Nice Try Wisconsin, We All Know Michigan Is The TRUE Mitten State

It's a debate that still makes my blood boil to this day.

There are many things we Michiganders can spar with Cheeseheads over: who has the better coastline of Lake Michigan and who can actually lay claim to the Upper Peninsula, but when it comes to which state is more mitten-shaped?

Get our free mobile app

There is no contest!

Michigan v. Wisconsin

It all started back in 2011 when the official tourism board of Wisconsin posted an image on their website featuring their beloved dairy state covered in a knitted mitten. It was very reminiscent of a theme the state of Michigan has been playing up for years! Obviously, because we're shaped just like a hand.

The sheer audacity of this image no doubt riled up myself and fellow Michiganders, and started a debate that still goes to this day!

The feud even drew national and global attention with overseas outlets like the Daily Mail in the UK picking up the story. Wisconsinites argued that are not simply copying or stealing Michigan's thunder, but instead they are complimenting the true Mitten state-- it's the audacity, for me.

Mitten Envy

Pure Michigan spokesman Dave Lorenz claimed Wisconsin suffers from "mitten envy",  even putting it to a vote once and for all on the Pure Michigan website; Michigan got the major of the votes, of course!

Eventually the Cheeseheads conceded, but it's a rivalry that has not been forgotten. In fact, I've been seeing the mangled Wisconsin mitten pop up in my social media feed recently, mostly from meme and parody accounts I follow because the thought that Wisconsin even believed they could ever lay claim to the Mitten is just preposterous!

Here are some recent reactions from Michiganders:

• "Wisconsin wants to be us so bad. It's kinda pathetic." - Tim Hughes
• "People in Wisconsin have weird looking hands." - Jacob Rinker
• "Oh they're trying to pull this again? " - Bex Fonfara