‘Eww. That’s Missouri colors.’ Kansans sound off on new license plate coming next year

The state of Kansas on Wednesday unveiled the new standard license plate that will start showing up on vehicles in March.

Right away people recognized the yellow and black color scheme — from a neighboring state.

One-word reviews sprouted on X, formerly Twitter: “MIZ.”

“MIZ? What on earth were they thinking??” wrote one Facebook user referencing the University of Missouri’s gold-and-black school colors.

“I LOVE IT,” Matt Beckwith, a meteorologist in Missouri, wrote on X. “Best thing Kansas can do is release a black and gold license plate. #MIZ”

“As a Mizzou fan living in Kansas, I approve this license plate,” tweeted Aaron Love.

The new plate has a yellow background — described as “wheat yellow” — with black and midnight blue lettering, state officials said.

It might be difficult to see in publicity photos but there is a dark blue border at the top of the plate.

And when that becomes apparent, the colors of yet another school, this one further north, come to mind — the maize and blue of the University of Michigan.

The design is said to pay homage to the state motto of “ad astra per aspera,” Latin for “To the stars through difficulty,” with “to the stars” printed under the license number and a black star on either side of the plate number.

“The new license plate design promotes the state and our sense of optimism as Kansans travel near and far,” Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said in a press release on Wednesday. “It serves as a reminder that there are endless possibilities and that we should always reach for the stars.”

The Kansas Tourism Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce took part in the design process, said tourism director Bridgette Jobe in the statement.

“Using ‘To the Stars’ proclaims to the rest of the world the Kansas optimistic and forward-looking spirit,” Jobe said.

But people didn’t see stars. They saw colors.

Triggering colors.

“Eww. Why is this yellow and black? That’s Missouri colors. You couldn’t have done gold and navy blue?” asked one X user who left that review under Kelly’s tweet introducing the plate.

‘Don’t New York my Kansas’

The new plate with a flat design is part of a process begun several years ago to phase out current embossed license plates that became problematic for law enforcement.

“Many of the embossed plates out on the road have become difficult to read due to significant deterioration,” David Harper, director of the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles, said in Wednesday’s statement.

“Replacing these plates will not only help law enforcement but ensure that drivers can be easily identified in case of emergency.”

The revenue department will begin phasing out the embossed plates in January and the new ones will begin appearing on vehicles in March, officials said.

Before they even hit the road, however, reviews are mixed and plentiful, maybe because such an announcement on the day before a holiday gave people the time to carve out an opinion.

“The new Kansas license plates look like those name cards sitting on your desk for the first day of school that your 22-year-old elementary teacher made,” one reviewer tweeted.

Someone else tweeted: “I actually like this. Nice nod to the state flag’s colors.”

“Love it! I’ve been jealous of Iowa with (their) black plates. Love the black and yellow,” tweeted another fan.

Reviews on Facebook included, “I like the wheat better but these look kind of retro which is cool” and “it looks vintage and I love vintage.”

One woman on Facebook was excited because the new plate “matches my Jeep.”

But the criticism far outweighed the praise on social media.

Back to those colors. While some see Missouri colors, some Kansans saw them as Wichita State University’s black and yellow.

They reminded other folks of license plates in other states.

“I think it looks like a West Virginia license plate,” tweeted one X user. “These license plates are huge miss and misrepresent Kansas. What a disappointment.”

“Don’t New York my Kansas,” @jhawk4life tweeted.

“Gives me New York vibes,” said one armchair reviewer on Facebook.

“Reminds me of my old Alaska tags!” wrote a fellow Facebook denizen.

“it’s an entire shame of the license plate. Got folks thinking we live in Alaska or something lol,” added another.

Other reviewers wondered if, say, sunflowers could have been used for the design instead of the two black stars.

Or arrowheads, someone on Facebook suggested, possibly a reference to the Kansas City Chiefs who, remember folks, play in Missouri.

Who gets the new license plate?

For years, vehicle owners didn’t need to get new plates when they updated their registration. The state simply mailed out a sticker to put on the old plate.

But now, vehicle owners who update their registration in January or February and have the current embossed plates will get the current design — light blue plates with the state seal behind black lettering — on flat, print-on-demand plates, the state said.

Vehicle owners who update their registration between March and December 2024 and have the embossed plates will get the new design on the flat, print-on-demand plate.

Anyone affected by the change will receive instructions about replacing their current plates at the appropriate time, state officials say.

More information about how they will be replaced will be mailed out with regular renewal notices. For more info now, visit ksrevenue.gov/dovnewplate.html.