The Dream Of The '90s Is Alive With New Scratch-And-Sniff Ice Pop Postage Stamps
What can the financially ailing U.S. Postal Service do to encourage those pesky "digital native" millennials to send snail mail? Capitalize on '90s nostalgia, duh. The USPS announced this week it would introduce its first-ever scratch 'n' sniff stamps on June 20. The set features images of frozen, colorful ice pops created by art director Antonio Alcalá and designer Leslie Badani.
This news didn't immediately make me want to preorder the stamps (a thing you can do, apparently), but it got me thinking instead about all the awesome '90s crossover designs the postal service should be thinking about: Lisa Frank stamps, Pogs stamps, some sort of tie-in with Trapper Keeper, Saved By The Bell stamps... something with puff paint maybe?
Oh wait, I'm sorry, let's back up—are we clear on what ice pops are? Because the USPS isn't sure we understand summertime frozen treats. The press release announcing the stamps includes this helpful explainer in case you are a literal alien who just arrived from outside our galaxy: "Ice pops are made by large manufacturers, home cooks and artisanal shops. In recent years, frozen treats containing fresh fruit such as kiwi, watermelon, blueberries, oranges and strawberries have become more common. In addition, flavors such as chocolate, root beer and cola are also popular."
That weird Wikipedia-esque paragraph sounds so appealing that I just may go out and buy a bunch of these scratch-and-sniff stamps and use them to send my chain letters.