The Post Office Strikes Back

At a mailbox near you:

Thirty years ago, in theaters near and far, far away, a movie opened the imaginations of millions, combining the magic of mythology and special effects to launch the "Star Wars" phenomenon.

A star of those films - the brave little robot R2-D2 - is about to take a turn collecting mail as the Postal Service and Lucasfilm Ltd. commemorate that movie launch.
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About 400 mailboxes will be covered to look like the stout droid. "When you look at a mailbox, the resemblance to R2-D2 is too good to pass up," Bizzotto said.

While postal officials would like people to look for these mailboxes and maybe even drop in a letter, Bizzotto urged people not to tamper with them, noting that's a crime.

Several of the R2 D2 boxes will be in Colorado.

Here are their locations:

- 900 Auraria Parkway on the Auraria campus, Denver

- 299 Fillmore St., on the corner of 3rd and Fillmore, Denver

Co-branding is a popular marketing scheme these days, and using borrowed appeal--the inherent popularity of the Star Wars brand to prop up the USPS' sagging importance in the age of emails, fax, FedEx and UPS--makes a good deal of sense.