Out & About Show at Dino's

 

Laverne & Shirley on the 1958 Wisconsin Flag

Laverne and Shirley were two nostalgic characters from the 1970s who starred in a network television show which that took place in the 1950s! It's only fitting that these girls get honored on the Wisconsin flag.  Shirley is on the left as the sailor and Laverne is on the right as the miner.

The shield is modified with Laverne and Shirley items.  In the first quarter is the abc logo, in the second quarter is the fictional Shotz brewery logo, in the third quarter is the iconic glove on beer bottle, and in the fourth quarter is badge of things that belong the Laverne—The Cursive "L". 

Wisconsin Flag - Nostaglia & Middle of America: Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, That 70s Show, and RedLetterMedia

There is something magically nostalgic about Wisconsin...
Maybe there is something strange in the cheese or maybe...it's the beer? 

Wisconsin has featured three hit shows that replayed that feels of a generation earlier.  First, there was Happy Days, which was filmed in front of a live audience, that aired in the 1970s.  The plots focused on everyday life in suburbia.  It was so popular that it had several spin offs.  The most popular being the Laverne and Shirley Show which also took place in the late 1950s-early 1960s.  The lead flag here featured has of the lead characters from Happy Days, the Fonz as the sailor and Ritchie Cunningham as the miner.


The Wisconsin 1958 flag has the two goofballs from The Laverne and Shirley Show—Lenny and Squiggy.  Notice that the coat of arms has been modified.  In the first quarter is the abc logo, in the second quarter is the Shotz brewery. In the third quarter is the signature glove on beer, and in the fourth quarter is the cursive L for Laverne.


Most recently there was That 70s Show which aired in the late 1990s, making That 70s Show in true life That 90s Show, and looking back from 2018 makes That 70s Show perfectly in sync form the 90s to the 20-tweens. (You might have to read that sentence, real slowly for that temporal fact to sink in)

Again, simple life stories where the mainstream plot showcasing what middle of the road American life was like, but a bit more edgy, even by today's hyper-sensitive times.  They even had the Happy Days's Good & Bad Boy duo of the clean cut kid hanging around a bad boy nonconformist.  For Happy Days the clean cut square was Ritchie Cunningham—who was the ginger, sweet, fellow that tried to do the right thing.  His opposite was the bad boy greaser—the Fonz, who told his opponents to "SIT ON IT!"  

Upon the 1978 Wisconsin flag, the sailor is Eric Foreman, the middle of the road kid, with a nuclear family and dad who served in the Korean War.  The square Star Wars Nerd was played by Topher Grace, the clean cut kid.  On the right side with the shades is Steven Hyde—played by Danny Masterson, and Hyde had the extreme issues of a dysfunctional-family.  Steven grew up with a single mom, who abandoned him while he was still in high school.  The one weakness of the show is that it should have started in 1971, instead of 1977.  Ironically Happy Days was created in the 1970s, making it the real, authentic "That 70s Show" or rather That 50's Show.


So what about today in 2018, right now?  Oddly there is no popular nostalgic TV show that is centered on Wisconsin. However, there is an Internet show that is really filmed in Wisconsin and features a fictional retro TV VCR repair shop—Lighting Fast VCR Repair— retro to the 1990s?  The shows are created by RedLetterMedia. 

Nonetheless, the popular Internet shows of RedLetterMedia are independent and epic of the 80s and 90s generations.  Additionally, this is a true blue, born and bread Wisconsin show!  The cast and most of the crew are, indeed, really from Wisconsin.  In a way their production could be titled That Movie Review Show of the 90s & 80s of Happier Days Gone By.

For the 2018 Wisconsin flag the sailor is Mike Stoklasa whose dead pan humor can give Bill Murray a run for his money.  On the right is Rich Evans who is in a similar vein to Dan Aykroyd, that makes Jay Bauman the Egon of the group.

No matter what—WE LOVE YOU WISCONSIN!!

