Scepter of the Oldest Fraggle in Fraggle Rock

 Fraggle Rock is a heartwarming series created by Jim Henson.  The series is the zeineth of 1980s puppetry, and stories ran the spectrum of adult to kid's interest.  Sometimes it was like Star-Trek, other times soapy, many times a drama, and often like old MTV.  It was an educational series but so subdued with music and fun, that the stories were more than just stories but ranged into the wholesome fable range. 

In one episode, the oldest Fraggle in the caves holds a scepter.  The finial is made of metal with three prongs that look something like a straight pitchfork.  On the middle prong is a metal sphere. 

Fraggles like humans can sense the mystical and wise sense of sphere.  But Fraggles value dance, play, more than work. 

To the left you can see Red talking to the oldest Fraggle who has the Scepter of the Wisest in his left hand. 

Fraggle Rock was the last of great puppet shows before the advent of CGI.

Flags in Fraggle Rock

 The Canadian flag makes an appearance in Fraggle Rock when Uncle Traveling Matt attempts to make contact with a statue.  Also visible is the North West Territories Flag.  It makes good sense since the original entrance to Fraggle Rock was apprently in Ontario, Canada.

Fraggles are apparently a non-local species from a distant dimension.  It seems when a local Ontario Inventor was conducting some experiments with nuclear materials and lasers, it opened up dimensional rift between Fraggle Land and Earth, known to Fraggles as 'Outerspace.'

Oddly the absent minded professor, simply known as Doc, is completely oblivious to his accidental Earth shattering discovery.  But his loyal dog Sprocket makes every effort to snag a Fraggle when they visit his workshop.

The celebratory Fraggle flag consists of a long wooden pole with several multicoloured free flowing fabric like ribbons.  Although seemingly random, there is regular pattern and blend of colours that make it Fraggle-like.  The colours include white, maroon, pink, purple, and orange.  Designs include square billets and holes.

Dartmouth Pennant in Superbad - 2007

In 2007 the next gen of high school movies crossed a new wall on the frontier of the lovable looser.  More chuckle busting than the brat pack, more sentimental that fast times, and finally more nutritious than stale American pie.  It showed us a new generation gap and level of thinking.  Superbad made fun at the weakness of high school immaturity and put a hero's halo on kids who were not popular ace-holes in school.   

Of vexillological interest is the school pennant of a prestigious school in New Hampshire, Dartmouth.  It can be seen hanging in Evan's room.  You can even see a pirate flag on this bulletin board.

This movie was made just before the outbreak of Facebook's domination on social studies.  Superbad was the last of its kind in the Era of American High School  before advent of social media dominance.

Link's orginal Coat of Arms from "The Legend of Zelda" and armorial banner - 1986

 The ultimate adventure game was established in 1986 with the Legend of Zelda.  Who knew the popularity would carry on to now?  Adults and naysayers said video games were a fad, look at them now.

The heraldic armoroial banner is essentially a flag based upon the design of a knight's shield.  In this game Link's original shield did not consist of the Triforce, rather a lighter brown cross on darker brown background was the original design.

Here is the appropriate armorial banner for the shield of arms.  During game play, Link starts off with a smaller shield but he can get a bigger one, and the colours are the same.

Eventually Link can get a magical shield which has the same design but the cross is a slightly lighter brown, and almost white.

The Yin and Yang in the film Serendipity 2001: a book and 5 dollars

Some call it Fate some call it Destiny.  You can even call it Luck, Providence, Synchronicity, Fortune, the Force, the Dao or Tao even Murphy's Law.  Certainly there is an immeasurable force in the Universe that binds people, places and things to each other, and plays with the outcome of events.

Know it is good that this force is immeasurable, otherwise science would have turned it into a weapon or toy, and marketing executives would be shoving it into your face to turn a quick profit. 

In the fall of 2001 the film Serendipity became the modern day calling card of this magical uncontainable phenomenon without being too flaky or too serious.  It was in that lustful Goldilocks position, palatable to all types of audiences.

SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE WATCHED THE MOVIE AND HAD A BROKEN ROMANTIC HEART

   In the film Sarah attempts to test Fate when she makes Jonathan write his telephone number on a five dollar bill.  She then uses it to purchase Certs breath mints and argues that the five dollar bill with his number on it will come back to her if their love is meant to be.

Jonathan finds this situation perplexing and bizarre, but he is able to argue back that she should write her number down on something to balance the equation.  Sarah decides to write her name and number in a book entitled Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Carcia Marquez. She will later sell it to a used book store somewhere in NYC. If it so happens to fall in Jonathan's hands, then will she allow their love to blossom.  

Several years pass and they are about to get married to other persons.  But then Fate steps in, and our adventure begins.

SPOILER WARNING 

 Please see movie first to get full impact

Tassels from Mystic Surrender in Serendipity 2001

John Corbett stars as Lars Hammond who is a cosmic new age Kenny G playing the Shehnai, and he is set to go on a world tour in Scandinavia. 

Serendipity sublimely goes where very few films can go, and go successfully, whereby it has a film within a film that helps in the revelation of the storyline.  The film within a film is like the moon of a moon, it is very rare thing and hard to pull off.

In this music video within this movie Lars uses music to soothe the proverbial savage beast.  In this case his enchanting music supposedly placates the warrior bound Vikings.  Of vexillological value are the tassels upon his instrument.  Although the trumpet is the ultimate carrier of the flag, the Shehnai is a choice item of the tassel. 

And on a langrian level, whilst the actors in the main story watch the video of Mystical Enchantment, we almost go down another layer when the makers of the video references Star Wars since one of the actors in the music video looks like Alec Guiness/Obi Wan of Star Wars. 

Not quite the third level down.  But I have yet to find a movie that has a movie within a movie within a movie that effectively moves the storyline, without being a novelty or art house.  The Simpsons and several cartoons have accomplished this feat, but not while having all three stories play simultaneously and never a major motion picture.  

But if you are a director they best way to do this is to have a stage play within a movie whereby they actors in the play within the film are watching a television show.  But the inner, inner tv show or movie must be original and an effective or essential device to the story.   Somebody call Christopher Nolan.

But back to the Serendipity, Lars feels that the video is counter intutive to the song's intention, but he lets his director have his way.  Ironically it ends up producing a backlash in Sweden and Norway, and they must cancel several shows.

The Shehnai with Tassels from Serendipity 2001

 John Corbett stars in Serendipity as a musical East meets West musician playing the Shehnai, which is like an India Clarinet, or rather the Clarinet is a European Shehnai? 

Of vexillological value are the tassels that hang from his musical instrument.  Tassels can be found on the official fully decorated and fringed flag of most nations and states.  Here tassels add an artistic grace to a musical instrument.

Jon Corbett plays as Lars as an absurd over the top New Age musician.  Serendipity effectively makes fun of New Age Mysticism while also being serious and paradoxically light hearted about it.  Serendipity is serious business for some folks, yet this film pokes fun at it while gracefully weaving an enchanting story.

John is a superstar on all things considered with serendipity, but he effectively plays third chair in the star studded movie worthy of a best supporting secondary man of the best woman.