New Disney Stamps Released - News & Events: The BigScreen Cinema Guide

News & Events
New Disney Stamps Released
The U.S. Postal Service Gets the Party Started with Mickey and Friends

June 30, 2005

ANAHEIM, CA -Music, food, parties and dance are essential elements to any celebration and today the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of four stamps today depicting classic Disney characters bringing the party to life. The Art of Disney: Celebration stamps feature Mickey Mouse and Pluto, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Ariel and Flounder and Snow White and Dopey. This is the second in a series paying tribute to the art of Disney, and comes during an especially magical year as Disneyland and its theme parks around the world celebrate 50 years of magic.

"The Postal Service knows that Americans have much to celebrate," said Patrick Donahoe, Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Postal Service, who dedicated the stamps. "We also know that the mail remains the best way to share joyous news and invite friends and family to come together for a special event. So, who better than Mickey Mouse and his friends to help the Postal Service and all Americans celebrate those special times in their lives."

Joining Donahoe in dedicating the stamps were Matt Ouimet, President of Disneyland Resort; Andrae Rivas, Disneyland Resort Ambassador and all the classic characters featured on the stamps reenacting the scene in each stamp.

"Disney characters have brought joy to many people through their appearances in movies, television and theme parks over the years," said Ouimet. "It is a great honor to see them featured on United States postage stamps this year while we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland."

Anaheim, as host city to the event, holds the unique distinction of being the only city in the nation where the stamps and postal cards are available today. The Art of Disney: Celebration stamps will be available at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide starting Friday, July 1.

The Art of Disney: Celebration self-adhesive 37-cent stamps, available in panes of twenty, feature world-famous Disney friends in four stamp designs.

Mickey Mouse and his faithful dog Pluto are experts when it comes to sharing cake and having good times. They're sure to help get your party started early! Anticipating a celebration can be half the fun.

A very merry tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter gives Alice a chance to catch up on all the news in Wonderland. This cheerful stamp makes it easy for you and your friends to stay in touch.

Ariel, a little mermaid, longs to enjoy life on land, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying music with Flounder and her other undersea friends. Wherever you are, just being with pals can lead to merriment.

Follow the lead of Snow White and Dopey and dance when it's time to celebrate! With this festive stamp, you can keep the "silly song" playing a little bit longer.

The Disney relationship with the Postal Service began in 1933 when Mickey Mouse starred in the 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, emerge from a tiny castle to surround a portrait of Walt Disney. The children, representing many nations of the World, are garbed in native costume.

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 was comprised of 240,000 separate drawings and won a special Academy Award^TM for Walt Disney.

The Art of Disney: Friendship stamps issued in 2004, were the first in the current series. Those four colorful stamps, honored friendship as it appears in the art of Walt Disney featuring Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and a host of Disney friends.

The Art of Disney: Celebration 37-cent pane of twenty stamps ($7.40) and the set of twenty 23-cent stamped postal cards with all four designs ($9.75) are available at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide tomorrow.

For Disney memorabilia fans, there are a host of other collectables, including a

set of four 8 x 10 inch stamp-affixed Disney Prints, depicting each of the stamps,

for $14.95 and, a

Disney full pane digital color cancellation Keepsake, which includes four first-day cover envelopes with one each of the stamps for $13.40.

Current U.S. stamps and stationery, as well as a free catalog, are available by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of stamps and other philatelic items are available at the online Postal Store at www.usps.com/shop. Custom-framed prints of original stamp art are available at www.postalartgallery.com.

Since 1775, the Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 142 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume-some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year- and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.

How to Order First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, by telephone at 1-800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store Web site at www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

DISNEY CELEBRATION STAMPS
POSTMASTER
701 N LOARA ST
ANAHEIM CA 92803-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by July 29, 2005.

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 USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

First-day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamp's issuance.

Source: U.S. Postal Service Press Release

Stamp News Release No. 05-031
www.usps.com

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