Podcast / Flagged for Content

What's up, vexheads?

"We've got flags and banners
And if you mind your manners
We might even get to standards
And what they represent
So just take my voice's hand
And we'll both try to understand
How this vexillologic podcast could be Flagged For Content...
Flagged For Content."

— The podcast's theme song

Flagged for Content is a vexillology podcast focusing on flags from around the world hosted by Andy Richardson. It updates biweekly, with each episode featuring a different special guest. Andy and his guests tackle a different topic in each episode, discussing and analyzing various flags and their histories, symbolism, and design.

The podcast is an affiliate of Flags For Good, a flag company that sells flags to promote progressive causes. Flags For Good can be found here.

The podcast can be found here on Spreaker, here on YouTube, and here on Spotify.

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Troped For Content:

• Agent Mulder: Kevin the Bastard from the podcast Supernatural Selection has appeared in two episodes. He has discussed his role in his podcast, in which he is a believer in the supernatural in contrast with Mike the Skeptic, the "voice of reason".
• Agent Scully: In contrast to Kevin, Mike in Supernatural Selection is very skeptical of the supernatural topics discussed in each episode.
• Alliterative Name: David Davis is the guest of episode 39, and his first and last name start with the letter D.
• Alliterative Title:
  • Episode 31 uses alliteration in its title "Forest Finns Find Flag To Fly".
  • Frédéric's other episode is called "Forging Family Flags For Fun".
• Americans Hate Tingle:invoked In a discussion of taboo flags in Episode 40, it is mentioned that the Rising Sun Flag, the Naval flag of Japan, is a popular national symbol in Japan without negative connotations, but in most of Asia it is despised and seen as offensive due to the atrocities committed by the Japanese navy under the flag.
• Anarchy Is Chaos: Pirate society is described in Episode 2 as a form of chaotic and violent anarchism.
• Anthropomorphic Food: Kevin claims that the person on the flag of Lotoshino is made out of cheese. He and Andy refer to this character as Mac.
• Artifact Title: Tareth's channel Flags in Focus took its name from how episodes were originally 50 seconds long. However, episodes later on started being longer than 50 seconds, making the title no longer relevant. This is why Tareth put out a competition to rename his channel.
• Artistic License – Biology: Bryant Smith claims that birds-of-paradise and quetzals are the same thing, when they are actually two different types of birds that live on opposite sides of the world.
• Author Appeal:
  • The podcast's focus on flags comes from Andy's love of vexillology.
  • The background of the video version of the podcast features various rotating flags that Andy is a fan of, such as the flags of Sutherland, Quebec, and the Keystone Flag.
  • Each episode's focus typically has to do with a specific interest of the special guest.
  • Andy is interested in Soviet flags and aesthetics, as his room features a Soviet propaganda poster and he sometimes includes Soviet flags in his room. In Episode 40's discussion of taboo flags, he chooses to present on the Soviet flag.
• Awesome McCoolname:
  • Andy considers the pirate Benjamin Hornigold as having a great name that is perfect for a pirate.
  • Frédéric's wife Bettina has the last name Gullhagen, which translates to golden garden. Andy finds this name very cool.
• Badass Fingersnap: Andy snaps his fingers to instantly change into a suit in "Unboxing w/ a Twist Ending".
• Bait-and-Switch: Episode 18 initially appears to focus on the flag of Ohio, due to it being titled "Oops, All Ohio" and the guest Nick Page being from Ohio. Nick begins discussing a flag that sounds like Ohio, only to reveal that it is the flag of Nepal. Much of the episode focuses on the Nepalese flag, with the flag of Ohio only being discussed in the later part of the episode.
• Balkanize Me: An important part of the lore in David Davis's comic Cosmic Dash, as mentioned in Episode 39, is that the Federation collapsed into multiple factions after a civil war, including the Federation holdouts and the Blassnaught Empire.
• Banned in China:invoked Discussed in Episode 40. Many of the taboo flags in the episode, such as the Nazi and Soviet flags, are banned in many countries.
• Basilisk and Cockatrice: The flag of Kazan, as discussed in episode 9, features a cockatrice.
