LITTERBUG LEGACY
'Don’t Mess with Texas' Started as an Anti-Litter Message
In the 1980s Texas spent about $20 million a year cleaning up trash along its highways. As a result, the state Department of Transportation hired an advertising agency to help with its anti-litter campaign.
The agency came up with the phrase “Don’t mess with Texas,” which first aired on television during the 1986 Cotton Bowl and has since turned into an unofficial slogan for Texas pride.
