RAT

In 1996, China Post issued the special stamp “Bing-Zi Year” designed by Lü Shengzhong. Of the two stamps, the one with gray background, where a funny little rat holding a lamp in one hand, dressed a flowery dress, with a long beard and nose. The second stamp depicts a red sun against the Chinese character "Rat" in Clerical Script, with six small gray mice hidden in the surrounding haze of colour. Unusually, on the "Wu-Zi Year" special stamp issued in 2008, designed by the couple of Yu Ping and Ren Ping, there is only a childlike mouse. It is wearing a green coat and a floral necklace, happily carrying a basket full of flowers.

Some countries outside of China were already eager to launch their Zodiac stamps at the end of 2007. Among them, Vietnam Post released a set of two stamps of paper-cuts mice eating of grain. Korea Post issued a souvenir sheet with two stamps of a snowflake-playing mouse. Philippines Post also issued a miniature sheet with four stamps in the same year. In 2008, La Poste issued a stamp for the Year of the Rat, designed by Chinese calligrapher and painter He Yifu, living in France, featuring a simple gray rat holding a bunch of purple grapes, the words "Year of the Rat" in Chinese and French printed on the top right corner. This no face value stamp is only for French domestic first-class mail up to 20 grams in weight. The Year of the Rat stamp issued by the Mongolian Post features two mice with their tails curled into the number “eight”.

New Zealand Post issued a souvenir sheet with two stamps in 2008 to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Rat. The same year, Hongkong Post also issued its third cycle of Rat stamps, including a souvenir sheet with an imperforation stamp designed by Bon Kwan, while CTT Macao launched the first issue of the its third cycle of zodiac stamps, designed by Lam Chi Ian, with a festive peach coloured souvenir sheet containing a diamond-shaped stamp displaying an embossed rat-shaped purple clay teapot. The first issue of Macao’s fourth cycle of zodiac stamps was issued in 2020, with a souvenir sheet designed by Ng Wai Kin, featuring a family of rats paying a New Year's visit.

Of Canada Post's first series of Chinese Zodiac issues, the most eye-catching is the "Mouse Bride" souvenir sheet issued in 2008. In the shape of a traditional Chinese screen, it features a large red background with decorative motifs, double happiness lampstand in the center with the words "Good Luck in the Year of the Rat" in gold stamping is also used to separate the bride and groom, who are on opposite sides of a rat. The joyful Mouse Bride, dressed in a purple wedding gown, a pearl crown on her head, and embroidered shoes on her feet, holding a tasseled parasol in her left hand, and a flowery bundle in her right hand, is only a decorative vignette, whereas the joyful Mouse Groom, dressed in a flowery blue gown and hat, holding a fan in his right hand and a basket full of tangerines in his left hand, is the stamp with denomination. The most interesting thing is the other zodiac signs are all guests at the wedding ceremony, holding gifts, lanterns, flowers, blowing trumpets, setting off firecrackers, beating gongs and drums on to the wedding. If this is just the beginning of the wedding, then in 2020, both the stamp and souvenir sheet designed by Albert Ng and Seung Jai Paek, depict the Mouse Bride arriving in a sedan chair, performing the formal wedding ceremony.

In the cartoon world, Mickey and Minnie Mouse must be the most familiar mice to children. In 1994, Gambia Post issued a "Mickey and Friends" souvenir sheet with one stamp, featuring Mickey and Minnie, Donald Duck and Daisy, dressed neatly in formal attire, walking out of the church after attending a service. The "Mickey and Minnie at the Moon Festival" souvenir sheet issued by the Maldives Post in 1996 was marked as “Agency Issue” in the Stamp Category of Colnect. When Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2015, China Post issued the first "Disney" personalized stamps, incorporating the classic three-circle Mickey head shape with the traditional Chinese auspicious clouds for good luck. Following the 20th anniversary of the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, Hongkong Post issued commemorative stamps in 2024, with a souvenir sheet designed by Venus Ng, in the shape cut of Mickey Mouse’s head, featuring Mickey and Minnie in traditional costumes sending their best wishes to everyone.

In 1996, Christmas Island Post issued its first Chinese Zodiac stamp, a two-stamp souvenir sheet featuring a dragon dance to celebrate the Spring Festival. In addition to the golden stamping ears of grain on the stamp, red mice beat gongs and drums to celebrate the harvest. In 2008, Christmas Island Post issued a two-stamp zodiac souvenir sheet for the Year of the Rat, designed by Poon Tak Nai, which tells the story of the rat in the zodiac calendar ranking competition held by the Buddha. The scheming rat quietly rode on the back of the ox and, after crossing the river, jumps out to claim first place at the destination. This year, Singapore Post launched special stamps for the Year of the Rat with a three-dimensional hologram designed by Leo Teck Chong. On the 5 dollars stamp, the images of rat and a pig are alternatively depicted, while on the 10 dollars stamp, the images of rat and the ox are depicted. The reason of alternating images is that a layer of highly reflective three-dimensional hologram transparencies was added during the photolithography process by hot stamping, thus creating an alternating effect between the two images.