Native American Heritage Flag

You might be thinking this is Confederate flag?  Wrong!  It is a Native American Heritage flag based upon the flag of the Muscogee Republic, which existed long before the birth of Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln.  

The Muscogee Republic was the original Southern Nation that arose on US and Spanish territory in 1799.  Its capital was located at Miccosukee, Florida.  It was mainly composed of Native Americans who elected William August Bowels as their national leader, who was born in Maryland, whence it was still a colony of the UK.  However the Muskogee Republic was fighting against Spain and the United States.

The flag of the Original Southern Rebellion of 1799 had a blue cross, trimmed in white, on a red field with blue canton with a yellow Sun of Splendor.  This rebel flag also represents a forlorn often forgotten chapter in American History.  Eventually the Muscogee peoples would all be moved to Oklahoma by a South Carolina President in the 1830s.  Who knew that South Carolina would later lead another Southern rebellion some 30 years later in 1860?  And it too was defeated by Federals.

But a generation before the War Between the States, The Muscogee Republic was critically damaged when a US Indian Agent, Benjamin Hawkins, captured the Muscogee Commander-in-Chielf Bowels on May 24, 1803.  The Muscogee homelands were originally in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Although this Native American Heritage flag is designed after the flag of the Muscogee Republic, it can be used by Native American Tribe, even those that did not participate in Jackson's Bloody March to Oklahoma of 1830. Likewise those who are charged with never forgetting the injustices of Native American rights are permitted to fly this flag.

Anglo-Danish Unity Flag

London and Copenhagen are cities on islands just off the coast of Europe.  England and Denmark are fraternal flag twins on two levels.  Their royal standards unite lions in similar stances and numbers, likewise their national flags of the cross are similar.  Both are connected to Europe, but just slightly detached.

Funny thing is that English Muffins and Danishes are a favorite breakfast treat in the United States.  Coincidentally the US was initially formed from the English in 1776 and the last part of the Americas to become a part of the USA was from the Danish.  It happened in 1916 when Copenhagen sold the islands to Washington.   

Seven Kingdoms English Heritage Flag

England takes its linguistic and most recent heritage roots to the Seven Kingdoms period.  In honor of that time frame we have the Seven English Kingdom's Flag.  In the canton is the flag of England, the red cross on white.  If you read across then the winged dragon is Wessex, the three crowns belong to East Anglia, the three swords represent Essex.  On the bottom from the left-fly area is the horse of Kent, the birds of Sussex, the bars of Northumbria, and finally the yellow X on blue for Mercia.

The other parts of the UK have a Celtic orientation.  There has been a lot of mixing, but these seven kingdoms have been at the cultural heart of the English, for it was of this tribe of seven whose language would be imparted upon the seven corners of the Earth and Moon.  

Indeed, the seven kingdoms is the basis for the seven kingdoms of HBO's popular Game of Thrones Series.

Auld Alliance Flag, Scotland & France—The Auld Lang Syne Flag

The Auld Alliance was a international political treaty organization set by the former monarchs of Scotland and France.  Neat thing is that both nations used the fluer-di-lis as royal emblems.  For Royal France the lilies are yellow and the centerpiece, while for Scotland the lilies are red and spread around the double frame, tressure.

Primarily this is a post-historical, educational flag that represents the ancient connections that nations can have.  The kingdoms of Scotland and France would team up to keep English ambitions in check.  Additionally persons or companies of a joint Scottish-French are privy to use the flag at their leisure.

But do note, there is no longer a singular Scottish King—not since 1603.  Likewise there is no longer a French Monarch—not since 1870.

In the binary tradition of Scottish tanistry, this flag also represents Auld Lang Syne.  A flag and song not only for Scotland, it is dedicated to France, the West, England, the UK, and the world.  This song is enchanted with nostalgia and the past, that once upon a time souls lived before us, which fought, died, and prayed, and are undeniably interconnected with our lives from Africa, Asia, the Americas, unto Australia, and worlds beyond.  These ancient souls once lived on our humble abode, and at the passing of every Old Year an echo of their lives with this hymn is played, beckoning us to cherish the past...