Saskatchewan man denied vanity plate turns tailgate into 'ASSMAN' billboard

Melville resident upset his last name was declared a "profanity" by the government


A man in Saskatchewan repeatedly denied vanity tags with his last name, Assman, on them has decided to plaster his truck’s tailgate with a blown-up replica licence plate instead.

David Assman (apparently it’s pronounced OSS-man) of Melville, Saskatchewan attempted to register a custom ‘ASSMAN’ plate but was denied by the province for its inclusion of the word ASS, which contravenes its ministry’s rules.

Assman had tried registering the same plates once before, in 1990, when they were also rejected as “profanity.”

Licence plates are the property of the Crown, and thus, are subject to certain rules. The first prohibits profanity, or references to drugs, politics or religion.

“I think they are too worried that people are going to have hurt feelings about something that is complete nonsense,” Assman told the National Post. “Even if it wasn’t my last name who is it going to hurt?”

“Even if a word is someone’s name and pronounced differently than the offensive version, that’s not something that would be apparent to other motorists who will see the plate,” explained Saskatchewan Government Insurance spokesperson Tyler McMurchy, adding the agency tries to be more cautious than not in these cases.

Assman decided he’d have the last laugh, though, in the form of a massive vinyl sticker affixed to the rear of his pickup truck that replicated the plates he wanted.
