# Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965 "2023-11-11T02:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/221 "2024-02-05T18:46:25Z")
From my brother who saw this in San Diego: the upper section of the frame says “HELLO” the bottom says “My name is Inigo Montoya” and the license plate says **YKMFPTD** ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/222 "2024-02-08T19:00:52Z")
Saw one today on an otherwise nondescript late model pickup truck: **I B WILL**. The guy driving was a plausible age to be a William. Not too exciting but a bit clever. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/223 "2024-02-09T05:27:36Z")
Oh I like that one. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/224 "2024-02-10T21:28:09Z")
I saw a very surprising one today. Unfortunately circumstances didn’t permit me taking a pic, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Tesla Model 3 with **MF KING**. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/225 "2024-02-11T17:28:52Z")
I was halfway home before I realized it’s probably “Boo to you, too” as opposed to “Boo to U2”. [![](https://i.imgur.com/KiRAMuv.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/KiRAMuv.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/226 "2024-02-11T19:02:40Z")
I saw a 4Runner last night with the license plate 4WANDER ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/227 "2024-02-13T20:08:18Z")
An old (late-'80s/early-'90s) full-sized Ford sedan pulled in front of me on the freeway this morning. (Funny-looking car. From behind it looked like all of the tires were too narrow, and the rear window seemed a little too large. Oh, and the stuffed animals the guy had on the back shelf looked funny too.) Anyway, his license plate was **IMAHERO**. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/228 "2024-02-14T18:48:47Z")
Some 33-ish years ago I spotted one obviously owned by a chemistry student: PANDNH4. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/229 "2024-02-21T18:27:26Z")
Weird. Today in the car I was playing some of my music that I haven’t heard in a long time. I was listening to Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer when I pulled up behind a truck that had the plate “AXELL”. 😬 This means something! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/230 "2024-02-21T22:58:06Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > This means something! I wish I could find the ‘This means something!’ clip from _Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind_. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/231 "2024-02-22T00:20:27Z")
That’s exactly what I was quoting! I didn’t expect anyone to recognize it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/232 "2024-02-22T00:29:24Z")
Yesterday I wished I could find a clip from _The Brothers Grunt_. ‘Let’s celebrate!’ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/233 "2024-02-22T00:33:46Z")
Yesterday here in Florida I saw an Alabama plate that was **A0A0BN8** or **AOAOBN8**. I worked on variations of “I owe, I owe, …” and “…binate” (like part of a chemical name) for a couple minutes as I followed this too-clever driver down the road. Then I noticed that along the bottom below the main numbers it said “FLEET”. Pretty well telling me this was just a consecutive random number among many. Oops. In other news, I saw Santa’s face in a cloud last week. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/234 "2024-02-22T02:35:06Z")
Way back in the day when California first started offering vanity plates a columnist for _The Los Angeles Times_ would sporadically have mention ones spotted in his column, much like this thread. He got behind an auto sporting **714 LBS** and got curious what it meant. Weight lifter or circus fat lady, maybe? Perhaps a glimpse of the driver might give a clue so with some effort he managed to get alongside and glanced over. No help; the driver was an ordinary-looking bloke. Then it dawned on the columnist the plate was just a plain ol’ regular issue one. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/235 "2024-02-22T13:49:11Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Then it dawned on the columnist the plate was just a plain ol’ regular issue one. I once had a Suburban with the license plate SNW 365. Regular Oregon issue, not a vanity plate. Many people thought it _was_ a vanity plate and that I was one of those freaks that wanted snow all year. I ended up selling it for scrap after some spectacular mechanical failures; I really wish I had saved one of the plates before I got rid of it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/236 "2024-02-22T14:16:10Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > No help; the driver was an ordinary-looking bloke. Then it dawned on the columnist the plate was just a plain ol’ regular issue one. 🙄 The fact that 714 was then the sole telephone area code for all of outlying southern California beyond central Los Angeles which was 213 also offered a host of possible explanations for the custom plate. 714 plus 213 pretty well defined the _LA Times_’ subscription catchment area. When I read your post and got to the plate number my mind jumped right into the area code idea and tried to parse the “LBS” part into a city name, a catchy slogan, something about the phone company, etc. ETA: [silly story / aside] For some reason I can remember the license plates of my first couple of cars which had been my parents’ cars when I was a kid. But none of the umpteen plates since. My post just triggered the memory that my first car when I started driving, which my parents bought new when I was ~7, was California **NHS 954**. And now, ~58 years later, I live in what’s predominantly the 954 area code in Florida. I’ve gone a long way to come full circle. Sorta. Hmm. “I’ll take meaningless coincidences for $200, Alex”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/237 "2024-02-23T14:59:14Z")
I saw one on a white Tesla yesterday: **WHJLYBN** ‘What ho, Jelly Bean!’ ? ‘White House jelly bean’? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/238 "2024-02-23T19:12:31Z")
I think it’s just “white jelly bean”; no deeper than that. They do have that plump jelly-bean look. And the thing is white. Most folks with personalized plates are not creative geniuses. They’re the folks you see in line at the DMV; you know, Murricans!. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/239 "2024-02-23T19:36:51Z")
It didn’t occur to me that WH would mean ‘white’, but your guess does seem likely to be true. I used to like seeing a blue Volvo when I lived in L.A. Its licence plate was BLU VOVO. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/240 "2024-02-24T00:32:58Z")
Someone around here had a cream colored beemer with the plate CREME [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=13)