100 Forever Stamps 2014 USPS First-Class U.S. Postage Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Stamp 5 Books (20PCS/Book)

WASHINGTON — “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the nation’s longest-running and highest-rated Christmas television special “went down in history” to receive its approval today. The set of four Limited Edition Forever stamps depicting Rudolph, Hermey, Santa and Bumble were created from still television frames from the special that premiered 50 years ago in 1964.

“Families have revered Rudolph’s story of guiding Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve for five decades,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in dedicating the stamps. “We’re celebrating that milestone by having our fleet of 212,000 ‘sleighs’ deliver Rudolph and his friends on 500 million Forever stamps to nearly 153 million addresses this holiday season.”

The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Limited Edition Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

The name Rudolph appears on the left side in white in the same typeface used for the credits in the original special. Santa waves cheerfully from another stamp, the reins of his magical sleigh held in one hand. The name Santa is printed in the lower right corner. On a third stamp, the Abominable Snow Monster stares menacingly from behind crags of snow. Bumble, the nickname for the Snow Monster used by prospector Yukon Cornelius is printed along the right side. The final stamp shows Hermey, the misfit elf, touching Rudolph’s glowing red nose with Hermey printed along the bottom edge.