Fluke, yeah.

Oregonians can officially nab a gray whale license plate starting Feb. 1.

The “Coastal Playground” license plate includes a mother gray whale and its calf swimming somewhere off the Oregon coast. The plate also sports a tiny lighthouse and rolling waves.

As The Oregonian/OregonLive reported last year, the whale plate is the first design to successfully navigate state guidelines outlined in July 2016 that created a specific process for approving custom license plates for higher education institutions, nonprofits or other public bodies.

Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute will receive $35 of the $40 surcharge on each plate, which will help the school fund research and education projects.

The university sold 3,000 vouchers at $40 per pop to make the plate a reality.

Plates can be ordered by mail, at DMV offices across Oregon, online or through licensed auto dealerships. Users can’t apply for a plate online if they bought one of the 3,000 pre-paid vouchers. You can’t replace plates at Department of Environmentally Quality testing stations.

The $40 surcharge is on top of all the other plate fees owed when buying a new car or updating registration. If you’re ordering new plates within 120 days of stickers expiring and you live in Multnomah County, total costs will be $219 (if you haven’t pre-paid for a voucher).

Vanity plates are available.

Here are some free suggestions:

WHALE

FLUKE

BALEEN

KRLBOY

KRLGRL

FINITO

XPLODE

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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