2025 First-Class Forever Stamp - Goodnight Moon: Socks and Mittens on Drying Rack, Moon in Window

US #6002h
2025 Hanging Socks and Mittens

• Part of a set of 8 stamps featuring illustrations from Goodnight Moon book
• The children’s classic was written in 1947

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set: Goodnight Moon
Value:  73¢ Fi...  more

US #6002h
2025 Hanging Socks and Mittens

• Part of a set of 8 stamps featuring illustrations from Goodnight Moon book
• The children’s classic was written in 1947

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set: Goodnight Moon
Value:  73¢ First-Class Mail (Forever
First Day of Issue: May 2, 2025
First Day City: North Kansas City, Missouri
Quantity Issued: 20,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Flexographic
Format:  Pane of 16
Perforations:  Die Cut

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of eight issued to honor the popular children’s book, Goodnight Moon, written by Margaret Wise Brown and published in 1947. 

About the stamp design: The eight stamps in the set feature details from different pages of the book.  This one shows socks and mittens hung to dry in front of a window showing the night sky.  Art director, Derry Noyes, used the artwork by illustrator Clement Hurd to design the pane of stamps.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at The Rabbit hOle in North Kansas City, Missouri.  The Rabbit hOle is a museum that focuses on American children’s literature.  The stamps were dedicated in anticipation of Children’s Book Week (May 5-11). 
Thacher Hurd, son of the book’s illustrator, was at the ceremony and read the book aloud to the audience.

About the Goodnight Moon set: For generations, Goodnight Moon has been a child’s final glimpse of the waking world before drifting into dreams.  Simple yet poetic, its soothing words and familiar objects transform bedtime into something magical.
Each stamp captures an iconic image from the book, preserving in miniature the details that have made this book unforgettable.  The quiet old lady saying hush, the bunny tucked snug into bed, the little house glowing with an inner light – every element is a thread in the rich tapestry of childhood memories.  Even the smallest details, like a bowl of mush, remind us of the comfort found in routine.  The picture of the cow leaping over the moon stands as a final reminder that the world of dreams knows no limits.
The Goodnight Moon stamps join a growing legacy of US stamps celebrating beloved children’s books. From Children’s Classics (1993) to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (2021), these stamps honor the stories that shape young minds.  They are a tribute to the books that lull us to sleep, teach us to read, and remain in our hearts long after childhood fades.
Like Goodnight Moon itself, these stamps will be cherished for years to come.  They celebrate not just a book, but a universal experience such as the quiet moments before sleep, the warmth of home, and the stories that stay with us forever.

History the stamp represents: A pair of mittens.  A pair of socks.  Simple, everyday objects, yet in Goodnight Moon, they are as important as the moon itself.  Author Margaret Wise Brown recognized that children find comfort in the smallest things.  A bedtime story doesn’t need grand adventures, the familiar, the routine, and the tiny details make a house feel like home.  
Mittens and socks have long been symbols of warmth and care.  Knitted by loving hands, they shield against the cold, wrapping little fingers and toes in a hug.  The oldest known mittens date back over a thousand years, proof that this small token of protection has long been a part of human life.  Even in folklore, mittens appear—think of the lost mittens in “The Three Little Kittens” or the cozy hiding place in The Mitten.  
In the great green room, these tiny garments are part of a world being lovingly put to sleep.  As the clock ticks forward, each object is acknowledged, noticed, and gently bid goodnight.  The mittens and socks remind us that even the smallest things matter because to a child, they are everything.  
This stamp captures a fleeting moment, a simple yet powerful image of warmth, care, and the quiet beauty of childhood’s nighttime rituals.