Thousands of mittens donated in Wis. and Mich.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Tourism officials in Wisconsin and Michigan parlayed their dust-up over mittens into the collection of at least 3,100 pairs of mittens and other winter items.

The states' tourism departments got into a good-natured battle in December over whose state has the better claim to looking like a mitten. About a week later, the states announced the Great Lakes Mitten Campaign.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism says the items were donated through state travel centers and some chambers of commerce and were then given to more than 50 charities.

Some people also made some mittens by hand and donated them and some businesses donated funds.

Michigan officials asked people to donate mittens directly to their favorite charities, so they weren't able to keep track of how many were collected there.