A Simpsons megafan is begging other fans to “please stop” after her real “BORT” license plate keeps getting confused with novelty versions—leaving her stuck paying other people’s E-ZPass tolls.
Why are people using her “BORT” plate to dodge tolls?
Massachusetts driver and longtime Simpsons collector Katie Unis pays an annual fee for her actual vanity plate: BORT. It’s a reference to the iconic Itchy and Scratchy Land gift-shop gag from The Simpsons.
But anyone with twenty bucks can buy a novelty “BORT” plate online or at Universal Studios. And although those plates aren’t legal, they look similar enough to real Massachusetts plates that E-ZPass cameras are repeatedly charging her instead of the drivers using the fakes.
In a video shared on Nov. 25, 2025, WBZ NewsRadio reported, “It looks enough like a Massachusetts plate that now anytime someone goes through E-ZPass with one, Katie gets the bill.”
“BORT,” a joke from The Simpsons’ visit to Itchy and Scratchy land in which Bart can’t find a plate with his name, has been made into a novelty license plate available from Universal Studios.
Although the plate isn’t street legal, people are using it to avoid tolls, and Unis is footing the bill. “Stop using my plate!” Unis pleaded in WBZ’s TikTok. Although Unis and her husband admit the predicament is funny, the couple doesn’t care to be held responsible for other Simpsons fans’ road tolls.
From Itchy & Scratchy Land to IRL
WBZ interviewed Unis and her husband about the unfair E-ZPass charges in their 90’s movie themed home. “The whole house looks like a 90s movie about a child who inherits a fortune,” WBZ reported.
A “huge chunk” of their income reportedly goes toward Simpsons memorabilia, making the toll fiasco both on-brand and deeply inconvenient.
Unis’ “BORT” license plate references a Simpsons episode about Bart looking for a souvenir license plate with his name on it while in a gift shop at Itchy and Scratchy Land.
The closest Bart comes to finding his name on a plate is “Bort,” but then others in the shop all claim to be named Bort and the item sells out before Bart can get one.
The plate available from Universal Studios is not legal—it reads “Itchy and Scratchy Land”—instead of any legal US entity.
@wbznewsradio Aye, caramba. . #TheSimpsons #Cartoons #90skids #90sMemorabilia #Massachusetts ♬ original sound – WBZ NewsRadio
“It’s obviously not legal, it just says itchy scratchy land on the top,” pointed out the WBZ reporter, “But it looks enough like a Massachusetts plate that now anytime someone goes through E-ZPass with one, Katie gets the bill.” Unis is trying to dispute the charges, but she said, “… I’m continuing to get notices, and I don’t know when the bills will stop.”
The comments section was filled with charmed Millennial cheuglords
TikTok users flocked to the comments not just to commiserate but to lovingly roast the extremely millennial, memorabilia-encrusted vibe of the home. They also appreciated the couple’s sense of humor.
“I nominate them to represent NEW-ENGLAND-BASED MILLENIAL COUPLES.”
“I love them, I hope they can get the toll issue fixed!”
“So…my BORT license plate is like a free E-ZPass?”
“They need a YT channel. I’d watch the hell out of it.”
WBZ NewsRadio did not immediately reply to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok.
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