# 4026 - 2006 39c Cinderella and Prince Charming

 

Issue Date: April 21, 2006
City: Orlando, FL
Quantity: 175,000,000
Printed by: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing method: Lithographed
Perforations: Die cut 10 ½ x 10 ¾
Color: Multicolored

 

Cinderella, or cinder maiden, is the heroine of an old folk tale. The Cinderella theme appears in many stories and in many countries. More than 500 versions of the story have been found in Europe alone.

 

The Aarne-Thompson classification of folk tales lists Cinderella as folk-tale type 501A, the persecuted heroine. It features a youngest daughter mistreated by her jealous stepmother and elder stepsisters, or by a cruel father, the intervention of a supernatural helper, and a prince who falls in love with her and marries her.

 

The familiar English version of Cinderella is from Charles Perrault’s “Cendrillon” (1697). Perrault was a French author whose best-known tales include “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Puss-in-Boots.” Some features of Cinderella, like the fairy godmother and the use of a glass slipper to find the young woman, are unique to Perrault’s version.

 

Walt Disney adapted Perrault’s story to make his feature-length animated film Cinderella (1950). In a charming variation, Disney created several animal friends for Cinderella, all with distinctive characters. The Art of Disney Series stamp of Cinderella and her Prince Charming shows the romantic couple dancing at the ball, with stars swirling around them.