Editing 1079: United Shapes

{{comic
| number    = 1079
| date      = July 9, 2012
| title     = United Shapes
| image     = united_shapes.png
| imagesize = 800px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = That eggplant is in something of a flaccid state.
}}
A larger version of this comic is available [http://xkcd.com/1079/large/ here].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|
*Need to finish explaining all the states in [[#Objects]]. Some are missing an explanation.
*Need to move errors in the Trivia sections, away from the explanation/transcript/table.
*In the explanation table, the third column is more descriptive than the actual transcript. Someone needs to screenshot each state and put the image in the table, instead of describing it like the transcript. All you need to do is click on the "2000px" red link and upload the screenshot of the state.}}
In this comic, each state of the United States of America has been filled-in with an object of similar shape. Several years later Randall made a new map of the US mainland [[1653: United States Map]], where he shuffled the positions of the states but filled out the outline. Also in this map Michigan has been split into two separate parts. (Here it is the mitten and the eagle). This comic could also be a reference to {{w|Giuseppe Arcimboldo}}'s portraits, which were composed of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, books, and fish. 

Very few, if any, of the shapes used are stereotypes of the state; they are merely objects that look like the state. Some of the objects are those which the states are widely known to resemble. For example, Michigan is represented by a mitten and an eagle, and a pot with handle takes the place of Oklahoma (with the panhandle region of the state filled with a literal handle). Others, however, are more creative. Few would have likely pictured Texas as a dog or Alaska as a bear with a jet pack and laser gun. There are several incredibly simple objects filling some states. Kentucky is filled by a cloud, which conceivably could have been used for any state, and Wyoming, one of the nearly rectangular states, is simply an envelope. There are three pairs of states that are related. Georgia and Missouri each contain an image of the other, drawing attention to their similar shapes, North and South Dakota are the top and bottom halves of a {{w|guitar amplifier}} {{w|speaker cabinet}}, and Alabama and Mississippi are {{w|moai}} facing in opposite directions.

Colorado contains what looks like a Wikipedia article. [http://xkcd.com/1079/colorado/ A close-up of the fake article is provided.] The following references are made in the Colorado article:

*The pronunciation is not that for Colorado, but for {{w|Eyjafjallajökull}}, a volcano in Iceland that erupted in April 2010. There is a missing [[859#Trivia|close parenthesis]].
*The way it has a demilitarized zone towards Wyoming resembles {{W|North Korea}} and {{W|South Korea}}.
*Eleven dimensions refers to {{w|string theory}}.
*A {{w|wormhole}} is a theoretical relative of the {{w|black hole}}. This is a reference to the television series {{w|Stargate SG-1}} where a device capable of creating wormholes is located in the {{w|Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker}} in Colorado.
*A {{w|Horcrux}} is a type of magical object in the world of {{W|Harry Potter}} that prevents the creator of it from passing on. They may die, but their soul remains to be resurrected by another wizard
*The radiation zones around Longmont are caused by {{w|Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant|radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant}}.
*The fake motto ''Si parare possis, vivere septem'' can be roughly translated as "With preparation, survival is possible for over a week."

New Mexico, according to [https://xkcd.com/1079/info.0.json official transcript], is "A liquid container labeled for something of unusual and silly danger". The labeling is upside down and it refers to the nuclear testing facility White Sands Missile Range located in New Mexico for the nuclear bomb.  The joke is that it presents the white sand itself as extremely hazardous.  The phrase "contains chemicals known only to the state of Nevada" may be a reference to the nuclear weapons testing that occurred in Nevada (although in that case, it's not really the ''state'' of Nevada that knows those chemicals, but rather the {{w|Nevada Test Site}}, home of Area 51 ''et al''), and is also a reference to California's {{w|1986 California Proposition 65|Proposition 65}} warning label, "WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."
:This end up
:Property of White Sands Missile Range
:??? [Followed by a {{w|NFPA 704}} Diamond with all divisions at severe risk, and a radiation symbol in the special notice division]
:Contains White Sand
:FLAMMABLE
:Warning: 
:This product contains chemicals known 
:only to the state of Nevada. 
:Contents under pressure from parents
:If swallowed, induce labor
:56 fluid ounces 
:and 14 other ounces

The title text makes fun of Florida which is sometimes called "The penis of America". Obviously, this penis is somewhat flaccid (not erect). The use of the word "state" is a pun, as it means some particular condition (flaccid state) as well as a political entity (The State of Florida).

