KALAMAZOO — "Wisconsin thinks its state is a mitten. And they're using it in their state tourism campaign. #FAIL http://t.co/L8fLbKsH #mittenlove"

That tweet sums it up for Alex Beaton, founder and director of business development and marketing for Awesome Mitten, a website launched in June that promotes all good things about Michigan.

Michigan, not Wisconsin.

A few hours ago Beaton tweeted, and posted, her dismay at the

Wisconsin Department of Tourism's new mitten image, vaguely shaped like a map of the state, used in its winter promotional materials. Beaton said she spotted the misshapen mitten at www.travelwisconsin.com, the state of Wisconsin's tourism site.

"Oh my gosh, it's hilarious," Beaton said of the rapid response to her post — 16 comments and five shares, in less than an hour.

"People are outraged."

Lisa Marshall, communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, said the state's advertising agency came up with concept. The image, of a knit mitten stretched to the west to look more like the state of Wisconsin, went into use on its website Dec. 1.

It follows a similar campaign used in the fall, which featured an image of a colorful leaf shaped rather like the state, she said.

She said people in Wisconsin

, with Door County the thumb, and that people in Wisconsin use their hands to point out locations in the state just as folks in Michigan do.

She said there is no slogan connected with the art, nor was Michigan even considered during the image's creation.

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“The mitten was used as a single creative element, you guys still own the mitten,” she said. “We'd much rather our travelers consider us the “fun” state.”

Dave Lorenz, manager of public and industry relations for the state of Michigan, said the two state tourism agencies are friendly.

"We understand their mitten envy," he said with a chuckle, "but there is only one mitten state, only one Great Lakes state, there's only one "Winter Wonderland state — only one, and it is Michigan. Pure Michigan."