The Simpsons Get Stamp of Approval

- Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson Become Immortalized On United States Postage Stamps -

washington, April 1 -- The U.S. Postal Service(R) and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising (Fox L&M) today announce that the FOX hit series THE SIMPSONS will be commemorated on 44-cent First-Class Mail(R) stamps in 2009. Featuring the iconic Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson the stamps have been personally designed by SIMPSONS creator and executive producer, Matt Groening. Winner of 24 Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a multitude of other accolades, this historic series featuring the five family members is currently the longest-running primetime comedy in television history and is celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout 2009, which will culminate on January 14, 2010.

A sneak peek of THE SIMPSONS stamps will be made available on Thursday, April 9 at 8 a.m. ET on www.usps.com. At that time, the Postal Service will announce the date the stamps go on sale and how to pre-order stamps.

The Postal Service receives about 50,000 stamp suggestions per year, yet only about 20 topics make the cut for circulation.

"This has been a dream for Fox and The Simpsons creative teams for some time and we are very proud to have been granted this honor. The timing couldn't be better as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show," said Elie Dekel, Executive Vice President, Fox Licensing and Merchandising.

About The Simpsons

The longest-running primetime sitcom in television history, THE SIMPSONS exploded into a cultural phenomenon in 1990 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises, recognizable throughout the world. Cartoonist Matt Groening created the infamous Simpson family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson -- all now identifiable by their silhouettes alone. "Best. 20 Years. Ever.," the year-long global celebration honoring all things THE SIMPSONS, recently launched and will culminate on January 14, 2010, the 20th anniversary of the series' debut.

THE SIMPSONS is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Century Fox Television. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Al Jean are the executive producers. Film Roman is the animation house.

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

ABOUT U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. To learn about the history of the Postal Service visit the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum: www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX LICENSING & MERCHANDISING

A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.