Letterbugs

When the first auto license plate was issued in New York State in 1901, the licensee's initials were required to be on the plate, and the temptation to personalize automobile ownership has persisted. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, inventive drivers can, for an added fee, tag their cars with letters of their own choosing. Of course, choices that make use of ethnic epithets or sexual innuendoes are screened.

Car owners in Texas have shown singular flair. For their 1974 plates, 56,000 Texans decided to stamp their characters on their cars, a personality display so fascinating to Houston's Harriett Adams that she has brought out a book on the subject called Who's Who on Texas Highways & Bi-ways. A dermatologist selected SKIN for his plate, a surgeon chose CUT UP, and a dentist picked SAY AHH. The owner of a mattress shop took SLEEP, a salvage contractor used JUNKIE, and a pharmacist chose PILL. Various Volkswagen owners have labeled their beetles LUV BUG, V-DBL-U and EL BUG. Ernest Campbell of Dallas could not resist SOUP, and Eli H. Lipton of the same city coyly selected T BAGS. Clergymen have embraced such identifications as 4 JESUS and TRY GOD. OOOOPS was the plate that one man rather cruelly chose for his accident-prone wife. But no Texas couple seems to have found quite the far-out felicity of a California husband and wife. His car's license plate: TARZAN. Hers: MEJANE.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.