🇺🇸 United States, 32¢ | Issued September 30, 1997 | Scott 3168-72
Happy Intergalactic Hug a Monster Day!
Over the years and around the world, many stamps have been issued that depict mythological monsters, cryptids, ghouls, ghosts, and fairy tale foes. Perhaps most recent was the delightful Spooky Silhouettes Forever stamp issue from 2019. But in honor of today’s special holiday, I wanted to highlight a classic.
Here’s more than you ever need to know about the Classic Movie Monsters stamps of 1997.
Who were the Classic Movie Monsters?
Over a quarter century from 1931–1956, Universal Pictures released a bevy of horror films that have become as long lived as the creatures they depicted. Some campy, some purposefully comedic, some genuinely unnerving, there is a clear hierarchy to the critical reviews of the films.
The monster films were conceived of as separate entities. But in 1943, “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” became perhaps the first crossover film to establish a “cinematic universe” that reached beyond the boundaries of one set of characters. Because of their enduring popularity, the studio now considers the many various films to be a franchise under the name Universal Studios Monsters.
From the big screen to the small screen, television syndication reanimated the films in the 1960s and ‘70s. An unbelievably wide range of merchandising only added to their popularity. Fans could find their favorite fiends on everything from posters and trading cards to figurines and board games to makeup kits, t-shirts, lunchboxes, and more. In 1991, Universal Parks & Resorts began featuring them during Halloween Horror Nights. And from 2006 to 2014, the characters also appeared in the year-round walk-through attraction, Universal’s House of Horrors, at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Some sources recognize films outside the official “Universal Monsters” set as part of the series. Arguably, everything from 1923’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” to 2017’s “The Mummy” could be considered extensions of the franchise. In fact, the latter was designed to establish a new crossover series of films in the same vein as the Marvel franchise. It remains to be seen whether that plan will ever come to life.
Which monsters were featured on the stamps?
Universal released more than 40 monster films just during the prime period of 1931–1956. From “Island of Lost Souls” to “She-Wolf of London,” that’s a lot of monsters to manage! But for their 1997 set, issued in Universal City, California, the USPS chose a handful of the most iconic monsters, along with the actors who portrayed them. There were four rows of five stamps:
- Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera (1925)
- Bela Lugosi as Dracula (1931)
- Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931)
- Boris Karloff as the Mummy (1932)
- Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man (1941)
(Note the use of “in” instead of “as” for Frankenstein. Good job with the distinction, USPS!)
In addition to the color stamps, each actor is featured out of his makeup, along with his signature, in a single-color portrait at the top of the pane.
What else makes these monster stamps classics?
The Classic Movie Monsters stamps were released on September 30, 1997 at “a monster shindig at Universal Studios Hollywood.” They were released to the public a month later, on October 30.
According to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum:
The Classic Movie Monsters stamps represent a fortunate coincidence. At the same time the Postal Service began to develop the idea, the adult children of three classic movie-monster actors began campaigning to commemorate their fathers on stamps. The two paths converged, resulting in five of the creepiest—and most popular—stamps of the 1990s.
The stamps were designed by Thomas Blackshear II. Blackshear began his career as an artist for Hallmark Cards and would go on to work with such big-name brands as Coca-Cola, Coors, Jim Henson Studios, George Lucas, and Milton Bradley. In addition to his watercolors for the Classic Movie Monsters series, Blackshear painted many more stamps for the U.S. Postal Service, many of which were for the Black Heritage series. The Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s website features the artist’s original paintings of Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster.
But Blackshear’s paintings weren’t all that made up the stamps’ designs. Much like The Picture of Dorian Grey, these portraits contained more than meets the eye.
According to Mystic Stamp, “Between 1997 and 2004, the USPS produced more than 40 stamps with Scrambled Indicia.”
Scrambled Indicia is a pre-press process [that] “scrambles, distorts, intertwines, overlaps, or otherwise manipulates images making encoded information on them unreadable by the naked eye, and non-copyable by current color copiers and digital scanners.” These images could then be viewed using a special decoder. In addition to thwarting counterfeiting, the USPS also hoped this interesting new technology could help arouse interest among collectors and inspire new ones.
What else did the USPS issue along with the stamps?
By 1997, the world was used to taking as much of the Universal Monsters as it could get. So, in addition to the stamp issue, the USPS also released a variety of related monster merch. Thanks to a close friend, I own a few of the items, but certainly not all. Among the merch, the USPS released:
- Lapel pins depicting each of the five stamps
- Pen and pencil packs that each come with one of the stamps
- T-shirts
- Collectible magnets
- A set of 20 postcards
- Stampers Savers trading cards
- (And in true mid-90s fashion) Mouse pads
The Stamper Savers cards featured two cards per stamp: one featuring a short character study of the monster, while the other had a short biography of the actor who portrayed it. Each Stamper card came with a space where the stamp could be attached. And each pair of cards was cleverly designed so they could be mixed and matched so that the image of the monster and star would fit together.
But I think my favorite thing released by the USPS for these stamps was the commercial. Designed to promote stamp collecting, it had the tagline, “Some stamps you just can’t lick.”
Learn more about Intergalactic Hug a Monster Day!
Since time immemorial (or around about 2011), beings from across the galaxy have celebrated Hug a Monster Day each year on July 27. It is a day to show appreciation to all the monsters in our lives. Take your favorite monster (toy) with you to work, school, or play. Show it off. Amaze your friends. Baffle your boss. Frighten your psychiatrist. Whatever you do, hug that monster and show it some love. Because monsters are people, too.
There are plenty of ways to celebrate Hug a Monster Day. Take a cue from Eleanor Roosevelt and invite your monster to tea. Share selfies with the #HugaMonsterDay hashtag. Or, send a card! And if you do, don’t forget to add a couple of these Classic Movie Monsters stamps to the cover.
What do you think? Are these the best monster stamps ever printed, or do you have a different favorite? Do you wish another Universal monster was included in this set? Let me know your thoughts!
Armchair Philately 