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USPS HONORS FIVE SUNDAY COMIC STRIPS WITH STAMPS

The Postal Service today celebrates newspaper comic strips during a first-day-of-issue ceremony for the Sunday Funnies stamps on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, OH — home of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum.


The 44-cent First-Class Mail stamps feature five comic strips: Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Garfield, and Calvin and Hobbes. The strips, as well as their characters, may have changed over the years, yet each remains a classic.

“Like stamps, comic strips often tell a story through humor, adventure, fantasy and sometimes even drama,” said Eastern Area Vice President Megan Brennan. “Today, we commemorate five of our country’s most beloved comic strips and dedicate an amazing stamp pane that represents a unique part of American culture.”


Offering an idealized portrait of American adolescence, Archie existed only in comic-book form before debuting in newspapers in 1946; Beetle Bailey, a military strip with universal appeal, first appeared in September 1950; Calvin and Hobbes ran from November 1985 to December 1995; Garfield came onto the comics page in June 1978; and Dennis the Menace debuted in March 1951.

Joining Brennan in dedicating the stamps were The Ohio State University Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto and The Ohio State University Libraries Director Carol Pitts Diedrichs.

Special guests included Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker; Garfield creator Jim Davis; Dennis the Menace artists Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand; Archie Comics newspaper strip writer Craig Goldman; and Calvin and Hobbes Editor Lee Salem.

Click here to see how some of the featured comic strips let their readers know about the stamps.

Posted in: USPS