What do green Jell-O, a dinosaur, and a bottle of sauce have in common? All three are symbols of Utah! Many people know about the western state’s mountains and national parks. Now, a pin program from the Utah Historical Society is helping folks learn about the state snack food, the state dinosaur, and the state’s popular fry sauce!
The Utah Historical Society began the Utah Pin in July. The pins are free. Visitors can pick them up at locations around the state. For example, Jim Jenson discovered the Utahraptor near Jenson, Utah. Now, pins of this dino are available in several places. Folks can find them at Utahraptor State Park in Moab, at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site in St. George, and at three other museums scattered throughout the state.
A total of 37 museums, state parks, historic sites, and visitor centers across Utah are participating in the program. But each place has only one design available. To collect the whole set, people must visit at least 10 different locations. The Utah Historical Society made 3,100 pins available in July. Due to the program’s popularity, it restocked another 7,800 on October 3!
Haille VanPatten of the Utah Historical Society in Salt Lake City spoke to News-O-Matic. She shared a fun fact about the item on one of the pins. “Green Jell-O is our state’s snack food.” And this is partly thanks to the food company Kraft. “In 1997, Kraft actually released sales figures revealing Salt Lake City to have the highest Jell-O consumption.” The pin for this fun food can be found at two Utah art museums as well as a bird refuge center.
Another food-themed pin is a bottle of fry sauce. That’s a popular mix of ketchup, mayonnaise, and spices. It was created in Utah. Don Carlos Edwards came up with the blend. He served it at his fast-food chain, Arctic Circle. People can buy the sauce or make their own to eat with fries, burgers, and more.
One pin design shows a sugar beet. “Most people don't know that Utah has a state historic vegetable,” VanPatten shared. “Utah achieved prominence in 19th-century America for its efforts to produce sugar from sugar beets. The production of beet sugar contributed to Utah’s economy for almost 100 years.”
People can also pick up pins for two birds. One shows Utah’s state bird, the California gull. It played an important part in the Beehive State’s history. Seagulls helped early settlers. They ate insects that were destroying their crops in 1848. Another pin shows Utah’s state bird of , the golden eagle. It flies throughout western North America, including Utah’s mountain ranges.
The Utah Historical Society also issued four other pins. They’re for the state fish, the state , the state mushroom, and the state flower. Officials chose the 10 designs in order to pump people up for the future Museum of Utah. It’s set to open in June 2026. It will be in the State Capitol Complex in Salt Lake City. “You’ll be able to find these iconic symbols ‘hidden’ within our four permanent galleries,” VanPatten explained.
“The Utah Pin Quest is a fun incentive to explore some of Utah’s cultural spaces and discover new stories you might not have heard before,” VanPatten added. “Each of the 10 unique, pin designs represents an element of Utah history.”
The pins are sure to make these state stories stick in your mind!
By Diana Richard
Updated October 9, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
