USPS Announces 2027 Stamps Honoring Pat Summitt, Willie Mays, and Mythical Creatures

The United States Postal Service announced its stamp themes for 2027 on Monday, introducing designs that range from sports icons to mythical beasts.

Two major athletic figures will receive commemorative treatment in the upcoming year. Pat Summitt, who coached the University of Tennessee women's basketball team for 38 years, will be featured on a stamp. Her record includes more than 1,000 wins and eight national championships. The design, created by artist Roberto Parada and designed by Ethel Kessler, depicts an oil portrait on prepared linen.

Baseball legend Willie Mays will also be honored with the 50th stamp in the USPS Black Heritage series. Mays played for the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants during his 23-year professional career. His stamp, designed by Antonio Alcalá using Getty Images photographs, shows him wearing a New York Giants cap and making a famous over-the-shoulder catch during the 1954 World Series.

The 2027 lineup also includes the eighth stamp in the Lunar New Year series, which began in 2020. This specific stamp marks the Year of the Goat. Artist Camille Chew created paper cut masks for the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp using a photograph of the goat mask taken by Sally Andersen-Bruce.

A new Love stamp for 2027 will feature simple geometric shapes and bright colors. Designer Lisa Congdon organized the layout in a grid pattern, inspired by folk art symbolism. Greg Breeding served as the art director for this issue.

A 16-stamp sheet will depict unicios in various woodland scenes. Artist Kendra Binney created the illustrations using a mixed media technique that combines watercolor, acrylic paint, pencil, and digital effects. Derry Noyes, a USPS art director, handled the stamp design.

The Postal Service plans to release a 20-stamp booklet of Forever stamps featuring close-up photographs of vegetables. The images include red onion, savoy cabbage, purple cabbage, purple cauliflower, shimeji mushrooms, purple asparagus, artichoke, fairy tale eggplant, rhubarb, and watermelon radish. Ethel Kessler designed the stamps using existing photographs by food photographer Renée Comet.

A five-stamp collection will showcase mythical creatures from American folklore. These include the Mothman from West Virginia, the Jackalope from Wyoming, the Squonk from Pennsylvania, Sasquatch from the Pacific Northwest, and Champ from Lake Champlain. Artist Nat Power illustrated these figures with bold black lines and vibrant colors, drawing on her background in tattoo design. Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.

A Halloween-themed stamp set will feature friendly illustrations of a vampire, witch, mummy, and Frankenstein’s monster. Erick Martinez created the artwork, and Antonio Alcalá served as the art director.

Finally, a semipostal stamp will support research into childhood cancers. Approximately 15,000 children and adolescents in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year. Net proceeds from the additional fee on this stamp will go to the National Institutes of Health to fund biomedical research aimed at improving survival rates and developing safer treatments. Greg Breeding designed the stamp with an original illustration by Chuck Styles.