• Beary Friendly: The flag of Perm features a very happy and friendly bear with a Russian Orthodox Bible on its back.
• Bile Fascination:invoked Andy often talks about badly designed flags and expresses a morbid curiosity in their horrible designs.
• Best Known for the Fanservice:invoked
  • Whenever the flag of Virginia is discussed, the most memorable aspect of it is that it contains a woman's bare breast.
  • The flag of Čejov is best known for featuring a topless harpy with large breasts.
• Blatant Lies:
  • In Episode 5, Andy claims that this is the only podcast without repeating guests, despite the episode featuring a repeating guest. He denies using repeating guests multiple times in the episode.
  • In Episode 6, Andy claims that this is the only podcast that is recorded entirely live without any editing tricks. Partway through the sentence the audio obviously cuts to a separate recording.
• Blood Oath: The flag of Bohol, Philippines, which Elaijah Lapah says is the most underrated flag, features two arms cutting each other, making a blood pact.
• Bossa Nova: A bossa nova song plays in the World Vexillology Day Special that sounds like elevator music.
• Bright Castle: The flag of Aberdeenshire features a white castle over a purple and gold bicolor.
• Burning the Flag: In one episode, Andy briefly discusses flag burnings and how burning a flag is the standard procedure to dispose of an American flag that has touched the ground or has been damaged according to U.S. flag customs.
• Busy Beaver: The flag of Khoroshevo-Mnevniki features a beaver building a dam on a river out of bricks.
• Call-Back: The flags that are in the background of videos were often discussed in previous episodes, many of which received unboxing videos. For instance, the Keystone Flag, which was discussed in Episode 15, appears in the background of many episodes.
• Call-Forward: The special episode "Minnesota Flagged-for-Content Commission" has Andy mention mention that Alex Tomberlin will be appearing in an upcoming episode, as the episode had already been filmed but had not yet aired.
• The Cameo: Episode 30 features many cameos from previous guests who give quiz questions during the quiz game.
• Censored for Comedy: The description for Episode 47 features the text "Wh*t's *p, V*xH**ds?!", censoring Andy's catchphrase to reflect the vulgar nature of the episode.
• Character Catchphrase: Andy's catchphrase is "What's up, vexheads?"
• Character Tiers:invoked In FFBC 5, Andy made a tier list of European flags.
• Child Prodigy: Andy refers to Danny Pedre as a "teenage vex-world prodigy".
• Christmas Special: Episode 48 is a holiday special, although it doesn't focus that much on the holidays.
• Color Motif:
  • Most flags have meanings behind the colors, and Andy and his guests often discuss these meanings.
  • Frédéric represents himself with the color orange, wearing orange during both of his appearances and having orange on his personal flag. He describes himself as having an orange fetish.
• Content Warnings:
  • The YouTube version of Episode 40 is called "Don’t Watch This At Work", warning viewers that the video is NSFW due to the offensive flags it features such as the Nazi and Confederate flags.
  • In Episode 2, Ian Sharp jokingly warns the audience that there will be cursing in the show after having already cursed.
  • Andy warns the audience about the adult content in Episode 47 at the start of the episode and in the description.
• Continuity Cavalcade: Throughout Episode 30, the one year anniversary special, most of the guest stars throughout the series make an appearance, either as special guests or as the ones giving the quiz questions through recorded messages.
• Cool Teacher: Andy jokes that the Wikipedia version of the flag of Norrköping looks like a cool teacher sitting on his desk while teaching.
• Cosmic Motifs:
  • Cosmic symbolism is extremely common in the flags discussed due to the popularity of stars, the sun, and the moon in flags.
  • The flags from Cosmic Dash, which Andy and David examine in Episode 39, unsurprising also feature cosmic themes due to the comic's focus on space.
• Creator Thumbprint: Charles Ashburner, AKA Mr. Flag, uses a unique design for the Welsh dragon on his flags, so he can always tell if a flag of Wales being flown was made by him.
• Creepy Basement: Andy sarcastically calls his basement a "totally normal basement, not creepy at all".
• Crossover: Episode 40 is a crossover with the podcast A Kiwi, Two Brits, and a Yank, and was released on both podcasts.
