Animal Tales : 2006 Royal Mail

2006-Jan-10

Favorite Children's Book Animals - People have been telling animal tales for as long as people have been telling stories. this tradition lives on in the world of children's books where the art of the storyteller meets that of the illustrator.

The stamps designed by Rose Design, feature: Mark Inkpen's 'Kipper', The Tale of Jeremy Fisher' from Beatrix Potter's books, Roald Dahl's 'The Enormous Crocodile', Michael Bond's 'Paddington Bear', 'Comic Adventures of Boots' by Satoshi Kitamura, 'White Rabbit' from Lewis Caroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Maisey's ABC by Lucy Cousins

Mythical Creatures - UK : 20009

2009-Jun-16 Royal Mail Untied Kingdom

Designed by Morgan Radcliffe - Illustrations by Dave McKean

1929 - UK St George slaying a dragon - - 
Fantasy and myth are popular subjects for both films and books. The UK has a rich and diverse folklore around mythical creatures: some famous nationally and others regionally. This set features: unicorn, mermaid - legends very common around UK coast of northern isles of Scotland), Giant (inspired by Finn McCool associated with the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland), Fairy queen (in a chariot pulled by birds), Pixie (which feature in Cornish folklore), and Dragon (emblem of Wales) - Norvic Philatelics

Postmarks: Dragonby Scunthorpe and Tallents House Edinburgh

Cottingley, Bingley - Dragonby, Scunthorpe - Unicorn Walk, Greenhithe, Kent

Fairy Cross, Bideford - Sea, Ilminster - Wookey Hole Caves, Wells, Somerset

Mythical Creatures, London - Dragonby, Scunthorpe, Official non-pictorial Postmark - Unicorn Hill, Redditch

Red Riding-Hood - Greetings : 1994 Royal Mail

Red Riding-Hood is featured on one of the 1st class Greetings Messages stamps, released by Royal Mail on 1 February 1994

Paddington Bear - Greetings : 1994

Paddington Bear was featured on one of the 1st class Greetings Messages stamps, released by Royal Mail on 1 February 1994

Paddington Bear, also known as Paddington Brown, is an anthropomorphic bear in British children's literature. He first appeared on 1958-Oct-13 in A Bear Called Paddington by British author Michael Bond. He has been featured in 29 books written by Bond, the last of which, Paddington at St. Paul's, was published posthumously in 2018. The books have been illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, David McKee, R. W. Alley, and other artists.

Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were a comedy team from 1927 to 1955, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a team in the silent film era, they transitioned easily to the new talking pictures and became internationally famous for their slapstick comedy. Laurel's character was clumsy and childlike; Hardy's was domineering and genteel, but both were inseparable friends. Their theme song, known variously as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as identified with them as their derby hats.

1991 US Comedians issue - Gillcraft cachet

Stepex '91 Hal Roach cachet

They appeared as a team in 107 films, starring in 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films,and 23 full-length feature films. 

1947 Hollywood Starstamps

Stan Laurel was part of the Royal Mail 1991 Smilers issue

A panel from a “Laurel and Hardy” story for Film Fun published in 1938

Myths and Legends - Royal Mail : 2025

Royal Mail celebrates mythical creatures and legendary figures from different regions of the UK, including Blodeuwedd (Wales); the Loch Ness Monster (Scotland); Beowulf and Grendel (England); Black Shuck (East Anglia); Selkie (Orkney & Shetland); Cornish Piskies (Cornwall); Fionn mac Cumhaill (Northern Ireland); and Grindylow (Yorkshire/Lancashire). Artist Adam Simpson’s beautiful and evocative illustrations bring to life these fabled figures of folklore in vibrant, enchanting detail. 

Grindylows are supernatural creatures that appear in the folklore of England, most notably the Lancaster area. They are described as diminutive humanoids with scaly skin, a greenish complexion, sharp claws and teeth, and long, wiry arms with lengthy fingers at the end. They are said to dwell in ponds and marshes waiting for unsuspecting children, which they grab with their shockingly strong grip, and then drag under the surface of the waters. Grindylows have been used as shadowy figures to frighten children away from pools, marshes, or ponds where they could drown.

