Missouri License Plate Slogan
Bicentennial
License Plate Slogan of Missouri
License Plate Slogan of Missouri
- Current standard plate inscription
- Bicentennial
- Current design introduced
- October 15, 2018
- Statehood anniversary
- August 10, 2021
- Long-running slogan
- Show Me State
- First Show-Me plate
- 1980
Missouri's Current Bicentennial Plate
Missouri's current standard plate is the Bicentennial design, not a Show Me State plate. The Department of Revenue introduced it on October 15, 2018, so regular renewals would gradually move drivers onto the new design before Missouri's 200th anniversary of statehood on August 10, 2021.
The plate uses the state seal in the center and red and blue waves for the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Because the design was tied to statehood, its identity statement is the Bicentennial theme rather than the older "Show Me State" slogan.
This is the main correction to watch: Missouri's plate-slogan timeline does not run straight from "Show Me State" in 2009 to the present. The Bicentennial plate replaced the bluebird standard plate beginning in 2018.
Where "Show Me" Comes From
The phrase "Show Me" is most often tied to Missouri Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who used the line in an 1899 speech in Philadelphia. The phrase became shorthand for a Missouri character: skeptical, practical, and interested in proof more than polish.
Missouri never made "Show Me State" its official state motto, but the phrase became the state's best-known informal identity. It appeared in tourism language, popular speech, and eventually on license plates.
For context on Missouri's formal state identity, see the Missouri state nickname and Missouri state motto.
Meaning of Bicentennial
Missouri introduced the Bicentennial plate in 2018 to commemorate the state's 200th anniversary of statehood, which occurred on August 10, 2021.
How the Plate Slogans Changed
Missouri used a national Bicentennial inscription in 1976, then moved to its own state identity in 1980 with "SHOW-ME STATE." That slogan stayed on standard plates for decades, first in the hyphenated form and later without the hyphen.
The bluebird base introduced around 2008 is the transition point. License Plate Room records the slogan change as 2009, while plate collectors and image records often identify the bluebird base as a 2008 issue. For readers, the important point is that this was the era when the plate text changed from "SHOW-ME STATE" to "Show Me State."
In 2018, Missouri changed the standard issue again for the statehood Bicentennial design. That made "Bicentennial" the current standard plate theme.
Missouri License Plate Slogans by Era
Missouri's slogan sequence is easiest to read as four confirmed eras: U.S. Bicentennial, Show-Me State, Show Me State, and Missouri Bicentennial.
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The bluebird standard plate era used "Show Me State" without the hyphen. Some plate references date the base to 2008, while License Plate Room records the slogan change under 2009.
Missouri introduced the current Bicentennial standard plate on October 15, 2018, ahead of the August 10, 2021 statehood bicentennial.
All versions
Timeline
Missouri issues a U.S. Bicentennial plate carrying "200YRS," marking the national 1776-1976 anniversary.
Missouri issues a U.S. Bicentennial plate carrying "200YRS," marking the national 1776-1976 anniversary.
"SHOW-ME STATE" appears on Missouri standard plates, giving the state's best-known informal identity a permanent plate presence.
Missouri introduces the bluebird plate base, the design associated with the later unhyphenated "Show Me State" wording.
Missouri introduces the bluebird plate base, the design associated with the later unhyphenated "Show Me State" wording.
License Plate Room records Missouri's slogan as "Show Me State," without the hyphen used on earlier plates.
The Department of Revenue introduces Missouri's Bicentennial standard plate on October 15, replacing the bluebird base through regular renewals.
The Department of Revenue introduces Missouri's Bicentennial standard plate on October 15, replacing the bluebird base through regular renewals.
Missouri reaches its 200th anniversary of statehood on August 10, the anniversary the Bicentennial plate was designed to commemorate.
Can You Match All 50 License Plate Slogans?
Each round shows a license plate and asks which state issued it. Some slogans are instantly recognizable. Others — 'Legendary,' 'Pacific Wonderland,' 'Constitution State' — will make you think. Questions and answer positions shuffle every time.
Take the License Plate Slogans QuizQuick Answers
What is Missouri's current license plate slogan?
When did "SHOW-ME STATE" first appear on Missouri plates?
When did Missouri remove the hyphen from "SHOW-ME STATE"?
Why did Missouri make a Bicentennial license plate?
Is "Show Me State" Missouri's official motto?
What did Missouri's 1976 license plate say?
Sources
- Missouri Department of Revenue - About Missouri License Plates
- Missouri Secretary of State - Missouri State Symbols
- Wikimedia Commons - Vehicle registration plates of Missouri
Missouri State Symbols
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