![]() ![]() He also helped Sparky lean into a kinder personality. He made Sparky a little more buff and used brighter colors in his uniform. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dornbusch used a thinner line to draw Sparky. (Sparky Specs, as they were referred to in his style guide!) Dornbusch worked with an engineer to adapt that standard for Sparky. Part of Sparky’s redesign meant bringing him “up to code” in his firefighter uniform. One of the first tasks Dornbusch accomplished in this role? Giving Sparky a much-needed makeover that took him out of the doghouse and back to teaching kids about fire safety. He’s even dressed up in Sparky’s mascot suit! For 27 years, Dornbusch was better known as “Sparky’s Dad.” He helped create and print one over one billion materials featuring Sparky’s likeness. Enter Steve Dornbusch, former senior product manager and creative director at the NFPA. “Sparky’s Dad” Steve Dornbusch helps revamp Sparky for the next generation in the 1980s and beyond.Īfter the ‘70s ended, Sparky’s role as the NFPA’s spokesdog began to shrink. Shortly thereafter, Sparky started to pull back from looking too similar to a Dalmatian and returned to his firefighter spokesdog roots. He was drawn in thick, simple lines with little detailing until the late 1970s. In a decade of bell-bottoms and flower power, Sparky finally introduced colors in his outfit. ![]() The ‘70s saw what was perhaps the most unique iteration of Sparky the Fire Dog’s design. He lost his tail, tie, and began smiling more in PSAs. His personality was also much more authoritarian and stern in nature.īy the late 1960s, Sparky started leaning into a more casual look. Dornbusch recalls that Sparky looked “menacing,” wearing a button down shirt and tie and having a tail that made him look almost reptilian. Sparky’s initial design was leaps and bounds from the Dalmatian we know and love today. Sparky’s look, and personality, radically changed throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When you’re careful, then you’re really smart.ģ. We’ll work together and never give a fire a place to start! This upbeat tune on taking care to prevent fires from starting accompanied Sparky in his PSAs. Sparky had his own jingle in the 1960s.Īs Sparky grew in popularity and awareness with audiences in the 1960s, he was given his own jingle. This makes him 476 years old in dog years!Ģ. ![]() Sparky celebrated his 68th birthday on March 18, 2019. In the following year, Sparky was introduced as the NFPA’s official spokesdog and mascot for the campaign. Why a Dalmatian? This is the dog traditionally associated with fire service. The NFPA agreed to be the sponsor and chose a Dalmatian to be the character. That was the year the Ad Council decided they wanted to do a national fire prevention campaign. When did Sparky make his debut? Steve Dornbusch, former senior product manager and creative director at the NFPA, says it all began in 1950. What else don’t we know about Sparky? Let’s take a look at a few fun Sparky facts! As the NFPA’s official spokesdog, Sparky is beloved by children and adults and incredibly active in neighborhoods and communities across the United States. He’s here to help educate kids and their parents on fire prevention and public safety. Sparky the Fire Dog, the official mascot for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), is a Dalmatian on a mission. While Smokey’s primary focus is on wildfire prevention, he has a great pup pal sidekick in Sparky the Fire Dog. At 75-years-old, Smokey is one of the nation’s most recognizable bears, and famous for having the longest running PSA initiative in U.S. Which characters first come to mind when you think of fire prevention mascots? There’s the Ad Council’s wildfire icon Smokey Bear. ![]()
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