• Cult: Andy and Kevin joke that they would join a cult dedicated to the Laser Kiwi flag.
• Culturally Sensitive Adaptation: In Episode 10, Andy discusses how the rerelease of Street Fighter II removes the Rising Sun flag from the background of E. Honda's bathhouse due to the controversies surrounding it, especially in other Asian countries.
• Death World: Andy jokingly describes Australia as a deadly place where everything is out to kill you.
• Debating Names: In the Special Episode "HELP RENAME FLAGS IN 50!", Tareth puts out a competition to rename his channel. He and Andy discuss various name ideas.
• Different in Every Episode:
  • Each episode features different flags in the background of Andy's room.
  • The letter board in Andy's room has a different sentence on it in different episodes.
• "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The theme song is written and performed by Andy.
• Drum Roll, Please: A drumroll plays in in multiple episodes, including in Episode 4 before Andy reveals that the former name of Sri Lanka was the Kingdom of Kandy.
• Early-Installment Weirdness:
  • Early episodes uploaded to YouTube are audio only, while later episodes feature a video of the host and the guest, as well as showing any flag being discussed on screen.
  • Early episodes lacked the reoccurring segments of the podcast, such as Andy asking for the best, most underrated, and most underrated flag, and the quiz segment.
  • The early episodes used a different song to introduce the guests.
  • In early episodes, most guests had little knowledge of vexillology and most of the episodes were made up of Andy introducing flags to them that they might not know anything about and explaining their meaning and history. However, most episodes later began having guests who are knowledgeable about vexillology and the discussions are instead about flags they are familiar with or sometimes have designed themselves.
• Easter Egg: Many episodes contain hidden details in the background.
• Edutainment Show: The podcast is intended to teach listeners about flags while also being fun and entertaining.
• Eldritch Abomination:
  • Kevin perceives the flag of Sicily as a horrific and unknowable angel.
  • The flag of the union between Sweden and Norway is presented as indescribable, bringing insanity upon those who attempt to describe it.
• Elemental Motifs: The podcast features a fire motif, as its logo and flag feature a flame to represent the show's "spicy" name.
• Embarrassing Animal Suit: Kevin jokes that the beaver on the flag of Khoroshevo-Mnevniki is actually Boris Yeltsin in a beaver suit.
• The Empire: One of the flags discussed in Episode 39 is the Blassnaught Empire from Cosmic Dash. While it initially appears as a stereotypical empire from science fiction that is pure evil, the Blassnaught Empire is instead later shown to be more morally grey and have sympathetic motivations.
• Episode Zero: The Beginning: The introductory video to the podcast is called "Episode 0: Planting the Flag".
• Eye Beams: The Laser Kiwi flag feature a kiwi shooting lasers out of its eyes.
• The Face of the Sun: Many flags discussed on the show feature suns with faces on them, such as the flag of Argentina.
• Fade Out: Most episodes end with the podcast fading out while Andy and the guest have a conversation.
• False Flag Operation: Andy mentions literal false flag operations in Episode 2, in which pirates would pretend to be part of the victim's nation by flying their flag to sneak up and attack them.
• Farts on Fire: The flag of Graz features a panther shooting flames out of all of its orifices.
• The Federation:
  • One flag discussed in episode 39 is that of the Federation from Cosmic Dash. The heroes of the story are part of the Federation and it initially seems to be a positive group, but a darker side to the Federation is later revealed.
  • The flag of the Federation from Star Trek is also discussed in the same episode.
• Fictional Flag:
  • The podcast is represented by an original flag called the Flag For Content that appears in the background of the videos, with a variation in the logo. It has a blue background with a red flame in the center and a gold microphone inside it. There is a gold pattern on the right side of the flag.
  • A commonly discussed subject in episodes is unofficial flag redesigns, such as the Keystone flag redesign of Pennsylvania's flag by Tara Stark. This flag is a blue, yellow, and green tricolor in the shape of a keystone.
  • In Episode 28, the house flags from Game of Thrones are briefly discussed.
