About This Stamp
For the first time in five years, the Postal Service will issue a stamp designed especially for birthday invitations, cards, letters, and packages. The stamp features an oversized white birthday cake with bright and colorful candles and capital letters spelling out HAPPY BIRTH DAY!, on three lines.
Birthdays have been celebrated for thousands of years. Originally, birthdays in the U.S. were celebrated by the wealthy or for a national hero like George Washington. It was not until the late 19th century that everyday American children began celebrating birthdays as well, largely a result of increased disposable income and changes in parenting philosophies.
This is the fifth birthday stamp issued by USPS. The first Happy Birthday stamp was issued in 1987, featuring a slice of cake with a lit candle. In 1988, a second Special Occasions booklet included a Happy Birthday stamp depicting a colorful row of candles. Birthdays reappeared as a subject on U.S. postage in 2002 with a stamp featuring the words “Happy Birthday” amid a smattering of festive confetti. In 2021, a stamp inspired by a childhood birthday party featured a piñata, birthday hat, cake, candles, and balloons.
Stamp Art Director
Greg Breeding
Greg Breeding is a graphic designer and principal of Journey Group, a design company he co-founded in 1992, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was creative director until 2013, at which time he began serving as president and continued in that role through 2023.
Breeding’s fascination with modernism began while studying design at Virginia Commonwealth University. His affinity with the movement continues and motivates his ongoing advanced studies at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland most every summer.
As an art director for postage stamp design since 2012, Breeding has designed more than 100 stamps covering a diverse array of subjects, from Star Wars droids and Batman to Harlem Renaissance writers and the transcontinental railroad.
His work has been recognized in annual design competitions held by Graphis, AIGA, PRINT magazine, and Communication Arts.
Breeding lives in North Garden, Virginia, with his wife and enjoys nothing so much as frolicking on the floor with his grandchildren.
Stamp Artist
Lisa Congdon
Self-taught artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon has made a career creating posters, packaging, book illustrations, and ad campaigns for apparel and footwear brands. She has brought her graphic hand-lettered designs to projects for clients around the world, including Brooks Running, Warby Parker, Google, Target, Comme des Garçons, and REI, among many others. She also works extensively for companies in the cycling industry, which, as an avid endurance cyclist, appeals to both her professional and personal interests.
Utilizing bright colors and a whimsical sensibility, Congdon creates illustrations that are bold and make a statement. She draws inspiration from what she refers to as the “three Fs” —folk imagery, flora, and fauna. Mid-century graphic design and illustration also influence her playful style.
Congdon is the author of 10 books, including Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide to Building Your Career as an Artist (2014) and Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic (2019). She also hosts the podcast The Lisa Congdon Sessions, and is cofounder of The Long Table Foundation, which provides professional mentoring and grants for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian artists and creative entrepreneurs. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, she lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
The “Cheers!” artwork for Pinback Buttons (2024) is Congdon’s first project for the U.S. Postal Service.