The Real Smokey Bear

We attended Smokey Bear's birthday party
last Saturday at the Cradle of Forestry
with goddaughter Julia and family.
Smokey is in his early sixties. Julia is now three and a half.
She wanted to know if this was "the real Smokey Bear."
We said yes.
She thought for a minute, and asked,
"Is it a person in a costume?"
We said yes.
She thought for a minute, and asked again,
"Is it the real Smokey Bear?"
Again, yes.
I could tell that there was cognitive dissonance,
but Julia decided she could live with
this confusing real fake bear....
as long as there was birthday cake.