In your opinion, what is the most ridiculous official symbol of the 50 states of the United States? You know, official state bird, official state tree, etc. To be fair, I suppose we should also hear about analogous official symbols from U.S. territories, Canadian provinces, Mexican estados, etc. I find the description of the official state soil of Arkansas rather amusing: “The Stuttgart soil series, member of a soil family of fine, smectitic, thermic albaquultic hapludalfs, is designated and declared as the official Arkansas state soil.” (AR Code § 1-4-124 (2012)).
I always giggle at California’s official state fossil. (The saber-toothed cat.)
New Mexico’s official state question (“Red or Green?”) is also delightful.
In 1962, Maryland was the first state to adopt a state sport. They could have chosen any sport at the time. Which one did they pick? JOUSTING! And not the good kind, either! Participants spear a carousel-type ring suspended in the air. Jeez! I can think of a lot of Marylanders I’d pay to see go mano-a-mano on horseback with a lance: William Donald Schaefer, Earl Weaver, Sally Thorner, Bob Turk, Cal Ripken
[remainder of lengthy list expunged]
Green!
A lot of these things are mainly for tourism purposes really.
I don’t think it ridiculous but rather have always liked Hawaii’s state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa. A beautiful fish, and we often see it in the waters here in Waikiki.
Walla walla bing bang! 
Hey, as state fossils go, that one’s pretty cool. Some other states have cool ones like dinosaurs or woolly mammoths, but a lot have crap like petrified wood or seashells. But for sheer ridiculousness, you really can’t beat Illionois’ Tully Monster Tullimonstrum.
Even though it looks like it should be a pal of Spongebob Squarepants, it really existed. Its relationships have long been a mystery, but the best guess recently is that it’s related to lampreys.
Indeed. Look at New York’s State Fossil, Donald J. Chump. Or is that Florida’s now?
Moderator Note
This isn’t a political thread. Don’t try to make it one.
It’s also in a song sung by Alfred Apaka! I loved trying to sing along when I was a kid.
We have kids in Wisconsin. They say the mosquito is the “state bird” but on any of our drives there over the years I’d have to say that “honour” should go to North Dakota.
Wikipedia: List of official California state thingies. Note, several decidedly oddball thing there. (Official state fabric: Denim. Lichen: Lace lichen, Ramalina menziesii. Nuts: They couldn’t make up their mind, there are four of them :smack: . Tartan: California State Tartan. Vegetable: Artichoke :D)
Notably missing: California State Mollusk: Banana Slug. This apparently really was considered in a bill before the Legislature (way back in 1988), but I guess it didn’t make the list. It is, however, the official mascot of U. C. Santa Cruz.
I assume that Wikipedia must have a page like this for every state.
Lists of United States state symbols
As far as the State Nut, I would have nominated Berkeley.
Missed the second edit window, so now you’ll never get to see the quote I was going to add to the above post, regarding the banana slug. So fuck it. The end is in sight, and I’m done fighting with this board.
In the 30’s, South Carolina hat to compete with the Peach State and the Sunshine State, but the only thing they led the nation in was Iodine products; so they put that on their license plates.
Ontario doesn’t have any particularly-unusual symbols, but it is worth noting that the provincial bird is the Common Loon, Gavia immer. I can hear them calling to each other across the Internet even as I sit here.
Oklahoma has a state meal, which consists of BBQ pork, chicken-fried steak, biscuits and gravy, black-eyed peas, corn, fried okra, grits, squash, cornbread, pecan pie, and strawberries. (IMO, anyone who eats all of that in one sitting deserves what they’ve got coming.)
More than half of Canada’s provincial birds are predators, in sharp contrast to yhe US, where nearly all are pretty little songbirds, voted on by school children.
I got curious, and Texas does have an official state vehicle. I expected it to be “Pickup truck”, but it’s the Chuck Wagon. Apropos, I guess.
The official bird of the city of Madison, Wisconsin is the pink plastic flamingo. Really. Why the Plastic Flamingo is the Official Bird of Madison, Wisconsin | Mental Floss
BBQ pork, chicken-fried steak, biscuits and gravy, black-eyed peas, corn, fried okra, grits, squash, cornbread, pecan pie, and strawberries. Isn’t that also the last meal requested by 4 out of 5 condemned prisoners in the USA? Weird and wild stuff.