===Objects===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!State!!Image!!Description!!Explanation
|-
|Alabama
|[[File:Alabama.png 179|2000px]]
|A moai head facing east.
|{{w|Moai}} are Easter Island stone statues.
|-
|Alaska
|[[File:Alaska.png 179|2000px]]
|A bear with a jet pack and a ray gun.
|The ray gun and {{w|jet pack}} are fixtures of science fiction during the Cold War era, and the Russian Bear is an often-used personification of the country Russia in political cartoonage; the "teddy bear" image may be related to Alaska's former Russian heritage. The USA acquired Alaska from Russia in the Alaska Purchase of 1867 and it became a state in 1959, during the Cold War. The Cold War often featured baseless worries of a potential Russian invasion of Alaska due to their geographical proximity across the Bering Sea and Bering Strait, which persisted through the 1980s; Alaska was the location of a large number of interceptor missiles as part of Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars Defense Initiative" intended to shoot down missiles that might be launched from the USSR. The ray gun is pointed across the Bering Strait at Russia, consistent with Alaska's often being described as the "first line of defense" against Russian aggression. The teddy bear is similar in appearance to {{w|Winnie the Pooh}}.
|-
|Arizona
|[[File:Arizona.png 179|2000px]]
|A refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries.
|
|-
|Arkansas
|[[File:Arkansas.png 179|2000px]]
|A measuring cup.
|As the text is illegible, it is unclear if the cup is graduated for imperial units (fractions of a cup) and metric units (milliliters) or both.
|-
|California
|[[File:California.png 179|2000px]]
|A vacuum.
|An old-fashioned upright vacuum cleaner (lying down to the right), green with a yellow bag.
|-
|Colorado
|[[File:Colorado.png 179|2000px]]
|The Wikipedia article on Colorado.
|A fake Wikipedia article on Colorado. Below the text as seen in the provided close up:
:[web address:]
::en.wikipedia.org/wiki/colorado
:[Headers]
::Wikipedia
::Article Talk
::Colorado
:[Main article {note that Randall [[859|forgot the closing parentheses]] ')' after the pronunciation}]
::Colorado (Pronounced [ˈeːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥] is a US State encompassing portions of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. The region has been inhabited since at least 11,000 BCE, and some archaeological evidence suggest the state – with roughly its current borders – has literally always existed. Colorado is separated from Wyoming by a 28-mile demilitarized zone, and has at times exercised substantial regional power via the installation of puppet governments in neighboring states. Geographically, Colorado is eleven-dimensional, though seven of those dimensions are tightly compacted and difficult to detect in most areas of the state. Colorado is home to the nation's oldest continually-operated wormhole and two of President Lincoln's horcruxes. The wildlife in Colorado is commonly characterized as "erratic",  particularly in the radiation zones around Longmont. The State's timber wolf population is largely bipedal; the Park Service has expressed "concern" at their attempts to enroll in
::[Fact box with correct (though black instead of blue) state flag and emblem and fake motto:]
::State of Colorado
::Motto:
::"Si parare possis, vivere septem."
::(With preparation, survival is possible for over a week.)

The Demilitarized Zone is the official name of the border between North Korea and South Korea. It is impossible for the state to have always existed, as that would require the existence of the United States, which was only founded in 1776.

