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The opossum was once a favorite game animal in the [[United States]], in particular in the southern regions which have a large body of recipes and folklore relating to it.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/general/columns/story?columnist=sutton_keith&id=3827266 Keith Sutton. Possum days gone by. ESPN Outdoors. January 12, 2009]. Retrieved 2009-12-29.</ref> Their past wide consumption in regions where present is evidenced by recipes available online<ref>[http://www.wildgamerecipes.org/ Wild Game Recipes online]. Retrieved 2009-12-29.</ref> and in books such as older editions of ''[[The Joy of Cooking]]''.<ref>[http://www.ethicurean.com/2006/10/14/joy-of-cooking/ The joy of the ‘Joy of Cooking,’ circa 1962]. Retrieved 2009-12-29.</ref> A traditional method of preparation is baking, sometimes in a pie or pastry,<ref>[http://writers-bbs.com/html/FishEggs/3.98/5.html opossum pie] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718121624/http://writers-bbs.com/html/FishEggs/3.98/5.html |date=2011-07-18 }}. Retrieved 2009-12-29.</ref> though at present "possum pie" most often refers to a sweet confection containing no meat of any kind.
Although it is widely distributed in the United States, the Virginia opossum's appearance in folklore and popularity as a food item has tied it closely to the American [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]]. In animation, it is often used to depict uncivilized characters or "[[hillbilly|hillbillies]]". Not surprisingly, then, the Virginia opossum is featured in several episodes of the hit TV show ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', such as the "Possum Day" episode in 1965.<ref> [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0522552/ Possum Day Episode of the Beverly Hillbillies]</ref> The title character in [[Walt Kelly]]'s long-running comic strip ''[[Pogo (comics)|Pogo]]'' was an opossum. In an attempt to create another icon like the [[teddy bear]], [[president of the United States|President]] [[William Howard Taft]] was tied to the character Billy Possum.<ref>[http://www.possumnetwork.com/politics.htm Possum Politics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216150251/http://www.possumnetwork.com/politics.htm |date=2006-12-16 }}. 'Possum Network. Last accessed November 19, 2006. </ref><ref>[http://www.cyberbee.com/campaign/postcard.html Political Postcards]. Cyberbee learning. Last accessed November 19, 2006.</ref> The character did not do well, as public perception of the opossum led to its downfall. In December 2010, a cross-eyed Virginia opossum in Germany's [[Leipzig Zoo]] named [[Heidi (opossum)|Heidi]] became an international celebrity.<ref name="reuters">Kelsey, Eric. (January 11, 2011). "[https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110111/od_nm/us_germany_opossum_odd Cross-eyed opossum capturing hearts]". Reuters. Retrieved January 12, 2011.</ref> She appeared on a TV talk show to predict the 2011 Oscar winners, similar to the World Cup predictions made previously by [[Paul the Octopus]], also in Germany.<ref>Kelsey, Eric. (28 February 2011). "[https://af.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idAFTRE71R32A20110228 German celebrity opossum misses one Oscar pick]". [[Reuters]]. Retrieved 6 March 2011.</ref>
The [[Perelman Building]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], an annex of the [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]], was formerly the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building. Built in the late 1920s its facade is decorated with polychrome sculptures of animals symbolizing various attributes of insurance, including a possum to represent "protection."
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