Symbol | Official Item

Maine designated the whoopie pie as the official state treat in 2010. All State Foods & Beverages

Maine designated Moxie as the official state soft drink of Maine in 2005. Maine is the birthplace of its inventor (Dr. Augustin Thompson) and every summer "all things Moxie" are celebrated at the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls, Maine. There is also a Moxie museum in Union, Maine. All State Foods & Beverages

New Hampshire adopted New Hampshire as the official state tartan in 1995. Purple represents the state bird and flower (purple finch and purple lilac); green represents the green of the forests; black represents New Hampshire's granite mountains; white represents the snow; and red represents all the state heroes.

New Hampshire's official state emblem is the world-famous "Old Man of the Mountain" - adopted in 1945 (along with the New Hampshire state motto: "Live Free or Die") as World war II approached its end.

The Old Man of the Mountain appears on the New Hampshire quarter and is also the title of one of New Hampshire's state songs. Sadly, the old man fell off the mountain on May 3, 2003 (in Franconia Notch State Park, NH).

New Hampshire designated the white-tailed deer as state animal in 1983. An animal of incredible beauty and power, white-tailed deer are able to run up to 40 miles per hour, jump 9 foot fences, and swim 13 miles per hour. The white underside of the deer's tail waves when running and is flashed as a warning when danger is sensed. Both native Americans and settlers relied on the white-tailed deer for buckskin and food.

New Hampshire designated the ladybug (also called ladybird or lady beetle) as the official state insect in 1977 (championed by the pupils of Broken Ground grammar school of Concord NH).

Ladybugs help gardeners and farmers by eating tiny insect pests that damage plants. A ladybug can consume up to 60 aphids per day, and will also eat a variety of other harmful insects and larvae (including scales, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, mites, and other types of soft-bodied insects), as well as pollen and nectar.

New Hampshire designated beryl as the official state mineral in 1985. Beryl is a gemstone found commonly in the abundant granite rocks of New Hampshire (granite is also recognized as the official state rock of the state). 

New Hampshire designated granite as the official state rock in 1985. "The Granite State" is also New Hampshire's official nickname.

New Hampshire designated the red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) as the official state amphibian in 1985 after a two-year effort by high school students. Very common in New Hampshire, the Union Leader newspaper (April 25, 1985, p. 48) lists the red-spotted newt as "the perfect symbol for ensuring ecology in New Hampshire, as they exist predominantly in the rain and runoff sodden areas heavily affected by acid rain."

New Hampshire designated English as the official state language in 1995.