FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 	Media Contacts: Don Smeraldi, USPS (202) 285-6404 
October 7, 2003	Juliana Lear, NECCO (617) 646-3314
	Postal Service Web Site: www.usps.com
	Stamp News Release Number: 03-055

'CANDY HEARTS' STAMP TO DELIVER
SWEET MESSAGE OF LOVE IN 2004 
NECCO Plans Special Run of Candy Hearts Based on Stamp

WASHINGTON - The new Love postage stamp scheduled to be issued in January 2004 by the 
U.S. Postal Service will be adorned by two candy hearts delivering a short but sweet 
message: I (heart) YOU.

They're simple, sweet and look nearly good enough to eat ... and now, you can. These 
stamps will be brought to life for candy lovers everywhere when the New England 
Confectionery Company (NECCO) manufactures a special run of candy hearts featuring the 
same sentiment.   

"Since 1973, the Love stamp has been a popular addition to cards and letters mailed to 
friends and loved ones all year long and particularly to celebrate Valentine's Day," 
said David Failor, executive director of Stamp Services for the Postal Service. "In 
2004, the candy hearts - those little tokens of affection - will help spread good cheer 
on millions of letters mailed in virtually every town across America."

To help celebrate the issuance of the 2004 Love stamp, NECCO, makers of Sweethearts® 
Conversation Hearts, will manufacture the I (heart) YOU stamp candy hearts to be included in 
boxes with perennial favorites such as "Be Mine," "Marry Me" and "Cutie Pie."

"People have been using Sweethearts to express their affection since the 1800s.  We're 
very honored the Postal Service is using these candy images on their new Love postage 
stamp to help people further communicate their sentiments," said NECCO President 
Domenic M. Antonellis. "Our hearts have been passed down from generation to generation 
and the new stamp is a testament to our candy's place in U.S. history."

The concept of the Sweethearts Conversation Heart dates back to the 1800s when printed 
sayings on colored paper were placed in "Cockles," small crisp candies formed in the 
shape of a scalloped shell. In 1866, Daniel Chase, brother of Oliver Chase, who founded 
NECCO in 1847, invented the process whereby the sayings could be printed directly on 
the candy.

The Sweetheart recipe remains the same since the candy's inception. Once originally cut 
in various shapes and sizes such as postcards, baseballs or horseshoes, the hearts had 
room for long messages such as "Please send a lock of your hair by return mail." Today, 
NECCO produces small and large Sweethearts offering short and sweet sentiments.

To meet demand for its Sweethearts, NECCO produces approximately 8 billion hearts per 
year at three manufacturing facilities in the United States. The entire production - 
roughly 100,000 pounds a day - sells out in just six weeks.

For the 2004 Love stamp design, artist Michael Osborne of San Francisco, Calif., 
illustrated two hearts - one yellow, in the foreground, and one pink, slightly behind 
it - and added in red the letter "I" and a heart symbol on the yellow candy and the 
word "YOU" on the pink candy to spell out "I love you." Osborne also illustrated the 
two colorful 2002 Love stamps, whose designs featured stylized block letters and a 
heart-design "V" spelling the word "LOVE."

The first Love stamp was issued by the Postal Service in 1973 with a denomination of 8 
cents and an iconic design by pop artist Robert Indiana. Since that time, Love stamps 
have featured a wide range of subjects, including flowers, animals, cherubs and love 
letters as well as abstract designs.

To see the 2004 Love stamp, visit the Postal Service Web site and open this press 
release at www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/welcome.htm.

Current U.S. stamps and stationery, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are 
available by toll-free telephone order at 1 800 STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of 
stamps and other philatelic items are available at the online Postal Store at 
www.usps.com/shop.

Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and 
businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits more than 141 
million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to 
every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for 
routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, 
products and services. With annual revenues of more than $68.9 billion, it is the 
world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most 
affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 
percent of the world's mail volume - some 202 billion letters, advertisements, 
periodicals and packages a year - and serves seven million customers each day at its 
40,000 retail locations nationwide.

The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) was founded in 1847 and is the oldest 
multi-line candy company in the United States. Popular brands include: NECCO® wafers, 
Clark® bars, Sweethearts® Conversation Hearts, Mary Jane®, Haviland® Thin Mints and 
Mighty Malts® Malted Milk Balls. Manufacturing facilities are located in Revere, Mass.; 
Pewaukee, Wis.; and Thibodaux, La. The company employs approximately 1,200. More than 
500 seasonal and year-round products are produced at the facilities.

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