Bumper Stumpers

There is always something about a personalized license plate that brings a smile to everyone's face. Indeed, the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has made something of a career of it. But ask any Virginian what inspired him to get that quirky plate, and chances are he will not mention Bumper Stumpers, the most successful of original game shows ever aired on USA Network. Bob Stewart had set up outfits in Toronto and Montréal during the mid-1980s, reviving Jackpot in Toronto and Chain Reaction in Montréal. Coming out of that background, the heirs to the Jack Barry game show estate teamed with Wink Martindale Enterprises to create Bumper Stumpers for Global Television (Eastern Canada) and USA Network (United States). Here was its simple premise: Al Dubois, billed as "the driving force" on the show, gave two pairs of contestants word puzzles in the form of quirky license plates. First up on the bank of seven computer monitors: two different license plates