New Issue: Peanuts (GB)

I am going to be reviewing all the new issues from Great Britain, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Lundy, and from time to time some from other countries too.

Today I'm looking at GB's Peanuts issue, which was released on 24th July.

It is a tribute to Charles Schulz and his incredible, long-running cartoon strip, Peanuts. Schulz really was an amazing man, a gifted cartoonist and a brilliant storyteller. His style was very simple but expressive. He was often very funny but his work also had emotional depth. His work was a story of human experiences, with Charlie Brown's anxieties and Snoopy's limitless - and sometimes crazy - imagination. There's often a mixture of sweetness and sadness. It's easy to laugh at Snoopy and his silly antics, while also feeling empathy for Charlie. I knew about Snoopy and Charlie Brown but in fairness it's a little bit before my time. Schulz died in 2000 and as he didn't want anyone else to continue it, Peanuts died with him. It's hard to believe but Peanuts lasted for 50 years and almost 18,000 individual strips. He drew every strip himself. I've done a bit of research into Peanuts and the more I read the more I really like it. It's fair to say that Peanuts had a huge impact on culture, especially in America but also in the UK. So, what do I think of these stamps? They're an interesting choice of images. We have (top to bottom, left to right) Snoopy on the top of a postbox, Lucy and Linus on a beach, Snoopy and Woodstock on guard duty, Schroeder playing the piano (I'm not sure what the music score is - my dad has played it to me on the piano and it doesn't sound either familiar or exciting), Charlie Brown playing football with Franklin, Charlie Brown and Snoopy in the rain, Snoopy and Woodstock help Charlie Brown celebrate his birthday and a lot of characters sitting under a tree.

I believe these are adapted artworks rather than examples of Schulz's original works, and there is a British touch to them - the postbox, the beach, playing at guards, football and even the "British" weather. I don't know if that's the best tribute to Mr Schulz and I think I would have preferred if Royal Mail had allowed his own art to speak for itself, but the stamps capture the characters very well.

Design Quality - Colourful cartoons in Schulz's style work well, but the design isn't anything special. 5/10 Theme and Subject Choice - It's fitting that there should be a tribute to Charles Schulz and Peanuts. Yes, Peanuts was distinctively American but it was published in the UK for well over 45 years - in the Daily Mail from 1971 onwards - so it's hardly an unfamiliar subject. Peanuts was loved by many British people. 7/10 Historical and Cultural Relevance - While 2025 is the 75th anniversary of the launch of Peanuts, most of us probably wouldn't have noticed. While I have already said that a lot of British people liked Peanuts and I think it does have some relevance, is it really part of our history in the same way as it is part of US history? Probably not. It looks like Royal Mail has realised there is an anniversary and looking to cash in on it by selling stamps to Peanuts fans. Giving the stamps a British feel seems a bit wrong to me, as if Royal Mail is trying to hard to give them cultural relevance. 4/10 Innovation and Creativity - Charles Schulz was an imaginative and creative person. I guess he'd be disappointed with these. There's nothing very imaginative or creative going on at all. 1/10 Collectability - If you're a Peanuts fan, you'll want to buy these. 5/10 Personal Appeal - I have no strong feelings about these. The stamps are nice enough but not inspiring. 5/10 Overall score: 27/60

I have learned a bit about Charles Schulz and I think he was a creative genius! But I'm afraid I don't think these stamps are anything special. Tomorrow I will be reviewing the latest GB issue - Monty Python!