What’s up, doc? Maybe putting an end to that wascally “only anniversaries in multiples of 50” excuse for why significant historical events are commemorated.

The U.S. also issued a Bugs Bunny stamp in 1997 (Sc. 3137), shown on the right here.

[press release]
New Stamps Celebrating Bugs Bunny’s 80th Birthday Coming Soon to a Post Office Near You

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service will issue commemorative Forever stamps celebrating Bugs Bunny’s 80th birthday. The Postal Service and Warner Bros. Consumer Products are excited to dedicate these stamps at a virtual ceremony on July 27, the 80th anniversary of Bugs Bunny’s official screen debut.

Bugs has always been known for his impeccable impersonations and his masterful masquerades, so the soon-to-be-revealed 10 designs on this pane of 20 stamps each showcase a costumed Bugs Bunny in some of his most memorable getups.

The original stamp artwork is based on Bugs Bunny’s iconic moments and was created especially for this issuance by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists, who also created the sketches on the reverse side of the stamp pane. Greg Breeding was the designer and William J. Gicker served as art director.

Customers may pre-order stamps at usps.com/shopstamps or by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), beginning June 29.

The stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Stay tuned for a sneak peak of the stamps at facebook.com/usps. Please visit usps.com/bugsbunny for details for the upcoming virtual stamp dedication ceremony. News of the stamps are being shared with hashtags #BugsBunnyStamps and #BugsBunny80.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Note that the USPS is already planning on a virtual first-day ceremony (next to last paragraph) and the 10 designs have not yet been released.

Additional information will appear below the line, with the latest first.

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Updated September 9th:
Here are the individual Scott catalogue numbers for this issue:
5494 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Barber
5495 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Basketball player
5496 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Hollywood celebrity
5497 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Court jester
5498 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Brunhilde
5499 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Mermaid
5500 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Piano player
5501 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Super-Rabbit
5502 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Baseball player
5503 (55¢) Bugs Bunny, 80th Anniv. – Soldier
a. Block of 10, #5494-5503

Updated July 17th:

The stamp designs weren’t in this week’s Postal Bulletin, but are in the new USA Philatelic catalogue: Here are the first-day postmarks: There will also be a “special” postmark that may be used by local post offices: The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.43″ x 1.49″ The pictorial postmark measures 3.0″ x 1.36″ The “special” postmark that other post offices may use measures 2.73″ x 1.23″

And here’s the first of the stamp designs: Updated July 6th:

Additional information from the USPS online sales area:

This issuance celebrates Bugs Bunny and the marvelous masquerades he has employed to foil foes over the course of his 80-year career. The sheet of 20 stamps features Bugs in 10 classic costumes.

Original stamp artwork is based on iconic moments of Bugs Bunny’s career.

On the first row of stamps Bugs appears as a barber with white smock and pointy scissors;achieves “airness” on the brink of a slam-dunk in his basketball jersey; is debonair in beret, ascot, smoking jacket, and shades as a screen idol in his Hollywood digs; jokes it up as a jester in bright green garb and fool’s cap; and does a diva turn as an operatic Brunhilde in blonde braids and winged helmet.

On the second row of stamps, Bugs is a mermaid in a curly 1940s up-do; is classically composed in white tie and tails at the piano; heroically poses as the carrot-powered Super-Rabbit with blue suit and red cape; warms up to pitch a big-league ballgame; and helps save the planet as a World War II U.S. Army staff sergeant in combat uniform with an American-flag backdrop.

Since his debut in the short-subject cartoon, “A Wild Hare” in 1940, generations of audiences have cheered Bugs’s gleeful gusto, quick wit, and endless clever resource. To outwit the opposition he can conjure dynamite, cherry pies, and mallets out of thin air, dance like a seasoned hoofer, play piano, and conduct orchestras. He summons up any talent—and any costume—that will help him thwart his relentless foes.

Born of a team of young animators who produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for Warner Bros., Bugs’s name came from one of those early cartoonists; “Bugs” and “Bugsy” were trendy nicknames at the time, signifying a crazed or wacky disposition. The catchy alliterative sound of “Bugs Bunny” partnered well with the names of cohorts Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.

Bugs’s 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 the instant catchphrase of the “wascally wabbit,” as he was called by his first foe, the dim-witted hunter Elmer Fudd.

With global star power, Bugs Bunny has graced screens of all sizes from television and movies, to phones and tablets. Eighty 11-minute episodes of the new Looney Tunes Cartoons reintroduce Bugs Bunny along with other marquee Looney Tunes characters in gag-driven shorts that include classic storylines adapted for present-day audiences. The Oscar-winning rabbit has also been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. created original stamp artwork especially for this issuance featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists, who also created the selvage artwork and verso sketches. Greg Breeding was the designer, and William J. Gicker served as art director.

From the above, here is a stamp-by-stamp breakdown:Click on the image above to open, in a new window, an actual-size version at 300 dpi.

First row:

• Bugs appears as a barber with white smock and pointy scissors
• achieves “airness” on the brink of a slam-dunk in his basketball jersey
• is debonair in beret, ascot, smoking jacket, and shades as a screen idol in his Hollywood digs
• jokes it up as a jester in bright green garb and fool’s cap
• and does a diva turn as an operatic Brunhilde in blonde braids and winged helmet.

Second row:

• Bugs is a mermaid in a curly 1940s up-do
• is classically composed in white tie and tails at the piano
• heroically poses as the carrot-powered Super-Rabbit with blue suit and red cape
• warms up to pitch a big-league ballgame
• and helps save the planet as a World War II U.S. Army staff sergeant in combat uniform with an American-flag backdrop.

Updated July 3rd, from the Postal Bulletin:

On July 27, 2020, in Burbank, CA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Bugs Bunny stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 478500). The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 27, 2020, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

The Bugs Bunny pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually. The Bugs Bunny stamps image, special dedication postmarks, and first-day-of-issue postmarks will be revealed in a future edition of the Postal Bulletin.

This stamp issuance celebrates Bugs Bunny, the “wascally wabbit” who has gleefully foiled foes and delighted cartoon audiences for 80 years. Bugs has always been known for his impeccable impersonations and his masterful masquerades, so the 10 designs on this pane of 20 stamps each showcase a costumed Bugs Bunny in some of his most memorable getups. The reverse side of the pane includes modern-day sketches that evoke the appearance of early Bugs Bunny with his exaggerated slapstick elasticity.

The drawings represent a wide range of Bugs’s postures, gestures, and expressions. Original stamp artwork is based on iconic moments of Bugs Bunny’s career and was created especially for this issuance by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists, who also created the verso sketches. Greg Breeding was the designer, and William J. Gicker served as art director.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 478500, Bugs Bunny (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Pane of 20 Stamps: Automatic distribution

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Bugs Bunny Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by November 27, 2020.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Bugs Bunny Stamps
Item Number: 478500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: July 27, 2020, Burbank, CA 91505
Art Director: William J. Gicker, Washington, DC
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Burbank, CA
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 50,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 1.085 x 1.42 in./ 27.559 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.56 in./31.115 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.12 x 9.13 in./180.85 x 231.902 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 18.5 x 21.86 in./469.9 x 555.244 mm
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by four (4) single digits in bottom two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Bugs Bunny • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: 80 years of Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes™ logo • Line drawings • TM Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. proprietary information • ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • one barcode (478500) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text