ISSUE
On 7 October 2024, PostNL will release a new sheet of Children’s Welfare Stamps with a value of 1 for domestic mail within the Netherlands. This year’s design features 5 stamps, 1 large and 4 smaller ones, celebrating 100 years of Children’s Welfare Stamps and the theme of resilience. The large stamp includes a QR code that allows the sender of a letter or card to send a personal video message to the recipient.
FUNDRAISING
Since 1924, PostNL has issued Children’s Welfare Stamps to raise money for projects focused on the well-being of vulnerable children. This is done through a surcharge, currently set at €0.54 per stamp. The proceeds from all surcharges go to projects supported by the Children’s Welfare Stamps Foundation. This independent foundation works to provide equal development opportunities for children in the Netherlands and other countries. To support these efforts, the foundation organises the annual Children’s Welfare Stamp campaign, which has been part of the Netherlands' Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2017. The price for a sheet of 5 stamps is €8.40, including surcharges.
CAMPAIGN
From 25 September to 2 October 2024, over 125,000 pupils from years 7 and 8 will sell the Children’s Welfare Stamps door-to-door. From 3 October, PostNL will begin delivering the orders. In 2023, the Children’s Welfare Stamp campaign raised €9.6 million, nearly €0.6 million more than in 2022. The 2024 campaign theme is resilience. Hundreds of thousands of children in the Netherlands face poverty, loneliness, or problems at home, lacking the strong foundation needed to build resilience. The Children’s Welfare Stamps Foundation is committed to supporting these children, offering them a safe foundation, support, and attention. According to the foundation, resilience is a superpower that can help in difficult situations. A safe base and loving attention contribute to making children more resilient. The foundation works with project partners to provide structural support to enhance the resilience of children facing difficulties. Schools are also provided with tools to incorporate this theme into the classroom during the school year. During the centennial year, there will be various additional activities focusing on resilience, including a special TV commercial, a Superpower Day in collaboration with the KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds, a special campaign song with Kinderen voor Kinderen, and other activities.
100 YEARS OF CHILDREN'S WELFARE STAMPS
In 1924, a royal decree established that the state could issue stamps with a surcharge "for disadvantaged children." The Children’s Welfare Stamps were born. Over the past 100 years, the stamps have evolved with societal changes, and their designs reflect the spirit of the times, from the stylised child’s head between angel figures in the first design in 1924 to the cheerful typographic and symbolic stamps of 2024. Initially, only volunteer committees sold the stamps. In 1948, a teacher’s idea led to a trial where primary school students sold the stamps, which was so successful that it became a nationwide practice in 1949. Thus, the Children’s Welfare Stamp campaign began, as it is still known today. From 1948, the campaign was organised by the Stichting voor het Kind, and the proceeds were distributed by the Nationaal Comité voor de Kinderpostzegels. In 1989, these two organisations merged into the current Children’s Welfare Stamps Foundation. Many generations of Dutch people have fond memories of selling the stamps door-to-door with their classmates. Every year, over 3,000 schools and 125,000 children participate. Over the years, special Children’s Welfare Stamps have been created, such as the 1972 issue featuring photos of Prince Claus’s three sons and the 2012 issue with photos of Prince Willem-Alexander’s three daughters. Other issues have featured illustrations by renowned Dutch illustrators such as Dick Bruna (1969 and 2005), Max Velthuijs (1998), and Fiep Westendorp (2016).
DESIGN
The 2024 Children’s Welfare Stamps are designed in the strong colours of the Children’s Welfare Stamps Foundation’s Superpower campaign. The 2024 campaign theme of resilience is represented through 5 elements: a safe foundation, loving attention, being oneself, overcoming setbacks, and having opportunities. The circles in the background of each stamp represent a trampoline, the symbol of the resilience campaign. Three of the stamps feature short texts, while the other two display symbols. This year, all the Children’s Welfare Stamps are Superpower stamps, thanks to their positive symbols, encouraging texts, and cheerful colours. The large stamp on the right, with the text "you are super," is particularly special due to the unique QR code. By scanning the QR code, the sender can record a personal video message. The recipient who receives the mail with this "Superpower stamp" can scan the QR code to view the video message. On the lower sheet border, an orange ribbon is visible, linking the Superpower theme to the 100th anniversary of the Children’s Welfare Stamps. The orange ribbon is inspired by the wristband that children will wear this year when going door-to-door.
TYPOGRAPHY
The typography for the texts uses the Marujo Regular and Marujo Dotface fonts from 2013, designed by Erica Jung and Ricardo Marcin (PintassilgoPrints, Florianópolis, Brazil). The item number is in Verdana, a sans-serif font from 1996 designed by Matthew Carter of Carter & Cone, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
CHILDREN'S WELFARE STAMPS FOUNDATION
Sofie Vriends, Director of the Children’s Welfare Stamps Foundation: "We are celebrating 100 years, and that calls for a special jubilee stamp. This year, it was important to find the right balance between a campaign that emphasises the strength of children and the severity of the problems some children face. Currently, more than 230,000 children in the Netherlands live below the poverty line. Together with everyone in the Netherlands, we want to strengthen children's resilience. Resilience is a superpower in your mind and heart that helps you cope with difficult situations. Together with PostNL, we have worked to translate this into special stamps that focus on ‘giving superpower’.”
DESIGNER
The 2024 Children’s Welfare Stamps were designed by Hallmark. "Our designer was guided by the theme cards we created for the Children’s Welfare Stamp campaign, which starts at the end of September," says Jan Willem Koch, Managing Director of Hallmark Europe. "Elements from the theme cards are reflected in the stamp design."
Positivity and Cheerfulness
The theme cards, which will be sold alongside the Children’s Welfare Stamps, align with the theme of this year’s campaign: ‘Together we give children superpower’. "Positivity and cheerfulness are essential," says Koch. "The use of confetti in the design, for example, underscores this enthusiasm. The illustration style is high-contrast, playful, and minimalist. The theme card design also includes perforations, the characteristic ‘stamp edge’ symbolising the collaboration between Hallmark, Children’s Welfare Stamps, and PostNL.”
Recipient Focus
While the colour scheme of the theme cards and stamps aligns with the campaign, the recipient of the cards and stamps was central throughout the design process, Koch explains. "The texts on the cards were the starting point. We first looked for various powerful ways to give a compliment. We chose short, impactful texts that are easily understood at a glance. Then, by sketching, we developed a corresponding image for each card. Elements from these images were then applied to the design of the 2024 Children’s Welfare Stamps. The texts ‘you are super kind’ and ‘you are super cool’ on the stamps are derived from the superpowers ‘loving attention’ and ‘being oneself’, which are central to the campaign.”
About Hallmark
The 2024 Children’s Welfare Stamps were designed by Hallmark. The greeting card expert also designed the corresponding theme cards and holiday cards for this year. Hallmark is an American family business from Kansas City, founded on the belief that life revolves around valuable relationships. The company has been around since 1910, when J.C. Hall and his brothers opened a specialty shop in Kansas City selling cards, gifts, books, and prints. Today, Hallmark greeting cards are available in over 30 languages and more than 100 countries. The European headquarters are in Capelle aan den IJssel, with a distribution centre in Krimpen aan den IJssel. In the Netherlands, Hallmark is best known for its extensive range of greeting cards, gifts, and stationery, available in stores and online at hallmark.nl. In the United States, Hallmark is also active in media with its own production company, TV channels, and streaming service.
