Fifty years ago, the Post Office was in trouble due to an overwhelming increase in business mail. Luckily, Mr. ZIP came to the rescue.
In 1963, the agency rolled out the Zone Improvement Plan, a five-digit code that helped the mail sorting process for delivery to specific locations. The Post Office introduced "Mr. ZIP", who disguised as a caricature of a friendly postal worker helped deliver the message to the public: Remember your ZIP!