Modern rendition of Mr. Zip in a 2003 USPS press release. [1]

Mr. ZIP, informally "Zippy", was a cartoon character used in the 1960s by the United States Post Office Department, and in the 1970s by its successor, the United States Postal Service, to encourage the general public to include the ZIP Code in all mailings. Image File history File links Mr. ... The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the United States Government (see ) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The Post Office Department was the former name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the United States Government (see ) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Post Office had little difficulty in getting mass mailers to use the ZIP Code as they could require its use in order to receive preferential mailing rates, which it soon did. However, there was some resistance to using it by the general public, members of whom would mail items without ZIP Code, almost invariably at the full First Class Mail rate, which by regulation had to be delivered if at all possible and feasible. This was particularly true of older mailers. Mr. ZIP was the Post Office's answer to this, apparently to reach small children to know to always use the ZIP Code as they got older, and also to encourage their parents and grandparents to do so.

Mr. ZIP was a caricature of a mail carrier, wide-eyed and drawn with his letter bag trailing him in such a way as to imply his travelling at extreme speed, and sometimes holding on to his hat with his free hand. His hair was straight, but his skin was somewhat orange, making him non racially-identifiable. His limbs were very thin, almost like those of a stick figure. He was used especially on posters promoting ZIP Code use. The character seems largely to have been phased out by the late 1970s, but was copyrighted by the Post Office, which still retains all rights to it. A Melbourne postie riding a motorbike A postman on his bicycle in Oxford. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Like John says copyright law in the UK is u make something and its copyrighted but in america u must make a patent haaaa ...

Mr. ZIP appeared on the selvage (non-postally valid areas) of stamp panes (more commonly called "sheets") on many stamp issues, beginning with the Sam Houston stamp of 1964. He also appeared on non-postally valid labels in, or on the covers of, stamp booklets. Stamp collectors sometimes collect the corner block of four stamps with the part of the selvage bearing Mr. ZIP; they are called "ZIP blocks". 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Zippy attached to a Mary Cassatt stamp of 1966

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x496, 165 KB) United States 5c Mary Cassatt stamp of 1966 with Zippy in the sheet margin, scanned September 2005 by User:Stan Shebs File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x496, 165 KB) United States 5c Mary Cassatt stamp of 1966 with Zippy in the sheet margin, scanned September 2005 by User:Stan Shebs File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects...

External links

• Mr. Zip