# 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:** 155
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3081 "2026-05-09T18:42:23Z")
Apparently so 🤣 Today I was following a small red truck with a bed filled with scrap metal and a plate reading **IM PAPOU**. No idea on 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:** [May 9, 2026, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3082 "2026-05-09T20:59:24Z")
Papou is _probably_ a French origin nickname akin to Papa or Grandpa. Around here that’d signal the guy driving the truck is a very well-worn old Haitian man. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3083 "2026-05-10T02:24:41Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > **IM PAPOU**. No idea on that one. I can confirm what @LSLGuy wrote that in French Papou is a very common endearing way to say grand father. I feel that is better than having **IMM␣LAW** which I saw today on a Cadillac which had a baby on board sticker and three older gentlemen go out of on their way to a Total Wine & More store. I could not ascertain which one of them was the LAW. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3084 "2026-05-10T07:11:32Z")
My first post on the SDMB in a long, long time, but my all-time favorite is a beautiful dark green Chevy SS that I saw one time with the tag SSLEEPR My own car is a 1996 Honda S-MX Lowdown with the tag SMXY, which I was quite proud of myself for getting ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3085 "2026-05-10T10:03:18Z")
I’m at a weekend gathering of over 100 Porsche 356s in San Luis Obispo, and many of the cars have personalized plates. Here’s a pic of my car. [![](https://i.imgur.com/soBzKn7.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/soBzKn7.jpg) San Luis Obispo, or SLO, was a theme on some plates: SLO, and slow. 356s are sometimes called tubs, or bathtubs because of the body design. Outlaws are the 356s restored and modified with updated, sometimes non-Porsche components. Some of the 356s were Speedsters, and some were 356As, or 356Bs, or356Cs. With that, here are some of the personalized plates I saw here. **HUBS TUB** **356B POR** **OUTLAW A** **BILL 356** **GRT 356** **356B** — Washington plates **SPSTER** — Washington plates **TYP356A** **3FIVE6** **356TOAD** **MSRJ356** **SLO TUB** **FREDL OK** **63 PRCHE** **356MEIN** **TWETPIE** = tweetie pie **SENF356** **GRN TEEZ** on a green 356 **A59 356A** **TUB BLUE** **BLUE CPE** Finally, here are some of my pics from this weekend’s event. It was a great gathering and we had some beautiful weather in San Luis Obispo. Weekend in San Luis Obispo [[Album] Weekend in San Luis Obispo ![](https://i.imgur.com/wGUR4Kn.jpeg?fb "Weekend in San Luis Obispo") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/9kbsjw9) ---
**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:** [May 10, 2026, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3086 "2026-05-10T10:27:55Z")
> [@icon](#): > > I feel that is better than having **IMM␣LAW** which I saw today Probably a lawyer who practices immigration law. And is having a very hair-tearing last couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3087 "2026-05-10T17:04:58Z")
> [@icon](#): > > I can confirm what @LSLGuy wrote that in French Papou is a very common endearing way to say grand father. Interesting… I never thought of that. I’ve seen several plates that mean something in Spanish and even one that I think was a Burmese name but this would be my first French plate. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3088 "2026-05-10T17:36:42Z")
Yesterday and today so far’s haul. Nothing too exciting: - **VITNE11** on a FL standard plate on a BMW M3. Maybe it’s a play on the German pronunciation of “W” as the English sound “V”. So that car belongs to Whitney. Otherwise I have no ideas. - **RED⎵BTMS** on a FL standard plate on a BMW SUV. Perhaps they’re fans of Louboutin shoes? Or maybe they have a spanking kink? The kink is probably cheaper than the shoes even after they invest in a whole slew of paddles. - **PSIOP** on a FL 5-character US Army booster plate on a black pickup truck. Presumably somebody who worked in **[Psychological Operations | U.S. Army](https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/specialty-careers/special-ops/psychological-operations)**. Or liked to claim he did. - **SHARK⎵W** on a FL standard plate on another black pickup truck. No other identifying marks. Shark fishing is a common sport around here, or maybe a nickname? - **INA⎵KIT** on a FL 7-character golf booster plate on a bright red Porsche Boxster. Sometimes “Ina” stands for “I’m not a”. And no, this was a real Boxster, not a fiberglass body on a VW pan. Ina is also a woman’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3089 "2026-05-10T23:14:27Z")
An SUV with **GEES**. I can only hope that they have another car with **BEE**. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3090 "2026-05-11T07:39:33Z")
I _ **cannot** _ believe this owner got away with this one! **KSMYAHH** ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3091 "2026-05-11T14:12:29Z")
**KSMYAHH** , here are pics of it. [[Album] The DMV approved KSMYAHH for someone??? INCONCEIVABLE!!! ![](https://i.imgur.com/rd6GDqw.jpeg?fb "The DMV approved KSMYAHH for someone??? INCONCEIVABLE!!!") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/Kram0B0) ---
**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:** [May 11, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3092 "2026-05-11T15:24:01Z")
IIRC here in FL there is an online form to report what you believe to be an offensive plate. I don’t know how many reports it takes to trigger an official review. Probably more than one, but not many. If CA DMV has a similar feature, evidently this one is sailing over the heads of the bluenoses. The rest of us can just applaud. But quietly so as not to call attention. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3093 "2026-05-11T18:26:42Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > IIRC here in FL there is an online form to report what you believe to be an offensive plate. I don’t know how many reports it takes to trigger an official review. Probably more than one, but not many. In the late '80s, when I was in grad school in Wisconsin, I had a classmate whose personalized plate was **PEN1S** – I actually did see the plate, so it’s not an urban legend. This was in the early days of personalized plates, and somehow slipped through the DMV’s censors; I would strongly suspect that it would have been rejected today. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3094 "2026-05-11T18:48:56Z")
This was a headscratcher. Seen today: NOTACULT. Nothing else on the car. No indication of what the person believed. Are they being sarcastic or ironic? Are they a Scientologist and defending their belief? Are they MAGA and want it known they don’t think it’s a cult? I will never 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:** [May 11, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3095 "2026-05-11T19:54:50Z")
It wasn’t on a Dodge Colt, was it? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3096 "2026-05-11T20:36:58Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It wasn’t on a Dodge Colt, was it? Unfortunately no. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3097 "2026-05-11T20:43:34Z")
Ok. I got nuthin too. Damn! ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3098 "2026-05-12T02:04:44Z")
This one had me scratching my head at first. **WVUVW** On a VW Jetta It’s like a literal and mental tongue twister, as well as being a palindrome, but I think it could be: West Virginia U Volkswagen ---
**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:** [May 12, 2026, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3099 "2026-05-12T03:35:34Z")
I’m surprised they were willing to matriculate an automobile. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3100 "2026-05-12T16:22:41Z")
**BK BETE** on a Honda Accord coupe. I’ve seen BK used as an abbreviation for “bankruptcy” before, and maybe BETE is “Betty”? So maybe a bankruptcy attorney named Betty? The car was mildly interesting as well just because that’s a body style you don’t often see anymore on midsize cars. **NMRYMUM** on a Kia Niro. North Monterey Mum? There were no stickers or anything, apart from one Lyft sticker (But no Uber sticker, strangely. Most rideshare drivers seem to drive for both). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=154) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=156)