Most Popular Stamp Series of All Time Makes Final Curtain Call
�Art of Disney� three-set series extended to five �stamping ovations�
(August 7, 2008) Although Elvis remains king as
the single most popular stamp subject of all time with an estimated 124.1
million collected, Mickey Mouse and his friends rule as the most popular stamp
series with 211.5 million collected. Originally scheduled to be introduced as
three sets during a three-year period, the fifth and final debut for the Art of
Disney series takes place Aug. 7, at 10 a.m. PDT in front of the Sleeping Beauty
castle in Disneyland when the Postal Service dedicates the Art of Disney:
Imagination stamps. The 42-cent first-class commemorative stamps go on sale
nationwide that day.
�The Art of Disney stamps have connected many Americans with friendship,
celebration, romance, magic and now imagination through the mail,� said U.S.
Postal Service Chief of Staff Mike Spates, who will join Mickey and his friends
in dedicating the stamps. �It�s easy to add an imaginative touch to cards and
letters with these beautiful stamps. We want to thank the many Disney characters
for helping the Postal Service commemorate Walt Disney throughout the years.�
Joining Spates in dedicating the stamps will be Executive Vice President and
Imagineering Ambassador, Walt Disney Imagineering, Marty Sklar.
�I know that Walt would be proud to see Mickey and the other Disney characters
appear on U.S. Postage Stamps honoring imagination,� said Sklar. �Imagination
was always at the heart of his work, in movies, television and here at
Disneyland. He lived, breathed and dreamed it his whole life.�
Spates said 125 million Art of Disney: Imagination stamps were printed and are
available in sheets of 20 and include four stamp designs:
� Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and her helpers Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty. Everyone dreams of living �happily ever after,� but not everyone has such enchanting helpers as Princess Aurora�s tiny guardians, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Despite their delightfully dithery ways, the good fairies protect the princess and help her find the true love she has always imagined.
� Pongo and one of his pups from 101 Dalmatians. Imagining a dog�s emotional life requires a brilliant creative leap, but 101 Dalmatians gives us a unique dog�s eye view of the world. In the loving bonds between Pongo and his pups, we see our own human ties brought to life�spot on.
� Mowgli and Baloo from The Jungle Book. Who could imagine a jungle as jazzy as in The Jungle Book�or a more free-wheeling, upbeat buddy than Baloo? His lighthearted relationship with Mowgli reminds us that friendship and laughter really are among the �bare necessities of life.�
Spates added the series has proven to be popular with both stamp collectors
and Disney enthusiasts.
�After the success of the first two Art of Disney sets with 47.7 million
Friendship stamps collected in 2004 and 52.8 million Celebration stamps in 2005,
we sat down with the Disney team to explore the possibility of extending the
series. We feel the Art of Disney: Imagination stamps will finish the series as
a cherished collectible.�
The Postal Service randomly surveys approximately 10,000 customers four times
annually to gauge the number of stamps collected. Spates said 57.2 million
Romance stamps were collected in 2006 and 53.8 million Magic stamps in 2007.
The Disney relationship with the U.S. Postal Service began in the summer of 1918
when Walt Disney sorted and delivered mail in the Chicago Post Office. Next,
Mickey Mouse worked for the Post Office when he starred in the 1933 animated
short �Mail Pilot.� The achievements of Walt Disney were first recognized on a
stamp in 1968. On the stamp, a parade of children, hand-in-hand, appear from a
tiny castle to surround a portrait of Walt Disney. The children, representing
many nations of the world, are garbed in national costumes.
In 1998, a �Snow White� stamp was issued as part of the Postal Service�s
�Celebrate the Century� stamp series that highlighted the most memorable and
significant people, places, events and trends of each decade of the 20th
century. In 1937, �Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs� premiered as the nation�s
first feature-length animated film. The movie classic comprised 240,000 separate
drawings and won a special Academy Award� for Walt Disney.
U.S. Postal Service art director Terrence McCaffrey of Arlington, VA, joined
with the Disney team, including artist Peter Emmerich of Yonkers, NY, and
creative director Dave Pacheco of Burbank, CA, in designing the stamps
throughout the five years of production.
The Art of Disney: Imagination Philatelic Fact
Sheet
Philatelic Products
There are 11 philatelic products that can be viewed and purchased through
this link when the stamps go
on sale August 7.
� 571401, The Art of Disney Postmark Collectible: Mickey Mouse, $14.95
� 571402, The Art of Disney Postmark Collectible: Princesses, $14.95
� 571403, The Art of Disney Postmark Collectible: Animal Tales, $14.95
� 571404, The Art of Disney Postmark Collectible: Childhood Classics, $14.95
� 571466, Postal Stamped Cards (set of 20 and includes postage), $13.95
� 571499, Cancellation Keepsake (4 Digital Color Postmark with pane), $14.40
� 571488, Prints 8 x 10 (set of 4), $14.95
� 571463, First-Day Cover (set of 4), $3.20
� 571468, Digital Color Postmark (set of 4), $6
� 571491, Ceremony Program (with 4 stamps), $6.95
How to Order First-Day Covers
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and
Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue
cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the
quarterly catalog USA Philatelic. Customers can request a free catalog by
calling 800-STAMP-24 or by writing to:
Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They
can purchase the new stamped postcards at the Postal Store website at
www.usps.com/shop, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, or at their local Post Office.
Customers should address the cards to themselves or others, and place them in an
envelope addressed to:
Disney Imagination Stamps
Postmaster
701 N. Loara St.
Anaheim, CA 92803-9998
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return
the cards through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must
be postmarked by Oct. 6, 2008.
-- Posted August 8, 2008