# Star Wars and the USPS **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861 "2007-03-28T17:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/21 "2007-05-23T19:06:15Z")
Just bumping this to remind people that (a) the stamps go on sale this Friday, May 25th, and (b) today’s the last day to [vote for the stamp](http://www.uspsjedimaster.com/main/splash.html) that will get a special re-release later this year. Here are the rankings thus far: 1. Yoda 2. Vader 3. Leia & R2 4. Luke 5. Han & Chewie 6. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan 7. Boba Fett ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/22 "2007-05-23T19:59:51Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Phantom of the Opera ($0.32) Dracula ($0.32) Frankenstein ($0.32) The Mummy ($0.32) [/quote] Were these series or stamps for the films themselves or were these part of the Famous Monsters set that came out several years ago? And speaking of which, why doesn’t the USPS reissue the fun stamps like that in the new denominations when the rates go up? I’d love to use some of those on my rare mailed correspondence, or those cool bat ones from a couple years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/23 "2007-05-23T20:24:48Z")
There’s a(n) R2D2 mailbox about five blocks from here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/24 "2007-05-23T20:46:20Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s a(n) R2D2 mailbox about five blocks from here. A slight hijack here, to say that “an” is correct there. It’s the sound that matters, not the letter, and “artoo” starts with a vowel sound. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/25 "2007-05-23T23:10:46Z")
there are quite a few r2d2 mailboxes in philly. i’ve given my mail to them and they delivered! good thing they picked r2d2, i wouldn’t trust c3p0 to deliver my mail. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/26 "2007-05-23T23:31:25Z")
[QUOTE=rocking chair] there are quite a few r2d2 mailboxes in philly. i’ve given my mail to them and they delivered! good thing they picked r2d2, i wouldn’t trust c3p0 to deliver my mail. [/QUOTE] Here’s one I took on [Fifth Avenue in NYC](http://newyork.dulcemichaelanya.com/map/fifth.jpg). Honolulu has one at Ala Moana and one in Waikiki. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/27 "2007-05-24T00:22:36Z")
I’ve heard there is at least one R2D2 mailbox in Philadelphia, but if I’ve seen it it didn’t register. I did notice the one outside Penn Station in NYC (corner 31st and 7th IIRC) when I was passing through in March. The boxes were only a few weeks old then I think, but this one was already heavily splattered with dark muck, thanks to the snowstorm that weekend. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/28 "2007-05-24T00:39:04Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Were these series or stamps for the films themselves or were these part of the Famous Monsters set that came out several years ago? [/QUOTE] It was part of the set of five monster stamps- the Wolf Man was the fifth. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/29 "2007-05-24T16:01:40Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] And speaking of which, why doesn’t the USPS reissue the fun stamps like that in the new denominations when the rates go up? I’d love to use some of those on my rare mailed correspondence, or those cool bat ones from a couple years ago. [/QUOTE] Because those stamps are big revenue generators for collectors. If you started recycling the same images, the demand on the whole would drop off significantly. “Fresh blood” in the selection of stamp images is pretty key, especially now that e-mail, metered mail, and other factors are impacting the general volume of stamps sold in a major way. Oh, and the USPS hasn’t announced the winner yet, but suggests it’s a battle between the “light side” (Yoda) and the “dark side” (Vader). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/30 "2007-05-24T16:45:31Z")
Who is paying for this? Lucas? Or the taxpayer/mail services user? They just raised stamp prices. If one of Bush’s goobs…RAAAAAARRRRRR! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/31 "2007-05-24T17:36:48Z")
Paying for what? Not sure I understand the question. In the long run, the promotional costs of this enterprise will be more than covered by the additional stamps sold (and like I posted earlier, any stamp purchased and not used is pure profit for USPS). Lucasfilm would have given permission to use their copyrighted material, but they won’t get any cut of the sale of the stamps themselves (I believe that’s the law). But they can (and probably will) get a cut of the related merchandise, since Postal stores often sell postcards, keychains, First Day Covers, t-shirts, and other related items. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/32 "2007-05-25T23:21:35Z")
[QUOTE=ryobserver] I’ve heard there is at least one R2D2 mailbox in Philadelphia, but if I’ve seen it it didn’t register. I did notice the one outside Penn Station in NYC (corner 31st and 7th IIRC) when I was passing through in March. The boxes were only a few weeks old then I think, but this one was already heavily splattered with dark muck, thanks to the snowstorm that weekend. [/QUOTE] i’ve seen 3 so far. one i’m sure of on 21st and market (commerce square bldg). i was on walnut somewhere around broad when i spotted another. can’t remember where i saw the 3rd one. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/33 "2007-05-25T23:46:22Z")
[QUOTE=GilaB] I know that the US Post Office isn’t allowed to sell stamps of people who aren’t dead yet, and that this gave them a problem when they wanted to make a Seinfeld stamp - they got stuck with having a picture of Jerry’s empty living room, starring the couch. So how are they able to have stamps with Luke, Leia, Han, etc. on them? None of the actors playing them are dead yet except for Alec Guiness. Have they changed the rules recently? [/QUOTE] I find your lack of faith in the USPS disturbing… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/34 "2007-05-26T00:41:52Z")
There’s a few Artoo mailboxes around here, or so I’ve been told. I’m dying to steal one. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861/35 "2007-05-30T16:03:40Z")
For the record, the winner was [Yoda](http://www.uspsjedimaster.com/main/splash.html). A full sheet of his solo stamp will be available this fall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-and-the-usps/397861.md?page=1)