952.

This article from the Casper Star Tribune of December 24, 1954 explains how kids could join Sparky’s Fire Department and send away for an official badge, membership card and manual. Note how Sparky’s design had evolved.

By 1958, Sparky was a familiar face in the newspaper during Fire Prevention Week. He also made personal appearances through the use of costumes which were made available to fire departments across the country.

Ad from the Allentown Messenger, Jan. 2, 1958

Ad from the Allentown Messenger, May 1, 1958

Article from the Progress Index, Oct. 1, 1958

This Sparky costume (below) is fairly terrifying – more like Sparky the Fire Possum. The photo ran in the Los Angeles Times during Fire Prevention Week on October 7, 1958.

Here's yet another Sparky costume. This one was used by the Montgomery Fire District in Wilmington, North Carolina; the photo appeared in the Star-News on October 11, 1959.

My hometown of Lorain, Ohio had a Sparky costume (or mask) that was similar to the one being used in the Montgomery Fire District. The photo below appeared in the Lorain Journal on September 30, 1959 in preparation for Fire Prevention Week 1959.

The article accompanying the photo noted, “The Lorain Fire Dept. is training its preventive eye on schools, businesses, industries and the homes.

“For the first time, Lorain’s school children will be competing only against others of their own ages for fire prevention prizes. The Lorain Fire Department Fire Prevention Committee, headed this year by Fireman Stanley M. Yourkvitch, felt that the old system of splitting children into only four age groups gave oldest youngsters in each group the advantage.

“Again, Fireman “Sparky,” familiar to the children for years, will travel from school to school to demonstrate safety rules and the workings of a fire truck.

“To provide variety, the featured fire truck on this year’s school will be a pumper. The children last year were shown a hook and ladder truck.

“As to the contests, first, second and third graders will compete in coloring 8-by-10 fire prevention posters.

“Children in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades will try their hands at free-hand drawings of any pictures they choose from a fire prevention comic book provided by the firemen."

It seems like the late 1950s were a busy time for Sparky in newspaper advertising. Here’s a newspaper ad with great illustrations from October 1959. It’s a shame they don’t run ads like this anymore; I think they are still needed. 

From the Port Angeles Evening News, October 3, 1959

I don’t know if today’s kids are still taught about fire safety by Sparky. Maybe they're too sophisticated to buy into the fantasy of an anthropomorphic Dalmation telling them to prevent fires. 

Sparky’s still around (here’s the link to his website) but he's a little less intense and has been redesigned to look less threatening. He’s also been given a new backstory (in which he is depicted as a cute puppy) in an apparent effort to make him more appealing to little kids. Ugh.

But if you remember Sparky from your school days, you’ll enjoy this short vintage film.

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 I also featured Sparky and Fire Prevention Week 1959 on this blog back here.