USPS Pixar stamps press release

Send a Hello

Since 1986, Pixar films have stretched the boundaries of our imagination with stories about unlikely heroes who explore the bonds of friendship and family. Now some of those heroes are the subjects of colorful new Send a Hello stamps that encourage people to connect with loved ones through the mail.

The Send a Hello stamps, which go on sale Aug. 19, are a natural outgrowth of the Art of Disney stamp series issued between 2004 and 2008. Originally intended as a series of three annual issuances depicting friendship, celebration, and romance, the Art of Disney stamps proved so popular that the Postal Service expanded the series to include issuances in 2007 and 2008 to celebrate imagination and magic.

Based on that success, the Postal Service was eager to work with the Walt Disney Company again, choosing to explore the Disney*Pixar films, which offer exciting, contemporary characters and strong themes involving family and friends.

This pane of 20 stamps includes five different designs featuring Pixar characters: Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars (2006); Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille (2007); Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story (1995); Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up (2009); and the robot WALL*E from WALL*E (2008).

Since the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2001, all seven Pixar films released since that time have been nominated and five of the seven have won, including Ratatouille, WALL*E and Up.

Pixar stamps coming to USPS

Here's the story - I'll go to the USPS site for the original PR soon.

Self-portrait Cinderella stamp by Katie Green, British cartoonist

This nice image came from

Katie Green Interview
by Dan Berry
The Comics Bureau
http://thecomicsbureau.co.uk/?p=1572

Zazzle's DC Comics 75th anniversary stamps

Zazzle has 5 stamps from DC Comics for their 75th anniversary. They're on sale on November 25th for $11.50 a sheet.

See what they bought:

Green Lantern by dccomics	Batman 2 by dccomics	DC Comics 75 by dccomics
Wonder Woman by dccomics	Superman by dccomics

Have no idea what Zazzle is? Well, we want to share with you some of the really fun things you can do here.

1. Shop the Marketplace

Find, customize and buy the most unique products designed by the best artists in the world made to order in 24 hours. Start shopping and don't forget to visit our special collections such as Disney, Star Wars and many more!

Heróis Portugueses de Banda Desenhada (Portugese comics stamps)

Pedro Cleto has a blog post up on some Portugese comic stamps -

http://asleiturasdopedro.blogspot.com/2010/11/selos-quadradinhos-0-e-1.html

You can use Google or another translator to get a good sense of his post.

New Israeli animation stamp

A correspondent in Israel sent in this note: The Israeli postal service had a new issuing today (11/20/2010). It included a stamp dedicating Israeli Animation. They issued a sheet of stamps and a commemorative booklet. Here's a link to the Hebrew (only) page of it http://www.israelpost.co.il/postboolaee.nsf/HanpakotView/4650C115FEBF583CC22577D1003744B9?opendocument. The stamp was designed by a nice Israeli artist who does all sorts of illustrations and animation named MYSH. You can find tons of stuff on his comics work in English. It's called Duck & Cover.

As you can tell from the picture, this is a very clever stamp - it's a short series of animation if you buy the whole sheet!

Another Beetle Bailey stamp article

Postage stamp honoring Beetle Bailey is dedicated at Fort Bragg
By Gregory Phillips
Staff writer
Fayetteville Observer November 11 2010
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/11/10/1047015?sac=Home

TFAW Cinderella stamp

 Things From Another World is a cool online comics store - here's a Cinderella stamp in their newsletter this week (I've left the subscription information in case anyone's interested):

Subscriptions at TFAW (Part 1 of 3): Series Subscriptions There are a couple different ways to subscribe to your favorite comics at TFAW. In the first of three installments, we talk about Series Subscriptions. Series Subscriptions are the easiest way to subscribe at TFAW. Here are four easy steps to starting your subscription: 1) Log-in to your account and visit your Subscriptions Page. 2) Scroll through the list of available titles in Worksheet 1 and highlight the ones you want. Click the "add" button and your series will be moved from the list on the left to the one on the right. 3) Once you've got all the titles you want in your list, hit the "SUBMIT WORKSHEET" button. We'll generate a list of your subscription matches so you can see what our system pulls up. 4) If your list looks all right, click the "SUBSCRIBE TO RESULTS" button (a critical step to successfully starting your subscriptions). For a detailed walk-through on subscriptions, click here. If the list isn't returning your desired results, or you run into any other difficulties starting your subscriptions, feel free to use our Live Chat service. We'll be happy to help you set up your subscription. Live chat hours are Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM (PST).   VIEW OUR SUBSCRIPTIONS WALK-THROUGH   LOG-IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT & SET UP A SUBSCRIPTION

