This article is about the slogan used by the Texas Department of Transportation. For the album, see Don't Mess wit Texas. For the film that used the slogan as a working title, see Hot Pursuit (2015 film).
"Don't Mess with Texas" is a slogan for a campaign aimed at reducing littering on Texas roadways by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The phrase "Don't Mess with Texas" is prominently shown on road signs on major highways, television, radio and in print advertisements. The campaign is credited with reducing litter on Texas highways roughly 72% between 1987 and 1990.[1] The campaign's target market was 18- to 35-year-old males, which was statistically shown to be the most likely to litter. While the slogan was not originally intended to become a statewide cultural phenomenon, it did.
Sign used on Texas highways
Beyond its immediate role in reducing litter, the slogan has been popularly appropriated by Texans. The phrase has become "an identity statement, a declaration of Texas swagger" and Texas pride.[2] Though the origin of the slogan is not well known outside of Texas, it appears on countless items of tourist souvenirs. Since the phrase is a federally registered trademark, the department has tried at times to enforce its trademark rights with cease and desist letters,[3] but has had very limited success. The slogan is the title of the book, Don’t Mess With Texas: The Story Behind the Legend.
"Don't Mess with Texas" has been awarded a plaque on the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame and a place in the Advertising Hall of Fame, a distinction given to only two slogans annually.[4]
In 2011 the result of a public vote for the best "Don't Mess with Texas" ad over the last 25 years was revealed, the winner was one created by the Commemorative Air Force (then called the Confederate Air Force).[5] The ad involved the CAF's Boeing B-17 "Sentimental Journey" pursuing and retaliating against a truck from which trash was thrown.
The crest for the submarine USS Texas. The phrase "Don't Mess with Texas!" can be seen on the lower half of the crest.
In 1985 the TxDOT asked Mike Blair and Tim McClure of GSD&M to create a slogan for an anti-littering campaign. At the time the state of Texas spent about $20 million annually to clean litter from highways. McClure said that "bubbas in pickup trucks" who regularly littered beer cans and other items out of vehicle windows and ordinary Texans who believed that littering was a "God-given right" were targets of the advertising campaign. McClure said that he created the slogan when he saw garbage while walking near his house. Emanuella Grinberg of CNN said that McClure had "an eleventh hour 'aha' moment" when, after looking at the trash, he recalled his mother telling him that his room was messy. "McClure said 'It occurred to me that the only time I'd heard the word litter was in reference to dogs. Mess seemed like it would resonate better.'"[6] McClure's slogan is believed to be the first written use of "Don't mess with Texas", although there are earlier uses of "Don't mess with..." such as the 1966 Marvelette's song "Don't Mess with Bill".
The creators initially had difficulty convincing TxDOT to adopt the slogan. The creators said that the administrators were "buzz-cutted, conservative kind of characters." The creators joked that the board members' average age was 107. McClure recalled that "The crowd was sprinkled with 'Keep America Beautiful' and 'Keep Texas Beautiful' folks, and our audience is 18-to-24 young males." McClure added that "The 'Keep Texas Beautiful' lady said, 'Can we at least say please?' I said, 'No ma'am, you cannot use the line if you put please in front of it.' If not for the vision of Don Clark, the then Director of Travel and Information Division of the Texas Highway Department, the slogan would have never been used. Clark went ahead with the slogan without the support of the TxDOT administrators. After the first televised ad with Stevie Ray Vaughan aired, Clark jokes that he went to work the next day and was unsure if he would be fired. TxDOT decided to ask the public for comment and there was a resounding positive result."[7]
The campaign began in 1985 with a series of bumper stickers. In 1986 the slogan premiered its first television advertisement, featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan, at the 50th Annual Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, 1986, singing the "Eyes of Texas" with the line "Don't Mess with Texas" added at the end of the song.[6] Since then, numerous musicians, athletes, celebrities and other famous Texans have appeared in "Don't Mess with Texas" radio and television public service announcements, including:
In a 12-year period with the agency GSD&M, over 26 television spots appeared.[6]
