The top two panels of the May 1990 Sunday comic shows Zonker Harris picked up his mail and looking disgusted. He says "Another 1989 postmark! Time to take action!This is followed by four panels with Zonker announcing his Protest stamps, along with a pseudo-sheet of 18 stamps featuring 2 designsHi! Former U.S. Postal Service Temporary Zonker Harris here! Have the proposed new postal rates got you steamed?Sure U.S. Postal rates would still be among the lowest in the world, but aren't ypu fed up anyway? Uhu?Sure you are! So why not affix these dandy 5c protest stamps to all your mail? What better way to send a message to your Postal Service?They're attractive, convenient and possibly illegal! So go ahead, slap on a U.S. Protest Stamp? You won't be sorry!
The Postal Service was not amused. A USPS spokesman told reporters that the Doonesbury stamps were "definately illegal." In fact, used risked a fine of $300. The USPS did report that many envelopes containing the bogus stamps were caught during the sorting process and removed from the mail stream. However there were some stamped envelopes that reached their final destination.
- Doonesbury's Cinderella Story: Protest Stamps and Comic Timing, Ashley Bowen-Murphy