On October 1, 2015, this year’s National Stamp Collecting Month campaign will kick-off with the A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever® stamps, which will be issued in Santa Rosa, CA. The stamps depict images from the 1965 TV holiday classic that will air later this fall on ABC. Postmasters are encouraged to use elements from this publicity kit to conduct local stamp dedication ceremonies any time after October 1, 2015. Postmasters are also encouraged to contact local movie theatres showing The Peanuts Movie, which debuts November 6, 2015, to explore the possibility of conducting ceremonies there or selling the stamps onsite.
The stamp images include: Charlie Brown holding the sapling that eventually becomes his Christmas tree; Charlie Brown and Pigpen with a snowman; Snoopy and children ice skating; the cast of the program gathered around the Christmas tree; Linus kneeling by the sparsely decorated Christmas tree; Charlie Brown checking his mailbox for a Christmas card; Charlie Brown and Linus leaning on a snowy brick wall; Charlie Brown and Linus standing by the Christmas tree; a frustrated Charlie Brown standing in front of Snoopy’s doghouse; and Charlie Brown decorating the tree in front of the prize-winning lights display on Snoopy’s doghouse. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.
This publicity kit contains everything you need to conduct a successful event:
n Sample media advisory*;
n Sample news release*;
n Sample speech*;
n Corporate Communications manager contact listing for assistance in contacting news media to publicize the event; and
n Government Relations contacts for assistance with inviting elected officials to your event.
*Email mark.r.saunders@usps.gov for the actual documents or to request high-resolution stamp images for the news media.
Poster-sized blowups of the A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps can be purchased through Colours Imaging, http://coloursimaging.com, by contacting Zach Scott at zscott@coloursinc.com or 703–379–1121.
Sample Media Advisory
Name
XXX.XXX.XXXX
xxxx@usps.gov
usps.com/news
[Name] Post Office Celebrates Holidays
by Dedicating A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever Stamps
Stamps Based on 1965 Holiday TV Special
High-resolution images of the stamps are available for media use by emailing mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.
WHAT: Special dedication stamp ceremony for the A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps.
WHO: [Name of postal official]
[Name of other officials]
WHEN: [Day, Date, Time]
WHERE: [Name of location]
[Street address]
[City, State, ZIP + 4]
BACKGROUND: The [Name] Post Office begins celebrating the holiday season with a special dedication ceremony to highlight the A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps. This booklet of 20 stamps features 10 still frames from the 1965 TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (two of each design). They include: Charlie Brown holding the sapling that eventually becomes his Christmas tree; Charlie Brown and Pigpen with a snowman; Snoopy and children ice skating; the cast of the program gathering around the Christmas tree; Linus kneeling by the sparsely decorated Christmas tree; Charlie Brown checking his mailbox for a Christmas card; Charlie Brown and Linus leaning on a snowy brick wall; Charlie Brown and Linus standing by the tree; a frustrated Charlie Brown standing in front of Snoopy’s doghouse; and Charlie Brown decorating the tree in front of the prize-winning lights display on Snoopy’s doghouse. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://usps.com/news/welcome.htm.
Reporters interested in speaking with regional Postal Service media contacts should go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.
Follow us on http://twitter.com/usps and like us at http://facebook.com/usps. For more information about the Postal Service, go to http://usps.com and http://usps.com/postalfacts.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Date], 2015 Contact: Name
XXX.XXX.XXXX
xxxxx.xxxxxx@usps.gov
usps.com/news
A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever Stamps
Kick-Off National Stamp Collecting Month
Stamps Based on 1965 Holiday TV Classic
High-resolution images of the stamps are available for media use by emailing mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.
CITY, STATE — The [Name] Post Office began celebrating the holiday season and kicked off October as National Stamp Collecting Month by conducting a special dedication ceremony for the A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps today. The event took place at [Name of location]. The stamps are available at the [Name] Post Office, at http://usps.com/shop, or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24.
“It’s never too early to get ready for the holidays,” said [Postal official title and name]. “And what better way to interest youngsters in October as National Stamp Collecting Month than these iconic stamps.”
Joining [Postal official title and name] at the ceremony were [Names and titles of other officials].
[Quotes from other officials as necessary].
