Philately

Stamp Announcement 09-21: The Simpsons

The Simpsons 44-cent stamps

On May 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44-cent The Simpsons stamp, in five designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) convertible booklet of 20 stamps (Item 679000). Designed by Matt Groening, a native of Portland, Oregon, the stamps go on sale nationwide May 7, 2009.

With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® recognizes The Simpsons, the longest running comedy in the history of American prime-time television, entering its 20th year, as a regularly scheduled half-hour series in 2009.

Art Director, Derry Noyes, Washington, DC, was pleased to use original artwork by Matt Groening. Groen­ing, a cartoonist, created the Simpson characters and named them after his own family: Parents Marge and Homer, Sisters Lisa and Maggie (the baby who conveys emotion by sucking on her pacifier), and Matt’s alter ego, Bart.

How to Order the First Day of Issue Postmark

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 www.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:

The Simpsons Stamp
7001 South Central, Room 338
Los Angeles, CA 90052-9998

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 8, 2009.

Special Dedication Postmarks

Due to copyright agreements with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, only the following pictorial post­marks are permitted. Post Offices planning events are pro­hibited from designing their own special pictorial postmark. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station.

Guidelines for Finalizing The Simpsons Stamp Pictorial Postmark Art

The Simpsons pictorial postmark art

To finalize The Simpsons stamp pictorial postmark art, insert the date, city, state, and ZIP™ Code of the physical location of your event adjacent to the stamp image. Overall dimensions of the pictorial postmark must not exceed 4 inches horizontally by 2 inches vertically. Collectors pre­fer the dimensions 3 1/2 inches by 1 inch.

How to Order First Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS) 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 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

The Simpsons Premium Stamped cards

Twenty (20) premium stamped cards (Item 679063/897700/897701, $14.95) feature the unique characters that have made The Simpsons the longest running comedy in the history of American prime-time television. The cards have five different designs, each a different member of America’s favorite cartoon family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Each card has the corresponding Simpsons stamp preprinted, so just write a note and drop it in the mail! There will also be four different booklet cover designs, one each of Homer, Marge and Maggie, Lisa, and Bart.

There are five other philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

n 679063*, First Day Cover Set of 5, $4.10.

n 679068*, Digital Color Postmark First Day Covers Set of 5, $7.50.

n 679091*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.

 

Issue:

The Simpsons

Item Number:

679000

Denomination &
Type of Issue:


44-cent

Format:

Convertible Booklet of 20
(5 designs)

Series:

N/A

Issue Date & City:

May 7, 2009,
Los Angeles, CA 90052

Designer:

Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR

Art Director:

Derry Noyes, Washington, DC

Typographer:

William Clarke, Fox Licensing

Artist:

Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR

Modeler:

Donald Woo

Manufacturing Process:

Offset

Printer:

Banknote Corporation of America,
Inc./SSP

Printed at:

Browns Summit, NC

Press Type:

Alprinta, 74

Stamps per Booklet:

20

Print Quantity:

1 billion stamps

Paper Type:

Prephosphored, Type II

Adhesive Type:

Pressure-sensitive

Processed at:

Unique Binders, Fredericksburg, VA

Colors:

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS
116 (Yellow)

Stamp Orientation:

Vertical

Image Area (w x h):

0.77 x 1.05 in./19.56 x 26.67 mm

Overall Size (w x h):

0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.23 mm

Flat Booklet Size (w x h):

4.55 x 5.00 in./115.57 x 127.00 mm

Plate Size:

480 stamps per revolution

Plate Numbers:

“S” followed by five (5) single digits

Marginal Markings:

 

Stamp Side (In Peel
Strip Area):

“‘The Simpsons™’ & © 2009
Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation. All rights reserved.”

Other:

Stamp image • Header: “The
Simpsons™” • “TWENTY 44¢
SELF-ADHESIVE STAMPS”
• “5 DIFFERENT DESIGNS
$8.80” • “© 2009 USPS”
• Promotional text • Barcode
(679000) • Plate block number

n 679098*, Set of 4 Booklets (1 of each booklet cover design), $35.20.

n 679099, Cancellation Keepsake, Booklet of 20 and 5 Digital Color Postmark First Day Covers, $16.30.

Items with an asterisk (*) will use the 128 barcode from SFS. All other philatelic products will continue to use barcode series A, with the exception of the Yearbook and the Guide Book.

Distribution: Item 679000, $8.80 The Simpsons, Convertible Booklet of 20

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive approxi­mately 64 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet stamp. Distributions will be in three waves.

The Wave 1 shipment began March 22, 2009, will be complete by April 9, 2009, and will go to SDOs (approxi­mately 32 percent distribution). The Wave 2 shipment will go only to accountable paper depository (APDs) and stamp services centers (SSCs), begins on April 13, 2009, and will be complete by April 22, 2009. The Wave 3 shipment going to SDOs (approximately 32 percent distribution), APDs, and SSCs begins May 4, 2009, and will be complete by June 4, 2009. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (2,000 booklets).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of 25 percent of their full standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before April 30, 2009.

Additional Supply

SDOs requiring additional stamps must order them from the appropriate APD using PS Form 17. Following the auto­matic distribution to SDOs, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Memphis APDs will each receive additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from the SDOs. The Kansas City SSC will receive additional stamps for ful­filling supplemental orders from APDs.

 

Issue:

The Simpsons Postal Card Books

Item Number:

897700

Denomination &
Type of Issue:

28-cent Premium Stamped Postal
Card

Format:

$14.95 Stamped Postal Card
Booklet of 20 (5 designs)

Series:

N/A

Issue Date & City:

May 7, 2009,
Los Angeles, CA 90052

Designer:

Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR

Art Director:

Derry Noyes, Washington, DC

Typographer:

William Clarke, Fox Licensing

Artist:

Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR

Modeler:

Joseph Sheeran

Engraver:

N/A

Manufacturing Process:

Offset

Printer:

Sterling Sommer Inc.

Printed at:

Tonawanda, NY

Finishers:

Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)

Finished at

Williamsville, NY

Press Type:

Heidelberg, Speedmaster

Print Quantity:

601,200 cards

Paper Type:

Nonphosphored, Type III, Block

Adhesive Type:

N/A

Colors:

Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS
116u

Card Orientation:

Vertical

Image Area (w x h):

4.125 x 5.93 in./104.78 x 150.62 mm

Overall Size (w x h):

4.125 x 6.555 in./104.78 x
166.50 mm

Plate Size:

18 cards per revolution

Plate Numbers:

N/A

Marginal Markings:

 

Cover:

Header: “The Simpsons™”
• “20 PREMIUM STAMPED
CARDS $14.95”

Back:

Image of stamps and post card
• “The Simpsons™”
• “Embiggen your message with
these cromulent stamped
cards!” • “20 premium stamped
cards featuring the unique
characters that have made The
Simpsons the longest running
comedy in the history of
American prime-time television.”
• Promotional text • USPS logo
• “Item No. 897700” • “© 2009
USPS” • “‘The Simpsons™’ &
© 2009 Twentieth Century Fox
Film Corporation. All rights
reserved.”

Other:

Image of character • “The
Simpsons™” • Descriptive text
• © 2009 USPS • “‘The
Simpsons’™ & © 2009
Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation. All rights reserved.”