This post has been updated to include additional images.
Photographer Joe Rosenthal admitted that when he took a shot of five Marines and one Navy corpsman raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima’s Mt. Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945, he had no idea that he had captured something extraordinary. He was setting up for a different shot when he spotted the group of men planting the flag and quickly took a snap without even looking through the viewfinder. The chance photo would become iconic overnight and go on to win the Pulitzer Prize.
“Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” is often cited as being the most reproduced photograph in history. It is also probably the most parodied image in the world. The “Iwo Jima pose” has become a popular symbol for organizations or movements wishing to convey victory, teamwork, or patriotism. The use of the image has ranged from respectful homage to what some consider offensive misappropriation.
Art and Sculpture

Carved in ice by Ice Art, Inc

Alstede Farms corn maze, Chester, New Jersey

Sand sculpture by artist J.W. Gruber

Illustration by the “etchasketchist”

Cake made from crispy rice and chocolate at Cake Central

Ol’ Glory beer successfully appealed to federal regulator to allow the “Pledge of Allegiance” to be printed on every can
Foreign Militaries
Several Foreign militaries have adopted the pose for a variety of uses.

Turkish soldiers put a wire fence around area after Turkish flag is raised on Feb. 22, 2015 in Syria.
Stamps and Currency

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank initially denied that the 1000 Rupee note circulated in 2009 was modeled after the Rosenthal photograph, but later confessed that the image was indeed the inspiration.

Opened in 2006, The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA, was designed to evoke the raising of the flag.
Album Covers
Bands striking the Iwo Jima pose has become cliché.
Magazines, Comics and Book Covers

The 2008 Time magazine issue on global warming caused a furor when Iwo Jima veterans objected to the alteration of the original photo, calling it “an absolute disgrace”

1969 Chicago Today American editorial cartoon showing the ghosts of Apollo 1 Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee helping Neil Armstrong raise a flag on the moon.
Activism

Published in 1971, The New Soldier by John Kerry documented the efforts of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Editorial Cartoons
Among other commentary, the Iwo Jima pose is regularly used in satirical cartoons.

Mad magazine illustration after the terrorist attacks on the French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015.
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Pop Culture
Indicative of its relevance as a cultural touchstone, the Iwo Jima pose has been referenced on The Simpsons at least six times – “New Kid on the Blecch,” “Selma’s Choice,” “LargeMarge,” “Rosebud,” “Half Decent Proposal,” and “Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington.”

Pitch Perfect 2

Sharknado 3