Minnesota News

MnDOT's 'Name a Snowplow' contest voting ends tonight

A snow plow on the road
A MnDOT plow clears snow on Interstate 494 in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. on Dec. 21.
Andrew Krueger | MPR News file

Posted: Jan. 25, 10:37 a.m. | Updated: Feb. 3, 7:30 a.m.

Bobsled Dylan? Mary Tyler More Snow? Blizzo?

Which of those — or 57 other possible names — ends up on state snowplows in Minnesota is now in your hands.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Wednesday, Jan. 25, issued its latest list of prospective snowplow names, for a third year of its popular “Name a Snowplow” contest.

“Choose up to eight of your favorite names before midnight on Friday, Feb. 3,” says MnDOT’s official website.

The list of 60 names up for an online vote follows a call for entries from late last year — and features the state's penchant for grafting popular culture onto winter.

In addition to the entries noted above — there’s also the contest’s usual Prince reference, Paisley Plow, and a Star Wars allusion: Han Snowlo — other entries include Harmon Chillebrew, Blader Tot Hotdish and Miracle on Ice.

The list also includes a tribute to one of Minnesota’s most beloved comics: Plowie Anderson, a reference to Louie Anderson, who died a year ago.

Queen El-ice-a-beth and Sleetwood Mac round out the tributes to prominent and recently deceased public figures. The English monarch died last September, and Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie died in November.

As in past years, the names up for vote also include several Native American references: Waipahiƞte, the Dakota word for “snow plow”; Ičamna, the Dakota word for “blizzard”; and Goonodaabaan, the Ojibwe word for “snow vehicle.”

MnDOT said it received more than 10,000 suggestions that staff narrowed down to the field of 60.

“The agency considered a variety of factors when selecting the finalists, including uniqueness, frequency of submissions, Minnesota-specific ideas, and names that would be easily identifiable and understandable to most audiences,” MnDOT said in a news release.

Online voting to pick this year's winners runs through midnight on Feb. 3. Winners are set to be announced later in February.

The top eight names will go on plows in each of MnDOT's eight districts.

Plowy McPlowFace
Plowy McPlowFace was one of the winning entries in MnDOT's first "Name a Snowplow" contest.
MnDOT

Past MnDOT “Name a Snowplow” contest winners

Winter 2020-21

  • Plowy McPlowFace

  • Ope, Just Gonna Plow Right Past Ya

  • Duck Duck Orange Truck

  • Plow Bunyan

  • Snowbi Wan Kenobi

  • F. Salt Fitzgerald

  • Darth Blader

  • The Truck Formerly Known As Plow

Winter 2021-22

  • Betty Whiteout

  • Ctrl Salt Delete

  • The Big Leplowski

  • Plowasaurus Rex

  • Scoop Dogg

  • Blizzard of Oz

  • No More Mr. Ice Guy

  • Edward Blizzardhands