Spice Girls’ 30th anniversary celebrated in Royal Mail stamp collection
9493 Mins Read
Royal Mail announced it is issuing a set of 15 Special Stamps to celebrate one of the world’s most successful pop groups of all time, the Spice Girls. With more than 100 million global record sales across three decades, and nine UK number one singles, they are one of the most successful British bands in music history.
This is the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire stamp issue to a female pop group and they become only the sixth music group to feature in a dedicated stamp issue – following on from The Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, The Rolling Stones in 2022 and Iron Maiden in 2023.
In partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group’s brand management and merchandise division, Royal Mail worked closely with the band to carefully curate and select images that celebrated the incredible legacy of the Spice Girls.
The main set of 10 stamps features iconic images of group and individual live performances from 1997 to 2012:
Spice Girls performing at the BRIT Awards, 1997
Melanie Chisholm performing at the BRIT Awards, London, 1998
Spice Girls performing during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games
Geri Halliwell performing at the BRIT Awards, London, 1997
Spice Girls performing in San Jose, California, 2007
Emma Bunton performing at Wembley, London, 1998
Spice Girls performing in Istanbul, 1997
Victoria Beckham performing during The Return of the Spice Girls Tour at Madison Square Garden, New York City, 2008
Spice Girls performing in Dublin, 1998
Melanie Brown performing at the BRIT Awards, London, 1997
Completing the set are a further five stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, featuring individual images of the girls from the iconic Spice World photoshoot. The image was chosen as it worked perfectly to feature each of the Spice Girls individually on their own stamp, but also within a group shot.
Formed in 1994, the Spice Girls are the biggest female group of all time, with worldwide record sales in excess of 100 million. Emma, Geri, Mel B, Melanie C and Victoria – aka Baby, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and Posh Spice – spearheaded their own rise to chart dominance at a time when girl groups were not considered to be commercially viable. Their infectious pop sound and bold ‘Girl Power!’ philosophy changed the face of music and inspired a generation of artists and fans.
Spicemania swept the globe in 1996 with the release of the group’s debut single, ‘Wannabe’. Their influence reached into every corner of modern life. They became a lasting symbol of the ‘Cool Britannia’ era, owing in no small part to the iconic Union Jack dress worn by Geri for the group’s performance at the 1997 BRIT Awards.
The Spice Girls were awarded two Ivor Novello Awards, three BRITS – one of these a special BRIT Award in recognition of their global achievement – three American Music Awards and four global MTV Awards.
