# What unusual state symbol does your state have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 13, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635 "2021-08-13T23:07:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/1 "2021-08-13T23:07:41Z")
Most states have state symbols such as a state song, state bird, or state tree. However, some have rather unusual “symbols”. For example, New Mexico has a state question: “Red or green?” which refers to whether one prefers red or green chile when ordering _New_ Mexican cuisine. Missouri has a state dessert: the ice cream cone. What unusual symbol(s) does your state have? These should be official symbols adopted by the state legislature. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/2 "2021-08-13T23:14:40Z")
We were the second state to have an official State Dino: _[Hadrosaurus foulkii](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrosaurus_foulkii)_. There are 14 in all now. State tall ship: _[A. J. Meerwald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._Meerwald)_ Looks like 4 states have this designation now. We were the first. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/3 "2021-08-13T23:15:05Z")
So many [odd ones in Texas](https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/symbols.html). An official state flower and state song, sure. But also an official state “flower song”: “Bluebonnets”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/4 "2021-08-13T23:26:20Z")
New York tried to have an official state bottle. It passed the legislature but governor Mario Cuomo vetoed it, saying it would only benefit speculators. ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/5 "2021-08-13T23:36:57Z")
I note Missouri also has a state exercise: the jumping jack, invented by Missouri-born Army General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing; a state grape: Norton/Cynthiana grape, long prized by Missouri vintners for its hardy growth habit and intense flavor characteristics: and a state invertebrate: crayfish (also known as crawfish and crawdad) an important food source for Missouri fishes. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/6 "2021-08-13T23:38:43Z")
New Mexico [has a few](https://statesymbolsusa.org/states/united-states/new-mexico). state ballad: “Land of Enchantment” state bilingual song: “New Mexico — Mi Lindo Nuevo Méjico” state Spanish song: “Así Es Nuevo Méjico” state cowboy song: “Under New Mexico Skies” We have both a state insect (tarantula hawk wasp) and a state butterfly (Sandia hairstreak butterfly). Male neckwear: bolo tie Female neckwear: squash blossom necklace Unofficially, a surprising number of states have state tartans, even states with tiny Scottish populations. [New Mexico’s tartan](https://www.curiousandunusualtartans.com/officialtartans/USA/New-Mexico) is cool, in that its sett produces a pattern of stripes alluding to the state flag ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2021, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/7 "2021-08-13T23:39:46Z")
The California state fabric is denim, and the state vegetable is the artichoke. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/8 "2021-08-14T00:59:41Z")
Looking online, Utah has an official state cooking pot, the Dutch oven which Arkansas copied later. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/9 "2021-08-14T03:34:22Z")
Georgia has an official state possum. [And it’s a cartoon.](https://sos.ga.gov/state_symbols/state_possum.htm) Illinois’s official state fossil is the [Tully Monster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tullimonstrum). Might be the only official state thing with “monster” in its name. Washington DC is the only “state-like entity” with an [official amphipod](https://www.rockcreekconservancy.org/who-we-are/rock-creek-blog/651-meet-the-hay-s-spring-amphipod), the Hay’s Spring Amphipod. Oregon has an official state microbe, _Saccharomyces cerevisia_, also known as brewer’s yeast. California’s official state animal is the California grizzly bear, which had been extinct for 30 years at the time it was made the official state animal. The official state neckwear of Arizona is the bola tie. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/10 "2021-08-14T03:51:10Z")
We’re supposed to stick to the state where we currently reside? For me, that’d be Washington. The state gem is something most people don’t think of as a gem: petrified wood. We also have a state oyster, the ostrea lurida. I don’t _think_ another state has an official state oyster. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/11 "2021-08-15T02:05:46Z")
We had a big push by “science boffins” throughout Wisconsin (mostly Francis Hole, a soil scientist) to proclaim a state dirt: **Antigo Silt Loam** Y’know, like [the song…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkHBBpTw6lc) Yeah, the campaign had a song, and a cool t-shirt, and a lot of nerd cred. Wow, I had no idea you [can still get an Antigo Silt Loam shirt or hoodie,](https://wspss.wordpress.com/shop/) with the song on the back! ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/12 "2021-08-16T01:54:59Z")
Perusing the Wikipedia page listing Washington state symbols, the weird ones include an official state oyster (Olympia oyster) and an official state grass (bluebunch wheatgrass). Also, our state tree was only so named because _The Oregonian_ newspaper teased their northern neighbors about not having one. Also, screw the square dance being our state dance. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/13 "2021-08-16T02:12:47Z")
Ohio’s official state frog is the bullfrog. OK, so we have an amphibian. Wait, what’s that you say? The official state amphibian is the spotted salamander? We also have an official state rock song, “Hang On Sloopy”. Oh, and our Official State Tree is, of course, the Ohio Buckeye. Which doesn’t seem too weird… until you realize that the Ohio Buckeye’s natural range is mostly in Kentucky, and they’re not found at all in most of Ohio (what most Ohioans call “buckeyes” are actually the closely-related horse chestnut). Turns out the buckeye is named after the river, not the state. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/14 "2021-08-16T02:43:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > We also have an official state rock song, “Hang On Sloopy”. This is due to the work of newspaper columnist Joe Dirck, who registered as a lobbyist for the sole purpose of getting the Ohio legislature to adopt it. He did it in response to a failed attempt to make “Louie, Louie” the state song of Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/15 "2021-08-16T13:58:21Z")
[South Carolina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Carolina) has a crescent near a palmetto. There is a widely held belief that the crescent represents an old throat armor called a ‘gorget,’ despite there being no historical evidence to back it up. ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/16 "2021-08-17T18:04:43Z")
South Carolina’s state dance is the shag, different from most other state dances, which all seem to be the square dance. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/17 "2021-08-18T14:08:17Z")
Other than the usual state symbols, Minnesota has a state… Muffin - blueberry Bee - rusty patched bumblebee Soil - Lester soil Drink - milk ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/18 "2021-08-19T15:33:19Z")
Not so much a symbol as a saying, which became our state motto and a source of state pride. I’m talking about, of course, Missouri being the “Show Me State.” I have several problems with this. First, dafuq does it even mean? Second, the two origin stories are both equally apocryphal. Third, both origin stories paint us as stupid (which, considering the way we vote… never mind). Origin story the first: Some politician said something to the effect of, “I am not impressed by flowery speech. I’m from a land of cockleburs and what not. I’m from Missouri, you have to show me.” Origin story the second: There was a miners’ strike in Colorado, and the mines imported replacement laborers (or scabs, if you prefer) from Joplin-area mines. The Missouri miners developed a reputation for not understanding the Colorado mines’ advanced ways, and had to be shown how to do things. Both interpretations portray us as hardscrabble bumpkins, if not as being downright stupid. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/19 "2021-08-19T15:41:57Z")
Maryland’s state sport is jousting (“ring jousting,” specifically). Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635/20 "2021-08-19T15:49:02Z")
(not a state, but a village in NY, Whitesboro, NY has a seal depicting a settler strangling a Native American. 😯 A lot of people have objected, but it remains, updated a bit…some say, ‘they’re just wrassling, it’s all in fun!’) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-state-symbol-does-your-state-have/948635.md?page=2)