COLUMBUS, Ohio (AVC News) — Sales of Ohio’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library specialty license plate more than doubled following the reported death of country music icon Dolly Parton on Aug. 25, according to Gov. Mike DeWine.
Ohioans purchased 533 plates between Jan. 1 and Aug. 24. From Aug. 25 through Sept. 30, sales reached 1,113 plates.
First introduced in January 2025, the specialty plate supports Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio. Each plate generates a $25 contribution to the program in the county where it is purchased.
Since January 2026, the plates have raised more than $80,000 for the statewide program. Each plate helps cover the local cost of mailing a year of books — 12 age-appropriate titles — to a child.
“Ohio is proud to help carry forward Dolly Parton’s legacy of inspiring a love of reading in children,” DeWine said. “The surge in license plate sales shows how strongly Ohioans value early literacy and how much they appreciate Dolly and all she has done to put books in the hands of children.”
First Lady Fran DeWine said purchasing a specialty plate supports the program and helps continue Parton’s legacy of promoting childhood literacy.
Ohio is the second state to offer a Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library specialty plate, following Tennessee. The plate features a portrait of Parton.
The statewide Imagination Library program serves more than 440,000 Ohio children each month. Children from birth through age 5 are eligible to receive a free book each month, with no cost to families.
The program is available statewide through support from the Ohio General Assembly and more than 75 local partners.
Ohioans can purchase the specialty plate at a deputy registrar license agency or online at OPLATES.com.
Parents can enroll children in the free book program at OhioImaginationLibrary.org.
Last Updated on October 2, 2026 by AVC News
