Video: Pennsylvania mascots show off new PA license plate
The Pennsylvania sports team mascots unveiled the new-look Pennsylvania license plate in a video posted by governor Josh Shapiro.
The video features Pittsburgh mascots Steely McBeam and the Pirate Parrot of the Steelers and Pirates, respectively.
More prominently featured are the Philadelphia mascots: Phang, the Phillie Phanatic, Swoop, Franklin the Dog and Gritty.
The new license plate, which as of June 2025 has been adopted as Pennsylvania's standard issue plate, also skews far more Philadelphia than Pittsburgh. The plate features a grayscale Liberty Bell behind the letters and numbers, and the bottom of the plate reads "let freedom ring."
While Pittsburghers may not necessarily be thrilled, the new plate design comes just in time for the celebration of America's 250th birthday in 2026. According to Pennsylvania's official website, the new design "celebrates our role as the birthplace of American democracy."
This isn't the first time the Liberty Bell has been featured on a Pennsylvania license plate for an America milestone birthday; back in 1976, the state temporarily incorporated a Liberty Bell for the country's bicentennial:
All new license plates will be issued in the new Liberty Bell style going forward, replacing the previous standard issue blue-and-yellow plate, which debuted in 1999. The Liberty Bell plate is the first Pennsylvania standard issue plate to not feature the color yellow since at least the 1920s.
