Mr. ZIP

This Post Office postcard encouraging the use of the 07920 (Basking Ridge) ZIP code is a recent addition to the Historical Society’s archives at the Brick Academy. A gift from Barbara Perkins, the card features “Mr. ZIP” and was found in a house on North Alward Avenue.

ZIP stands for the “Zone Improvement Plan,” which was introduced on July 1, 1963. Mr. ZIP was the marketing character used to promote the codes and was seen on the selvage of U.S. stamp sheets beginning in 1964. To encourage individual households to adopt the system, the post office mailed postcards like this one in 1967. Bulk mailers were also required to adopt ZIP codes by 1967.

Mr. ZIP retired officially in 1986, but has remained a cultural icon.

Labeled: POD Notice 42, Sept. 1967