Dennis the Menace stamp's Linwood celebration

Linwood celebrates 'Dennis the Menace' stamp

By Deneesha Edwards

The Dispatch

  Saturday, October 16, 2010
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20101016/articles/101019829&amp?tc=ar

There's a nice picture of Marcus Hamilton who draws the daily comic on their website.

George Fisher cartoon cachet on e-bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=110446833297

I just bought one. Fisher was a long-time editorial cartoonist for the Arkansas Gazette.

Marcus Hamilton at October ceremony for Dennis stamp.

Dennis the Menace stamp to be dedicated in Linwood
The Dispatch  September 21, 2010

UK to issue Wallace and Gromit Christmas stamps

I want these!

Wallace & Gromit on Royal Mail Christmas stamps
BBC News 20 September 2010
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11375402

Envelope art at Drawn & Quarterly blog

Click here to see the envelope art that publisher Drawn & Quarterly received, featuring Dan Clowes' Wilson.

Peanuts FDC to be auctioned

Schulz first day cover expected to fetch £1,000 at auction A first day cover signed by Charles Schulz featuring an original, hand drawn sketch of Snoopy is expected to fetch as much as £1,000 at auction next month.

August 27 2010
http://news-antique.com/?id=794191&keys=autograph-snoopy-Schulz-auction

Another article on Beetle stamp ceremony

There's a bit of revisionism by the Post Office in this article - Mort Walker spent a long time lobbying the Post Office to do the stamps, not the other way around as is implied.

Beetle Bailey stamp ships off to MU
BY Megan Cassidy
Thursday, August 26, 2010
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/08/26/beetle-bailey-stamp-ships-mizzou/

Beetle Baily stamp ceremony at University of Missouri on August 27th

Details here:

 

Mizzou honors Beetle Bailey, cartoon native son

KAIT Aug 26, 2010

http://www.kait8.com/global/story.asp?s=13047596

Ryan Claytor on a cool First Day Cover collection

Cartoonist Ryan Claytor's touring the east coast, and here's his blog report on a really neat idea for a comics and cartoon collection.

Ray Robinson's Comic FDC site is new to me, but I'll put up a permanent link to it as well. Here's a link to his version of Ryan's signing.

This really is a great idea.

Complete Calvin and Hobbes' contest

UComics is running a contest to win a complete Calvin and Hobbes. You need to send them a postcard with a Sunday Funnies stamp on it to enter. The contest ends August 31.

Technical info on Sunday Funnies stamps

Mactac supplies PS materials for comic strip stamps
 5th August 2010
http://www.labelsandlabeling.com/news/mactac_supplies_ps_materials_for_comic_s

Calvin and Hobbes letter and envelope online

Here's a Calvin and Hobbes letter and envelope online

local take on Sunday Funnies' Archie stamp

Post Office issues stamps with 'Archie' characters
By Mike LaBella / The Eagle-Tribune
Thursday, July 29, 2010

I wrote a short history of cartoons and stamps that I've been planning for a decade or so...

Comics and Stamps Have a Longer History than You'd Expect

Posted by Mike Rhode on Jul. 19, 2010 at 10:53 am

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/visual-arts/2010/07/19/comics-and-stamps-have-a-longer-history-than-youd-expect/

 

New stamps honor comic strips video

The Dispatch has a neat video up too.

Yonkof, Frank.  2010.
New stamps honor comic strips: Commemorative stamps unveiled at Ohio State.
Dispatch.com (July 16): http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/video/video.html?video=1169216

Columbus Dispatch on new comics stamps

New stamps honor decades of funnies
By Frank Yonkof
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH July 16, 2010

Another article on the new comic strip stamps

Bodenheimer, David.  2010.
Comic strips come to your mail.
The Dispatch (July 16)

Ryan Claytor's Elephant Eater Comics postage

Ryan Claytor's Elephant Eater Comics has two postage stamps through Zazzle. This one is still available at the site. Ryan will be touring the Eastern US this summer, and in Washington on August 8th.

