Nice try, Wisconsin – Michigan is still the mitten
Residents of Wisconsin believe their home state is shaped like a mitten. Since when? If you’re going to use another state’s trademark, at least choose a state on the other side of the country, not one right next to you. Or be shaped more like a mitten.
Seems like a stretch, Wisconsin. Photo: Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
Those of us who live in Michigan have a hard time accepting Wisconsin as the place where you use your hand to point out where you are from.
According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, on Dec. 1, Wisconsin’s Tourism Department released their photo of a stretched-out mitten (if you can call it that, because no one’s hand would fit in there) that vaguely resembles their state. Only in Michigan, since there’s no vague resemblance or stretched-out glove, can we actually use a real mitten, because that is the shape of our state.
Dave Lorenz, manager of public and industry relations for the state of Michigan, told the Gazette the two state tourism agencies are friendly.
“We understand their mitten envy,” he said to the Gazette with a chuckle, “but there is only one mitten state and it is Michigan.”
I’ve always used my hand for Wisconsin, although I have to point somewhat above my pinky to really indicate Superior and I never referred to it as a mitten. How does the Michigan Mitten account for the UP? Is it just a troll signal? =)
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Coming from a true Michigander, the was to make the UP with your hand, is take your left hand, and do like you were as a little kid and make a gun with your thumb and first finger, only stick your second finger out too. Yep….. that’s the UP.
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I always use my hand for Wisconsin too…. My pimp hand!
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ellen gregory?
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Always saw Wisconsin as the Second Mitten
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there is only one TRUE mitten and that is the lower penninsula of Michigan!!! Only Salvador Dali would see Wisconsin as a mitten. Maybe what we are dealing with here is “mitten envy” on the part of Wisconsin. they say imitation is the truest form of compliment.
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