'Star Wars' heroes appear on US stamps

(AFP)
Updated: 2007-03-29 12:06

LOS ANGELES - The USPS launched the stamps at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where the first "Star Wars" movie was screened on May 25, 1977.

The collection of 15 stamps, which go on sale on May 25, include scenes from all six movies of the series. Each stamp is worth 41 cents, which will be the minimum cost of mailing a basic letter after postal rates go up on May 14.

Fans can also vote on the USPS website and pick their favorite stamp of the series. The winner will be re-issued at mid-year as an individual stamp.

According to the financial magazine Forbes, director George Lucas's "Star Wars" franchise has generated 20 billion dollars in sales around the world, including movies, videos and spinoff products.

USPS Stamp Services director David Failor said he believed the stamps could be as popular as the Elvis Presley stamps issued in 1993 honoring the "King of Rock and Roll."

"We believe these stamps have the potential of reaching the blockbuster status of the Elvis stamp, a milestone only the 'Force' could attempt to surpass," he said.

More than one million Americans voted by mail to choose an Elvis stamp.

In early March the USPS announced that some 400 mailboxes across the United States would be made up to look like R2-D2, the stubby robot that appears in all six of the "Star Wars" movies.