Carolina Weekly on Dennis the Menace stamp

Marcus Hamilton is featured in this article - There’s a Menace in your mailbox: ‘Dennis The Menace’ artist celebrates character’s postage stamp status
Kara Lopp
Carolina Weekly July 16, 2010

Beetle Bailey strip celebrates stamp release

Today's Beetle Bailey comic strip reflects on the release of the comic strip stamps today.

Associated Press on comic stamps

Sunday Funnies characters set to brighten letters
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID (AP)
July 14 2010
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ge04mnnmaDU7MMtlbOaYuKyP94XQD9GV17B80

Houston Chronicle on US cartoon stamps

Funnies get a stamp of approval: Old favorites arrive Friday at the post office
By LANA BERKOWITZ
 Houston Chronicle July 12, 2010

Dennis the Menace stamp profile

Artist's work gets real stamp of approval
Dennis the Menace will become a stamp Friday, and the Mint Hill man who draws the comic strip is thrilled.
By Jessica Milicevic
charlotte observer.com Sunday, Jul. 11, 2010
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/11/1553809/artists-work-gets-real-stamp-of.html

Archie Double Digest #210 features stamp story

A CNN blog is reporting that Archie Double Digest #210 features a stamp story in which the characters imagine being on postage stamps. Their actual stamps will be issued on July 16th.

Archie stamp press release shows FDC

Stamp of Approval Awarded to Archie Comics by U.S. Postal Service
by CBR News Team, June 29 2010

4 cartoonist postcards

Four cartoonist's postcards are online at Three Men in a Tub.

Comic strip stamps released at Ohio State University

Alan Gardener's Daily Cartoonist site is reporting that the comic strip stamps will be released on Thursday at Ohio State University's cartoon library. He says, "On hand for the occasion will be museum curator and professor Lucy Shelton Caswell, OSU President E. Gordon Gee, Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker, Garfield creator Jim Davis, Dennis the Menace artists Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, Archie Comics newspaper strip writer Craig Boldman and Calvin and Hobbes Editor Lee Salem. The event is free to the public and begins at 10:30 a.m. this Wednesday at The Ohio State University Performance Hall at the Ohio Union, 1739 High Street Columbus, OH."

Large size USPS Sunday funnies designs

Thanks to Robot 6, we now have large-size versions of the designs that will be used for the Sunday Funnies issue that the USPS is planning for July 16.

"The Sunday Funnies pane of 20 stamps honors five of the nation’s most beloved comic strips:  Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes. The strips, as well as their characters, may have changed over the years, yet each nevertheless remains an enduring classic.", as they say themselves.

stamps in Haarlem

This year, the comics festival of Haarlem, which is planned for the coming weekend, is largely devoted to comics in Russia.  In order to reflect this in the festival's look and feel, its designers have opted for a faux soviet look, full of heroic statues and cyrillic lettering.  And they created a series of fake stamps for the main navigation elements in the site.  The stamps, which are designed to bring to mind the colorful propaganda that USSR stamps were, also evoke their examples by each featuring one of Haarlem's many architectural wonders.  We can only hope sets an example for other festivals...

Picture of Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, signing a stamp

Homer Simpson named greatest TV character Woo-hoo! Doughnut-loving dad beat out Harry Potter, Buffy

By Belinda Goldsmith / Reuters
updated 6/1/2010

Superhero stamps

The Batcave Trophy Room featured these novelty super-hero stamps. Not my thing per se, but they look nicely executed.