  • Alongside the Keystone flag in Andy's room is the flag of the YouTube channel Flags in Focus, which is a white flag with a black outline of a circle with a small flag inside of it.
  • The North Star flag is the focus of Episode 36 and is a beloved flag redesign of Minnesota. It was designed in 1989 and has been the focus of a movement to redesign the state flag. It often appears in the background of Andy's room.
  • David Davis made multiple fictional flags for the factions in his comic Cosmic Dash, which he showed in Episode 39.
  • Fictional flags in science fiction are the main focus of Episode 39, with flags such as the United Federation of Planets, the Principality of Zeon, and two flags from Futurama being discussed.
  • The Fog and Gold flag is a redesign of the flag of San Francisco by Brian Stokle and features a phoenix. This flag is the primary focus of Episode 29. Other San Francisco redesign concepts by Brian also appear in the episode.
  • Flags For Good sells original redesigns of state flags in what is called the "Better State Flags" project. Andy has discussed some of these flags in various videos, such as in TikToks focusing on the redesigns of the flags of Virginia and Washington.
  • Curtis Tarver's sports and marching band blog/YouTube channel 80 Minutes of Regulation has a flag that is a white-red-white horizontal tricolor with the logo in the middle, a drum seen from above with the number 80 on it.
  • Bradley Lockhart has created a wide variety of orignal flags, most commonly related to his home state of Washington. Aside from his officially adopted flag of Bellingham, he has made various proposals such as flag designs for Washington, Olympia, and Seattle. The latter he created two designs for, the most famous being the Orca Face flag. He also made a conceptual redesign of the American flag for a contest based on the lyrics of "America the Beautiful".
  • The Laser Kiwi flag has been discussed on multiple occasions. It is a flag proposal for New Zealand designed for the 2015-2016 New Zealand flag referendum. Although it was not chosen, it remains beloved. Andy and Kevin are huge fans of the flag.
  • One of the flags Danny uses to quiz Andy in Episode 41 is the flag of Emmeria from Ace Combat.
  • Charles Ashburner designs and sells many custom flags for his company Mr. Flag. One example of this is a Welsh independence flag inspired by the proposed Irish Republic flag with the text "Republic of Wales" on it. We also see a flag he designed featuring a drawing of someone's face on it.
  • One flag sold by Charles that he did not design is a fusion between the flags of California and Wales to represent an independent Welsh Republic.
  • Graham Houser discuss two flags from The Simpsons with Andy in Episode 47. One is a version of the Australian flag that features a boot kicking a butt, and the other is a banner with a sun and two stick figures in which the text was changed from "to fraternal love" to "learn to fart".
  • Kevin Hayman proposes a new flag to represent the U.S. South, which features a biscuit, karo syrup, and a hand pointing.
  • The winner of Alex's tournament the People's Flag Wars 2 is a proposed flag for Kairouan, Tunisia. It features Arabic calligraphy in the shape of a camel over a yellow field.
  • Episode 50 primarily focuses on personal and family flags, as it shows Frédéric's personal flag, his wife's flag, his family flag, and Andy's family/wedding flag.
  • In Episode 52, Andy and Evan talk about the flag of Mars from The Expanse, as it was Evan's underrated flag.
• Flag Drop: Andy is almost always sitting in front of various flags in every episode of the podcast, and many other guests appear in front of flags.
• Foreign Language Theme: The theme song is sung in French in the episode on French vexillology.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • In "A Quick Lesson on Flag Organization", the "Flagventory" sheet features various gags about the names of countries only appearing on screen briefly. These details include:
    • Some European countries are listed as Blah blah, Hongry, Check ya, and A 7th One.
    • While the early UK Subdivisions that appear are accurate, the later ones include fictional counties such as Bristolshire, Shireshire, Worcestershire Sauce, and Blackstool.
    • Most Asian countries are listed as variants of Korea. Andy also struggles to spell Kyrgyzstan, misspelling it as Kyrgizs, Kirgyz, Kyrgastan, Kristen, and Kyrgyz...stay.
    • Every country in South America is listed as an American state with south added in its name, including "South South Dakota".
    • Rather than listing multiple countries in North America, the list only says "USA! USA! USA!"
