Find out which NM city is featured in USPS board game

Dec. 30—Representation matters and one New Mexico town gets the honor of being featured in "USPS: The Great American Mail Race."

It is the officially licensed board game by Big Potato Games and the United States Postal Service.

The board game relies on players acting as USPS postal workers on a trek to deliver as much mail as possible to some of the best named towns in America, including Elephant Butte, which has a population of just under 1,500.

"It's kind of like 'Monopoly' so they just wanted to recreate that nostalgic feel with the USPS," said Heather Lacerra, account coordinator at LKPR.

"Big Potato Games is a UK company and they were just in collaboration with the USPS and just wanted that feel in a board game, so they researched a bunch of towns in America that have wacky names like Elephant Butte."

The city of Elephant Butte was named after a nearby butte that looks like an elephant.

Elephant Butte Reservoir is five miles north of Truth or Consequences and is the 84th largest man-made lake.

Though Elephant Butte is unique, it is not the only interesting name in the game.

"There was other towns with interesting names like Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and Bean Station, Tennessee, so you get the idea of this game," Lacerra said.

Each player must plan their mail route with official USPS transportation, but must stay on the lookout for rival carriers who might take their mail.

"So there's some significant background stories with a lot of these towns and it's very interesting for you know, any reader, you know, that resonates with the city or has lived there a long time," Lacerra said. "I think it's just a part of history, and people love to learn, you know, about their surroundings."

Lacerra said "USPS: The Great American Mail Race" is loaded with nostalgia such as a replica mail collection box stamper and 13 official methods of transportation, from the Pony Express to a hot air balloon.

"You look up the area and there's actually some interesting history that goes along with some of these towns that I looked up personally," Lacerra said. "For example, there was one town in a Booger Hole, West Virginia, and that town was actually haunted."

In the early 1900s, Booger Hole was subjected to a series of murders and booger was the term used for "bogeyman." The exact number of murders went unreported due to fear of retaliation in the area.

This game is currently available at Target for $34.99.

"It is really fun and a really good family game," Lacerra said. "It is lightly strategic so it definitely takes a little bit of time to get the hang of it."

Find the game

"USPS: The Great American Mail Race" is available at Target or at Target.com for $34.99 plus taxes