Delightfully weird state symbols from across America

Mississippi: State toy - The Teddy bear became the state's official toy in 2002. The backstory traces back to Theodore Roosevelt, who took a hunting trip to the Mississippi delta in the early 1900s but refused to shoot an injured black bear. To poke fun at the then-President, a newspaper ran a cartoon of the incident. A New York City toy store then asked the President's permission to name its stuffed bear "Teddy's bear," giving birth to the now-famous toy.

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Nebraska: State soft drink - Kool-Aid became the state's official soft drink in 1998. The fruit-flavored powder was invented in 1927 by a Hastings couple.

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New Hampshire: State fruit - Oddly enough, pumpkins are fruits and New Hampshire's state symbol in the category.

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North Carolina: State salamander - The Marbled salamander became the state's official salamander in 2013.

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Ohio: State rock song - The state's General Assembly passed a resolution in 1985 that made 'Hang on Sloopy’ its official rock song.

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Oregon: State chainsaw carving capital - Oregon has had an official chainsaw carving capital since 2011—Reedsport.

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Pennsylvania: State toy - Rep. Richard Geist proposed making the slinky the commonwealth's official toy in 2001, but it has yet to be enacted.

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Rhode Island: State appetizer - Rhode Island became the first state to adopt an official appetizer in 2014—Calamari.

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South Carolina: State Lowcountry handcraft - The sweetgrass basket became the state's official handcraft in 2006. The history of sweetgrass-basket making goes back more than 300 years to African traditions.

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Tennessee: State fine art -

Porcelain painting became the state's official fine art in 1981. The craft has an important historical connotation for the state, as Blue Ridge china was once the best-selling dinnerware in the country.

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Texas: State molecule - Texans are a proud brunch, so it's not surprising that the state has a long list of state symbols, including an official state hat (Cowboy hat) and an official bread (pan de campo), but its most unusual is definitely the buckyball molecule. The buckyball is a family of allotropes made entirely of carbon that was discovered by a British scientist and two Rice University chemists from Houston university, earning the trio a Nobel Prize. The symbol remains unofficial as the state is still in the process of recognizing it.

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Utah: State star cluster - The state recognized the Beehive Cluster as its official star cluster in 1996. The recognition is an allusion to the state's official emblem, a beehive. Utah also has recognized a star, the Dubhe, as an official symbol.

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Vermont: State fly-fishing fly - The state recognized the Governor Aiken bucktail streamer as its official fly-fishing fly in 2013.

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Virginia: State cabin capital - Page County was recognized as the state's cabin capital in 2009.

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Washington: State oyster - The Ostrea lurida was adopted as the state’s official oyster in 2014. This species occurs on the northern Pacific coast of North America.

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Wyoming: State Code of Ethics -

The state passed an act recognizing the Code of the West as the state's official Code of Ethics in 2010. The code includes 10 ethics.

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Alaska: State sport - The state adopted dog mushing as its official sport in 1972.

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Arizona: State neckwear - The bolo tie became the state's official neckwear in 1973. It is also the official neckwear of Texas, symbolizing Western culture.

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Arkansas and Utah: State cooking vessel - The Dutch oven was a basic necessity of early American settlers and became an official state symbol of Arkansas in 2001 and of Utah in 1997.

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Colorado: State song - ‘Rocky Mountain High’ by John Denver was recognized as the state's second official song in 2007, almost a decade after the artist died in a place crash.

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Delaware: State macroinvertebrate - Delaware became the first state to recognize a macroinvertebrate as a state symbol in 2005 when it designated the stone fly as the official symbol.

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Indiana: State aircraft - In 2015, the state recognized the P-47 Thunderbolt as an official symbol.

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Kentucky: State soft drink -

Ale-8-One, which has been manufactured and bottled in Winchester since 1926, became an official state symbol in 2013.

Getty Images

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Ale-8-One -

Ale-8-One

Getty Images

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Louisiana: State doughnut - Louisiana became the first state to have an official doughnut in 1986 when it recognized the beignet.

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Maine: State treat - The whoopie pie became Maine's official treat in 2010.

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Maryland: State exercise - Walking became Maryland's official exercise in 2008. Yes, just walking. Maryland is also the only state to have an official state exercise (not sport).

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Massachusetts: State groundhog - Ms. G from the Massachusetts Audubon Society is the state's official groundhog since 2014.

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Minnesota: State mushroom - Minnesota recognized the morel as its official mushroom in 1984. Oregon is the only other state to have an official mushroom, the Pacific golden chanterelle.

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