255FEET

Yeah, I don't get it, either.

Verdict: 255 feet. Google is no help.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

EE OR

In case you're not a Winnie the Pooh fan, this plate honors one of literature's most-loved donkeys. And see, the really funny part is that his tail keeps falling off and his friends have to pin it back on.

At least I think that's the story. It's been a while since I've read any Pooh.

A Gloomy Gus, Eeyore is a cock-eyed pessimist with a Cockney accent. I guess this is two plates in a row with a Cockney theme.

I can only hope I run across some Oliver Twist-themed plates in the future.

Side note: Yes, that's a stuffed Eeyore in the back window.

Verdict: Eeyore.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

POOKEE

Oh, so cute. It says Pookee. At least it doesn't say Pookel.

Verdict: Pookee. I don't know what that means.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

GB PKRS

I'll never understand putting vanity plates on a minivan. And I'll never understand being a Green Bay Packers fan.

There are no fans in the world worse than Green Bay Packers fans. I say this not as a Minnesota Vikings fan, but as a human being who has to listen to the Carl Gerbschmidts of the world. Win or lose, you can count on Packers fans to be chumbolones.

Please send all hate mail to idontcareaboutyouropinion@cheeseeaters.com.

Verdict: Green Bay Packers... suck.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

ELO LUV

This plate is all sorts of awesome. I mean, ELO LUV?

Now, I'll admit that I'm not the biggest ELO fan, but even I can get behind this one.

Electric Light Orchestra was a British rock group from Birmingham, England, that released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO was formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. After Wood's departure following the band's debut record, Lynne wrote and arranged all of the group's original compositions and produced every album.

Despite early singles success in the United Kingdom, the band was initially more successful in the United States, billed as "The English guys with the big fiddles." They soon gained a cult following despite lukewarm reviews back in their native United Kingdom. By the mid-1970s, they had become one of the biggest selling bands in music. From 1972 to 1986, ELO accumulated 27 Top 40 hit singles in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The group also scored 20 Top 20 United Kingdom hit singles, as well as 19 Top 20 hit singles in the United States Billboard charts. The band also holds the record for having the most Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits of any band in chart history without ever having a No. 1 single.

ELO collected 19 CRIA, 21 RIAA, and 38 BPI awards, and sold well over 50 million records worldwide, not including singles.

Or maybe they're just trying to say hello, Love. I would prefer ELOGVNR, myself.

Verdict: Hello, Love... in a Cockney accent.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

FATTY79

I don't know what this plate means, and I don't care. Today's plate entry is entirely sensationalistic. FATTY79 is a junker of an old Chevy, of note for one reason.

FATTY79 made the newspaper in the investigation of a killing over an iPod. Below is a photo. That is police evidence tape on FATTY79, most likely marking blood splatter. Just out of frame is a body. Read all about it here.

Verdict: Someone fat was born in 1979. Or they like to smoke fatties.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

M8KITSO

Oh, so close. In trying to go all Jean-Luc Picard on this plate, the owner mistook 8 for A. Mate kit so just doesn't cut it... unless there's a bridge on this Grand Caravan.

But it's still cooler than my plate.

On a serious note: Why are there so many vanity plates on minivans in this state?

Verdict: Make it so.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

LEGOS

I guess I need not spend too much time on this one. I did go up to the truck to make sure it wasn't made of Legos.

Verdict: Legos, of course.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

TSCHUS

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are a lot of Germans in North Dakota. It's fitting that this German-language plate is on a German car... most likely driven by a person of German descent.

Verdict: Tschüs, German for goodbye (or, as my dictionary indicates, "cheerio").

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

REZ RKT

There's no especially delicate way to explain this plate, so I'll just dive right in. A rez runner is a term for a vehicle (most often a junker) that is owned by someone who lives on an Indian reservation. The term has been co-opted by those living on said reservations, as demonstrated by this vanity plate. Obviously refering to a rez rocket, you'd think it would be attached to a vehicle other than a minivan.

We can all dream.

