1995 32c Comic Strip Classics: The Yellow Kid

# 3000a - 1995 32c Comic Strip Classics: The Yellow Kid

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U.S. #3000a
1995 32¢ The Yellow Kid
Comic Strip Classics

  • Third sheet in the Classic Collection Series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Comic Strip Classics
Value:  32¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue:  October 1, 1995
First Day Cities:  Boca Raton, Florida
Quantity Issued:  300,000,000
Printed by:  Stamp Venturers
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Panes of 20 in sheets of 120
Perforations:  10.1 x 10.2

Why the stamps were issued:  The Comic Strip Classics sheet was the third issue in the Classic Collection Series.  There was push to create a stamp to honor American comics as early as the 1960’s, but didn’t get real consideration until 1993. With the 100th anniversary of the comic The Yellow Kid, a comic committee, and an 83-page proposal the USPS finally agreed.

About the stamp designs:  Even though only one stamp was approved, Terrence McCaffrey, head of stamp design, thought there was no way to honor American Comics with one single stamp. Therefore, he had a list of all proposed stamps and had Carl Herrman, art director, mock up a sheet of 20 stamps. McCaffrey wanted all the stamps to be taken from original panels by their respected artist. Herrmann worked on going through thousands of panels to find comics of the 20 chosen that showed the central theme of the comic in one panel with clean lines. Then with the help of American Color, that colorizes most of the comics in American newspapers, he was able to colorize them with accurate color choices, even those that were outdated.

The Yellow Kid (#3000a) – Herrman found a panel that he wanted to use, but it was rather busy. He was able to remove the very action-packed background and leave just the main character holding on to his dog with a cloud of smoke.

About the printing process:  In order to include the text on the back of each stamp, it had to be printed under the gum, so that it would still be visible if a stamp was soaked off an envelope.  Because people would need to lick the stamps, the ink had to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as non-toxic. The printer also used an extra-fine 300-line screen, which resulted in some of the highest-quality gravure stamp printings in recent years.

History the stamps represent: 

The Yellow Kid

Although comic panels and caricatures had appeared earlier in Britain and elsewhere, it is American R.F. Outcault who is regarded as the “Founding Father of the Comic Strip.”  His strip Hogan’s Alley, which made its debut in February 1895 in the New York World, is generally considered to be the first American comic strip.

Originally begun as a single panel depicting New York slums in all their squalor, the strip featured a number of lowlife characters, including “The Yellow Kid.  He was a big-eared, a gap-toothed hooligan who communicated by dialogue printed on his yellow nightshirt.

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U.S. #3000a
1995 32¢ The Yellow Kid
Comic Strip Classics

  • Third sheet in the Classic Collection Series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Comic Strip Classics
Value:  32¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue:  October 1, 1995
First Day Cities:  Boca Raton, Florida
Quantity Issued:  300,000,000
Printed by:  Stamp Venturers
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Panes of 20 in sheets of 120
Perforations:  10.1 x 10.2

Why the stamps were issued:  The Comic Strip Classics sheet was the third issue in the Classic Collection Series.  There was push to create a stamp to honor American comics as early as the 1960’s, but didn’t get real consideration until 1993. With the 100th anniversary of the comic The Yellow Kid, a comic committee, and an 83-page proposal the USPS finally agreed.

About the stamp designs:  Even though only one stamp was approved, Terrence McCaffrey, head of stamp design, thought there was no way to honor American Comics with one single stamp. Therefore, he had a list of all proposed stamps and had Carl Herrman, art director, mock up a sheet of 20 stamps. McCaffrey wanted all the stamps to be taken from original panels by their respected artist. Herrmann worked on going through thousands of panels to find comics of the 20 chosen that showed the central theme of the comic in one panel with clean lines. Then with the help of American Color, that colorizes most of the comics in American newspapers, he was able to colorize them with accurate color choices, even those that were outdated.

The Yellow Kid (#3000a) – Herrman found a panel that he wanted to use, but it was rather busy. He was able to remove the very action-packed background and leave just the main character holding on to his dog with a cloud of smoke.

About the printing process:  In order to include the text on the back of each stamp, it had to be printed under the gum, so that it would still be visible if a stamp was soaked off an envelope.  Because people would need to lick the stamps, the ink had to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as non-toxic. The printer also used an extra-fine 300-line screen, which resulted in some of the highest-quality gravure stamp printings in recent years.

History the stamps represent: 

The Yellow Kid

Although comic panels and caricatures had appeared earlier in Britain and elsewhere, it is American R.F. Outcault who is regarded as the “Founding Father of the Comic Strip.”  His strip Hogan’s Alley, which made its debut in February 1895 in the New York World, is generally considered to be the first American comic strip.

Originally begun as a single panel depicting New York slums in all their squalor, the strip featured a number of lowlife characters, including “The Yellow Kid.  He was a big-eared, a gap-toothed hooligan who communicated by dialogue printed on his yellow nightshirt.