MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- U.S. activists called on the Mexican government to withdraw a postage stamp depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, saying the offense was worse than recent remarks about blacks made by President Vicente Fox.

Mexico defended the series of five stamps released Wednesday, which depicts a child character from a comic book started in the 1940s that is still published in Mexico.

But the Rev. Jesse Jackson said President Bush should pressure Mexico to withdraw the stamps from the market, saying they "insult people around the world."

"The impact of this is worse than what the president said," Jackson noted, referring to Fox's May 13 comment that Mexican migrants take jobs in the United States that "not even blacks" want. Fox later met with Jackson and expressed regret but insisted his comments had been misinterpreted.

On Thursday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan objected to the stamp, saying "racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin" and have no place in today's world. He added that it was "an internal issue for Mexico and the postal authorities that issued the stamp."

The character on the stamp is drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book.

Mexico said that like Speedy Gonzalez -- a cartoon mouse with a Mexican accent that debuted in the United States in 1953 -- the Memin Pinguin character shouldn't be interpreted as a racial slur.

"Just as Speedy Gonzalez has never been interpreted in a racial manner by the people in Mexico, because he is a cartoon character, I am certain that this commemorative postage stamp is not intended to be interpreted on a racial basis in Mexico or anywhere else," said Rafael Laveaga, the spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in Washington.

But NAACP interim President Dennis Courtland Hayes countered that "laughing at the expense of hardworking African Americans or African Mexicans is no joke and it should end at once."

The NAACP -- the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- called the stamps "injurious to black people who live in the United States and Mexico."

Jackson also said Mexico should "issue a complete and full apology."

Activists in Mexico said the stamp was offensive but not unexpected.

"One would hope the Mexican government would be a little more careful and avoid continually opening wounds," said Sergio Penalosa, an activist in Mexico's small black community on the southern Pacific coast.

"But we've learned to expect anything from this government, just anything," Penalosa said.

Carlos Caballero, assistant marketing director for the Mexican Postal Service, said the stamps are not offensive, nor were they intended to be.

"This is a traditional character that reflects part of Mexico's culture," Caballero said. "His mischievous nature is part of that character."

"At this point in time, it was probably pretty insensitive" to issue the stamp, said Elisa Velazquez, an anthropologist who studies Mexico's black communities for the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

"This character is a classic, but it's from another era," Velazquez said. "It's a stereotype and you don't want to encourage ignorance or prejudices."

Laveaga, the embassy spokesman, countered that "if you look closely at many of the cartoon characters in U.S. pop culture, those who try will be able to find something offensive."

But, he noted, "the vast majority will see a cartoon character, which is what Memin Pinguin is."

The 6.50-peso (60 cent) stamps -- depicting the character in five poses -- was issued with the domestic market in mind, but Caballero noted it could be used in international postage as well.

A total of 750,000 of the stamps will be issued.

There sure are a lot of whiny bitches in America.

So...is there only one Black community in Mexico?

Elvis was a hero to most,
But he never meant shit to me
You see straight-up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain,
Motherfuck him and John Wayne
Cuz I'm black and I'm proud,
I'm ready, I'm hyped, and I'm amped
Mosta my heroes don't appear on no stamp

So I guess this begs the question. Who's more oppressed, blacks or Mexicans?

Reminds me of those T-Shirts that Abercrombie had going for awhile...

Well, we're talking about Mexico here, so I'm going to have to go with "not the Mexicans".

Even Mexicians in Mexico feel oppressed by Americans.

Oh, snap.

Welcome to the Socialist mindset. Everyone is a victim and bears no blame themselves.

almost every world feel the same a bit, but nevermind

I just thought the picture was funny.

That stamp will be worth a bit if it gets withdrawn from the market.I think I might purchase one.

You have no sense of humor.

I feel sorta bad for finding the picture on the stamp funny. It's like something you'd see on Dave Chappelle.

My hispanic uncle had all sorts of posters with similar pictures at his old house. I never really asked him about it, for all I know it was that same character. He collected all sorts of weird shit. He also had every episode of Rockford Files and Mr. Ed recorded on tape. As far as I know he wasn't a racist, it was just some weird thing he was into.

Kind of on topic, with political cartoons, they always grossly overexagerate facial features of people like Bush and Clinton. Imagine the uproar if an artist did that with a black political figuire who happened to have big lips. I think that is a weird and stupid thing to make a stamp of, but I really hate the overall PC nature of trying to remove all stereotypes from society.

I think the uproar is because this character is strikingly similar in appearance to the racist caricatures used in the early part of the last century.

I understand that, and as far as a stamp, it seems quite idiotic. But the fact that Americans are in an uproar about it seems quite dumb. We look at the majority image towards women in Arab countries as a "Cultural Thing," but we get super pissed off when some dumb stamp in Mexico depicts blacks in a stereotypical way.

...and we won't even get into that "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies" cartoon from the Times last fall.

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!

I need to get me some of those stamps.