PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Initially, I didn’t care about the Liberty Bell license plate.

Announced earlier this month, the redesign of Pennsylvania’s license plates features the iconic Philadelphia artifact, faded behind the numbers themselves. While the design centers one of the state’s metropolitan areas over the other … look, it’s a globally known symbol, and Philly is three times the size of Pittsburgh. Not everything needs to be a football game.

But then I noticed something: The “Excelsior” design of the New York state license plate. On one end of the Empire State’s plate is the Statue of Liberty; on the other, Niagara Falls. If any state had the right to focus on one metropolis, it is our neighbor to the north; New York City is kind of a big deal. But the motor vehicle folks up there saw fit to make sure a geographic wonder on the opposite side of the state shared space with the city that never sleeps.

If they can do it, we can do it. (And we should probably do something about the bland font and design, but that’s another matter.)

Let’s consider some concepts that would span the state and bridge the gap between east and west, Sheetz and Wawa, yinz and youse.

1. A Liberty Bell With Three Rivers Flowing Out of It

This would take the least effort. Raise the cracked symbol a bit and have it give symbolic birth to the confluence. Does this make any geographic or symbolic sense? No, but these are license plates we’re talking about. North Carolina uses a century-old airplane. We can do whatever we want.

2. Gritty and the Pirate Parrot

If there’s one thing we can unabashedly support about the City of Brotherly Love, it’s Gritty, the googly-eyed whatsit that serves as the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers — and has become an unhinged symbol for the city at large. Imagine the “Labyrinth”-esque monster with his arm around our furry green bird, both smiling dopily from the back of every car. Now that’s a plate we can get behind.

3. A Cheesesteak with French Fries On It

Let us marry our city’s caloric sandwiches on one piece of government-issued metal. Picture it: A hoagie bun cradles bits of shredded steak. A heaping helping of french fries sits atop them. Not only does this idea fill me with Commonwealth pride, it makes me hungry.

4. Rocky and Batman

Philadelphia’s most enduring contribution to popular cinema is the Italian Stallion, as Rocky Balboa inspires hundreds of tourists to run up a set of stairs each and every day. (By the way, next time you’re over there, go to the nearby Victor Cafe, which appeared in the recent “Rocky” films. The food is great, and there are live opera performances while you eat.) Meanwhile, we lay claim to two prominent Bat-men: Native son Michael Keaton, and the landmarks of “The Dark Knight Rises.” The two pop-culture icons would provide a tough and memorable backdrop to a license plate.

5. Just Michael Scott’s Face

Mutually assured destruction. Forget both metropolises; for many people, Pennsylvania is best known for Dunder Mifflin. Let’s call it a draw and give Scranton the nod.