In January–May 2020, Posti will issue nine new stamp publications, with a total of 25 different stamp designs. The stamps will be issued in three batches on January 22, March 12 and May 6.
The themes for January are friendship, the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare and the protection of the Baltic Sea
The stamp year begins with the cheerful and colorful Valentine’s Day stamps designed by Samuli Siirala that present the shared moments, joys and memories of a friendship over the years. Siirala has made the retro-style illustrations of the stamps look like they would belong on a poster by removing details. The Colors of Friendship stamp booklet contains six different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, Posti will issue two stamps designed by children. The illustrations for the stamps were selected from competition entries submitted by the young students of the Järvenpää art school, in which the children portrayed their own families. The drawings selected for the stamps were created by Emma Aalto and Pinja Haapola, who are both eight years old. Ilkka Kärkkäinen did the graphic design of the stamps. The 100th Anniversary of the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The theme of the Moomin stamps to be issued in January is the protection of the Baltic Sea. The stamps are part of the #OURSEA campaign to be launched in 2020. The campaign is carried out by Moomin Characters in cooperation with the John Nurminen Foundation, which has been internationally successful in marine protection. The sea plays an important role in the Moomin stories created by Tove Jansson, which will celebrate their 75th anniversary next year. The #OURSEA stamp booklet designed by James Zambra contains six different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
March stamps to feature Easter chicks, hearts and migratory birds
The illustrations for the colorful Easter stamps were created by Matti Pikkujämsä, who also designed last year’s Valentine’s Day stamps. In the stamps, Pikkujämsä depicts traditional Easter subjects like chicks, eggs and willow catkins in his own personal style. Last May, Matti Pikkujämsä was chosen as the 2019 Illustrator of the Year. According to the Finnish Illustration Association, Pikkujämsä is a phenomenal talent and an extremely skilled illustrator who lives and breathes illustration. Chirp Chirp will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The heart has been known as the universal symbol of love since the Middle Ages. Based on the subject, Klaus Welp designed a simple and elegant stamp featuring two hearts beating next to each other. All text on the stamp has been gilded. The Two Hearts stamp sheet contains 10 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
The return of migratory birds is a sure sign of spring. The stamps to be issued in March feature four migratory birds that are familiar to Finns: the Eurasian skylark, the common chaffinch, the white wagtail and the barn swallow. In the miniature sheet, the corresponding parts of an old poem that predicts the arrival of migratory birds and the coming of spring have been added for each bird. The stamps, which were designed by Oona Himanen, are simultaneously modern and nostalgic. The Birds from a Spring Poem stamp booklet contains four different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
May’s stamps to feature an enchanted forest, the Finnish flag and ancient postal routes
Klaus Haapaniemi has designed a set of stamps that present an enchanted forest. The artwork featured in the stamps is part of the Polar Byzantine collection by Klaus Haapaniemi & Co. The mysterious subjects chosen for the stamps are a frozen bilberry shrub and a boreal owl with the wings of a butterfly. The Polar Byzantine collection, which is based on a lyrical story about animals, includes clothes and home decor. Enchanted Forest will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The stamp featuring the Finnish flag was created through a design competition. The winner of the competition, Ville Tietäväinen, designed a stamp that uses the Finnish national landscape as a starting point. In the stamp, half of the Finnish flag is reflected on the surface of a still lake, forming a blue cross. The Blue Reflection stamp sheet has 10 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
The theme of the 2020 Europa stamps is ancient postal routes. As the subject of the stamp, Posti chose Santa Claus, who takes his own routes up in the aurora-lit sky, travelling to every corner of the world in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. The EUROPA: Ancient Postal Routes stamp sheet, designed by Klaus Welp, contains 10 international no-value indicator stamps.
Posti reserves the right to make changes.
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