“Vanity Plates” or “Custom Plates” are a special type of registration plate used on an automobile or other vehicle. While in most countries around the world these plates are composed of a series of numbers and letters, countries such as the USA, UK and Canada allow drivers to go fully custom. For an extra fee, troupes of frustrated boomers, cut-rate comedians, and those with an affinity for irony, can let fellow road users know exactly what they’re about.

Scroll down below to explore the emotional and inspiring world of custom car plates.

The form of these custom plates does however vary. In the state of New York for example, custom savants cannot use the letters “FDNY”, “NYPD” or “GOD”, while in the UAE, the so-called “Distinguished Plates” have a special combination of digits (12345, 55555, etc.), while those with less than five digits are often sold at public auctions, with the profits being used for charity. Absurdly enough, the fewer numbers shown on the plate, the higher the price, with the number “1” plate selling in Abu Dhabi for $14 million some five years ago.

Yet, despite all this creative freedom, it is down to the issuing authority to revoke a vanity plate if they deem it be offensive, which is perfectly illustrated by the “A55 RGY” Florida plate that used the circular form of the state’s illustrated orange (the fruit) to spell out “ASSORGY”.

To receive updates on our latest editorials and documentaries, be sure to follow @oneblockdown on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter below for more.