Scott No: -
Serial number: 2013-13
Values in set: 5
Date of issue: June 1, 2013
Denomination: 560 fen
Designer: Song Jian
Size of stamps: 40 * 27 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 20
Size of sheet: 230 * 150 mm
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The 2013-13 "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother" stamp set is a special stamp set issued by China Post on June 1, 2013 (International Children's Day). The set consists of five stamps, accompanied by a matching stamp booklet (catalog number SB49). This is the first special stamp set issued by China Post on the theme of animation, and it is also the first domestic stamp set to present a complete classic story in a continuous, narrative format.

In July 1961, after repeated experimentation, the ink-wash animated film "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother" was finally released. This was the first ink-wash animation in the history of Chinese animation. The creation of this film was inspired by a remark from Vice Premier Chen Yi during his visit to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio: "I wish you could make Qi Baishi's paintings come alive." Thus, the ink-wash animation "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother," which draws its artistic inspiration from the famous ink painting "Frogs Sounding for Ten Miles from a Mountain Spring" by the master Qi Baishi, was born. It represents a shared childhood memory for generations of Chinese people. The stamps were deliberately issued on Children's Day, using a continuous format to fully capture the narrative flow of the animation, evoking nostalgic childhood memories and filling a gap in China Post's animation-themed stamp releases. Following this stamp set, China Post subsequently issued a series of classic animation IP stamps, including "Havoc in Heaven," "The Calabash Brothers," and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King," forming a highly influential series of stamps featuring classic Chinese animations.

The stamps were designed by Song Jian, with original materials provided by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. In the design process, the texture of xuan paper (rice paper) was deliberately scanned and used as the stamp's background color, to best capture the freehand quality of the original ink-wash animation and to give the images the warm, textured feel of traditional xuan paper. The set of five stamps is presented in a continuous, horizontal se-tenant format, depicting five representative scenes selected from the animation, following the story's narrative arc:

(5-1) Depicts the tadpoles encountering Grandpa Shrimp at the beginning of their journey to find their mother. The tadpoles ask Grandpa Shrimp, "Where is our mother?" and "What does our mother look like?" Grandpa Shrimp gestures with his two pincers and tells them, "Your mother has two big eyes. I just saw her a moment ago. Hurry along and give her a kiss!" So, the tadpoles set off to find a mother with big eyes, setting the stage for the appearance of Mother Goldfish in the next scene.

(5-2) Shows the tadpoles, having bid farewell to Grandpa Shrimp, eagerly swimming forward to find a mother with "big eyes," as he told them. Suddenly, they spot a red goldfish swimming ahead. Mistaking the big-eyed goldfish for their mother, they rush over to claim her. Mother Goldfish tells them, "Wrong, wrong, you've got it wrong! I'm not your mother. Your mother has a white belly. Good children, go and look again!" So, the tadpoles set off to find a mother with a white belly.

(5-3) Depicts a crab crawling in the water. The tadpoles circle around nearby. When the crab stretches out its eight legs and prepares to move away, the last tadpole notices the crab's white belly. Once again, they mistake the crab for their mother and rush forward to claim her. Startled, the crab hastily explains, "Wrong, wrong, you've got it all wrong! How could I be your mother? Your mother has only four legs. Look, how many legs do I have?" The tadpoles count the crab's eight legs and can only continue their search for a mother with four legs.

(5-4) Shows the tadpoles encountering a mother turtle and her baby on their journey. They swim under the turtle and discover that she has four legs. Remembering the crab's words—that their mother has four legs—they rush to claim her. The baby turtle, sitting on its mother's back, quickly says, "She's my mother! Mothers and children always look alike!" So, the tadpoles must continue on their way.

(5-5) Depicts the scene of the tadpoles finally finding their mother after overcoming many difficulties, and their joyful reunion. Upon first seeing Mother Frog, the tadpoles hide behind some water plants, peering at her cautiously: "Big eyes, white belly, exactly four legs—she is our mother! But why don't we look like her?" Mother Frog smiles and says, "You'll look like me when you grow up." The tadpoles are overjoyed and rush to embrace their mother, and the stamp captures this moment of joyful reunion.

The "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother" stamp design emphasizes the artistic style of the original Chinese ink-wash painting, conveying the essence of Chinese ink-wash art and the spirit of traditional Chinese culture. The images were sourced from screenshots of the animated film, which had a slightly blue-green tint. In designing the stamps, while preserving the original character, the colors were adjusted with reference to the color palette of traditional ink-wash painting to ensure optimal printing quality. The stamp background incorporates the texture of xuan paper, giving the images a paper-like quality and avoiding the starkness of a plain white background. This creates a nostalgic feeling, transporting viewers back to their childhood and allowing them to relive this classic animation. The composition emphasizes both the tadpoles and the various "mother" figures they encounter, with clear main subjects and a strong thematic focus. Selective water plant backgrounds add depth to the image, showcasing the beauty of the underwater world, as if we are seeing a flowing Chinese painting scroll. These varied backgrounds also highlight the tadpoles' perseverance and determination in their relentless search for their mother.

The stamps were printed using the photogravure process. The total face value of the set is 5.60 yuan. Each stamp measures 40×27 mm, with a perforation gauge of 13 degrees. Each sheet contains 20 stamps (with four complete sets printed continuously). Anti-counterfeiting features include anti-counterfeiting paper, anti-counterfeiting ink, shaped perforations, and fluorescent spray codes. The stamps were printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.