If You Thought Your License Plates Were Cool, Canada Has One Shaped Like A Polar Bear!
If You Thought Your License Plates Were Cool, Canada Has One Shaped Like A Polar Bear!
Designing a license plate can be tricky. After all, you want your design to be iconic and eye-catching without obscuring important information. The result is a difficult balancing act.
Some states absolutely nail the assignment, like Utah colorful plates depicting the Delicate Arch, or New Mexico's award-winning teal and yellow color scheme. Others miss the mark. For an example, look no further than the muddled mess Georgia replaced its iconic peach pattern with.
Whichever state plate may be your favorite, it undoubtedly pales in comparison to what may to be the coolest license plate in North America—nay, the entire world. You have to be north of the border to see it, and even then sightings can be far and few between. That's right, we're talking about the Northwest Territories' polar bear plates!
Spectacular Northwest Territories
For those of you who aren't familiar with the geography of the Canadian north, there's no shame in pulling up a map to locate the Northwest Territories. Despite the name, NWT is neither the most northerly nor the most western part of Canada, but the name is a hold-over from when the NWT referred to most of Canada that hadn't been settled.
NWT is twice the size of Texas, but far less populated. The most recent census puts the population at around 45,000, comparable to Kenosha, WI. 45,000 people that is; if you add the polar bear population it's closer to 50,000.
Given the relatively rural location well into the 20th century, NWT didn't require vehicle registration plates until 1941. This may seem relatively late, but highways and even roads weren't as common as they were in "the south". There wouldn't be a major uptick in southerly traffic for over 20 years, when the Mackenzie Highway was opened.
The first NWT plates, like most 1940s plates, were drab, with simple colors and standardized designs. We suppose we can't blame the designers for their lack of aesthetic taste. Not only were they subject to wartime metal rationing, but license plate technology had a long way to go.
From Standard To Special
In 1956, Canada, the United States, and Mexico agreed to standardize their license plates in both size and mounting. Plates had to be 6 inches x 12 inches with five bolt holes. While a rectangle is the most obvious choice for a plate, the agreement standardized only the size of the plate, not the shape.
Non-rectangular plates were uncommon, but not entirely unheard of. From 1936-1956, Tennessee's plates were shaped like the state itself. While this idea is fun, it certainly wouldn't work for every state—can you imagine a plate shaped like Idaho, for example?
Still, Tennessee's state-shaped plates were, if not rectangular, then rectangle-adjacent. The boat was perhaps jostled a little bit, but it certainly was not rocked. For that, we'd have to wait until 1970.
A Bear-y Good Design
1970 was the centennial of the Northwest Territories, and they decided to celebrate in style. Designed by NWT Commissioner Stuart Hodgson, the new plates were white on blue in the shape of a polar bear. The polar bear plates measured 6x12 with five bolt holes, perfectly within standardization boundaries.
Understandably, the polar bear plate was a runaway hit. It won the inaugural Best Plate Award by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association. Since its introduction, the polar bear plate has gone through a few color changes, but the shape has stayed the same.
The current plate adds a nature scene, including a bear-within-a-bear without cluttering up the unconventional design. If you really want a showstopper, you can get a plate with a beautiful Northern Lights background. We're inclined to agree with the plate's slogan—it's pretty darn spectacular.