Beowulf is an Old English poem, an epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines, contained in the Nowell Codex. The protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands, then kills Grendel's mother with a giant's sword that he found in her lair.

Year of the Child : 1979 Great Britain

1979-Jul-11 The Year of the Child

There is no sounder investment than the future of the child and no greater responsibility for the adults of today:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter) 1902

Winnie the Pooh (A.A.Milne) 1926

The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame) 1908

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) 1865

Childrens TV : 2014 UK - 2024 Guernsey

 

2014-Jan-07 Royal Mail

Royal Mail is celebrating over sixty years of classic children’s TV with a stamp collection. This special issue commemorates the 40th anniversary of Bagpuss, probably the most popular British children’s TV character of all time and the 50th anniversary of The Magic Roundabout.

Twelve of the most popular characters from children’s television are included in the set. The full line-up features - Andy Pandy, Ivor the Engine, Dougal from The Magic Roundabout, Bagpuss, Paddington Bear, Postman Pat, Windy Miller from Camberwick Green, Mr. Benn, Uncle Bulgaria from the Wombles, Bob the Builder, Peppa Pig, and Shaun the Sheep. (6 of the stamps are shown on the cover below)

2024-Jul-25 Guernsey - Bagpuss 50th Anniversary

Bagpuss is a British animated children's television series which was made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate through their company Smallfilms. The series of thirteen episodes was first broadcast in 1974. The title character was "a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams". Although only thirteen episodes were produced and broadcast, the program remains fondly remembered by Briton. In early 1999, Bagpuss topped a BBC poll for the UK's favorite children's television program

Stranger Things : 2026 Royal Mail

2026-Jan-13 Stranger Things First Day Cover featuring all 10 new stamps cancelled with the alternative Spennymoor postmark.

Welcome to Hawkins - a place where everything is turned Upside Down

Beloved characters and mysterious monsters are the stars of striking new stamps celebrating the hit Netflix show Stranger Things 

Five stamps feature key “real” world figures from each series of the show, set against a red background (Eleven and Joyce - Dustin, Lucas and Mike  - Steve, Robin and Erica  - Nancy, Jonathan and Henry  - Eleven, Jim and Dr Kay) 

Five more stamps, again one focused on each series, depict characters linked to the alternate dimension, known as the Upside Down, with a blue background (Will, the Demogorgon and Barbara  - Jim, a Demodog and Will  - Max, the Mind Flayer and Billy  - Eddie, Dustin and Max  - Vecna, Holly and Mr Whatsit)

Stranger Things Miniature Sheet features young Hawkins heroes Lucas, Will, Mike and Dustin riding their iconic 80s bikes in the shadow of the Mind Flayer.

British artist and official Stranger Things illustrator Kyle Lambert’s exclusive new stamp designs contain hidden features revealed when the stamps are exposed to UV light. 

Biggles - Greetings : 1994 United Kingdom

1994-Feb-01

Biggles from the Biggles books by Capt W.E. Johns © W.E. John (publications) LTS, illustrated by Alan Cracknell. James Charles “Biggles” Bigglesworth, is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and hero of the Biggles series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles made his first appearance in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue of Popular Flying magazine and again as part of the first collection of Biggles stories, The Camels Are Coming (both 1932). Johns continued to write "Biggles books" until his death in 1968.

Tales of Terror : 1997 United Kingdom

 

1997-May-13

1959-Sep-20 Romania : 500^th Anniversary of Bucharest – Prince Vlad Tepes and Document from 1459 - Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He was regarded as a hero in Romania due to his opposition to the Ottoman Empire and he is considered an important ruler in Wallachian history. Stories about Vlad's brutal acts began circulating during his lifetime. Works containing the stories about Vlad's cruelty were published in Low German in the Holy Roman Empire before 1480. The name Dracula was for centuries known as the sobriquet of Vlad III. Bram Stoker's Dracula, was the first book to make a connection between Dracula and vampirism - Wikipedia

“There lay the Count... the white hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-grey, the cheels were fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneath; the mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts of fresh blood...” Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897

“His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing... but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes...” Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 1818

“Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish' he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile... not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust...” The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 1896

“A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound... Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smouldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlap were outlined in flickering flame.” The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1901