A postal service already reeling from chaotic finances and dwindling mail volume probably looks at today’s generation of texting/IMing/emailing kids with trepidation. What would normally be a future generation of post office customers probably hasn’t sent a real letter in their entire lives.

So who’s a beleaguered Postmaster-General gonna call?

SpongeBob, of course.

Nickelodeon unveiled a new partnership with the US Postal Service Thursday that encourages kids to write and mail letters the old-fashioned way during the holiday season.

Through January 4, the postal service is stocking postage-paid SpongeBob postcards at its 25,000 post offices. And 30 mailboxes in major cities from Boston to Los Angeles are being wrapped in a special SpongeBob custom design.

A Nick.com microsite also contains step-by-step tutorials teaching kids how to write and mail a letter, as well as video clips from the SpongeBob series that focus on writing.

“This program is a great way to inspire kids to write and send cards and letters because it’s done with the fun, positivity and humor of the one and only SpongeBob SquarePants,” said Pam Kaufman, chief marketing officer and president of consumer products for Nickelodeon.

Elsewhere on the web, Nickelodeon unveiled another SpongeBob partnership Thursday, this time with online auction site eBay.

Mr. Squarepants becomes the first animated character to join eBay Celebrity program alongside the likes of Ellen DeGeneres, Jon Stewart and Charlize Theron.

Through Dec. 7, fans are being given the opportunity to bid on SpongeBob memorabilia and “limited-edition experiences.”

All of the proceeds from the SpongeBob eBay auction will benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council. The network says it’s the first of several Nick-themed auctions on the site during 2014.

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