Sunday Funnies : 2010

2010-Jul-16 Columbus OH

2010-Jul-16, Columbus, Ohio, the Postal Service issued a 44-cent, Sunday Funnies commemora-tive stamp in five designs, designed by Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, Maryland.

The Sunday Funnies stamp pane honors five of our most beloved comic strips: Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Garfield, and Calvin and Hobbes.

The Beetle Bailey stamp features Beetle, smiling calmly while Sarge loses his cool.

The Calvin and Hobbes stamp captures the precocious 6-year-old and his tiger pal making scary and ridiculous faces.

The Archie stamp features Archie sharing a chocolate shake with brunette Veronica Lodge on his right and blonde Betty Cooper on his left.

The Garfield stamp features the crabby tabby standing back to back with Odie, a carefree, energetic dog.

The Dennis the Menace stamp features 5-year-old Dennis, dressed in red overalls and striped shirt, running off to some new adventure.

USPS Bulletin PB 22287 June 17, 2010

Special Dedication Postmarks - Only the following pictorial postmark is permitted for the Sunday Funnies stamp. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station. Additional pictorial postmarks used at various Post Offices around the country can be found Pages: Classic Comic Stamps - 1995

Calvin & Hobbes : 2010 Sunday Funnies

2010-Jul-16 Columbus OH

Bill Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., in 1958. His love of art began at an early age, and early influences included Charles Schulz ("Peanuts"), George Herriman ("Krazy Kat"), and Walt Kelly ("Pogo").

Watterson's numerous daily comic ideas were all rejected until he created "Calvin and Hobbes," the engaging chronicle of a 6-year-old's psyche. The strip was signed by Universal Press Syndicate and debuted on Nov. 18, 1985. By the end of its run on Dec. 31, 1995, the award-winning "Calvin and Hobbes" was carried in more than 2,400 newspapers. Watterson became the youngest person to win the prestigious Reuben Award for "Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year" from the National Cartoonists Society. He won the award again in 1988. GoComics

Commemorative postmark used 2010-Jul-16 California State Fair Sacramento CA

Business envelopes - The Comics

Even though I have slowed down on obtaining hand-drawn art, I still research information for my collection. Since both of my parents worked for an envelope manufacturing company, and my father was a stamp collector, I was always had an interest in illustrated envelopes. In the late 1890s the envelopes were decorated with fantastic engraved images representing the sender's business. Recent improvements in methods of communications (e-mail, text, facebook, instagram etc) have made it easier to reach someone quickly, but the message is sterile and lacks anticipation of having to wait and then open the envelope to reveal the message. Therefore I still have a fascination for certain envelope that have been placed through the mail. 

Some of these business envelope offer a postage meter that features a slogan that may represent their business interests. I recently came across a few envelopes that are comic related:

Henry is a comic strip created in 1932 by Carl Anderson. The title character is a young bald boy who is mostly mute in the comics 

Dick Tracy meter used by Chicago News Tribune

Chester Gould - Dick Tracy business envelopes

Charles Schulz, Snoopy business envelopes

Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson c 1987

Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson c.1988

Calvin & Hobes - Bill Watterson c.1994

Ed "Big Daddy" Roth - 1989

Walter Lantz - Woody Woodpecker - 1972

Dik Browne - Hagar the Horrible - 1978

Buster Browne - Outcault Advertising - 1910

1994 Mirage Studios - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles