'Simpsons' to be made into stamps

The US Postal Service is to launch stamps with designs featuring animated characters The Simpsons.

The 44-cent (31p) first class stamps, which will showcase Bart, Homer, Marge, Maggie and Lisa, have been designed by the show's creator Matt Groening, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Only 20 new stamp ideas are accepted as actual postage stamps, out of approximately 50,000 submitted to the Postal Service each year.

"This has been a dream for Fox and The Simpsons creative teams for some time, and we've finally made the cut!" said Elie Dekel, executive VP of licensing and merchandising at 20th Century Fox.

A sneak peek at the stamps, which will be released to the public later this year, will be available on April 9.

The Fox animated programme is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, making it the longest-running primetime comedy in TV history.