The Puke and the Current

October 7, 2009

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Charles Platt and others came up with a design for a new standard lodge flap. The design incorporated many of the traditional symbols but went back to using the Audubon parakeet from the original Arrowhead. The first attempt at getting a standard flap came back from the company minus several corrections that were supposed to have been made to the original artwork. For example, the original design had a black arrowhead but this was supposed to be changed to a traditional gray one. The fleur-de-lis was also originally drawn yellow but should have been changed to gold. In addition the colors on the bird included a lime yellow making the bird look sick. The brothers aptly named this flap the “Puke” flap after the ill parakeet on the flap. The lodge sold out the 300 flaps ordered beginning prior to the Dixie in April of 1983 until Autumn fellowship of 1983.

It was during this time that the lodge changed the company it was ordering its patches from. Four events happened back to back that caused the lodge to stop ordering its patches from Lion Brothers to a new company named Midwest Swiss. The first event was the Puke flap which was a mistake by the company. The next botched order was the Dixie Fellowship patches in 1983.  The parakeet came back looking “albino” because most of its body was white. In addition the patch was supposed to be shaped like the 1965 Dixie patch but it was more of a large acorn. The final mistake was the Dixie Set-up patch that the lodge put out. It was supposed to be the same size as the Dixie patch but was smaller.

By the spring of 1984 the lodge began to sell its new standard flap made by Midwest Swiss. It was the corrected version of the Puke. The flap, or the “Current” as it was called, brought a standard issue to the lodge. The Current survived for 12 years as the flap of the lodge. At least 4 different times new flap designs were proposed during business meetings but the old bird wouldn’t leave.  Today it is called the Burping Parakeet (or BP). This affectionate name comes from the fact that the bird has its head cocked back as if it is belching (although it is actually eating in the Audubon print).

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