yea babey

okay. okay. sit tight because i think tennessee might honestly be my favorite state re: plates. i mean where do i begin. i guess let's get the BAD out of the way first. here's tennessee's current standard issue plate, since 2022:

so, kind of boring, right? just blue and white, lackluster font... not a ton going for it. it's a nice blue, at least they have the state outline, it's pretty recognizable... i guess. but overall - pretty boring.

BUT. UNDER THE SURFACE OF ITS LACKLUSTER CURRENT PLATE!!! tennessee holds some of the most baller fucking plates ever. like FIRST OF ALL look at the PREVIOUS standard issue plates, from 2000 and 2006 respectively:

LOOK AT THESE!!! i'm... gasp!! the sunrise over the hill (IN THE SHAPE OF THE STATE) alongside the blue, pretty font of the state and the "sounds good to me"... WONDERFUL???!!!??? SO GOOD?!?!

and the 2006 one... a little less pretty i suppose. but, look! still very pretty - a lovely cursive font with shadow, and the serene green hill background... still so lovely.

and remember that these were previous STANDARD ISSUE PLATES. tennessee has a SLEW of WONDERFUL specialty plates with incredibly unique designs!! like, look at the agriculture one!!

i love this plate so much. the jaunty lowercase green cursive font, the highlighter-yellow rising sun over the striped rolling fields... ohhh my god. it's so cute it's SO fun.

and look at this gorgeous smoky mountains one:

the wonderful purple + orange combo, the sun rising over the vaulting mountain ranges... ahhh!!!

and tennessee has a bunch of wildlife ones too... look at these.

i love the little bear (though honestly i'm mostly obsessed with the weird kerning on the "T" in that one). i love the honeybee support plate that looks like a burt's bees wrapper. i love the TROUT UNLIMITED with just a giant trout on it. WONDERFUL.

(and, tangential to the kerning, but, have you noticed yet how interesting and varied tennessee plates get with their fonts?! SO many states just use the same font over and over - but tennessee specialty plates are so varied, i love it!!)

by the way look at these ARTS ONES!!

like WHOA!!! these are such good arts commission plates?! there is SO MUCH FUN AND WHIMSY CONTAINED IN THESE... these are such wonderful and creative arts plates. and it doesn't stop there, look at THIS arts plate:

i mean, maybe not quite as creative or gorgeous as some of the others, but. come on man. art is...a rainbow. LOVE. LOVE!

alright. two more real big things to note. first of all: dolly parton plate.

holy. fuck. dude. like LET'S FUCKING GO?!?!!?? i want this plate SO BAD. god. i mean what is there to even fucking say. tennessee dolly parton license plate. god.

alright man. ok. and finally. are you ready for the piece de resistance? the thing that really cemented tennessee as my favorite state for plates?

the plates used to be shaped like the state. LIKE. COME ON MAN...! COME ON!!! it's SO perfect it's SO full of joy and wonder. oh my god. Oh my god man. Fuck.

yea babey

yea babey

yea babey

yea babey

yea babey

yea babey

yea babey