    • The first two countries listed for Africa are real, but the list features the fictional country of North Africa followed with saying "The Reason—I'm Doing This—Is So You Can't—Cheat On—Fresh Flags (TM)— So Don't Try".
    • The only country listed for Oceania is Oceanland.
    • The page features "Lorem Ipsum" on it, which is a common placeholder text in graphic design.
    • The side of the page has text that says "I'll never tell you my whole collection or you could pick from that list for my games".
• Funny Background Event: In the background of the first scene of "A Quick Lesson on Flag Organization" is a sign that says "Not a paid actor".
• Gag Penis:
  • Many flags and coats of arms with animals on them have the animals' penises visible, and their penises are often extremely long. Penises in heraldry are called pizzle. One example is the flag of Kaunas, Lithuania, which has a bull with a massive penis.
  • Andy and Graham spend a considerable amount of time talking about pizzles in Episode 47, and at one point they discuss the Tagata Shrine Rich Harvest Festival, in which people use massive banners with penises on them and even make huge wood carvings of penises.
• Game Show: Most of Episode 30 is a quiz show between the three guests. They go through multiple vexillological challenges, including playing 20 questions to guess a flag and answering flag-related questions given to them by previous guests of the podcast.
• Garden of Eden: Kickassatron claims that Isle of Man sounds like the name of where the Garden of Eden is located.
• Glorious Mother Russia:
  • Andy has an interest in the Soviet Union, as his room features a Soviet propaganda poster, he often has Soviet flags in the background, and he even wears a Soviet-themed ushanka in Episode 40.
  • His most viewed video by far is a YouTube short where he flies the Soviet flag and the Soviet anthem is playing.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: The kiwi from the Laser Kiwi flag has glowing eyes as it is shooting lasers.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: In Episode 1, Andy jokes that the flag of the union between Sweden and Norway is so difficult to describe, that trying to do so will cause anyone to go insane.
• Golem: Kevin describes the strange yellow man from the flag of Lotoshino as a cheese golem because he looks like he is made out of cheese.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language: Andy speaks Welsh near the start of Episode 42, as the guest Charles Ashburner is Welsh.
• Gratuitous French: The title of "La Vex' Est Belle w/ Nasha Gagnebin" and the lyrics of the theme song in this episode are in French to reflect the episode's focus on French vexillology.
• Gratuitous Russian: Andy briefly speaks Russian in Episode 41 to greet Utah, parodying how some people who are against the Utah flag claim that it is communist.
• Gratuitous Spanish: Andy throws in random Spanish words in Episode 34, including in the title "The Dawn of a New Bandera" due to the guest being from the Canary Islands.
• Grey-and-Gray Morality: David Davis mentions that his webcomic Cosmic Dash takes place in a morally ambiguous world where no faction is innocent.
• Grievous Harm with a Body: The guests in Episode 30 briefly discuss using snakes as weapons.
• Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: The flag of Taldom features a stork wearing only a single boot.
• Harping on About Harpies: The flag of Čejov features a topless harpy with massive breasts.
• Hatedom:invoked Many flags have developed large amounts of hate, sometimes due to their awful design or for their meanings.
  • The new flag of Utah has a sizable opposition within the far right, who accuse the flag of being woke for some reason. They even developed conspiracy theories about the flag being created by the far left to cancel the previous flag.
• Hotter and Sexier: Although the podcast has discussed suggestive topics before, Episode 47 is much more mature than any other episode due to focusing on flags containing nudity.
• Grumpy Old Man: In Episode 3, Andy and Kickassatron say that the Welsh flag looks like a bored and grumpy old man who would yell at kids to get off his lawn.
• Hate Dumb:invoked Andy describes the opponents of the new Utah flag as far right idiots who hate the flag for nonsensical reasons and make it a battleground for their culture wars.
• Heal It with Blood: The flag of Louisiana features a mother pelican feeding its children its blood. This comes from a legend that pelicans kill their offspring and revive them with their blood. This idea is called a "pelican in her piety" and is a metaphor for God sacrificing his son and resurrecting him.
