John Lennon set to grace US stamp

Steve Jobs, Snoopy, John Lennon and gay rights icon Harvey Milk will likely soon share a distinct honour - their own US postage stamps.

Well, Snoopy will probably have to share the spotlight with Charlie Brown and the rest of the cast of the popular Peanuts comic, according to a secret planning document obtained by the Washington Post.

But it's the British Beatles icon John Lennon who will cause the real stir among stamp collectors.

US postage stamps are only supposed to feature citizens. Which is perhaps the reason why a date has not yet been set for the stamp's release.

The pop culture heavy list is aimed at helping the financially strapped postal service attract a new generation of collectors, the newspaper said.

Which may explain why Sesame Street and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer made the list of stamps set to be released in 2014 and 2015.

There will also be stamps to attract baby boomers featuring 1970s musical icons Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown along with late talk show king Johnny Carson.

The post office will also reissue its best-selling stamp of all time - Elvis Presley.

And, of course, there will still be plenty of more traditional stamps like the wedding cakes, hearts and flowers used to pretty up invitations.

The list of subjects approved by the citizen's stamp advisory committee is not final, the Washington Post cautioned.

Among the subjects who have not yet been given a release date: Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama; music icons Michael Jackson, Tammy Wynette and Sarah Vaughn; sharks; and Dora the Explorer.

The postal service likes to keep its plans secret in order to generate more buzz with each release.