Article on Mauldin stamps

Sidewalks: 1st-class cartoonist
Wartime cartoonist Bill Mauldin now has a U.S. postage stamp in his honor.
By Rick Kogan
Tribune Newspapers May 16, 2010

Jean Albano Gallery and the USPS Celebrate Bill Mauldin Stamp

On April 24th at 1pm: Jean Albano Gallery and the United States Postal Service  Will Celebrate the Release of the New   Bill Mauldin Stamp  To honor this Chicago newspaper legend and Pulitzer Prize Winner, Jean Albano Gallery will have a special presentation by the US Postal Service as well as short talks by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg and former Sun-Times Managing News Editor Ralph Otwell.   For questions or more information about this event, please contact Theresa Murray at jeanalbano@aol.com or call 312.440.0770   To view other work by Bill Mauldin, click here. Jean Albano Gallery | 215 W. Superior St. | Chicago | IL | 60654

Le Bulle d'Encre presents its april stamp

Every month, the French Association du Bulle D'encre publishes a limited edition vanity stamp (using the French Post Office Mon Timbre A Moi service) featuring art by French cartoonists and comic creators.  This month's stamp was created by Jason Dilukeba, creator of the new manga series, Ekeko.and features the illustration used for issue 1 of the book.

The stamp is published in a limited edition of 30 copies, and costs € 2,00.  Previous stamps, are still available in very small numbers from the BDE website.  Members get a € 0,50 on each stamp (all links in French).

Mauldin stamps issued today

The great World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin has stamps issued for him today. This is actually the 2nd Mauldin stamp as his characters Willie and Joe were on one of the WW2 anniversary map sheets. Here's what the US Postal Service is selling - if anyone knows of a special cancellation, please let me know.

Belgium Youth Philately 2010 : Largo Winch

Last month the Belgian post office issued the latest edition of its annual Youth Philately stamp, featuring popular comic heroes.  The tradition started in 1979 with a stamp celebrating 50 years of Tintin, and from 1984 onwards Belgian's most famous comic heroes have graced a special stamp.

This year Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq's millionaire adventurer Largo Winch was selected for the stamp, which is published as a single issue and in a sheet of ten stamps with an additional illustration by Franq.

Donald Duck 3000

 The Dutch weekly Donald Duck celebrates its 3000th issue next month, and this is celebrated with a quite unique set of stamps.  On april 6th, a first set will be offered to the public, consisting of a sheet of 10 stamps and a special cover page containing the first page of a special Donald Duck story.  For a year and a half, two similar sets will be made released every month, resulting in a complete unique story.

Additionally, a separate set of three postcards with assorted stamps is available on the TNT Post website.

Cartoon illustration of stamps from NY Times

Here's a nice drawing from the March 17, 2010 New York Times by David Gibson, illustrating letters to the editor about US postal service cuts.

Mr. Zip

The Silver Lining has collected a few typical appearances of USPS's Mr. Zip character.

Forever stamps

Roz Chast's Forever stamps, courtesy Bookofjoe.

Andy Rooney on Bill Mauldin's stamp

My friend, Bill Mauldin
Andy Rooney
January 29, 2010

Watterson initially turned down stamp

In Author goes in search of 'Calvin and Hobbes': Author details mission of writing about reclusive cartoonist Bill Watterson by Maria Sciullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 20, 2010, she writes:

 

Characteristically, Calvin and Hobbes are making grotesque faces on the stamp. It's part of an ongoing series honoring 100 years of comic strips in America, said Terry McCaffrey, manager of stamp development for the U.S. Postal Service.

" 'Calvin and Hobbes' came to the forefront" of the citizen's stamp advisory committee, he said. "It was an extremely popular choice."

Contacting Mr. Watterson through his agent, he said, they were surprised when he turned them down.

"His concern was he didn't want any product created around it. We said, 'We can certainly take that off the table, we just want to commemorate your great work on a postage stamp.'

"And he agreed to that."

And note the 'ongoing' in the quote - yeah!

Tim Kreider discovers a new cartoonist on a stamp

Tim Kreider, writing about a disturbing cartoon, discovered a cartoonist on a stamp that was new to me, and probably most people. The cartoonist, Charles Johnson appeared on stamps issued in 1997 by Uganda and Ghana - here's an article and then another on the series. He was on the stamps for his role as a writer and essayist, not his early cartoonist career.

Big Glee blog on Marvel 1976 stamps

Hulk packaging here and Spider-Man stamps here.

Opinion on Sunday Funnies stamps from NBC in San Diego

See "Comic Stamp of Disapproval: New U.S. Postal Service “Sunday Funnies” collection snubs The Far Side and Doonesbury. Which comic strips do you think are stamp worthy?
By JERE HESTER
Wed, Jan 6, 2010