Mr. ZIP standing cut-out

This plywood form was cut to the shape of Mr. ZIP, the marketing tool used by the Post Office Department to encourage the use of ZIP codes. The printed image of Mr. ZIP is adhered to black-painted plywood, which is mounted on a base.

The energetic, smiling man in blue appeared on posters, stamp selvage, and stamps from 1964 to 1986. Mr. ZIP became a household feature only a few years after he appeared, and, in fact, Mr. ZIP has become one of the most iconic figures in advertising history. By the 1980s, more than 95-percent of the U.S. mail bore ZIP codes. The bouncy, funny-looking mascot of the service had done his job so well that in 1986 the Postal Service gave Mr. ZIP a well-earned retirement.

Museum ID: 2004.2007.1