Idaho brings back retro ‘famous potatoes’ license plates

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

BOISE – As early as this summer, Idahoans could see retro 1950s-style black and white license plates with World Famous Potatoes on them driving around the state.

The legislature this year approved the vintage plates by an overwhelming combined vote of 99-1.

The license plates will have the word “Idaho” on the top and “World Famous Potatoes” along the bottom. The plates will be all black with white lettering.

Motorists will also have the option to purchase the same type of retro plates that are all white with teal lettering.

But Rep. Doug Pickett, the Republican rancher and spud farmer from Oakley who carried the bill in the House, believes the black and white plate will be the popular one.

“There was terrific demand for the black plate,” he said. “It was pervasive. Everywhere, everyone wanted these black plates.”

Some people might think Idaho potatoes became famous in the 1950s, when Marilyn Monroe famously posed for a photo shoot in a potato sack and when Idaho first began to lead the nation in total potato production.

But the Idaho Potato Commission, which introduced the idea of the retro plates to the Idaho Legislature after doing some research on the history of Idaho license plates, has found Idaho license plates with potatoes on them as far back as 1928.

“Idaho potatoes have been famous for a long time,” said IPC President and CEO Jamey Higham.

In addition to regular registration fees, people who want one of the new, old plates will pay $70 for them, with $25 going to the IPC and $45 to the state highway account.

The renewal fee for the plates will be $50, with $15 going to the commission, which is completely funded by the state’s potato industry and receives no taxpayer funds.

Idaho legislators have tried to put the brakes on new, specialty license plates but these ones technically aren’t really new. They’re just retro, or throwback plates.

“It’s not even a new plate; we’re just kind of re-imagining that (old) plate,” said Sam Eaton, the IPC’s vice president of legal and government affairs.

Two decades ago, there was a movement by some people to remove potatoes from Idaho license plates. Now, spuds are not only on the regular red, white and blue license plates but they will be on the retro plates as well for people who choose to purchase them.

Not only that, but thousands of people turn out every year in the bitter cold to watch a large potato lowered in Boise to ring in the new year and an estimated 25,000 people turned out just to celebrate the humble spud last year in Kleiner Memorial Park in Meridian.

“The way the state has embraced being the potato state is pretty cool to watch because it hasn’t always been that way in my lifetime,” says Higham, who turns 59 this year.

Higham said he believes it’s a point of pride for most Idahoans to have potatoes on their license plates.

“I think everybody probably has a little different idea about it, but I think that Idaho has fully embraced being famous for potatoes,” he said. “I think it’s a point of pride for a lot of people.”

Eaton said that not only native Idahoans but newcomers as well have embraced living in a state most known for potatoes.

“I think people moving here have really embraced the image of Idaho being associated with potatoes,” he said.

The IPC was founded in 1937 to promote Idaho potatoes. Having spuds on the state’s license plates helps accomplish that mission.

Eaton calls it “an advertisement on wheels.”

Higham has no idea how many people will purchase the retro plates but suspects they will be popular.

“Who knows for sure how this black plate will do, but I think people are going to go crazy about it and it will be real popular,” he said. “It’s exciting. I can’t wait until I see the first one on the road.”