The Motto may be a reference to the very harsh conditions located on especially tall mountains, as the Rocky Mountains run directly through the state. Alternatively, danger may have been introduced via the 'erratic' wildlife and the presence of a wormhole within the state, which would make Colorado nearly uninhabitable.
|-
|Connecticut
|[[File:Connecticut.png 179|2000px]]
|A train conductor's hat.
|
|-
|Delaware
|[[File:Delaware.png 179|2000px]]
|A meerkat.
|
|-
|Florida
|[[File:Florida.png 179|2000px]]
|An eggplant.
|The title text mentions the eggplant being in a flaccid state, which might be a reference to the sexual use of the eggplant emoji. The eggplant may reference the {{w|Florida Man}} meme, which commonly involves undressed males doing unusual things.
|-
|Georgia
|[[File:Georgia.png 179|2000px]]
|Missouri.
|The outline of the state of Missouri, with the {{w|Gateway Arch}} in St. Louis.
|-
|Hawaii
|[[File:Hawaii.png 179|2000px]]
|The island of Hawaii is a snowball. The smaller islands are small bits of snow.
| This may be an ironic reference to the fact that Hawaii is located near the equator and generally receives temperatures far too high to create snow.
|-
|Idaho
|[[File:Idaho.png 179|2000px]]
|A garden gnome, sitting down.
|
|-
|Illinois
|[[File:Illinois.png 179|2000px]]
|A gangster with a guitar case, upside down.
|In fiction it's common to depict Prohibition-era gangsters and mobsters smuggling a Thompson submachine gun (also called a "Tommy gun" or "Chicago typewriter") in musical instrument cases.
|-
|Indiana
|[[File:Indiana.png 179|2000px]]
|The brush of a paintbrush.
|
|-
|Iowa
|[[File:Iowa.png 179|2000px]]
|A tomato, lettuce, cold cut and cheese sandwich.
|
|-
|Kansas
|[[File:Kansas.png 179|2000px]]
|A {{w|spinet}} piano.
|
|-
|Kentucky
|[[File:Kentucky.png 179|2000px]]
|A cloud.
|
|-
|Louisiana
|[[File:Louisiana.png 179|2000px]]
|A boot with some gum stuck to the bottom of it.
| In grade schools, Louisiana is often remembered via it's shape, being very similar to a boot. 
|-
|Maine
|[[File:Maine.png 179|2000px]]
|A Vulcan salute.
|Maine's camp sunshine has had Star Trek related events in the past, including the opportunity to appear in a film.
|-
|Maryland
|[[File:Maryland.png 179|2000px]]
|A wolf howling to the moon, upside down.
|
|-
|Massachusetts
|[[File:Massachusetts.png 179|2000px]]
|An elephant, being ridden by a man, carrying tea.
|Might be a reference to the Boston Tea Party, which occurred in Massachusetts, and the Republican political party. The man seems to be wearing a tricorn hat.
|-
|Michigan
|[[File:Michigan.png 179|2000px]]
|A mitten for the lower portion, an eagle for the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan}}.
| In grade schools, Michigan is often remembered via it's shape, being very similar to a glove.
|-
|Minnesota
|[[File:Minnesota.png 179|2000px]]
|$160 in $20 USD bills, tied together.
|
|-
|Mississippi
|[[File:Mississippi.png 179|2000px]]
|A moai head facing west.
| This is a mirrored image of Alabama, referencing the fact that the two states appear symmetrical at a glance.
|-
|Missouri
|[[File:Missouri.png 179|2000px]]
|Georgia.
|The outline of the state of Georgia, with a pair of {{w|Georgia Peach|Georgia peaches}}.
|-
|Montana
|[[File:Montana.png 179|2000px]]
|One half of a muffin, sideways.
|
|-
|Nebraska
|[[File:Nebraska.png 179|2000px]]
|A blue VW type 2 with mattresses sticking out the back.
|
|-
|Nevada
|[[File:Nevada.png 179|2000px]]
|A clothes iron.
|
|-
|New Hampshire
|[[File:NewHampshire.png 179|2000px]]
|A tall brick factory building.
| There are many brick mill buildings in Manchester, the largest city in the state.
|-
|New Jersey
|[[File:NewJersey.png 179|2000px]]
|A bent-over old person. He is carrying a cane.
|
|-
|New Mexico
|[[File:NewMexico.png 179|2000px]]
|A liquid container labeled for something of unusual and silly danger.
|A yellow liquid container with upside-down labeling.
::This end up!!
::Property of White Sands Missile Range
::Contains White Sand
:[Written inside a hazardous-materials {{w|NFPA 704|NFPA diamond}} with the ? very large, and the three '4' in the three top part of a diamond shape divided in four these three sections being blue(health), red(flammability), and yellow(instability). The lower part has a radioactive sign on the same grey background as the large rectangle.]
