France’s La Poste, Pikachu join forces

By Molly Goad

Characters from the popular Pokemon franchise have appeared on a myriad of products and media, from plush to clothing and on television and the big screen — not to mention in balloon form in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — and now they can add another item to the list: a postage stamp from France.

La Poste and the Pokemon Company International have teamed up to bring the series to a green-letter stamp, which pays the rate (currently €1.29) for sending letters weighing up to 20 grams.

The first-day cancel is dated Feb. 27, also known around the world as Pokemon Day, where fans host events to commemorate the release of the first Pokemon games more than two decades ago.

A preview ceremony for the stamp was held on Feb. 27 at Carre d’Encre (Ink Square), a boutique in Paris dedicated to philately and writing. The Pokemon stamp was released nationwide on Feb. 28.

The single €1.29 stamp from France features the mascot of the franchise, Pikachu. Hailing from the Mouse Pokemon species, Pikachu is an electric-type Pokemon known for its yellow fur, lightning-bolt-shaped tail and black-tipped ears.

According to the La Poste press release announcing the stamp, “a gloss UV flexo selective varnish is applied to the bottom of the stamp and to the edges of the stamp sheet [pane of 15], while a Soft Touch screen printing selective varnish on Pikachu makes it stand out, giving it a softer appearance to the touch.”

The stamp design and layout are by Etienne Thery. A total of 705,000 panes of 15 were printed by rotogravure.

For ordering details, visit La Poste online.

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