Moosylvania is a

fictional island Below is a list of islands that have been invented for films, literature, television, or other media. A * The Abarat: 25 islands in an archipelago, one for each hour and one for all the hours, from the series ''The Books of Abarat'' by Clive ...

located in the

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

along the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

that served as a plot device in ''

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC tel ...

''. The island has no permanent population, and conditions are said to be harsh and unpleasant. The island is in a state of ''

terra nullius ''Terra nullius'' (, plural ''terrae nullius'') is a Latin expression meaning " nobody's land". Since the nineteenth century it has occasionally been used in international law as a principle to justify claims that territory may be acquired ...

'', since neither

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

nor the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

wants to claim the land and each country says it belongs to the other. (See

Bir Tawil (, ) is a area of land along the Egypt–Sudan border, border between Egypt and Sudan, which is uninhabited and claimed by neither country. When spoken of in association with the neighbouring Halaib Triangle, it is sometimes referred to as the ...

for a similar real-life example of this.)

Bullwinkle J. Moose Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the 1959–1964 animated television series ''Rocky and His Friends'' and ''The Bullwinkle Show'', often collectively referred to as ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'', pro ...

serves as Moosylvania's presumed namesake and its governor but only stays two weeks at a time, since (according to Bullwinkle) "after two weeks here, anyplace else in the ''world'' feels like Heaven!" In the series finale "Moosylvania Saved,"

Fearless Leader Fearless Leader is the main antagonist in the 1959–1964 animated television series '' Rocky and His Friends'' and '' The Bullwinkle Show'', both shows often collectively referred to as ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show''. He is the employer of ...

, the head of state of the Eastern European state of Pottsylvania, attempts to destroy Moosylvania. The plot is foiled when Bullwinkle, who was going to go down with his sinking country, asked Rocky for a stick of gum, which inspired

Rocky the Flying Squirrel Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel, also known as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, is one of the two protagonists of the 1959–1964 animated series ''Rocky and His Friends'' and ''The Bullwinkle Show'' (both shows often referred to collectively as '' The Roc ...

to raise up Moosylvania with bubble gum balloons. The plan worked and Moosylvania was saved, giving the series a happy ending. In the fall of 1962,

Jay Ward Joseph Ward Cohen Jr. (September 20, 1920 – October 12, 1989), also known as Jay Ward, was an American creator and producer of animated TV cartoon shows. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bu ...

, producer of the ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'' show, decided to campaign for statehood for Moosylvania. Ward sent Skip Craig to

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

to buy an island in Lake of the Woods. Craig wasn't able to find one for sale on the U.S. side of the lake (most of the islands in that lake belong to Canada), but managed to lease one for three years. Ward and publicist Howard Brandy conducted a cross-country tour in a decorated van, gathering signatures on a petition for statehood for Moosylvania. While in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, they sought an audience with President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. However, they arrived at the White House on the very day the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

broke, and were ordered to leave. A national anthem for Moosylvania was included on the mini-album ''A Salute to Moosylvania!! Recorded Live at the Moosylvania Jazz Festival'', self-released by Jay Ward in 1962.Listen to the entire album o
The Moosylvania Jazz Festival
(a Jay Ward production)

References

{{The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends Fictional locations in North America Fictional islands The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends Lake of the Woods