Stamp Services

Stamp Announcement 19-22: Sesame Street Stamps

©2019 USPS

On June 22, 2019, in Detroit, MI, the United States Postal Service^® will issue the Sesame Street stamps (Forever^® priced at the First-Class Mail^® rate) in 16 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 16 stamps (Item 479500). The stamps will go on sale nationwide June 22, 2019, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Sesame Street pane of 16 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

In 2019, the Postal Service™ honors Sesame Street, the influential and beloved children’s television show. For the last 50 years, Sesame Street has provided educational programming and entertainment for generations of children throughout the country and around the world. The stamp art features photographs of 16 of the Sesame Street muppets:

n Row 1: Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, and Cookie Monster.

n Row 2: Rosita, The Count, Oscar the Grouch, and Abby Cadabby.

n Row 3: Herry Monster, Julia, Guy Smiley, and Snuffleupagus.

n Row 4: Elmo, Telly, Grover, and Zoe.

Images of nine of the characters appear on the right side of the pane underneath the iconic Sesame Street sign. The back of the pane displays the Sesame Street 50th anniversary artwork. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 479500, Sesame Street (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative Pane of 16 Stamps

Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales. Distribution quantities for the automatic push distribution are available by logging on to SFS Web at sfsweb.usps.gov. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps on the first-day-of-issue through SFS Web; offices must also check the amount they will receive on their automatic push distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store^® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Sesame Street Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

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 October 22, 2019.

How to Order 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 USA Philatelic publication and online at usps.com/shop. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic publication online at usps.com/philatelic.

Locally produced items are not authorized. Only merchandise that has been approved and assigned an item number by Headquarters Retail Marketing may be produced and sold.

— Stamp Services, Marketing, 6-6-19