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Felix Salten was the pen-name of Siegmund Salzmann, who was born in Budapest but grew up in Vienna.
The book and resultant movies have made the name Bambi grow in popularity, although it is nowhere close to common.
The story was made into an animated film by Walt Disney Productions first released in the United Kingdom on August 8, 1942. The company took the liberty of changing the species into a white-tailed deer, and of putting him into an American forest.
In 1969, a short film spoofing the Disney film, Bambi Meets Godzilla, was released.
The film has often been criticized for giving several generations of children what many believe to be an unrealistic view of nature. It reflects the orthodoxy of its time, which has later been questioned, that e.g. forest fires are always bad. Hunters have complained that the film has also turned millions against their pastime, especially with the scene of the death of Bambi's mother.
Today, the emotional response of revulsion at attractive animals being harmed is called The Bambi EffectThe Bambi Effect is an informal name used primarily by hunters and trappers for the emotional impact of the harvesting of animals which the public considers adorable, regardless of what the opponents consider are environmental and economic realities..
See also: Smokey BearSmokey Bear is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created in 1944 to educate the public on the dangers of forest fires. Initially the Forest Service used Bambi, from the Walt Disney film, on its posters, but Bambi was only loaned to them by Disn