::??? 4 4 4 
::Flammable
::Warning
::This product contains chemicals known
::Only to the State of Nevada.
::Contents under pressure from parents
::If swallowed, induce labor
::56 fluid ounces
::and 14 other ounces
::NB - There are several chemicals such as {{w|Pentaborane(9)}}(reacts with water) and {{w|tert-Butyl hydroperoxide|''tert''-Butyl hydroperoxide}}(explosive) which have a 4-4-4 rating, however, a substance that is both 4-4-4 and radioactive is unlikely to be handled in bulk.
This may be a reference to the many nuclear tests conducted In New Mexico during the {{w|Cold War}}.
|-
|New York
|[[File:NewYork.png 179|2000px]]
|A hybrid transmission with standard manual-style gears and a torque converter sliced in half.
|
|-
|North Carolina
|[[File:NorthCarolina.png 179|2000px]]
|A bouquet of flowers. They appear similar to {{w|Galium Palustre|marsh bedstraws}}.
|
|-
|North Dakota
|[[File:NorthDakota.png 179|2000px]]
|The top half of a guitar amplifier speaker cabinet.
| Possibly a {{w|Randall Amplifiers|Randall}} [https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-49c12/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/12694/26126/apihqruad__00850.1479879391.jpg RD412A] angled 4x12" cabinet, which is similar in appearance and bears [[Randall]]'s name.
|-
|Ohio
|[[File:Ohio.png 179|2000px]]
|Underwear (Briefs).
|Possibly a reference to ''{{w|Captain Underpants}}'', which takes place in Ohio.
|-
|Oklahoma
|[[File:Oklahoma.png 179|2000px]]
|A covered pot, dripping with boil-over.
|Western Oklahoma is often called "{{w|Oklahoma Panhandle|the panhandle}}"; sure enough, this is where the boiling pot's handle fits.
|-
|Oregon
|[[File:Oregon.png 179|2000px]]
|A locomotive.
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|[[File:Pennsylvania.png 179|2000px]]
|A very thick book with a bookmark.
|
|-
|Rhode Island
|[[File:RhodeIsland.png 179|2000px]]
|The bow half of a boat's hull.
| This is relevant as the state of Rhode Island is known for it's boating industry. An anchor is also located on the {{w|Flag of Rhode Island|state flag of Rhode Island}}.
|-
|South Carolina
|[[File:SouthCarolina.png 179|2000px]]
|A slice of pizza.
|
|-
|South Dakota
|[[File:SouthDakota.png 179|2000px]]
|The bottom half of guitar amplifier speaker cabinet.
| Possibly a {{w|Randall Amplifiers|Randall}} [https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-49c12/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/12694/26126/apihqruad__00850.1479879391.jpg RD412A] angled 4x12" cabinet, which is similar in appearance and bears [[Randall]]'s name. 
|-
|Tennessee
|[[File:Tennessee.png 179|2000px]]
|A number of children's books, placed in a slightly askew pile.
| Possibly a reference to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The books are {{w|Where's Waldo?}}, {{w|The Wreck of the Zephyr}}, {{w|The Way Things Work}}, Free Fall, {{w|Paddle-to-the-Sea}}, What It Feels Like to Be a Building, and {{w|The Crab with the Golden Claws}}.
|-
|Texas
|[[File:Texas.png 179|2000px]]
|A dog sitting in a bowl.
|
|-
|Utah
|[[File:Utah.png 179|2000px]]
|An oven.
|
|-
|Vermont
|[[File:Vermont.png 179|2000px]]
|A microscope, upside down.
|
|-
|Virginia
|[[File:Virginia.png 179|2000px]]
|A {{w|stegosaurus}}.
|
|-
|Washington
|[[File:Washington.png 179|2000px]]
|A whale.
| The Puget Sound is well known for whale watching
|-
|Washington DC
|[[File:WashingtonDC.png 179|2000px]]
|A star.
|On most maps, capitals are shown as stars. Washington DC is the capital of the United States.
|-
|West Virginia
|[[File:WestVirginia.png 179|2000px]]
|A {{w|frog}}.
|
|-
|Wisconsin
|[[File:Wisconsin.png 179|2000px]]
|A skull.
|
|-
|Wyoming
|[[File:Wyoming.png 179|2000px]]
|The back side of a white envelope, sealed with red wax, with a black heart next to a signature (lower left corner).
|
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|This transcript isn't detailed enough for our standards. Weirdly enough, the third column of the table above is more descriptive, so you could start by transferring the descriptions from the table over to this section.}}
:The '''United Shapes'''
:A map of things states are shaped like 

