Postal customers in Britain will soon have the opportunity to spice up their mail: Royal Mail is issuing a set of 15 stamps to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Spice Girls.
The stamp collection and other products related to the anniversary were made available for preorder on Friday, and will go on general sale on Jan. 11, Royal Mail said. A package that includes all 15 stamps costs just under 20 pounds, or about $25, before shipping.
“We are so excited to be celebrated by Royal Mail, alongside some of the most iconic and influential music legends,” the Spice Girls said in a statement. “When we formed the Spice Girls, we couldn’t have dreamt that 30 years later we would be the first female group to be dedicated an entire stamp collection, that’s Girl Power!”
The Spice Girls formed in 1994. The group’s members were Victoria Adams (now Beckham) as Posh Spice, Melanie Brown as Scary Spice, Emma Bunton as Baby Spice, Melanie Chisholm as Sporty Spice, and Geri Halliwell (now Horner) as Ginger Spice.
Critics accused them of being superficial and manufactured, but young women flocked to the group because of their embrace of self-empowerment, individuality and friendship.
The group has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Its first single, “Wannabe,” was a No. 1 hit in 37 countries, and its first album, “Spice,” is among the best-selling albums by any female group. The Spice Girls have had nine No. 1 singles in Britain, and they have won two Ivor Novello Awards, three BRIT awards, three American Music Awards and four global MTV Awards.
The Spice Girls are the sixth musical group that Royal Mail has featured in a “dedicated stamp issue.” The Beatles were the first, in 2007, followed by Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, the Rolling Stones in 2022 and Iron Maiden in 2023.
Ten of the new stamps feature images of the Spice Girls performing live between 1997 and 2012, including at the BRIT Awards in 1997 and during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in London in 2012. Each Spice Girl will also have her own stamp, featuring images taken to promote their 1997 film “Spice World.”
“The Spice Girls have been a force to be reckoned with since they formed as a group in 1994,” David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said in a statement. “We are proud to celebrate the most successful female music group ever seen, not only for their music but their enduring influence over so many aspects of our lives.”
The announcement comes months after the release of “Beckham,” a Netflix documentary series about the British football player David Beckham. His wife of 24 years, Ms. Beckham, a.k.a. Posh Spice, is featured in the series.
