Sun_Wukong_Stamp 2004This 2004 version of the Monkey King had some Canadians fuming mad.  People wrote into the postal service claiming it was too big of a departure from traditional Chinese depictions of the monkey during its Lunar Year in the Chinese Calendar.

The response from the postal service was quite funny, but definitely not to those who were unhappy. Here’s an excerpt:

“You write that some Canadians of Chinese origin claim that this monkey bears no resemblance to the one on the lunar calendar. Yet 99 percent of the people consulted through this same poll acknowledged that the monkey depicted was in fact that from the famous legend of Sun Wu-k’ung, the Monkey King. Sun Wu-k’ung is the classic symbol of the monkey in the Chinese culture and its image has been featured countless times on stamps issued by Asian countries.

Finally, another measure of the favourable reception the Chinese community has given the stamp are definitely the sales figures at events surrounding the launch of the new stamp in Vancouver and Toronto. These sales of stamps and various products generated more than $35,000 in just a few hours.”

SO THERE!  (hahahahh)  For the record though, the monkey is wearing all the wrong clothes and his cudgel shouldn’t have that adornment either as it should be a simple pole with gold bands on both ends.  Funny anyway.

You can read the full version here.