• Holy Hand Grenade: Andy jokingly calls a globus cruciger a holy hand grenade, referencing the term's origins in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
• Hype Backlash:invoked When discussing what they think are the most overrated flags, the guests often bring up flags that are popular and well liked that they don't think deserve the praise.
  • The flag of California is one of the most common flags that guests say is overrated, as the flag breaks many vexillological rules and they don't understand why it is so popular.
  • The American flag is even more commonly chosen as overrated, due to being so extremely ubiquitous and that many people don't believe it deserves its popularity.
• Infinite: The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina supposedly features infinite stars, as the diagonal line of stars is said to continue forever past the borders of the flag. Andy finds this concept stupid and hates the flag.
• Innocently Insensitive: It is mentioned in Episode 40 that many people people will fly flags that are seen as offensive without understanding why. For instance, some people fly the rising sun flag because they think it is cool without realizing its ties to Japanese war crimes in World War II and its offensive nature throughout Asia. Similarly, some people outside the United States fly the Confederate flag because they see it as a symbol of rebellion, unaware of the racism it represents. Dave mentions having owned a rising sun flag without knowing its history and that his Indonesian friend was very offended.
• Interchangeable Asian Cultures: Parodied. When showing how he organizes his flags, Andy has his Asian flags divided into one group. The list he makes of the Asian flags are all listed as being Korean except for Nepal, with their names being South Korea, North Korea, Central Korea, Left Korea, and Right Korea.
• It's Popular, Now It Sucks!:invoked Dave and Tracy from Flagsession say that they like flags they find weird or strange and are disappointed when they find out they are popular. Tracy jokes that she stopped liking the flag of Maryland after realizing how popular it is.
• Jizzed in My Pants: In Episode 8, Andy and Kevin joke that they both climaxed at the same time because the flags they discussed were so cool.
• Jolly Roger:
  • Jolly Rogers are the focus of Episode 2.
  • Tara uses the Jolly Roger as the correct answer to her round of 20 questions in Episode 30.
• Killer Rabbit: The Laser Kiwi flag features an adorable kiwi, that would be assumed to be harmless. However, this kiwi is shown to be a major threat due to the lasers it shoots from its eyes.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Frédéric wears a white lab coat when in his science persona for his science communicator job.
• Land Down Under: Episode 43 features multiple references to Australian stereotypes due to featuring the Australian special guest Jeremy Matthews.
• Laugh Track: A laugh track appears when Andy makes a pun over the words steel and steal in Episode 2.
• Letters 2 Numbers: Some of the podcast's social media accounts have its username be "Flagged4Content".
• Like Father, Like Son: Charles Ashburner runs a flag company, just like his father once did.
• Loading Screen: The new intro that first appeared in Episode 43 features a fake loading screen with a progress bar that shows the various parts of the episode loading.
• Love to Hate:invoked Andy finds some flags so bad that he has a soft spot for them. For instance, he hates the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina but is drawn to it due to how awful it is.
• Loved by All:
  • The flag of Bellingham has received near universal praise from the town's residents, as it is constantly flown by people on all sides of the political spectrum.
  • Everyone on the show loves the Laser Kiwi flag due to being bizarre and hilarious while also having a cool design. Andy and Kevin talk about how much they love the flag.
• Matriarchy: David Davis mentions that the Blassnaught Empire from is a matriarchal Cosmic Dash society
• Mercy Kill: Andy jokes that the eagle on the painting of the coat of arms of Pennsylvania in the second bonus episode looks like it is begging for death due to being chained to the seal.
• Mix-and-Match Critters:
  • David describes the Blassnaught from Cosmic Dash as looking like a combination between Komodo dragons and rhinos.
  • The flag of Kazan features a cockatrice, which is part dragon and part chicken.
• Mock Surprise Reaction: When unboxing flags sent to him by Tareth, Andy says that he already unboxed them earlier and just wanted to recreate unboxing them for the video. He then pretends to be surprised when opening the flags.
• Moose and Maple Syrup: Andy and Alex discuss stereotypical depictions of Canada and how the stereotypes do not always match up with reality. When he was young, Alex used to see Canada as a perfect place where everyone is polite, but he eventually realized that Canada still has many issues.
