Highway Robbery! Southwest State Tries to Steal “Pure Michigan” Magic

When you're crossing into Michigan, one of the things you'll see first (besides an army of Dispensary billboards) is our iconic Pure Michigan welcome sign:

It reminds you that you just left the insanity of a mediocre state like Ohio or Indiana, and you're now safe in the land of all things awesome. It's comforting, it's simple and it's iconic to all of us Michiganders.

⬇️ Do you know all of the quirky nicknames for towns in the UP? ⬇️

However, a state across the country must have gotten jealous, because this seems familiar... Recently, New Mexico unveiled and put up brand new welcome signs at their state border and, well:

Seems sort of familiar right? Except for the awful clip art balloon that is hovering in the middle of the sign. It's almost like they saw ours and decided that they would just borrow that design instead of doing something unique. THE BLUE is even the same basic color.

And listen- I get it. I'd want to be Michigan too if I were them. I'm not saying New Mexico is boring, but the state bird is a roadrunner who's clearly trying to escape. Plus- what's the state motto of New Mexico? "At least we're not Arizona?"

They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but in this case, I really wish New Mexico and its weirdly placed clip art balloon sign would take some design tips from literally anywhere else.