Poking fun at the Garden State is a tradition that dates to the colonial era, said historian Marc Mappen, author of There's More to New Jersey Than the Sopranos.
At least one of the state's early leaders was less than enthusiastic about the little stretch of rural land between Pennsylvania and New York. When Jonathan Belcher became governor of the province of New Jersey in 1747, he was appalled by his new home's apparent lack of high society or culture.
"It is the best country I have seen for middling fortunes and for those who have to live by the sweat of their brow," he sniffed.
Even William Penn was in on the joke: He once wrote a pamphlet complaining about New Jersey's mosquitos, said Maxine Lurie, a history professor at Seton Hall University who specializes in New Jersey history.
Mappen said Jersey jokes might stem from the fact that the state is sandwiched between two of the biggest media markets in the country.
"The image of New Jersey has always been shaped by people outside our boundaries," he said. "It's natural human desire to find people who are inferior to you. And I think New Jersey has been identified that way."
A campaign to halt the ridicule "can't hurt," Mappen said.
"We've sort of embraced [the jokes] - we've taken a sort of perverse pride in it," he said. "But I think New Jersey is a great state. They're underestimating us."
Besides its website, Facebook page, and Twitter account, the campaign also runs a YouTube channel featuring seven videos of a man dressed in a pine-tree air freshener costume emblazoned with the site's logo, imploring people to show some respect for the state.
So far, the clips have garnered a combined 17,000 views.
Anthony DeVito, 44, is the man in the pine-tree costume. An actor and comedian in Brooklyn, N.Y., he's not a Jersey son but relates to its citizens' pain.
"I like the idea of defending New Jersey from nasty jokes and insults," he said. "Being from Brooklyn, I had to deal with a lot of those. I know what it's like to be from a place that people have a lot of preconceived notions about."
But despite his love for his home state, press secretary Drewniak says there's also something to be said for rolling with the punches. After all, New Jersey has been dealing with criticism for as long as anyone can remember.
Christie is "not the kind of guy who takes huge offense to such things. In a sense, it's a little part of New Jersey, and we don't mind it - we can chuckle at it too," he said. "We're not that thin-skinned."
Contact staff writer Aubrey Whelan at 215-854-4193 or awhelan@phillynews.com.
