Description: This philatelic artifact is an original, commemorative United Kingdom postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail to honor the classic television character Sooty. Printed in a rich photogravure style, the visual design features a historical black-and-white photograph of creator Harry Corbett holding a black magician's top hat. Emerging from the hat is a vibrant, full-color representation of the iconic yellow glove puppet bear merrily hitting Corbett over the head with a tiny toy hammer. The name "SOOTY" is crisply printed vertically along the lower-left border in simple black block letters. Positioned in the upper right-hand corner is a bright blue-ink face value denomination of 26p, overlaid directly beneath a matching blue silhouette profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Circa: 1996
Condition: MNH
Notes:
Harry Corbett originally bought the famous yellow puppet from a joke shop in Blackpool in 1948 to entertain his children while on holiday. He later blackened the bear's ears and nose with soot so it would stand out more clearly on early black-and-white television screens, creating the trademark look that eventually secured the puppet a permanent spot on BBC programming.