Ka-chow! Send a Hello Forever Stamps Salute Disney-Pixar Characters

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Aug 19, 2011, 01:00 ET

ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Hello" is a simple, everyday word. Today, it has a new meaning as the U.S. Postal Service issues the Send a Hello Forever stamps to connect family and friends through the power of the mail.

The new Send a Hello Forever stamps feature the characters of five popular movies created by Disney-Pixar Animation Studios: Buzz Lightyear and two green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story; Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars; Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille; the robot Wall-E from Wall-E; and Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up. The stamps are on sale today in Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com and by calling 800-782-6724.

"For more than 25 years, Disney-Pixar storytellers have given us characters who have shown us the wonder of friendship and family," said Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman. "With this new stamp pane, the U.S. Postal Service is very proud to honor the art of Pixar's talented team of animators, and at the same time, help our customers communicate the way they care, through the power of the U.S. Mail."

"Taking the time to slow down and send a hello through the mail is a simple and special gift to both the sender and the recipient," Stroman said.

Joining Stroman to dedicate the stamps were James Bilbray, member, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service; and John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney Studios and Pixar Animation Studios.

The stamps were designed by art directors Terrence McCaffrey and William Gicker together with Ben Butcher at Disney-Pixar and Dave Pacheco at Disney Consumer Products.

The Send a Hello Forever stamps are an outgrowth of the Art of Disney stamp series issued between 2004 and 2008. Originally a series of three annual issuances depicting friendship, celebration and romance, the Art of Disney stamps proved so popular that the Postal Service expanded the series in 2007 and 2008.

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 a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at 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 larger envelopes addressed to:

Send a Hello Stamp
Postmaster
701 N. Loara Street
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 Oct. 11, 2011.

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 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

There are eight philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

467963, First-Day Cover Set of 5, $4.40
467968, Digital Color Postmark Set of 5, $8.00
467984, Uncut Press Sheet, $35.20
467991, Ceremony Program, $6.95
467992, Stamp Deck Card (SDC), $0.95
467994, Stamp Deck Card w/Digital Color Postmark, $1.95
467999, Cancellation Keepsake (5 Digital Color Postmarks w/Pane), $16.95
887200, Postcards, 4 of each 5 designs, $14.95

To learn more about the Postal Service's Stamp Program, visit http://beyondtheperf.com.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

We're everywhere so you can be anywhere: uspseverywhere.com.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service