When I was a child my dad would take me to the big Post Office in downtown Los Angeles, right by Olvera Street and Union Station. I would look at all the commemorative postage stamps they had to offer, and choose a pane. They were even more exciting than stickers! The Georgia O'Keefe ones were beautiful (well, I wasn't a kid when those came out) and there were usually some amazing flowers and animals stamps to choose from. I still like commemorative stamps, but they're getting suckier and suckier every year. There are fewer and fewer good ones.
Something that really bugs me is the glorification of corporations in US postage stamps! Remember when the LOVE stamps just said LOVE and had heart images? For 2007, the LOVE stamp has a Hershey's corporation brand kiss on it. As if there isn't enough Disney-down-your-throat in all other aspects of American life, there were Disney stamps in 2006 and there will be more in 2007. Hell why not just drop all pretense and have Halliburton stamps? Mc Donald's? Verizon? Time-Warner?
The only ones I'm excited about for 2007 are the animals and plants of the tundra stamps, and the "Pollination" ones which show four different pollinating bugs and birds with four different flowering plants. The Ella Fitzgerald ones are cool, too. But that's all. No wonder everyone has stopped sending real mail...
3 comments:
What? no Hello Kitty stamps?
A complete Sanrio series.........
I love the action hero stamps, they look great on my bills.
Are stamps really 39 cents now? I can't believe it.
US stamps have pretty much sucked since the war ended. WWII that is! Seriously, when you look at what stamps were and what they are you realize the art quality is pretty much cut and paste these days. In fact, they now sell souvenir sheets that have pictures of old US stamps on them. The best stamps are probably from the 20's and 1930's. Check out the national parks stamps from that era, but don't compare them to later reissues of national parks. You'll realize where you once were getting art you're now getting cartoons made by a five year old to attract quick sales. Cut and paste, cut and paste...
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