This booklet of 20 stamps features 10 still frames from the 1965 TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (two of each design). They include: Charlie Brown holding the sapling that eventually becomes his Christmas tree; Charlie Brown and Pigpen with a snowman; Snoopy and children ice skating; the cast of the program gathering around the Christmas tree; Linus kneeling by the sparsely decorated Christmas tree; Charlie Brown checking his mailbox for a Christmas card; Charlie Brown and Linus leaning on a snowy brick wall; Charlie Brown and Linus standing by the tree; a frustrated Charlie Brown standing in front of Snoopy’s doghouse; and Charlie Brown decorating the tree in front of the prize-winning lights display on Snoopy’s doghouse. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.
The 50th anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” airs later this fall. Mendelson’s 50th anniversary music variety tribute entitled “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown” airs just prior to the special.
This is not the first time Peanuts has been celebrated on a stamp. The Postal Service issued this Peanuts commemorative stamp in 2001.
Stamp Collecting
The A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps provide youngsters with the perfect start for getting into stamp collecting. For information on upcoming stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and currently available stamps, visit http://uspsstamps.com. Be sure to take advantage of the free subscription feature to get twice-a-month updates on the latest stamp news and upcoming stamp dedication ceremonies at https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/92580A380F183D2E.
The Backstory on the Christmas Special
On Dec. 9, 1965, millions of Americans learned what Christmas is all about. That evening, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated special featuring characters from Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip Peanuts, aired on CBS. Over the years, the beautifully understated ode to the holiday season has become a tradition. The program now airs annually on ABC.
Work began on “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in the spring of 1965 when Schulz met with producer Lee Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez to discuss the direction of the show. Instead of hiring adult actors, the group decided to take the then-unusual step of having children provide voices for most of the characters.
Schulz insisted that the program should not have a laugh track, which he considered cynical and unnecessary. “Let the people at home enjoy the show at their own speed,” he said, “in their own way.” Composer Vince Guaraldi also contributed a memorable jazz score. “Linus and Lucy,” a lively piano tune that plays in the film, is still synonymous with Peanuts.
Schulz’s script focuses on Charlie Brown’s search for the true meaning of Christmas. All around him, his friends are enjoying themselves, but he is bothered by the season’s commercialism. “I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess,” he tells Linus. “I like getting presents, and sending Christmas cards, and decorating trees and all that, but I’m still not happy.” Charlie Brown is even irked by the fact that his dog Snoopy has entered the neighborhood Christmas lights and display contest.
At the request of Lucy, Charlie Brown agrees to direct their school’s Christmas play. The production is temporarily derailed when the other children laugh at him for choosing a small sapling — not a shiny aluminum replica — as a Christmas tree. After an exasperated Charlie Brown wonders if there’s anyone who knows what Christmas is all about, Linus says that he does, and proceeds to recite a stirring rendition of the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke. When he’s finished, he picks up his blanket and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
Encouraged, Charlie Brown rushes home to decorate his small tree, only to be disappointed again when it collapses under the weight of one ornament. His pals, however, come to the rescue, turning the sapling into a glimmering masterpiece. The show concludes with the cast singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
Watched in more than 15 million American homes, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was a smash hit. It received rave reviews and won the George Foster Peabody Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program. The show is rebroadcast annually on ABC, giving new generations of viewers a chance to discover its charms.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is being issued as a First-Class Mail Forever booklet of 20 stamps. Each stamp features one of 10 stills from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at http://usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:
A Charlie Brown Christmas Stamps
Manager
PO Box 999818
Grand Rapids, MI 49599-9818
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 up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by Oct. 19, 2015.
Ordering First-Day Covers
The Postal Service 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, online at http://usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:
U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Philatelic Products
This stamp issue has eight philatelic products:
Item #680224, Framed Art, $39.95.
Item #680221, Digital Color Postmark, set of 10, $16.40.
Item #680210, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (random), $11.95.
Item #680206, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $78.40 (print quantity 500).
Item #680208, Press Sheet without Die-cut, $78.40 (print quantity 1,500).
Item #680216, First-Day Cover, set of 10, $9.30.
Item #680231, Stamp Deck Card (random), $0.95.
Item #680230, Ceremony Program (random), $6.95.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://usps.com/news/welcome.htm.
Reporters interested in speaking with regional Postal Service media contacts should go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.
Follow us on http://twitter.com/usps and like us at http://facebook.com/usps. For more information about the Postal Service, go to http://usps.com and http://usps.com/postalfacts.
