As Americans, we can’t get enough of showing our individuality. From customizable covers for our phones, to a sports jersey with our own last name, to monogrammed towels, we’ve always been a nation of individuals.
As a business owner, I tip my hat when someone finds a way to make an extra buck off of people’s natural desire to be themselves, so I’ve always been fascinated with the vanity license plate phenomenon. For those unaware, vanity plates are the license plates you see out and about on the road that buck the trend of the typical letter-number combo. For example, instead of CZA-465, vanity plates are the ones that read EZ RIDER or COFENUT.
It’s an indulgence, sure, but it’s fun to let your plate reveal a little bit about your personality. They’re available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and simply require two things at the time you register your tags – a small fee, and approval from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
That’s right – with the power of letting your license plate say whatever you want, comes the responsibility of making it something suitable for all eyes on the road. DMV professionals have a “blue list”, and have banned and revoked license plates referencing drugs, adult content, or even religious and political statements. That doesn’t stop folks from being clever, however, with the numbers, the letters and the actual design of the plate itself. Take a look at these:
Keep (most) Kids off (most) Drugs, I suppose?
I guess if they’re going to get political, they’ll at least take responsibility for it in that big gas guzzler, right?
This one’s just asking to get pulled over for a breathalyzer test every Friday night, isn’t it?
But not all vanity plates have to be silly. Author Stefan Lonce once called vanity plates a form of “minimalist poetry in motion” – the ability to tell a story in eight characters or less. With that in mind, I’m a fan of this story – one we can all relate to:
What about you, do you have a vanity plate? Email me; we’d love to know what it is! What do you think I should get for mine? I’m thinking MTCHMKR, SUPRBOB, or even –
(Have a) GR8WKND,
~Bob