Due to the budget cuts of the Great Recession, TxDOT has expanded the use of the licence to sell "Don't Mess With Texas" related souvenirs in "state run rest areas, and travel information centers" in order to fill in its budget gaps. Until 2012, the organization was forbidden to do so due to federal regulations.[8]
After learning that 96% of Texans had heard the phrase "Don't mess with Texas" but only 61% of Texans knew the slogan meant don't litter, TxDOT began brainstorming new campaign ideas to re-emphasize the original meaning of the campaign. In 2009, TxDOT launched a new campaign including new TV and radio featuring George Strait telling Texans that "Don't mess with Texas means don't litter". This slogan is still used in all of the campaigns and radio ads.[9]
As of 2023, the San Antonio, Texas-based advertising agency, GDC Marketing & Ideation manages the "Don't mess with Texas" brand.[10][11]
Unauthorized use of the trademarkEdit
Since 2000, TxDOT has contacted over 100 companies and organizations with cease and desist letters regarding the unauthorized use of the trademark phrase. State officials claim that protecting the trademark helps the state preserve the slogan's anti-littering message.[2]
A Texas-based company in Alabama used the slogan for a billboard campaign in February 2010.[12]
The University of Texas at Austin agreed to stop selling T-shirts with the slogan after being contacted by the Texas Department of Transportation.[13]
The author Christie Craig published a romance novel originally titled Don't Mess with Texas. After legal actions, the title was changed to Only in Texas.[2]
Malacca State Government in Malaysia used the slogan with the same design and same phrase but changed it to "Don't Mess With Melaka" in 2014, but its Chief Minister claimed the copycat claim was baseless.[15]
References in popular cultureEdit
On July 19, 1986, four members of the New York Mets baseball club, in Houston for a series versus the Astros, were arrested at a Houston nightclub.[16] Homemade signs held up in the Astrodome by fans at the following night's game read "Don't Mets With Texas."
Don't Mess wit Texas is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Keke from Houston, Texas. It was released on June 17, 1997.
In the Stephen King novel 11/22/63, the time-travelling main character, Jake Epping, encounters a shop in a North Dallas neighborhood selling Texas state flags emblazoned with "DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS" in September 1960, twenty years before McClure created the slogan. McClure sent a copy of his book to King's agent to educate him about the error, but he has said that he is happy to have people think the slogan is much older than it really is. McClure has no desire to see a correction made to the novel regarding this anachronism.[18]
A list of objects that infringe on the trademark from Texas Monthly
October 25, 2023
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This article is about the slogan used by the Texas Department of Transportation For the album see Don t Mess wit Texas For the film that used the slogan as a working title see Hot Pursuit 2015 film Don t Mess with Texas is a slogan for a campaign aimed at reducing littering on Texas roadways by the Texas Department of Transportation TxDOT The phrase Don t Mess with Texas is prominently shown on road signs on major highways television radio and in print advertisements The campaign is credited with reducing litter on Texas highways roughly 72 between 1987 and 1990 1 The campaign s target market was 18 to 35 year old males which was statistically shown to be the most likely to litter While the slogan was not originally intended to become a statewide cultural phenomenon it did Sign used on Texas highwaysBeyond its immediate role in reducing litter the slogan has been popularly appropriated by Texans The phrase has become an identity statement a declaration of Texas swagger and Texas pride 2 Though the origin of the slogan is not well known outside of Texas it appears on countless items of tourist souvenirs Since the phrase is a federally registered trademark the department has tried at times to enforce its trademark rights with cease and desist letters 3 but has had very limited success The slogan is the title of the book Don t Mess With Texas The Story Behind the Legend Don t Mess with Texas has been awarded a plaque on the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame and a place in the Advertising Hall of Fame a distinction given to only two slogans annually 4 Don t Mess with Texas is also the official motto of the Virginia class submarine USS Texas In 2011 the result of a public vote for the best Don t Mess with Texas ad over the last 25 years was revealed the winner was one created by the Commemorative Air Force then called the Confederate