Sample Speech
[Postal Service Official’s Name and Title]
United States Postal Service
A Charlie Brown Christmas Stamps
Special Dedication Ceremony
[Location]
[City, State]
[Date, Time]
Thank you all for joining us at today’s event. [Optional: Add a brief comment about how this location relates to Charlie Brown, Charles Schulz, or Christmas.]
I also want to thank all of our special guests for joining us in beautiful [City/Town/Location].
In particular, I’m glad that our good friend [Name of elected official] is here, along with [any other officials who should be recognized] as we continue celebrating our holiday stamp series while launching National Stamp Collecting Month.
On December 9, 1965, millions of Americans learned what Christmas is all about. That evening, A Charlie Brown Christmas, the first animated special featuring characters from Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip Peanuts, aired on national television.
Over the next five decades, the beautifully understated ode to the holiday season has become a tradition.
Work began on A Charlie Brown Christmas in the spring of 1965, when Mr. Schulz met with producer Lee Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez to discuss the direction of the show. Instead of hiring adult actors, the group decided to take the then-unusual step of having children provide voices for most of the characters.
Schulz insisted that the program should not have a laugh track, which he considered cynical and unnecessary. “Let the people at home enjoy the show at their own speed,” he said, “in their own way.” Composer Vince Guaraldi [Pronounced: gu-a-RALD-dee] also contributed a memorable jazz score. “Linus and Lucy,” a lively piano tune that plays in the film, is still synonymous with Peanuts.
Schulz’s script focuses on Charlie Brown’s search for the true meaning of Christmas. All around him, his friends are enjoying themselves, but he is bothered by the season’s commercialism. Charlie Brown is even irked by the fact that his dog, Snoopy, has entered the neighborhood Christmas lights and display contest. It ends with all of the Peanuts gang discovering the true meaning of the season.
Watched in more than 15 million American homes, A Charlie Brown Christmas was a smash hit. It received rave reviews and won the George Foster Peabody Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children\u0027s Program.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is being issued as a First-Class Mail Forever booklet of 20 stamps. Each stamp features one of 10 stills from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
They include:
n Charlie Brown holding the sapling that eventually becomes his Christmas tree;
n Charlie Brown and Pigpen with a snowman;
n Snoopy and children ice skating;
n The cast of the program gathered around the Christmas tree;
n Linus kneeling by the sparsely decorated Christmas tree;
n Charlie Brown and Linus leaning on a snowy brick wall and another with them standing by the tree;
n A frustrated Charlie Brown standing in front of Snoopy’s doghouse, and another one with him decorating the tree in front of the prize-winning lights display on Snoopy’s doghouse; and
n Charlie Brown checking his mailbox for a Christmas card — our favorite at the Postal Service.
These stamps are a part of the Postal Service Holiday Celebration stamp series. On each stamp, the words “FOREVER USA” — in the same font used in the Peanuts comic strip — appear in the top right corner or along the left edge.
It is our hope that these stamps that pay tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas will be on cards, letters, and packages that fill mailboxes across the country this holiday season.
Thank you.
[Pause for applause.]
So now, I would like to invite [Names of officials] to join me in saluting an American original.
Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the United States Postal Service, I am honored to present this lasting tribute to one of the most iconic television specials of all time, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
[Unveil stamp. Pose for photos.]
Area Corporate Communications Managers
Please feel free to contact your area communications manager for assistance in promoting your event.
Capital Metro
Tom Ouellette
Telephone: 301-548-1465
email: thomas.r.ouellette@usps.gov
Eastern
Paul Smith
Telephone: 215-863-5055
email: paul.f.smith@usps.gov
Great Lakes
Ed Moore
Telephone: 313-225-5452
email: edward.r.moore@usps.gov
Pacific
Don Smeraldi
Telephone: 858-674-3149
email: don.a.smeraldi@usps.gov
Northeast
Maureen Marion
Telephone: 860-285-7029
email: maureen.p.marion@usps.gov
Southern
Polly Gibbs
Telephone: 214-819-8704
email: polly.j.gibbs@usps.gov
Western
John Friess
Telephone: 303-313-5130
email: john.g.friess@usps.gov
Congressional State Representative Listing
202.268.XXXX (use government relations representative’s extension).
— Public Relations,
Corporate Communications, 10-1-15
