Nebraska designated Kool-Aid as the official state soft drink in 1998. Kool-Aid is an artificially fruit-flavored powder developed in 1927 by Edwin E. Perkins and his wife Kitty of Hastings, Nebraska (Edwin was founder and president of the Perkins Products Company). Hastings sponsors a yearly festival called Kool-Aid Days in August to honor their city's claim to fame. Kool-Aid brand is now owned by the Kraft Foods Company.
Nebraska designated blue chalcendony (commonly called blue agate) as the official state gemstone in 1967. Blue chalcedony is a pale stone which sometimes has a dark internal form with bands of blue and white and often has a colorless streak. Blue agate is often used to make jewelry.
Blue agate is found in northwestern Nebraska, where it formed in wind-blown silt and claystone deposited in the Chadron Formation of the Oligocene Age.
6th graders from Nancy Selby's class at Rickard Elementary School in Williston, ND wrote a persuasive letter to North Dakota lawmakers proposing the chokecherry be designated the official state fruit. The letter inspired legislation and North Dakota designated the chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) as the official state fruit in 2007. Williston has hosted the North Dakota Chokecherry Festival annually to celebrate.
North Dakota designated the wild prairie rose (Rosa blanda or Rosa arkansana) as the official state flower in 1907. Found growing along North Dakota roadsides, in pastures, and in native meadows, the wild prairie rose has five bright pink petals with a cluster of yellow stamens in the center (Iowa also recognizes the wild prairie rose as the state flower). All State Flowers
North Dakota designated the Nokota horse as the state honorary equine in 1993. Today’s Nokota horses are the descendants of generations of wild horses that lived in the rugged Little Missouri badlands in western North Dakota. All State Horses
The official nickname of South Dakota is "Mount Rushmore State" (designated in 1992). The nickname appears on South Dakota's state flag. Mount Rushmore itself is featured on the U.S. Mint's bicentennial commemorative quarter for South Dakota. All State Nicknames
South Dakota designated the Chinese ring-necked pheasant as the official state bird in 1943. A ring-necked pheasant is also featured on the U.S. Mint's South Dakota quarter - All State Birds
The coyote (Canis latrans) was designated the official state animal of South Dakota in 1949. In South Dakota, the coyote is found in the greatest numbers in the Black Hills and along the Missouri River and its tributaries. All State Mammals
Native to the desert southwest, the coyote (also called prairie wolf) now ranges from Alaska, throughout most of Canada and the USA, and south to central America.
Missouri designated the Missouri mule as the official state animal in 1995 (Missouri also recognizes a state horse). South Carolina also adopted the mule as a state symbol. All State Horses
Missouri designated the ice cream cone as the official state dessert in 2008. The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis was the birthplace of the ice cream cone. All State Food Symbols
The University of Missouri-Columbia has played a large role in the development of ice cream products for over a century and Missouri presently ranks tenth in ice cream production.