Beginning September 1, Oklahoma car owners will have the opportunity to get a new license plate. The new plate is extremely opposite from the previous versions in color and design.
The plate pays homage to Oklahoma’s first state flag and features the star-46 icon on a red background. The design also has elements from Oklahoma’s past and adds modern touches to conform to the state’s marketing brand.
Along with the state’s logo, the plate has a tagline saying “Imagine That.” Unveiled four years ago, the tagline conveys hope that Oklahoma is a state that “surprised people by defying expectations, providing countless opportunities and inviting audiences to dream of their own personal potential.”
Typically, the state logo is set on an array of colors reflecting the earth, sky, water, agriculture and forest. However, the license plate is way more simplified.
The new color scheme is described as “a white star in the middle of the brand” and it “is a powerful symbol of America on the original flag of the state. The chevrons outlining the star acknowledge Oklahoma’s military.”
The Commerce Department said the “elements form a circle and direct energy inward, highlighting Oklahoma as a hub at the center of America.”
The new license plate also pays homage to the original flag logo. It is a star-46 and was the first one that appeared on an official state flag.
It took Oklahoma four years to adopt the star-46 logo. However, it was replaced by a different version in 1925, one that is nearly identical to the current flag that flies today. The star-46 logo refers to the fact that Oklahoma was the 46th state to join the union.
The new plage design has a menagerie of hand-drawn symbols representing different aspects of Oklahoma’s culture. One of the designs is an American bison, representing the state mammal. Often mistaken for a buffalo, there are an estimated 7,000 bison in Oklahoma.
The wind turbine symbol stands for the turbines across the state. It’s estimated that Oklahoma produced more wind energy in 2023 than all but three states.
Another hand-drawn logo on the plate is the Skydance Bridge. It represents the bridge over Interstate 40 in Oklahoma City. The bridge was dedicated in 2012, and resembles the state bird, the scissortail flycatcher.
The Oklahoma City National MemorialandMuseum logo represents the Gates of Time, the twin bronze gates that lead visitors into the memorial.
The red-tailed hawk drawing depicts the state raptor, also known as the “chickenhawk.”
One of the logos represents two different Oklahoma pieces of history. The Route 66 and Pops sculpture. Pops is a restaurant along Route 66 in Arcadia known for its wide variety of soda. The location features a 66-foot-tall, LED-list artistic sculpture of a soda bottle.
The Sacred Rain Arrow statue represents the bronze statue located at Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum. A photo of the statue was on a license plate from 2009 to 2016.
The drawing of the waving wheat represents one of Oklahoma’sbiggesteconomic drivers. The Golden Driller pays tribute to the iconic state monument in Tulsa. One of the tallest statues in Oklahoma, it is approximately half the size of the Statue of Liberty.
The plate also has a crescent moon with three stars and a pair of fluffy clouds accenting it to represent the Oklahoma sky.
When the DMV posted on social media about the new design, it received mixed reactions.
Many Oklahomans didn’t like the red background, calling it “too Russian.”
OklahomagovernorKevin Stitt tried to put a positive spin on the new plate.
'No matter where you drive in America, everyone will see Oklahoma’s unique identity in an awesome way,” Stitt said. “Can’t wait to see the new license plates out on the roads!'
Some posters are on the fence about the new design.
'It was time for the bird to go, but this is a bit blah,' one Twitter user said.