While bare-footed couriers still deliver the mail in many remote regions of this Himalayan kingdom, Bhutan’s postage stamps remain world-renowned in the philatelic community. Colorful, creative and collectible, Bhutan’s stamp launch in the 1960s of the world’s most innovative stamps not only caused a sensation each time they were released, but more importantly were valued by Bhutan as its chief revenue producer for many years. 
 
Prior to the 1960s, Bhutan had remained closed to the outside world. Then in 1962, Bhutan released its first international postal stamps and began its postal program. This came about through the partnership and innovation with an old friend to Bhutan, an energetic and pioneering entrepreneur, Burt Todd, who was also the first American to enter Bhutan. Postage stamps became the vehicle through which Bhutan could begin to open its doors and be internationally recognized as a sovereign nation amidst two huge superpowers - China to the north and India to the south.