It started as just another parked car outside a shopping center in Perth, Western Australia — a silver Kia Sportage sitting quietly in its spot, unnoticed by most shoppers hurrying past. But one detail set it apart: its license plate.
The plate read “370HSSV.”
At first glance, it looked perfectly ordinary — a jumble of letters and numbers like thousands of others. But when someone snapped a photo and flipped it upside down, the internet erupted with laughter. The seemingly random mix of characters suddenly revealed a cheeky hidden word: “ASSHOE.”
What looked like harmless gibberish one way became something entirely different when inverted. It was clever, subtle, and hilariously bold — the kind of mischievous creativity that thrives online.
Within hours, the photo of the now-infamous license plate had made its way from local social media circles to viral fame across the globe.
The Spark That Started It All
The image was first shared by a user named Jeffrey on The Bell Tower Times 2.0, a popular Australian humor and news Facebook page known for spotlighting quirky local moments.
“Some genius out here in Perth just pulled off the greatest plate prank in history,” Jeffrey wrote, alongside a photo of the car parked neatly at a local shopping center.
The post exploded. Thousands of people commented, liked, and shared it within hours. What made it viral wasn’t just the hidden word, but the fact that it had actually slipped through the strict approval system for personalized plates.
“How did this even get approved?” one user asked.
“Give that driver a medal for creativity,” another replied.
How It Passed the System
Every year, the Department of Transport in Western Australia processes tens of thousands of requests for custom license plates. Many are declined before they ever reach a car — anything remotely offensive, suggestive, or referencing drugs, violence, or adult humor is usually rejected on sight.
According to government data, roughly a thousand personalized plate applications are denied each year for breaching community standards. Some of the banned ones have been shared online in the past — phrases like “BADBOY69” or “DRUNK1” never see the road.
But “370HSSV”?
It looked like nonsense — until you flipped it. And that’s the beauty of it. The clever driver managed to sneak a hidden joke right past the regulators by designing a code that only makes sense upside down.
When read normally, it’s meaningless. Inverted, it’s a sly wink at anyone sharp enough to notice.
That subtlety is exactly why it was approved. It wasn’t explicitly rude — just cleverly coded.
Internet Reactions: Admiration and Awe
Once the image hit the web, reactions poured in from everywhere — not just Australia, but the U.S., U.K., and beyond.
People admired the wit and the execution. Others marveled that someone actually thought to test their design upside down before submitting it.
One Reddit user commented, “That’s 4D chess. They thought five steps ahead.”
Another joked, “The Department of Transport needs an upside-down department.”
Some even tried to create their own “optical illusion” plates using numbers and letters that reveal hidden words when reversed or mirrored.
It’s not the first time the internet has been fascinated by wordplay hidden in plain sight. From upside-down calculator messages to ambigrams — words that read the same forwards and backward — there’s a timeless thrill in discovering what others miss.
But rarely does that trick play out on something as visible and regulated as a license plate.
The Fine Line Between Clever and Controversial
The story also reignited a long-running debate: how far is too far when it comes to creative license plates?
Authorities walk a tricky line between allowing personal expression and keeping things appropriate for public roads. Some plates are denied for profanity or hate speech, but others get blocked simply for being suggestive or political.
In 2023, for instance, a Western Australian driver tried to register “YOBBO1” — a tongue-in-cheek local slang term — but it was declined for potential offense. Meanwhile, a plate reading “SHEESH” was rejected for “unsuitable slang.”
That’s what made “370HSSV” such a brilliant exception. It skirted every rule, technically harmless but undeniably hilarious. Even the strictest bureaucrats couldn’t find an explicit reason to ban it.
From Parking Lot to Pop Culture
Within a few days, the image jumped from Facebook to Reddit, Instagram, and even TikTok, where creators filmed themselves flipping screenshots of the plate and reacting in shock when the word appeared.
Local news outlets in Perth picked up the story, and before long, the clever Kia driver’s prank had become a global headline.
One journalist called it “the Mona Lisa of license plates.” Another joked that it was “Australia’s proudest moment of mischief since Vegemite.”
It became a moment of shared amusement in a world that could use more of it — proof that humor doesn’t always have to be loud, political, or mean. Sometimes, it’s just a well-timed optical illusion parked at the right place on the right day.
Why We Love Stories Like This
There’s something universal about the appeal of cleverness — about discovering something hidden that others missed. The viral license plate wasn’t mean-spirited or crude. It was playful, inventive, and harmlessly rebellious.
In a world oversaturated with anger and outrage, small acts of humor like this feel refreshing. They remind us that creativity still thrives in unexpected corners of life — even on the back of a Kia in a parking lot.
It also highlights how the internet can turn anything into a shared moment of joy. Someone snapped a picture, someone else flipped it, and suddenly millions of people were laughing together across time zones.
That’s the magic of viral culture at its best — spontaneous, unfiltered, and fleeting, yet somehow uplifting.
The Mystery of the Driver
As the post gained traction, online sleuths tried to uncover the identity of the mysterious driver behind the plate. Was it intentional? Did they know the secret would go viral someday? Or was it pure coincidence?
Most believe it was deliberate — a carefully planned prank. Others suggest the owner might not even realize what their plate says upside down. Either way, the person behind the wheel remains anonymous.
And maybe that’s part of the fun. The internet loves a little mystery.
A Final Twist
In the weeks after the story broke, Western Australia’s Department of Transport quietly confirmed they were aware of the viral plate but had no plans to revoke it. “The plate does not breach any explicit guidelines,” a spokesperson said dryly.
Translation: the joke stands.
The driver keeps their masterpiece. And the rest of us get a reminder that even bureaucracy has blind spots — sometimes literally.
The Takeaway
It’s easy to dismiss stories like this as just another meme, another moment of internet noise. But there’s something more to it.
The viral plate speaks to the human love of hidden meaning — the thrill of discovery, the delight of a shared laugh. It’s a tiny act of rebellion wrapped in clever design.
In a time when most headlines are heavy, a simple upside-down joke managed to make the whole world smile. And maybe that’s why it hit so hard.
Because sometimes, all it takes to turn an ordinary day upside down is a plate that reads 370HSSV.
Or, if you prefer it the fun way — VSSHOE.