So Long, Mr. Potato Head! Put Rhode Island Red on the License Plate, Says PETA 

For Immediate Release:
January 27, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

As state lawmakers consider retiring the Mr. Potato Head charity license plate, given that Hasbro is moving its operations out of Pawtucket, PETA is urging state representatives to replace it with a plate that honors a true Ocean State icon: the Rhode Island Red chicken. In a letter sent today to Representatives Brian C. Newberry and Thomas E. Noret, PETA proposes that the new charity plate feature the state bird and the words “Love Chickens, Don’t Eat Them”—in other words put the chicken on the license plate, not the dinner plate—driving home the point that Rhode Island’s state bird is a chicken with thoughts, feelings, and the desire to live.

PETA also proposes that proceeds from sales of the new plate go to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, where fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and many shelf-stable foods are naturally vegan and widely used.

“Let’s celebrate these smart, sensitive birds by putting them on our license plates and getting them off our dinner plates,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA hopes state representatives will embrace a bird-friendly charity license plate that will help fund healthy, plant-powered foods for local families in need.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA also offers a free vegan starter kit on its website for anyone ready to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to State Representatives Brian C. Newberry and Thomas E. Noret follows.

January 27, 2026

The Honorable Brian C. Newberry and Thomas E. Noret

Representatives

Rhode Island General Assembly

Dear Representatives Newberry and Noret:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally, including many thousands across Rhode Island—in response to the proposed bill to retire the Mr. Potato Head specialty license plate. We respectfully encourage you to consider amending the bill to suggest replacing the old plate with one featuring the state bird, the Rhode Island Red chicken. This new design would honor a beloved state symbol while driving home the message that chickens and their eggs don’t belong on our plates. We’ve included a mock-up of how such a license plate might look here:

With this new license plate, you’d be giving everyone the opportunity to consider who animals are, what makes them tick, and how they feel. Chickens are smart, sensitive animals who feel pain, empathy, and love; form complex social structures; and dream at night, as humans do. Yet nearly all of the billions of them who are killed every year for food are raised on factory farms, where they are subjected to extreme crowding, filthy conditions, and routine mutilations. Then, they endure a terrifying trip to a slaughterhouse and a violent, painful death.

Since hunger relief and compassion go hand in hand, proceeds from this plate’s sale could also go to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Most shelf-stable foods donated to food banks are already vegan, sparing chickens a lifetime of suffering, and are highly affordable. In fact, skipping chicken and other meat as well as choosing vegan foods can save consumers more than $500 a year. That’s something worth squawking about!

Chicken dinners belong in the rearview mirror, so please kick this change into high gear by suggesting an alternative license plate that will resonate with kind residents. We’re confident that our local members and supporters will order this new license plate for their vehicles as soon as the plan is hatched. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder