Rabbit Postage Stamps (Bunny Week 2021, Day 2)

It's Day 2 of Bunny Week!

You already know that I'm obsessed with postage stamps, so it should come as no surprise that I particularly love rabbit postage stamps. In January, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring the brush rabbit. It is exciting simply because it is a rabbit, but even more so because brush rabbits are native to our area. You can read more about the stamp and its design here. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see a rabbit on a postage stamp so soon after the previous appearance. In October 2020, the USPS released Winter Scenes, which includes an adorable rabbit as one of the ten designs.

The next most recent US stamp featuring a rabbit was issued in 2016. It's part of the Pets series, one of my all-time favorites. 

I had to go way back to 1987 to find the next USPS rabbit. Who else remembers the days of 22 cent postage? That's how you know you're old!

I wasn't able to find any other rabbit stamps issued by the United States, other than a rabbit in a hat as part of the 2018 Art of Magic set, a stylized Year of the Rabbit stamp from 1999 (the 2011 Year of the Rabbit stamp features kumquats), and this 1997 tribute to Bugs Bunny (affiliate links). If you know of any other realistic rabbit-themed US postage stamps, please tell me in the comments. 

Interestingly, all four of the realistic rabbits featured on our stamps are brown. I get that wild rabbits are typically brown, so that makes sense for three of the stamps, but I'm surprised they didn't choose a different color for the pet rabbit. I'm partial to grey, but house rabbits come in many beautiful shades. 

Speaking of house rabbits, I would love to see a postage stamp honoring House Rabbit Society, which does so much to help rabbits and educate their caregivers. I looked up the stamp selection criteria and found that, while HRS does technically qualify, criteria #10 indicates that "it would be difficult" but that a commemorative postmark is a possibility.