Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader and, of course, R2-D2 are among the Star Wars characters debuting on 15 new postage stamps unveiled this week at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, where the first Star Wars movie opened nearly 30 years ago. The commemorative stamps feature images from all six movies in the Star Wars saga. The full set includes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca, Princess Leia Organa with R2-D2, C-3PO, Yoda, Queen Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen in Episodes IV through VI, Anakin Skywalker battling Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, Imperial Stormtroopers, Boba Fett, the Millennium Falcon and the sleek X-wing fighter…
The 41-cent stamps will be released at a first-day-of-issue ceremony on Friday, May 25, at a Star Wars convention.
The back of the stamp sheet includes extensive text describing the dramatic roles that each featured character or vehicle plays in the Star Wars saga.
"We believe these stamps have the potential of reaching the blockbuster status of the Elvis stamp," said David Failor, executive director of Stamp Services, U.S. Postal Service.
The Star Wars postal mania began March 16, when mailboxes around the country were designed to look like R2-D2. The 400 fully functional blue mail collection boxes were decorated only for the two-week period leading up to this week’s preview of the new stamps. A web address, www.uspsjedimaster.com, was painted on each box, advertising a sweepstakes contest with challenge questions for Star Wars fans. The winner of this sweepstakes will receive an all-expenses-paid trip for four to the 30th Anniversary Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles.
Votes for Your Favorite Star Wars Stamp
Of the 15 images on the Star Wars stamp sheet, the Postal Service is inviting the public to vote on its favorite. The stamp receiving the most votes will be honored with the issuance of a single stamp, which will be for sale later this summer.
Vote online at www.uspsjedimaster.com until May 23. The winning stamp will be announced at the first-day-of-issue ceremony on May 25.
The Star Wars stamp artist, Drew Struzan, is famous for work on movie posters he painted, like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series, the Back to the Future series, Police Academy, the Muppet movies and Hook.