U.S. #5503
2020 55¢ Bugs Bunny: WWII Army Staff Sergeant
Issue Date: July 27, 2020
First Day City: Burbank, CA
Type of Stamp: Commemorative
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Pane of 20
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 50,000,000
During World War II, there were several Bugs Bunny cartoons released making fun of enemy countries or promoting our own troops. Some of the most famous were Super-Rabbit (1943), Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips(1944), and Herr Meets Hare (1945). The latter two are rather controversial today, but, at the time, they were well-received by Americans.
Super-Rabbit has stood the test of time. At first, it simply features Bugs gaining super powers and going after an evil rabbit hunter in Texas. However, at the end he dons a special disguise to outwit them. He enters a phone booth and declares to the audience, "This looks like a job for a REAL Superman!" When he reappears, he is wearing a blue Marine Corps uniform and singing the "Marines' Hymn." Bugs' enemies snap to attention and salute him. The disguise works, and Bugs marches off to "Berlin, Tokyo, and points East."
The United States Marine Corps was ecstatic to see Bugs Bunny become a Marine. In fact, they made him an honorary private and issued official dog tags in his name. While the story could easily end there, Bugs continued to rise through the ranks during World War II. Perhaps this was because of his sound defeat of German and Japanese enemies in several cartoons. By the end of the war, Bugs had been promoted all the way to master sergeant, a great honor indeed.