Sam Houston stamp issued January 10, 1964, although the 5¢ Battle of the Wilderness stamp of May 5, 1964, is sometimes listed as the "first" because it appears earlier in most stamp catalogs due to its inclusion in a five-issue Civil War series. He also appeared on non-postally-valid labels inside, or on the cover of, stamp booklets. Stamp collectors sometimes collect the corner block of four stamps with the part of the selvage bearing Mr. ZIP; these are called "ZIP blocks". As the Post Office promoted the use of ZIP codes, Mr. ZIP was also displayed in post offices as a 4.5-foot tall plywood figure. Mr. ZIP was featured prominently alongside the band the Swingin' Six in a televised Post Office-sponsored variety show. The songs included lyrics such as, "Meet the fellow called Mr. ZIP. What he can do for you will make you really flip. So if you have any further postal demands, we're gonna leave you in his hands." A corresponding character named Mrs. ZIP was used in local parades and a Mrs. ZIP beauty pageant. The National Postal Museum does not have documentation about her origins. The character was largely phased out by the late 1970s, but the Post Office retained rights to the copyrighted figure. Mr. ZIP appeared in the blank selvage of United States stamps until January 1986. The Post Office re-introduced Mr. ZIP to stamps in 2013, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ZIP Code system. References External links "Swingin' Six" ZIP Code variety show video: Public Service Announcement Video produced by the Post Office Department, mid-1960s. Released online by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. United States Postal Service ZIP, Mr. ZIP code Mascots introduced in 1962 Male characters in advertising Postal history of the United States