Air Force 5 The ad involved the CAF s Boeing B 17 Sentimental Journey pursuing and retaliating against a truck from which trash was thrown Contents 1 History 2 Unauthorized use of the trademark 3 References in popular culture 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory Edit nbsp The crest for the submarine USS Texas The phrase Don t Mess with Texas can be seen on the lower half of the crest In 1985 the TxDOT asked Mike Blair and Tim McClure of GSD amp M to create a slogan for an anti littering campaign At the time the state of Texas spent about 20 million annually to clean litter from highways McClure said that bubbas in pickup trucks who regularly littered beer cans and other items out of vehicle windows and ordinary Texans who believed that littering was a God given right were targets of the advertising campaign McClure said that he created the slogan when he saw garbage while walking near his house Emanuella Grinberg of CNN said that McClure had an eleventh hour aha moment when after looking at the trash he recalled his mother telling him that his room was messy McClure said It occurred to me that the only time I d heard the word litter was in reference to dogs Mess seemed like it would resonate better 6 McClure s slogan is believed to be the first written use of Don t mess with Texas although there are earlier uses of Don t mess with such as the 1966 Marvelette s song Don t Mess with Bill The creators initially had difficulty convincing TxDOT to adopt the slogan The creators said that the administrators were buzz cutted conservative kind of characters The creators joked that the board members average age was 107 McClure recalled that The crowd was sprinkled with Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful folks and our audience is 18 to 24 young males McClure added that The Keep Texas Beautiful lady said Can we at least say please I said No ma am you cannot use the line if you put please in front of it If not for the vision of Don Clark the then Director of Travel and Information Division of the Texas Highway Department the slogan would have never been used Clark went ahead with the slogan without the support of the TxDOT administrators After the first televised ad with Stevie Ray Vaughan aired Clark jokes that he went to work the next day and was unsure if he would be fired TxDOT decided to ask the public for comment and there was a resounding positive result 7 The campaign began in 1985 with a series of bumper stickers In 1986 the slogan premiered its first television advertisement featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan at the 50th Annual Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1 1986 singing the Eyes of Texas with the line Don t Mess with Texas added at the end of the song 6 Since then numerous musicians athletes celebrities and other famous Texans have appeared in Don t Mess with Texas radio and television public service announcements including Lance Armstrong Asleep at the Wheel Erykah Badu Marcia Ball Joe King Carrasco Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88 s Joe Ely The Fabulous Thunderbirds George Foreman Tish Hinojosa Los Lonely Boys Jennifer Love Hewitt Lyle Lovett Billy Mays Matthew McConaughey Warren Moon Willie Nelson Slim Thug Andy Pettitte LeAnn Rimes Shamu amp the Texas Tuxedos Stevie Ray Vaughan Jerry Jeff Walker George Strait Owen Wilson Chuck Norris Papi Chulo Whitney K Lane Morgan Fairchild Chamillionaire Black Pumas Joe Jonas Ethan Hawke In a 12 year period with the agency GSD amp M over 26 television spots appeared 6 Due to the budget cuts of the Great Recession TxDOT has expanded the use of the licence to sell Don t Mess With Texas related souvenirs in state run rest areas and travel information centers in order to fill in its budget gaps Until 2012 the organization was forbidden to do so due to federal regulations 8 After learning that 96 of Texans had heard the phrase Don t mess with Texas but only 61 of Texans knew the slogan meant don t litter TxDOT began brainstorming new campaign ideas to re emphasize the original meaning of the campaign In 2009 TxDOT launched a new campaign including new TV and radio featuring George Strait telling Texans that Don t mess with Texas means don t litter This slogan is still used in all of the campaigns and radio ads 9 As of 2023 the San Antonio Texas based advertising agency GDC Marketing amp Ideation manages the Don t mess with Texas brand 10 11 Unauthorized use of the trademark EditSince 2000 TxDOT has contacted over 100 companies and organizations with cease and desist letters regarding the unauthorized use of the trademark phrase State officials claim that protecting the trademark helps the state preserve the slogan s anti littering message 2 A Texas based company in Alabama used the slogan for a billboard