Have something to mail? This is the droid you're looking for

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By LAURA SCHREIER / Lincoln Journal Star

Yes, that is R2-D2 hanging out by the old Federal Building at 10th and P streets, as if patiently waiting to roll across 10th.

Not the real thing, sadly, but a pretty close visual approximation – it’s the usual downtown mailbox, dressed up as everybody’s favorite “Star Wars” robot sidekick in honor of an upcoming U.S. Postal Service stamp.

Lincoln and about 200 other cities get their own replicas – 400 mailboxes in all – to promote a new stamp, said Christy Funcke, customer relations coordinator for the Lincoln Post Office.

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The R2-D2 mail box on 10th Street is part of a promotion for a "Star Wars" commemorative stamp the U.S. Postal Service will unveil March 29. (Dan Eldridge)

The R2-D2 mail box on 10th Street is part of a promotion for a "Star Wars" commemorative stamp the U.S. Postal Service will unveil March 29. (Dan Eldridge)

The stamp’s unveiling will be March 29 in honor of the movie’s 30-year anniversary.

Aware of how fanatical “Star Wars” fans can be, the postal service has alerted local law enforcement to keep an eye out for potential R2-D2 thefts, Funcke said.

While it might be tempting to nab the little droid as a rare personal collectable, tampering with mailboxes is a federal offense, she said.

Also mindful of a recent Boston terrorist scare during a Cartoon Network movie promotion, the post office made sure to tell Homeland Security about their plans, Funcke said.

R2-D2 was a natural fit because the squat little fellow resembled a mailbox’s shape, anyway, Funcke said, but the promotion was appropriate in other ways, too.

“(R2-D2) is a fun, feisty little character,” Funcke said. “He embodies the trust and dependability for which the post office is renowned.”

Reach Laura Schreier at lschreier@journalstar.com.