Don’t you just love vanity license plates? I didn’t always used to feel that way. Curmudgeon that I am, I used to say rude things about them. Apologies to all who have listened to me go on and on about our American predilection toward self-promotion.
What vanity tags are, essentially, is an extension of one’s personal brand. As such, they can say a lot about you. Perhaps not always what you might want.
Take, for example, “I LV DCKS,” which a friend reported seeing years ago, before the era of STDs, on a snappy convertible driven by a hot-looking blonde. “Aha,” she thought, “a single girl,” and she and her spouse shared a hearty chuckle. Then there’s the one I saw the other day on a pimped-out Civic with dark-tinted windows and twin shiny chrome pipes. “SCRWLSE” it read, but observing the impeccable appearance of the vehicle and the relatively gentle driving demeanor of the young chap at the wheel, it didn’t quite compute. Maybe he just wants people to think he’s a wild and crazy guy.
Human inventiveness, as applied to license plates, is truly wonderful. I’ve gotten a kick out of “HI OFCR” on a fast red number “IMN8XTC” (Emanate Ecstasy?) on a rather staid sedan, and “GTN HML” (Gott in Himmel) on an impressively high-end Audi.
As for me, maybe I should sport CRTCHTY instead of standard California DMV issue.
What about you? Got any cool license tag branding to report on?
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