Wallace and Gromit stamps: which characters feature on new Royal Mail set, when to buy - and how to purchase

Royal Mail has unveiled a selection of stamps featuring beloved Aardman Animations characters including Wallace and Gromit, Morph and Shaun The Sheep.

The British postage service company has teamed up with Aardman to feature some of its most celebrated characters on a new set of eight stamps. The Bristol-based animation studio, was founded in 1972 and is best known for its films using stop-motion and clay modelling animation techniques.

In addition to the eight stamps, an exclusive miniature sheet, created specially for Royal Mail by Aardman, will also be available. The Aardman collaboration stamps are now available to pre-order from the Royal Mail website and will be on general sale from 19 October.

Which characters feature on the stamps?

On the new set of eight stamps, characters that will be featured include fan favourites such as Wallace and Gromit, Feathers McGraw, Shaun The Sheep, Timmy, Robin, Morph and Chas, Frank The Tortoise and Rocky and Ginger.

Speaking about the collaboration, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy David Gold said: “This set of stamps will surely bring a smile to everyone’s face.

“These instantly recognisable, iconic animated characters have found a place in our hearts. We are certain they will add a bit of joy to any envelope.”

On the miniature sheet, Wallace and Gromit celebrate four of their favourite cracking moments by displaying them proudly on their wall, in their recognisable home at 62 West Wallaby Street. Key moments on the stamps include those from Wallace and Gromit animated short films A Matter Of Loaf And Death, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Grand Day Out.

Aardman’s managing director Sean Clarke said: “We are delighted to partner with Royal Mail to celebrate some of our most iconic characters in this colourful and fun-packed stamps series.

“We have had the pleasure of creating these films featuring these much-loved characters over the last 40 years, so it is a real honour for the studio to receive this royal stamp of approval.”

Mr Clarke added: “It’s a true testament to all the hard work that goes into making these productions and we are sure that our fans will enjoy them.”

Who founded the animation studio Aardman?

Aardman was founded by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, who began their animation partnership while at school when they created a character called Aard-man. The BBC bought this character for its Vision On series and it marked the creation of Aardman Animations.

Lord, 67, and Sproxton, 68, began to gain widespread recognition after creating the now-highly recognisable shape-shifting clay character Morph for the BBC’s Take Hart series.

Aardman is also responsible for creating some of the most successful stop-motion films, including Chicken Run, after British animator Nick Park joined the company.