"Hi Yank!" was the second of the Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" to be published. It was inspired by "Yank: The Army Weekly"—a magazine published by the U.S. military and distributed to members of the armed forces during World War II. Each episode of this revue is titled after a section of the magazine, and most of the scenes feature cartoonist George Baker's Sad Sack character, who debuted in the first issue of "Yank." Even the cover of the revue, which features both Sad Sack and his eternal nemesis the Sarge, is a parody of the cover of "Yank" magazine. Unlike the first "Blueprint Special" ("About Face!"), which had input from civilians, "Hi, Yank!" was a true soldier show—conceived, written, composed, acted, and produced entirely by currently enlisted Army service members, although most of the show's creators and performers had previous professional experience in show business.