Illinois vs. Wisconsin: The Real Story Behind “FIBS”

Today's edition of "random thoughts in my head" is about the one Wisconsin term that drives Illinoisans absolutely crazy: 'FIB'.

We may all know what it stands for, but now I want to know where and why it became a thing.

What Is a 'FIB'?

As a lifelong Illinoisan who spends far too much time (and money) in Wisconsin, I’ve heard the word “FIBS” tossed around more than cheese curds at a Friday night fish fry. If you’ve never heard it before, congratulations. It's definitely not nice.

If you Google "what does the slang term FIB mean" you will get answers like:

• Focused Ion Beam
• Flying Inflatable Boat
• Friendly Illinois Brethren/Buddy
• F&$#ing Illinois Bastard

For the purpose of this article, we're going to focus on the fourth most popular definition.

Where Did 'FIB' Come From?

I often wonder what Illinoisans did to Wisconsinites to make them speak so meanly about us.

Do we spend too much money buying up their cheese and beer?

Do we speak too highly of their lakes and restaurants?

It turns out there are 2 major theories as to why the term "FIBS" became a thing, and honestly, both of them make complete sense.

Theory 1: Bad Illinois Drivers

An article from Milwaukee Magazine says some Wisconsin residents say Illinois drivers have  "kind of a proprietary attitude perhaps, a sense of entitlement, treating a community like Disneyland, not as a real place full of real people".

Ouch. A lot of Illinois drivers are pretty bad, so this theory definitely checks.

Theory 2: Bears vs. Packers Rivalry

If having their state inundated by bad Illinois drivers isn't enough to really tick Wisconsinites off, our very vocal love for the Chicago Bears (and hatred for the Green Bay Packers) definitely is.

Perhaps we should all tone it down a bit the next time we're in Wisconsin? Maybe then the term FIB truly will mean "Friendly Illinois Buddy".