Over the years, postmen have been depicted in books, plays, film and television. And these are not just small roles; some of these post-delivering characters have been central to their particular narrative and have instantly recognisable characters to the majority of the public. Here, we will you with a list of the best and most famous fictional postmen of all time.
#4 The Jolly Postman
The first entry into our compilation is ‘The Jolly Postman’, a much-loved character in the famous children’s’ book of the same name. The story follows an unnamed postal worker as he rides along on his bicycle and delivers letters and packages to other well-known characters from famous children’s stories. After every illustration and verse there is a page shaped like an envelope with a card inside that is to be read out as a continuation of the story.
This innovative feature contributed to the length of development, with the entire book taking 5 years to fully create. As a result, the book became extremely popular and has now sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
#3 Herman Post
Our next entry is Herman Post, Jon Arbuckle’s tormented postman from the Garfield comic strip. In the comic strip, Herman is a recurring character, who’s spirited yet unsuccessful attempts to deliver the post to the house are almost constantly thwarted by Garfield, who persistently torments him by scratching him and ripping off his trousers.
Herman’s successful attempts are few and far between, although there have been a small number of victories. One way in which he achieved this was by folding the post into paper aeroplanes and gliding them into the house through the window. On another occasion, Herman wore knights’ armour to protect himself from Garfield’s attacks.
#2 Cliff Calvin
Our second to last entry is Cliff Calvin, a character in the world famous 80’s/90’s American bar-based sitcom, who is portrayed hilariously by John Ratzenberger. Cliff Calvin is a know-it-all worker for the UPS (US Postal Service) and is a regular face at the bar, which shares its name with the title. He is a slight annoying, yet sympathetic character, who still lives with his mother. When in the bar, he primarily says things that annoy, confuse, push people away, or allow people the opportunity to mock him.
#1 Postman Pat
Postman Pat, or Patrick “Pat” Clifton, is the final entry into our famous fictional list. Probably the most well-known fictional postman of all time, Pat has his own children’s TV show, which plots his varying adventures. Each episode typically follows Pat, a country postman, and Jess, his “black and white cat”, as they deliver post in the valley of Greendale. Although his primary objective is always to deliver his letters, he almost always ends up helping someone in the village complete one of their tasks. The most typical characters for this to include are Alf Thompson, the farmer, Ted Glen, the handyman, and Mrs Goggins, the postmistress.