In case you missed it last week, the U.S. Post Office announced a promotion  in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Star Wars where the Post Office will issue a limited edition Star Wars 30th Anniversary stamp.

As part of the promotion, the USPS will wrap over 400 mailboxes in 200 cities with graphics that transform traditional mailboxes into the likeness of everyone’s favorite delivery droid, R2-D2.

According to the Wall Street Journal,  R2-D2 "embodies the trust and dependability for which the Postal Service is so renowned." After all, not just any droid can locate the whereabouts of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the vast deserts of Tatooine.

Limited Editions stamps have long been a revenue generation tool for the Post Office as buyers tend to purchase the stamps without any intent to use them.

Although the program officially begins on March 28th, some of the mailboxes are already in the market and Flickr’s dcmetroblogger has posted some images.

While the promotion is sure to remind people that you can still send
physical mail, its also a joint promotion to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of, to quote George Lucas, "a fairy tale for a generation
growing up without one."

Its certainly an interesting program for the Post Office as it
struggles for relevance in the Internet era. While traditional mail
services are slowly declining as people adopt online bill pay, e-cards
and online messaging, the USPS has seen a major lift in packages and
other services thanks to online marketplaces like eBay.

To celebrate the anniversary, a 5 day anniversary celebration for fans begins on May 24th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. (Thanks Dave, Matt)

Chad Stoller