'I Love NY' Made the State $1.83 Million This Year

"I Love NY," the iconic logo created by Milton Glaser in 1977 (he did the work pro bono, never expecting the campaign to last more than a few months), is now bringing in millions to the state in licensing fees. The state started licensing the logo in '94 and, the Daily News reports, took in "more than $1.83 million in fees in the fiscal year 2011, an increase from $1.5 million the year before." You can see the logo on everything that will take a logo -- perfume, water, T-shirts, posters, and all the kinds of souvenirs you could ever want to throw away when you get home.

Plus, "I Love NY" is apparently "huge" in Japan -- the state's licensing agent deemed it the second largest market.

Could the budget crisis be resolved by three letters and a big, red heart? We shall see: There may be an "I Love NY" store in the works. Where to put that, hmmmmm.

Here's Milton Glaser talking about New York, and his incredibly successful logo.

'I love New York' iconic tourism logo raking in millions in licensing fees for city and state [NYDN]

[JDoll / @thisisjendoll]

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