If you have small children or have had small children around in the past few years, you may be familiar with these cute characters Wallace and Gromit. They’re usually available on PBS Kids channel Sprout here in the USA, and I know I’ve seen several DVD’s available here as well. Now, these guys will be available on stamps, which is a perfect way to get kids started in stamp collecting, or for those who have topical collection of cartoons, children’s themes, or Christmas, they will also make a great addition to your collections. The press release from Royal Mail is below.

Royal Mail has released images of this year’s secular Christmas Stamps featuring national treasures, Wallace and Gromit.

Available from 2nd November, the stamps feature the nation’s favourite animated characters going about their Christmas duties with the 1st Class stamp showing the two posting their Christmas cards.

Wallace and Gromit go carol singing on the 2nd Class stamp and dress the Christmas tree on the 60p stamp. As usual, Gromit is left to do the majority of the work, carrying the cards and hauling an unfeasibly large Christmas pudding around on the 97p stamp with his reward being a bone-themed jumper shown on the £1.46 stamp.

Like the duo’s award-winning films, the stamps are packed with detail, but with the added challenge of reducing the ‘World of Wallace and Gromit’ down to stamp size.

To achieve this Royal Mail’s design team worked closely with Nick Park and Aardman Animations to devise brand new scenes featuring the pair.

The approach to the stamps was similar to how Aardman Animations create a film, with Nick Park drawing scenes and visual jokes involving the characters, before refining the designs so that they would work in a definitive stamp format. Each stamp was then constructed with models, props and background sets – all created especially for the issue.

If you haven’t heard, Royal Mail Special Stamps news is now on Twitter at: twitter.com/RoyalMailStamps

Select stamp launch information and videos can be viewed on Royal Mail Special Stamps’ YouTube Channel at: www.youtube.com/user/RoyalMailStamps

Christmas with Wallace and Gromit – Stamp by Stamp

2nd – Second class inland letter rate
Wallace and Gromit carol singing

1st – First class inland letter rate
Gromit posting Christmas cards

2nd – Second class inland letter rate Large
Wallace and Gromit carol singing

1st – First class inland letter rate Large
Gromit posting Christmas cards

60p – European Basic rate
Wallace dressing the Christmas tree

97p – Rest of World airmail to 20gm
Gromit with Christmas pudding

£1.46 – Rest of world up to 40gm
Gromit’s Christmas pullover

2nd Class – Wallace and Gromit carol singing
Suitably wrapped up against the cold Wallace and Gromit go carol singing

1st Class – Gromit posting Christmas cards
A robin watches Gromit as he posts the duo’s cards.

2nd Class Large – Wallace and Gromit carol Singing
The wider format of the Large stamp shows a lit up Christmas tree in the background.

1st Class Large – Gromit posting Christmas cards
The wider format of the Large stamp reveals the wicked penguin Feathers McGraw about to launch a snowball from behind the pillar box.

60p – Wallace dressing the Christmas tree
Wallace places a Christmas fairy that looks suspiciously like Feathers McGraw on top of the Christmas tree.

97p – Gromit with Christmas pudding
Gromit arrives with a magnificent Christmas pudding.

£1.45 – Gromit’s Christmas pullover
Wallace gives a thumbs-up as Gromit tries on his seasonal gift of a bone-themed pullover.

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