We don’t think about stamps the same way anymore. With email and texting, letter writing is pretty much a thing of the past. You would think with all the online shopping and subsequent packages being shipped there would still be a demand. Since most of that business goes through private carriers or if it does go through the Postal Service, they just print out a label rather than handing you 30 to 40 stamps and saying “have at it.” That’s a shame really because most will end up missing out an original idea from the good ole USPS.
I was excited to read that the Postal Service is issuing a set of unique stamps. They are the first-ever scratch-and-sniff stamps, and I hope they won’t be the last. I’ve always been a fan of s-n-s products since they came out with notebooks that had a picture of a pizza slice. Scratch the pepperoni and breathe in the smell of a piping hot pizza. It certainly made staying awake in class a good bit easier. If you started to doze, just scratch and sniff. The downside was constantly being hungry for pizza made harder to take when all you had in your lunch bag was a ham sandwich.
These summer-themed stamps feature different flavors of popsicles. The artwork is colorful and the scents are likely to be fruity, although the press release from the USPS does mention something about chocolate. We’ll have to wait until June 20, 2018, to find out. That is when they are being released. The will come in books of 20 and be forever stamps. Possibly the scent may not last that long after being shot through mail sorting machines and scuffed up by fellow letters traveling in your mail carrier’s bag.
I applaud the Postal Service for this innovation. I am not a collector of stamps being more of a fatalist than a philatelist. But I have always appreciated them. It is a great form of public art and, in some cases, possibly the only exposure some folks got to art over the years. There have been portraits of presidents, historical scenes, and the works of countless known artists from Raphael to Winslow Homer to Norman Rockwell. George Washington, Fred Rogers (a.k.a. Mr. Rogers), Eleanor Roosevelt, and Muhammad Ali have all been there as have Luke Skywalker, Snoopy, and Homer Simpson.
The most popular U.S. commemorative stamp of all time is the Elvis stamp, according to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. It’s the only time I recall “We the People” got to vote on a stamp. It was between the young (think skinny) Elvis and the mature (think Vegas and I need to cut down on the fried peanut butter and ‘nana sandwiches) Elvis. The Elvis that first stole the hearts of every female in the country won.
I think the USPS missed another great opportunity with the Elvis stamp. Not that they needed any help making it even more popular, but I think it would have been great if the glue tasted like a peanut butter and ‘nana sandwich. It certainly would make the concept of licking the back of his head more enjoyable.
Sadly, they don’t have lick-and-stick stamps anymore. They’re all peel-and-stick these days. I’m guessing that it is a result of the fight against obesity since a standard postage stamp contains 5.9 calories and a commemorative stamp contains 14.5. I imagine the Elvis stamp with the peanut butter and ‘nana sandwich glue would have a much higher calorie count so you can see the concern that would cause.
Perhaps, if the summer scratch-and-sniff stamps do well, they’ll issue other sets. Certainly, a set for Christmas would make scents…uh...sense. A Christmas tree and freshly baked cookies would both work well. Fall festival stamps could feature the fragrance of fried food and kettle corn. Please, NO pumpkin spice! College football is a big deal in this country, but I’m not sure the smell of a locker room would work. Probably best to stick to the smell of freshly mowed turf.
