U.S. Postal Service Shares Love of Pets

Stamp Honors Cherished Furry Friends

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With a nod to America's great affection for furry friends, the Postal Service unleashes the latest in its popular Love series stamps, featuring imaginative illustrations of two of America's most beloved pets: kittens and puppies.

Each Love (2023) Forever stamp depicts one of the cute, cuddly animals. Intended to evoke feelings of warmth and playfulness, the release is perfectly timed for Valentine's Day cards and can add sentiment and whimsy to letters, birthday or graduation cards, baby shower invitations or notes of thanks.

The stamp dedication took place at the Texas animal shelter Austin Pets Alive!, with adoptable pets on hand for the event, enabling both participants and attendees to see animals receiving and benefiting from the community's love.

"The kitten and puppy each rest their front paws on a big red heart, which captures perfectly the love we have for these special creatures — and their love for us in return," said Judy de Torok, the Postal Service's vice president of Corporate Relations, who served as dedicating official for the ceremony and is a pet lover herself. "I have a feeling these may be some of our most popular stamps ever."

Also participating in the event were Dr. Ellen Jefferson, president and CEO of Austin Pets Alive!; Kelly Holt, senior manager of the Austin Pets Alive! cat program; Richard Scott, volunteer canine behavior specialist with the rescue and Matt Beisner, star of "Dog: Impossible" on Disney+.

Acting as master of ceremonies was Diaz Dixon, adviser for external partnerships, Austin Pets Alive!

The stamps' two designs feature either a kitten or a puppy with the word "LOVE" along the top, partially obscured by the heads of the animals. The words "forever" and "usa" in lowercase letters run along the bottom. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with original art by Chris Buzelli.

These newest additions to the Love stamp series are now available at Post Office locations nationwide and online at the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps.

The Love (2023) Forever stamps will be issued in panes of 20. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

News of the stamps is being shared on social media with the hashtag #LoveStamps.

Background

Artist Chris Buzelli thought that images of a kitten and puppy would perfectly express the idea of love and painted each based on characters from his imagination. Buzelli, who describes his style as a mix of realism and fantasy, painted each in oil on wood panel. The woodgrain panel is barely visible through the lightly shaded layers of oil and add texture and depth to each image. The images were then scanned and edited digitally to create the final stamp art.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Storeat usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, or at Post Office locations nationwide.

The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 163 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

National Contact: Martha Johnson
martha.s.johnson@usps.gov
Local Contact: Becky Hernandez
becky.m.hernandez@usps.gov
usps.com/news

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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service