:[Each state has some item wedged to stay inside its borders]
:Washington contains a whale.
:Idaho contains a garden gnome sitting down.
:Montana contains a half muffin.
:North Dakota and South Dakota contain the top and bottom halves of an amp, respectively.
:Minnesota contains $160 in $20 bills.
:Upper peninsula and lower peninsula of Michigan contain an eagle and a mitten, respectively.
:Ohio contains a single piece of underwear.
:Pennsylvania contains a very thick book with a bookmark.
:New York contains a hybrid transmission with standard manual-style gears and a torque converter sliced in half.
:Vermont contains an upside-down microscope.
:New Hampshire contains a tall brick factory building.
:Maine contains a hand doing a Vulcan salute.
:Massachusetts contains an elephant, being ridden by a man who is carrying tea.
:Rhode Island contains the bow half of a boat's hull.
:Connecticut contains a train conductors hat.
:New Jersey contains a bent-over old person carrying a cane.
:Delaware contains a meerkat.
:Maryland contains a wolf, howling at the moon while upside-down.
:Washington D.C. is represented by a star.
:Virginia is represented by a stegosaurus.
:North Carolina contains a bouquet of flowers.
:South Carolina contains a slice of pizza.
:Georgia contains Missouri.
:Florida contains an eggplant.
:Alabama contains a Moai head facing east.
:Mississippi contains a Moai head facing west.
:Louisiana contains a boot with gum stuck to the bottom.
:Texas contains a dog sitting in a bowl.
:New Mexico contains a liquid container with markings indicating it is dangerous.
:Arizona contains a refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries.
:California contains a vacuum cleaner.
:Oregon contains a locomotive.
:Wyoming contains an envelope with a heart and a signature.
:Nebraska contains a blue VW type 2 with mattresses sticking out the back.	
:Iowa contains a cold-cut sandwich.
:Illinois contains a gangster with a guitar case, upside down.
:Indiana contains the brush end of a paintbrush.
:Kentucky contains a cloud.
:West Virginia contains a frog.
:Tennessee contains seven children's books.
:Arkansas contains a measuring cup.
:Oklahoma contains a pot boiling over.
:Nevada contains an iron for clothing.
:Utah contains an oven with a towel on a towel bar on the side.
:Colorado contains a fake Wikipedia article about Colorado.
:Kansas contains a piano.
:Missouri contains Georgia.
:Alaska contains a bear with a jet pack and a ray gun.
:Hawaii contains a snowball.

==Trivia==
This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20220125014714/https://store.xkcd.com/products/united-shapes-poster available as a poster] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Dogs]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]] <!-- Colorado Wikipedia -->
[[Category:Volcanoes]]  <!-- Colorado Wikipedia -->
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[[Category:Music]]