Ontario introduced special graphic license plates to motorists in 1994. The program was kicked off with a choice of nine graphics, the motorist could choose from, for an additional cost of $50. The original eight featured all six of Ontario's sports teams, the Loon (provincial bird), Trillium (provincial flower) and a public service message (Road Safely). Later on, the province opened up the program to clubs, special interest groups and universities; any organization that fell within MTO guidelines and would commit to a minimum order of 100 pairs. Consequently the number ballooned to over 40 different types at the time of this writing!

The layout of these plates all follow a common format. The logo appears on the left, followed by a six-digit serial number of the format 01AB23, where 'AB' are the initials which identify the logo. Generally the first 100 pairs (01AB01 through 02AA00) go to members of the specific organization, and higher numbers are available to the general public.

Sample plates follow several formats, and should not be confused with personalized plates:

• 000SAM - Used for most issues.
• GOTEAM - Major League Sports Teams
• 'TREK96' - Star Trek
• 7RULES - Elmer the Safety Elephant