Vexillology

December 11, 2016 8:09 PM

Historic alternate suggestions for the U.S. 50 star flag.

Possible designs for a 51 star flag (plus, design your own for 51 and greater).
posted by Chrysostom (27 comments total)

Always wanted a "great star" version on a Serapis flag striped background.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:17 PM on December 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

All we need is 3 stars. One each for Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida....
posted by miyabo at 8:20 PM on December 11, 2016 [9 favorites]

I love that the first suggestion for the addition of Alaska and Hawaii's stars is "screw the new guys, here's the real states."
posted by darksasami at 8:42 PM on December 11, 2016

Ugh. All of them are too busy. Betsy Ross flag or GTFO.
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:44 PM on December 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

I can't help but feel this star-arranging widget is having a joke at my expense.
posted by Copronymus at 9:04 PM on December 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

If I could see old Betsy Ross
I'd tell her how good I feel
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:06 PM on December 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

This one's kind of disturbing.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:10 PM on December 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Damn those are all terrible.
posted by Brocktoon at 9:21 PM on December 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

Seconded.
posted by rhizome at 9:39 PM on December 11, 2016

I found another one
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:03 PM on December 11, 2016

I like the sixth one from the top, by Vaino E. Juslen. With the alternating red and white stripes and big blue star with white stars in it. It looks pretty cool.
posted by bryon at 10:18 PM on December 11, 2016

I am sincerely charmed by the crooked diagonals in Sally Marx's.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 10:25 PM on December 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

I am sad that there is no way to have a (valid?) 69 star pattern, inside a rectangle. Pray the day never comes.
posted by alex_skazat at 10:32 PM on December 11, 2016

This one's kind of disturbing.

Halfway between a swastika and a Trump/Pence logo!
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:50 PM on December 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

Somewhere, Roman Mars's whole body just got really itchy all of a sudden
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:59 PM on December 11, 2016 [6 favorites]

Maybe I'm biased but I prefer the coat of arms which was carved into the tomb of Penelope Washington in 1697 in my home village church.
posted by Wordshore at 12:27 AM on December 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

Probably just easier to get rid of a state for every state we add.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:29 AM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

I'd vote for the one that is the right side up no matter which way it's hoisted, clever that.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:32 AM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

The flag generator can only go up to 100 stars it seems.
Way to think small, americans.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:47 AM on December 12, 2016

Probably just easier to get rid of a state for every state we add.

To which the answer would be retrocessions or reunifications along historical lines. Goodbye Maine, hello Massachussets! One Dakota! Greater Virginia, Carolina, and Georgia, as God intended! And Louisiana's just sitting quietly there with a big old grin on its face...
posted by hangashore at 5:15 AM on December 12, 2016

I can't help but feel this star-arranging widget is having a joke at my expense.

"No valid patterns for 69 stars." Not a joke. The author of the widget claims there are no valid patterns for 29, 69 or 87 stars, with the caveat that the arrangement must follow the current rectangular arrangement of equal or mixed long/short rows that differ by only one star. For 69 in a rectangular arrangement, the options are only exceedingly wide arrangements like 3 rows of 23, or 3x12 plus 3x11.
posted by beagle at 5:52 AM on December 12, 2016

The basic idea of "a star for each state" is stupid anyway. I can't imagine bringing up something like that in a design atmosphere.

I'm just imagining that scene in Parks & Rec where they're making a time capsule and no one wants to get left out so they start making ones for everybody
posted by FirstMateKate at 6:29 AM on December 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'd vote for the one that is the right side up no matter which way it's hoisted, clever that.

It's kind of Orwellian. Even distress is support.
posted by rokusan at 11:34 AM on December 12, 2016 [4 favorites]

I've always been a fan of the Whipple Flag, wish I could find one to buy (or have a nice one made, at a reasonable price).

A feature of the Whipple is that it has a lot of room to add more stars as new states are added.
posted by jazon at 2:55 PM on December 12, 2016

poop emoji right

just

one big poop emoji
posted by runt at 7:51 AM on December 13, 2016 [2 favorites]

Long ago I read an article about DC statehood in which one of the reasons the author was against it was that there was no reasonable way to have a 51-star flag.
Now there's a good reason...

Anyway, it made me wonder how many Americans actually know how the stars are arranged on a 50-star flag, without peeking.

Oh, and oh boy! The president gets to decide the final design. One more thing to worry about the next president.
posted by MtDewd at 8:46 AM on December 14, 2016

Five times the US flag has had a prime number of stars, besides the original 13, awkwardly arranged in a set of horizontal rows; the number of stars being prime is a non starter as far as an argument against statehood goes. Plus the lopsidedness of the 21 star Illinois flag, the 25 star Arkansas flag, and the 27 star Florida flag.
posted by Mitheral at 7:44 PM on December 20, 2016