# What is this symbol within this Baltimore logo? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2025, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414 "2025-03-11T02:27:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/1 "2025-03-11T02:27:54Z")
I thought we had done this exact one last year or so, but I cannot find it. Now, my daughter has this sign and we are trying to figure out what that weird design is within the left part of the “B”. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/XNpwQ3R.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/XNpwQ3R) It kinda sorta looks like the inlets and bay in the Baltimore area, and vaguely reminiscent of a bucking colt, but not really. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/2 "2025-03-11T02:33:56Z")
It’s almost certainly the inlets. If you pull up Google Maps and look at that region, it looks exactly like the bay and the borders of the city. Edit: Example image with map overlaid… (sorry, this will self-destruct in 24 hours, after which you can use [this link](https://share.cleanshot.com/2NW4rTsWVZXyw5nQxv9d) to see it instead): [![](https://media.cleanshot.cloud/media/76644/NcnyFroO69mN3dRFOC6lIga5lu6SMBYYVjHRYNQO.gif?response-content-disposition=attachment%3Bfilename%3DUntitled-2%2520%2540%2520115%2520%2528RGB8%2529%2520%2520-%2520%2520March%252010%2520%2540%252007-45-35%2520PM.gif&Expires=1741682785&Signature=GRGYQNEsP1Ct0xwCzXgOd6QgrO9Stwxka3QhyZlOVJZNvVMkVUZByEVtX5s9cy~RX~euuX1n4DTvBQMLmPTnTBUn1wm7Qnmg7ZMG9qUfRa-xWpF52vq9TWaz6EGbWTyLs4xOGM4HSpUiIcAAVXxtEMAGQIltY5I9Q00M8jTZNAnx8nXK0SRSkrtbaHBDGgahl0h4r2Eelao9EUJ0gjEMT0pzWMDyKmGEkNU4iUO1dbWAed4YsoSxJfiV~x6RBm1K-HFc~RZALmc01Ezvqp~yW4oZBKkti2ZiKGoF25PbSPvT~Ld9FAavDcTyzwOgArMEtrBbGXGm5sgaxoqjkxJSWA__&Key-Pair-Id=K269JMAT9ZF4GZ) ](https://media.cleanshot.cloud/media/76644/NcnyFroO69mN3dRFOC6lIga5lu6SMBYYVjHRYNQO.gif?response-content-disposition=attachment%3Bfilename%3DUntitled-2%2520%2540%2520115%2520%2528RGB8%2529%2520%2520-%2520%2520March%252010%2520%2540%252007-45-35%2520PM.gif&Expires=1741682785&Signature=GRGYQNEsP1Ct0xwCzXgOd6QgrO9Stwxka3QhyZlOVJZNvVMkVUZByEVtX5s9cy~RX~euuX1n4DTvBQMLmPTnTBUn1wm7Qnmg7ZMG9qUfRa-xWpF52vq9TWaz6EGbWTyLs4xOGM4HSpUiIcAAVXxtEMAGQIltY5I9Q00M8jTZNAnx8nXK0SRSkrtbaHBDGgahl0h4r2Eelao9EUJ0gjEMT0pzWMDyKmGEkNU4iUO1dbWAed4YsoSxJfiV~x6RBm1K-HFc~RZALmc01Ezvqp~yW4oZBKkti2ZiKGoF25PbSPvT~Ld9FAavDcTyzwOgArMEtrBbGXGm5sgaxoqjkxJSWA__&Key-Pair-Id=K269JMAT9ZF4GZ) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/3 "2025-03-11T03:07:54Z")
The bottom part of the “B” is definitely not Anne Arundel county. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/4 "2025-03-11T03:26:24Z")
Interesting, and thank you for going the extra mile. It is highly stylized, but I can see it. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/5 "2025-03-11T03:35:22Z")
No prob. > [@Raza](#): > > It is highly stylized, but I can see it. Heh, I once made a similar logo (of another area) for a group there. Their feedback? “This is great! We love it! But can you make it be in the outline of our county’s borders instead?” It already _was_ the county borders 🙂 Turns out normal people don’t randomly memorize the shape of their county boundaries and waterways… well, maybe except @burpo_the_wonder_mutt 😉 And that was with fancy 2020s mapping & graphics software. Whoever made that sign in the 70s did it without computers. They did a better job than I could by hand! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/6 "2025-03-11T13:20:05Z")
All the years I lived in MD, I never noticed how much the shape of Balto resembles the state of Nevada. Except of course where Vegas should be. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/7 "2025-03-11T15:29:33Z")
Geez, I lived in B’more for 8 years (including 1976-77) and still couldn’t figure that one out. Thanks to @Reply for the handy explanatory graphic. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/8 "2025-03-11T15:37:33Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > still couldn’t figure that one out I only recently stopped trying to find the stylized symbol or letter or word in the racetrack outline cut vinyl people put on their vehicles. _squints_ OwohI? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/9 "2025-03-11T16:03:23Z")
Clearly, a rock guitarist. [![](https://www.vishopper.com/images/products/300x300-e/PE/18605_cut-out-rock-musician-playing-guitar.jpg) ](https://www.vishopper.com/images/products/300x300-e/PE/18605_cut-out-rock-musician-playing-guitar.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/10 "2025-03-12T09:06:21Z")
It resembles a cat shitting into an ill shaped litter box. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/11 "2025-03-12T10:57:58Z")
Clearly it’s a rock guitarist shitting into an ill shaped litter box. Any resemblance to Baltimore is a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/12 "2025-03-12T13:07:07Z")
Surely, you two jest — Balto has never, _ever_ had a rock guitarist. RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-symbol-within-this-baltimore-logo/1015414/13 "2025-03-13T06:05:07Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > A cat shitting into an ill shaped litter box. Absolutely!!! Well, not quite… It’s a cat climbing a branch of a tree, and shitting. I would never have guessed that it’s a map or geography lesson.And it sure looks like a cat. But then, I shoudda known. Baltimorons\* think that the Chesapeake Bay area is the center of the universe, and everybody knows the geography, and everybody owns a boat for weekend recreation. \*(yeah, that spelling is intentional. Love ya, Aunt Ruth. 🙂 )