Green ‘Water Wonderland’ license plates to return in Michigan
- The 1963 green and white ‘Water Wonderland’ license plate is making a comeback
- The plate’s re-release is a civil rights tribute honoring the 60th anniversary of the Walk to Freedom led in Detroit by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Michigan residents can purchase the throwback license plates starting in January
The Michigan Department of State announced Wednesday that its 1963 green and white “Water Wonderland” license plate will soon again be available for residents.
Although it will likely be popular with Michigan State University alumni and fans, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says she brought back the plate to pay tribute to “civil rights advancements of 1963."
Michigan this year marked the 60th anniversary of the Walk to Freedom march in Detroit, led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and United Auto Workers president Walter Reuther. During that visit, King delivered a version of his “I Have a Dream” speech a few months before his famous address from the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.
"The new plate will serve as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to achieve full equality and justice for all,” Benson said in her statement.
Michiganders can order the new license plates online, or when purchasing a vehicle through a dealership, beginning Jan. 27.
The new plates will be issued until they are phased out over the next four years. Drivers will be charged a one-time $5 graphic plate fee in addition to regular registration fees. Drivers whose tags are current would pay just the $5 graphic plate fee.
The “Water Wonderland” design can also be purchased as a disability plate.
As with most license plates, the new retro design can be personalized, but vanity plates will be limited to six digits due to the font style and size accompanying the reissue.
The last retro license plate to make a comeback was the 1965 blue and yellow “Water-Winter Wonderland” plate, which made its return in December 2021. Since then, 1.2 million such plates have been issued.
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“People demanded it and it has a historic nature to it,” said Cheri Hardmon, spokesperson for the department. “We had people asking for it. It's just that simple.”
Though the timing of the release of both retro license plates is a coincidence, it continues to fuel the rivalry between Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.
“The blue and yellow plate is going to be popular with Michigan alumni, and we suspect that the green and white one will be popular with Michigan State alumni,” she said.
Benson also announced a new state ID designed to better defend against identity theft. The font and color theme have been updated and will display the Michigan Coat of Arms.
The magnetic stripe on the back of driver’s licenses and state IDs has been removed. The bar codes that contain information from the front of the card will remain on the back in scannable format.
Michigan residents will be given the new design when they renew, replace, or correct their license or ID.
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