The Postal Service dedicated its Bugs Bunny stamps during a virtual ceremony July 27 — 80 years to the day the iconic character made his screen debut.
“Bugs is both timeless and timely, a quick-change artist who can get out of a jam, win any battle, through his wits and clever disguises. He simply summons up whatever talent, costume or personality is needed to escape every perilous situation,” said Chief Information Officer Kristin Seaver, who represented USPS during the ceremony.
Bugs first appeared in the short-subject cartoon “A Wild Hare” in 1940. Since then, generations of audiences have cheered the character’s gleeful gusto, quick wit and endless clever resourcefulness.
Bugs’ very first line, “What’s up, Doc?” — unusual slang blurted out with the accent and wise-guy attitude of a street-smart New Yorker — had audiences howling and became an instant catchphrase of the character, who would go on to win an Oscar and receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The new stamp pane features 10 designs that show Bugs in some of his most memorable getups. Each design appears twice on the 20-stamp pane.
From July 17-25, USPS revealed one stamp image a day on social media. The 10th design, unveiled a few hours before the virtual ceremony, is based on a World War II-era poster and shows Bugs dressed as a U.S. Army staff sergeant in combat uniform with an American flag backdrop.
The virtual ceremony, co-hosted by Warner Bros. Consumer Products, also featured remarks by Pete Browngardt, executive producer of the HBO Max series “Looney Tunes Cartoons,” and Alex Kirwan, the show’s supervising producer.
The ceremony can be viewed on the Postal Service’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Employees who are unable to stream video from external sites on postal computers can use a personal smartphone, tablet or other device to watch the event off the clock.
The stamps are available at Post Offices and usps.com.
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