Watch the Backstreet Boys Celebrate National Potato Day in Boise

One of the biggest myths people from other states believe about Idaho is that all of us grow potatoes. Normally, we roll our eyes whenever we hear a potato stereotype but when it’s one of the Backstreet Boys? We could talk about potatoes all day!

Jillian Cobler

Quite frankly, we feel like we brought the potato stereotypes on ourselves. The first time a slogan appeared on a license plate in Idaho was in 1928 when the state picked a design that was literally a yellow potato embossed on a green plate with the words “Idaho Potatoes” below it.

There were a few years when the state opted for different slogans like “Scenic Idaho” or “Vacation Wonderland,” but decided to double down on Idaho’s potato pride by using an image of a baked potato and the words “World Famous Potatoes” on the plates in 1948 and 1949. A phrase about potatoes has appeared consistently on standard Idaho license plates since 1956. Idahoans still have the option to pick a plate that features a baked potato today.

Image via Worthpoint

Then when the Idaho Potato Commission bought the naming rights to the Humanitarian Bowl in 2007, they not only renamed the game Famous Idaho Potato Bowl but also changed the logo to a baked potato in the shape of a football. From the day that logo was introduced, we thought it was absolutely brilliant.

Image via Worthpoint

While many act a little annoyed when an out of state guest asks where the potatoes are as soon as they get off the plane at the Boise airport, we clearly still take a lot of pride in Idaho’s most well known crop. In fact, Friday, August 19 was National Potato Day and one of the Backstreet Boys took some time to celebrate the fact that they were in Idaho on the holiday!

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Check out this behind the scenes video Brian Littrell posted from the Ford Idaho Center on Friday night!

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