Rise in specialty plates' profits credited to 'Mr. Smiley' backlash: "David Thornton, the district chairman for Ducks Unlimited, said he stopped a young driver in Lexington to thank him for supporting the wildlife group by purchasing the plate.

'He kind of looked at me like I lost my mind, and then he said, `I just didn't want one of those other plates,' ' Thornton said.

Hugh Archer is commissioner of the state Department for Natural Resources, which receives money from the sales of three specialty plates with pictures of animals: a bobcat, a cardinal and a new butterfly plate. Archer said the department received nearly $118,000 in June, compared with $61,300 in July 2002. "