Giant peaches, fantastic foxes and a very famous chocolate factory are set to appear on the nation’s letters!  Royal Mail has launched its first special stamps of 2012 with ten stamps paying tribute to the wonderful work of author Roald Dahl launched on 10^th January.

A set of six stamps celebrate some of Roald Dahl’s most popular stories and feature illustrations by Quentin Blake, whose drawings appeared in all Roald Dahl’s children’s classics. 

One of Roald Dahl’s most famous tales, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, appears on the 1^st Class stamp, with a beaming Charlie Bucket brandishing his precious Golden Ticket.  Other stamps depict much-loved favourites Fantastic Mr Fox (66p), James and the Giant Peach (68p), Matilda (76p), The Twits (£1) and The Witches (£1.10).

The 30^th anniversary of The BFG, or Big Friendly Giant, one of Roald Dahl’s hugely popular characters, is marked by a special sheet of four stamps all of which feature scenes from this legendary tale.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and timeless creations have touched the lives of children and adults across the UK and around the world.

“We are delighted to be featuring some of Roald Dahl’s most loved stories as we start our 2012 special stamp programme.  This is set to be a very special year with stamps being issued to mark major UK events such as HM the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

published January 13th, 2012