Mr. ZIP was a cartoon character used in the 1960s by the United States Post Office Department, and in the 1970s by its successor, the United States Postal Service, to encourage the general public to include the ZIP Code in all mailings.

The Post Office had little difficulty in getting mass mailers to use the ZIP Code as they could require its use in order to receive preferential mailing rates, which it soon did. However, there was some resistance to using it by the general public who occassionally mailed items, almost invariably at the full First Class Mail rate, which by regulation had to be delivered if at all possible and feasible. This was particularly true of older mailers. Mr. ZIP was the Post Office's answer to this, apparently to reach small children to know to always use the ZIP Code as they got older, and also to encourage their parents and grandparents to do so.

Mr. ZIP was a caricature of a letter carrier, wide-eyed and drawn with his letter bag trailing him in such a way as to imply his travelling at extreme speed, and sometimes holding on to his hat with his free hand. His hair was straight, but his skin was somewhat orange, making him non racially-identifiable. His limbs were very thin, almost like those of a stick figure. He was used especially on posters promoting ZIP Code use. The character seems largely to have been phased out by the late 1970s, but was copyrighted by the Post Office, which still retains all rights to it.

External links

• History of the United States Postal Service