Issuances of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library license plate in Ohio have surged following news of the singer’s death on Aug. 25, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
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Purchases of the official license plate support the Imagination Library, a program established by Parton in 1995 that mails free, high-quality books to children each month.
The program expanded throughout Ohio in 2019 with coordination from First Lady Fran DeWine.
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With every purchase of the specialty license plate, $25 goes directly to the Imagination Library to cover the cost of mailing books within the county where the plate was purchased.
Ohio drivers can buy the plates online at oplates.com or in person at any Ohio deputy registrar license agency.
The plate features a photograph of Parton alongside a label designating it as an official Imagination Library plate.
The recent surge of 259 plates issued marks a steep rise compared to sales earlier in the month, when 63 plates were issued during the first few weeks of August, our news partners at WBNS reported.
Before Parton’s death, the highest monthly total of plates sold in 2026 was 80 in April, while February recorded the lowest sales of the year with 43 plates issued.
The increase in license plate sales comes as communities worldwide respond to Parton’s death through tributes, music streaming, film watchings and the renaming of an airport.
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