'Don't Mess With Texas' Turns 40, A Look Back At Our Favorite Ads

On New Year's Day, 1986, the 'Don't Mess With Texas' campaign was launched at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Football fans watched as Stevie Ray Vaughan appeared on the screen in the first ad of this iconic anti-litter initiative. Now, four decades later, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is celebrating this 40-year milestone with the next generation of artistic talent, Grapevine, Texas native Post Malone, starring in the latest Don’t Mess with Texas video.

A key component of the campaign’s longevity has been its collaboration with influential Texas voices from music, film and popular culture — names like Willie Nelson, George Strait, Eva Longoria, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Jonas, Ethan Hawke, and others have helped extend the campaign’s reach and reinforce its message statewide.

Willie Nelson changed the words of "Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" to fit with the litter abatement message.

George Strait didn't lend his singing voice to his video appearance for this campaign, but his message of Don't Mess With Texas was clear and to the point.

Speaking of famous George's from Texas. Boxer George Foreman, who was an ordained minister, put his preaching skills to work in one of the more memorable Don't Mess With Texas commercials.

Launched in 1986, the campaign was created to address the increasing amount of litter along Texas highways by appealing to Texans’ pride and strong connection to the state. Over four decades, “Don’t mess with Texas” has become one of the most successful behavior-change campaigns in history.

Several football stars added their voices to the campaign, including Warren Moon, Earl Campbell, and two of the best defensive players in Dallas Cowboys history, Ed 'Too Tall' Jones and Randy White.

In addition to the Don't Mess With Texas campaign, TxDOT continues to fight litter in the Lone Star State through “Trash-Off” community litter pick-up events and the Adopt-a-Highway volunteer program.