Michigan’s Official (And Unofficial) State Symbols

Michigan, like every state, has a number of official state things. For example, the state bird is the American Robin, our state reptile is the Painted Turtle, and the state tree is the White Pine. These state symbols have long represented some of the most important native species and objects in Michigan's narrative.

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While these items are important to the state of Michigan for a number of reasons, there are also plenty of unofficial things in Michigan that have become staples. These aren't things that you'll see on the official State of Michigan website, but they are things that anyone in the state would agree have added to Michigan's unique identity.

The (un)Official Symbols of Michigan

The State of Michigan has designated 12 official symbols, an official state anthem ("My Michigan"), the state flag, the Great Seal, and the Coat of Arms as the official facts and symbols of Michigan. The most recent addition to the official state symbols was the state native grain, the Manoomin, in 2023.

READ MORE: Michigan Is One of Two States To Not Have An Official Insect

But over on the r/Michigan subreddit, we did some crowdsourcing to double the list of state symbols, adding things like the state ice cream, pop, card game, and more. Here is the new official list we came up with, combined with the current officials.