Verdict: Rez rocket.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

ST6XLRS

I won't even comment on the insanity one must possess in order to commemorate his favorite team on his license plate. What I'm wondering is what this guy was thinking while watching Super Bowl XLV. On the one hand, the Pittsburgh Steelers are clearly his favorite team. On the other hand, if the Steelers won Super Bowl XLV, they would have a total of seven Lombardi trophies, thus negating the 6X part of this plate.

Don't get me wrong, I think the substitution is a clever way to get a Steelers plate when all the good permutations are already taken. But this dude had to be trying to figure out how much the fees were going to cost him to get a new plate.

Then again, I suppose it's a small price to pay for a fan this great.

And I just realized that this entire blog assumes a male owner of this Geo Tracker. Fifteen years ago, this would be a safe assumption... but now they're making form-fitting women's football jerseys. Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe this is a gal. One thing is for certain, however. If this vehicle belongs to a woman, she does not have a Ben Roethlisberger jersey. I hope.

Verdict: Steelers times six.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

SNUFFY1

Man... Snuffy must be one badass dude! Oh yeah. Did I mention he drives a Geo Metro? Not even a Chevy Metro... a GEO Metro.

Verdict: Snuffy... whatever that means.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

SLPRRR

I guess a narcoleptic drives this. I'll bet if you see this Civic, it's drifting between lanes.

Or maybe this person is just a Woody Allen fan.

One question... Wouldn't a bunch of Zs make more sense than a bunch of Rs? Like SLPRZZZ? Maybe I'm just crazy.

Verdict: Sleeper.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

NEWSGUY

Who would have thought that a member of the media establishment would be seen in a rusty Nissan? Anyone who's ever worked for said establishment.

Verdict: News guy. Send your guesses to ndpl8s@gmail.com.  Everyone who sends in the correct answer will be awarded the same bonus paid to all members of the Bismarck Tribune newsroom last year.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

ZITT

Well, now... I guess ZIT was taken.

Verdict: Zit.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

GOTTMLK

The reference is obvious, especially when one considers the plate holder: 60th Dairy Princess. Two simple Google searches with correct terms yield the name of the owner of this Grand Am. I guess it's a big deal to be North Dakota Dairy Princess.  It looks like they give you a used Pontiac with vanity plates.

Verdict: Got milk?

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

JP FRK

You'd think a Jeep freak would have one helluva ride. It turns out that this person is probably just a Jeep appreciator.

Verdict: Jeep freak.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

CRAM1

Side note first: This is the Lewis and Clark series of North Dakota license plates authorized by the Legislature about a decade ago. The idea was to commemorate the Corps of Discovery wandering through the state in 1804 and 1806. This was supposed to generate tourism... or something.

Anyway, despite the obvious "CRAM ONE!" take on this plate, there is a sane reason for it. It's C-Ram, Inc., a local business. I suppose CRAM1 is better than CRAM2.

Verdict: C-Ram, Inc. Visit them at www.c-ram.com.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

ABWEHR

North Dakotans generally fall into three categories: Germans, Norwegians, and the other forty-five people. The German part is especially true in the south-central region of the state, where this photo was taken. Abwehr is German for defense. Is this person perhaps an assistant junior high football coach?

Verdict: Abwehr, German for defense.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

DBL EGL

There are few groups of people who are more likely to have a vanity plate than golfers. I predict that DBL EGL is not the first golf-themed plate we come across in North Dakota... which is sort of surprising when you stop to consider that the golf season in the state is approximately four months long.

Verdict: Double eagle. Jealous much?

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

BACK DR

Now, the obvious solution to this puzzle is back doctor. But what about back door?

Yeah, I know. It's back doctor. A back door man wouldn't be seen in this grocery-getter.

Verdict: Back doctor.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)

FOXYBOX

I do not know the owner of this vehicle, so I cannot attest to the motivation behind this delicious plate. FOXYBOX obviously refers to the vehicle, the very boxy, somewhat foxy, Scion xB. But I refuse to believe that the owner of this xB didn't also realize certain individuals (like me) would draw conclusions other than the obvious.

Verdict: Foxy box... the car being the box.

(See a vanity plate in your state? Take a photo and send it to ndpl8s@gmail.com.)