If you're an uber geek like me then you probably know all about a little show called, "The Simpsons" which is the brainchild of writer Matt Groening. "The Simpsons" first aired on The Tracey Ullman Show as a short April 19, 1987 and became a real hit with the American public. The shorts were so popular that 20th Century Fox eventually expanded them into a 30 minute television spin-off which first aired on December 17, 1989. According to the Simpsons Wiki, "as of 2016, 27 seasons of the series have been produced, with the 28th season set to premiere on September 25, 2016. The series currently holds the record for the longest-running prime-time sitcom in the US, running for 27 years since 1989, and becoming the longest-running program on FOX."
What does this have to do with stamps you may be asking? Well, apparently back on May 7th 2009 the US Postal Service started selling stamps featuring "The Simpsons." The stamps were issued as commemoratives worth 44 cents each and Matt Groening was quoted as saying, "this is the biggest and most adhesive honor The Simpsons have ever received" oh so puny.
At the time the stamps were slated to be a huge success but much like the series after seasons 12 and 13, what comes up must inevitably come crashing down. According to an article on Bloomberg.com, "In a move that wasted $1.2 million in printing costs, the service produced 1 billion of 'The Simpsons' stamps and sold 318 million. The Postal Service inspector general in a report singled out the overproduction of stamps marking the 20th anniversary of the cartoon’s run on News Corp.’s Fox network as an example of failing to align stamp production with demand." Talk about a major "D'oh!" moment! This can hardly be blamed on the show itself but rather an overzealous postal system trying desperately to cater to a younger generation without proper utilization of social media and other forms of PR that would reach said generation.
Case in point, I am a HUGE Simpsons fan but by gum if I knew they had been issued. I mean, it's not like I wouldn't have gotten on the trolley when it came a speeding by and I would sure as sugar have gotten with the times...Moe. Anyway, enough misquoting it's time for what we all came for, hard core nudity!!!
Which Simpsons character is your favorite!? Leave a comment down below letting us know!
Stamp Geek, out!
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