Last week I was contacted Monica Sotomayor, a journalist from FlashNews, who loved “the quirky concept” of my blog and wrote a story about my site for the news wire.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Ugly Mailboxes Make Neighbors Go Postal
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Wireless Flash – FlashNews) – Some people go postal over the sight of an ugly mailbox.

Uglymailbox.com is a website that features pictures of hideous, weird, and unique mailboxes from all over the world.

Among the wacky creations is a mailbox shaped like a microwave, a mailbox held up by an elaborate tin robot, one shaped like a circus caravan – lion and all – and one in the likeness of the Taj Mahal.

Site founder Linda Fannin-Church believes people deck out their mailboxes as a form of self-expression, though really tacky ones can cause trouble with neighbors.

She once posted a picture of a mailbox shaped like a weird deer and people from its Michigan neighborhood bombarded her website with disapproving comments.

They complained that the mailbox was so ugly, it was making the entire neighborhood look bad and demanded reform.

However, not everyone hates manic mailboxes.

Fannin-Church imagines that the creative ones make postal workers smile because it breaks up the monotony of their route, though she has yet to hear feedback from an actual mailman.

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As a result I was asked to do a couple radio “phoners”, one with Phil Parker of pH pHactor on KFYR in Bismark, North Dakota. Then I spoke with Brent Farris from KZST -Sonoma County, CA.

I have the recording of the KFYR show. UglyMailbox Radio Interview

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who’s submitted mailbox photos, subscribed to my site, visited and commented.

It’s nice to know that crazy has company

Love it or hate it, it’s the “holidays” and if you’re not in the spirit yet, perhaps these mailboxes will inspire you.

From the Ed Witles collection:

And from Teresa M.

I just recently purchased and painted a mailbox planter that sits on top of my mailbox and attaches underneath. I have decorated it for Thanksgiving and will be changing it out for Christmas. It’s a great idea and I look forward to spring when I can plant it in real annuals. If interested you can find it at creativemailboxplanters.com It is made of an eco-friendly plastic so it should last for several years to come.

Thanks Teresa and Mr. Witles for sharing your Turkey day mailboxes with us.

Can’t forget to include a mailbox for the other side:

You can get this one from Mailboxes and Stuff.

Since this week is the Democratic National Convention, you can show your support by buying one of these:

From somewhere like Pinehill Woodcrafts or Mailboxes and Stuff.

Just a note, I don’t care who you’re voting for and I likely won’t approve any political commentary.  This is a blog about crazy mailboxes, not Presidential canidates.

This is another one of Ed Witles’ mailbox creations. He has a wonderful imagination!

The third week of May is Mailbox Improvement Week. The U.S. Postal Service is asking all homeowners to inspect and repair their mailboxes to improve the appearance of their mailboxes, as well as fix any issues that will bring their boxes up to official standards.

Common problems that need to be fixed:

• Loose hinges on a mailbox door.
• Rusting or peeling paint
• Remounting a mailbox post if loosened.
• Replacing or adding house numbers.
• Raising or lowering due to heaving to 40”-46” from the ground to bottom of box (height reqs vary so check with your local post office)

The Postal Service makes this annual request because of the wear and tear that occurs to mailboxes every year.

In honor of this week I’ll be posting some past and present attempts at “Mailbox Improvement” along with some tips.

Here’s my neighbors attempts at meeting the USPS height requirements.

and one that obviously isn’t tall enough.

We were visiting some friends recently in Palm City when we spotted this cute homemade blue tractor mailbox.

That should give you some ideas of what to do with old wagon and lawnmower wheels.

Here’s the latest curbside art from Ed Witles. I’m always surprised by his ingenuity, whether he’s making whimsical mailboxes like the stuffed animal Christmas tree or more earnest displays such as the Taj Mahal

If you’re a new visitor, use the search function for “witles” to view more of his mailbox art.

I found these two mailboxes around the corner from each other in a neighborhood not far from home. Which if you’ve been following, is where I take all my mailbox pictures. South Florida, we have the highest foreclosure rate and ugly mailboxes. Maybe there’s a connection there.

This concrete disaster resides a few neighborhoods over from me. I guess L and E are their initials? I’ve heard of monogrammed towels and shirts, but mailboxes?

Speaking of disasters, I get Google Alerts for all things mailboxes, you know I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything… I’ve noticed a trend. There are only two types of mailboxes in the news, (with the exception of that one that got hit by a meteorite), the exploding ones and the ones that get hit by cars and win. Today’s mailbox would definitely fall into that category.  Sadly, attempts to fortify mailboxes against vandals and bad drivers are resulting in death and injury.  Something to think about before you brick up your mailbox, especially if you live on a busy road.