2025 First-Class Forever Stamp - Baby Wild Animals: Raccoon

US 6011
2025 Raccoon

• Part of Baby Wild Animals set featuring 10 animals
• Each stamp includes elements of animal’s habitat
  
  

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Set: Baby Wild Animals
Value:  73¢, First-Class Mail (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  May 23, 2025
First Day City:  Aurora, Colorado
Quantity Issued:  16,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Double-sided Booklet of 20
Perforations: Die Cut

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of 10 stamps highlighting baby animals with elements of their natural surroundings.

About the stamp design:  Each design features a different baby wild animal.  Tracy Walker created digital illustrations using solid background colors and simple depictions of each animal.  Elements of their environment were added, such as flowers, leaves, or water.  The animals shown are: fox, owl, deer, seal, rabbit, raccoon, bear, skunk, bobcat, and chipmunk. 

First Day City: The stamps were dedicated at the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Aurora, Colorado

About the Wild Baby Animals set: Every spring, a new generation of wild animals begins its journey.  Learning to survive in a world of challenges, they are discovering the skills and instincts that will shape their lives.
In the warm daylight, a fawn cautiously steps from its hidden mother, its spotted coat camouflaging it against the dappled forest floor.  Nearby, baby foxes playfully tussle, learning the art of stalking prey.  Baby rabbits nibble on fresh green shoots while a chipmunk scampers up a tree, its cheek pouches filled with seeds.  At the water’s edge, a young seal explores the shore, its small flippers glistening in the light, ready to test the cool waters of the river for the first time.
As dusk falls, the nocturnal young of the wild are learning to navigate the shadows.  In the moonlit forest, young owls stretch their wings, preparing for their first flights.  Their large eyes scan the night, adjusting to the dim light.  Nearby, baby raccoons, their tiny paws moving with remarkable dexterity, search for food, using their sensitive whiskers and sharp senses to uncover insects and fruits.  In the tall grass, a young skunk, still learning how to use its signature spray defense, cautiously explores its surroundings.  A baby bobcat, its spotted coat blending with the shadows, watches its mother, its keen eyes tracking the movement of small prey.
These young creatures are preparing for a life filled with obstacles, but brimming with the promise of discovery, growth, and survival.

History the stamp represents: Deep within the shadowy forests and along winding riverbanks, a family of baby raccoons stirs in the safety of their hollowed-out den.  Born blind and helpless, these tiny creatures will soon embark on one of the most curious journeys in the animal kingdom.  With their characteristic dark “mask” of fur around their eyes, these kits will grow into some of nature’s most intelligent and adaptable creatures.
For now, the kits are completely dependent on their mother, who provides them with nourishing milk.  Their diet will expand as they begin to sample foods – insects, fruits, and small amphibians - while honing the remarkable dexterity of their front paws. Raccoons are known for their almost human-like ability to handle objects, and these kits will soon be seen “washing” their food in streams.  Often misunderstood as a need for cleanliness, it is actually a vital instinct for improving their grip and touch sensitivity.
Though playful, the kits are also learning essential survival skills.  The forest, full of unseen dangers, demands sharp senses.  The kits’ extraordinary sense of touch, aided by their sensitive paws, will help them find food and navigate the world.
As they grow, these young raccoons will become nocturnal prowlers, seeking out food with precision and agility, becoming masters of the night.