Whoever would’ve guessed on August 21, 1942, when Disney’s Bambi debuted at Radio City Music Hall, that the title character would become a “spokesdeer” for forest fire prevention and a defining symbol of man’s inhumanity to nature? After all, he was just an orphaned fawn who made friends with a rabbit, a skunk and an owl, right?

Well, Disney traditionalists may find that last statement borderline blasphemous, considering Bambi is widely heralded as one of Disney’s most charming films. In fact, the movie was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Song (Love Is A Song), and Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. And the fact that it was released in six consecutive decades (1946, 1956, 1963, 1969, 1977, 1982, and 1988 in theatres; 1989 and 1997 on video; 2011 on Blu-ray) is a testament to its endurance and fan base.

That said, Bambi’s not your typical light animated fare. The story, originally written as a book by Felix Salten, almost acts as environmentalist propaganda. In a strange twist, the film’s only villain is the audience on the other side of the screen. The faceless human hunter who kills Bambi’s mother and later sets the woods afire is a symbol of mankind’s pre-World War II reckless attitude toward nature. And Bambi’s story of loss and leadership urges its young viewers not to join in the villainy.

He miraculously survives the loss of his mother, the perils of hunting season and a woodland wildfire to become the Prince of the Forest, with the help of his friends (also hunted and/or endangered creatures, Thumper the rabbit, Flower the skunk and Friend the owl). And in the end, when he finds himself surrounded by the cinders that used to be home, he isn’t alone. He has taken a princess with whom he can help lead the forest back to its former whimsical wonderland state.

Today, the remarkable tale of the deer who would be prince lives on. Many books, comics and collectibles serve to remind us that Bambi and his friends are an enduring part of our culture-not to mention lucrative little bits of auctionable Americana.