campaign in February 2010 12 The University of Texas at Austin agreed to stop selling T shirts with the slogan after being contacted by the Texas Department of Transportation 13 The department attempted to block the Texas Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League from the sale of Don t Mess With Texas Women T shirts 14 The author Christie Craig published a romance novel originally titled Don t Mess with Texas After legal actions the title was changed to Only in Texas 2 Malacca State Government in Malaysia used the slogan with the same design and same phrase but changed it to Don t Mess With Melaka in 2014 but its Chief Minister claimed the copycat claim was baseless 15 References in popular culture EditOn July 19 1986 four members of the New York Mets baseball club in Houston for a series versus the Astros were arrested at a Houston nightclub 16 Homemade signs held up in the Astrodome by fans at the following night s game read Don t Mets With Texas Don t Mess wit Texas is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Keke from Houston Texas It was released on June 17 1997 Then presidential candidate George W Bush used the phrase in his acceptance speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention 2 After the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball club lost the 2010 World Series to the San Francisco Giants Gary Thomas President and executive director of Dallas Area Rapid Transit DART lost his bet and had to fly to the San Francisco Bay Area and serenade patrons using the Bay Area Rapid Transit BART Thomas was quoted as saying You know there s a saying that goes Don t mess with Texas Well DART don t mess with BART 17 In the Stephen King novel 11 22 63 the time travelling main character Jake Epping encounters a shop in a North Dallas neighborhood selling Texas state flags emblazoned with DON T MESS WITH TEXAS in September 1960 twenty years before McClure created the slogan McClure sent a copy of his book to King s agent to educate him about the error but he has said that he is happy to have people think the slogan is much older than it really is McClure has no desire to see a correction made to the novel regarding this anachronism 18 See also Edit nbsp Texas portalLitter in the United StatesReferences Edit Tim McClure and Roy Spence Don t Mess with Texas The Story Behind the Legend Idea City Press 2006 p 15 ISBN missing a b c d Fernandez Manny 14 September 2013 Not to Be Um Trifled With Texas Guards Its Slogans The New York Times Retrieved 29 December 2013 No Messing Around With Texas Slogan Los Angeles Times 2004 07 06 Retrieved 2011 03 20 Rockwell Lilly 29 September 2006 Don t Mess with Texas named top ad slogan Austin American Statesman Archived from the original on 2006 10 10 Retrieved 2006 09 30 Confederate Air Force wins best ad in 25 years Texas Department of Transportation 2011 02 21 Archived from the original on 2016 08 06 Retrieved 2016 06 06 a b c Grinberg Emanuella Why there s no messing with Texas CNN July 1 2011 1 Archived July 14 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 3 2011 Grinberg Emanuella Why there s no messing with Texas CNN July 1 2011 2 Archived July 14 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 3 2011 Batheja Aman 23 September 2013 TxDOT Hoping Don t Mess With Texas Provides More Cash San Marcos Mercury Retrieved 29 December 2013 https www dontmesswithtexas org about history https www dontmesswithtexas org dmwt press dont mess with texas campaign brings home the gold https www gdc co com gdc work txdot Texas themed billboards get Crimson Tide update The Tuscaloosa News 2010 02 09 Retrieved 2011 03 20 Don t mess with this Texas slogan NBC News 2004 06 06 Retrieved 2011 03 20 Curry Matt Texas says don t mess with anti litter slogan Houston Chronicle Archived from the original on 2004 06 12 Don t mess with Melaka campaign baseless thesundaily 2015 01 18 Retrieved 2015 01 18 4 Mets Charged In Fight chicagotribune com Retrieved 2015 06 28 BART Lone Texas Rangers fan makes good on his BART bet by serenading riders Bart gov Retrieved 2011 03 20 Don t Mess With Texas lives on after 30 years San Antonio Express News 20 February 2016 Retrieved 2018 02 23 Further reading EditMcClure Tim Spence Roy 2006 Don t Mess with Texas The Story Behind the Legend Idea City Press ISBN 0972282513 Clemons Leigh 2013 Branding Texas performing culture in the Lone Star State University of Texas Press ISBN 978 0292752078 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Don t Mess with Texas Don t Mess with Texas website Don t mess with this Texas slogan from MSNBC A list of objects that infringe on the trademark from Texas Monthly Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Don 27t Mess with Texas amp oldid 1171748347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