• Monumental Damage: Doug Wells says that the flag of Tampa looks like the Washington Monument after a plane crashed into it and broke off the top half.
• More Popular Replacement:invoked The show often discusses flags that replaced previous flags and were much more popular and well-liked.
  • The new flag of Utah, which Andy nicknames the "Newtah" flag, is much more well-liked than the previous flag of Utah, which was a seal-on-a-bedsheet with a forgettable design.
  • The six stripe rainbow pride flag became more popular than the original eight stripe design. The progress pride flag is possibly heading in this direction.
  • The rainbow flag is a more popular symbol to the queer community than the pink triangle, due to the former's origins in the Holocaust.
    • Similarly, the bisexual community was originally represented by blue and pink triangles but the bisexual flag is a much more popular symbol today.
  • The pink and orange lesbian flag received more popularity in the past few years due to controversies related to previous designs.
  • The new flag of Kansas City is much more well-liked than the original. Andy jokingly claims that the podcast is responsible for the redesign due to discussing the flag on the podcast.
  • The previous flag of Syracuse was very forgettable and boring, but the First Light Flag by Eric Hart, which was officially made the new flag of the city, is much more popular and visually appealing.
  • The North Star flag, which is a redesign of Minnesota's flag, is much more popular and well-liked than the forgettable and offensive original state flag.
  • The current flag of Libya is viewed by most as a huge improvement over the previous, which was just a solid green flag without any other design elements. The former flag is widely seen as boring.
  • The new flag of Mississippi is seen as a major improvement over the old design, which featured a Confederate battle flag. The new flag removes these racist elements while having a cool design.
• The Mothman: A version of the rainbow pride flag featuring Mothman that is sold by Flags For Good appears in the background of some of the videos.
• Music at Sporting Events: Curtis's blog 80 Minutes of Regulation focuses on both sports and marching bands, as the two are closely related and marching bands often play at football games.
• My Friends... and Zoidberg: In Episode 13, which features Bryant Smith and Ian Sharp as guests, Andy says that the episode has an amazing guest…and Ian Sharp.
• National Anthem: The Backyard Flag videos often feature a country's national anthem when that country's flag is being flown.
• Never Trust a Title: Episode 18 is titled "Oops, All Ohio!", yet much of the episode is spent talking about the flag of Nepal rather than Ohio.
• No Swastikas:
  • Zig-Zagged in Episode 40. Although a closeup of the Nazi flag is censored in the video, images of the Nazi flag and swastikas from a distance are shown without being censored.
  • Discussed in the same episode, as it is mentioned that the Nazi flag is banned in many countries around the world.
• Not What It Looks Like: Andy points out that the standard procedure of burning an American flag after it had touched the ground could give people the wrong idea and make them think that someone is burning it out of hate rather than respect, leading to a huge misunderstanding that could become violent.
• Numbered Sequels: The only episode with a direct sequel is Episode 9, "Obviously Boris Yeltsin in a Beaver Suit". The sequel Episode 26, "Vexi-Cryptids 2", is a numbered sequel but doesn't share the name of the previous episode.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat:
  • City council members serve as a massive obstacle to good flag design, as most do not understand what principles of flag design and want to make flags that look like logos and feature text and seals. They are responsible for the notoriously bad city flags throughout the United States. The same could be said of members of state legislatures, as many similarly lack an understanding of flag design and refuse to adopt a new state flag despite the state flag having an awful design.
  • Kryštof Huk describes the constant difficulties of dealing with municipal councils in Czechia, where he designs flags, as it is difficult to convince the few people in charge of municipalities to choose a good flag.
  • Lee Harold faced many struggles in getting the North Star Flag adopted as the flag of Minnesota due to the state legislature. While he attempted several times, it would inevitably be rejected even if it gained the support from many in the legislature.
  • Lord Lyon King of Arms is in charge of all flags and coats of arms in Scotland, so all new flags and arms must be approved by him. The position has served as an obstacle to the passage of new Scottish flags and arms in the past. Luckily, the current Lord Lyon is much more likely to approve new flags and arms, leading to a recent uptake in new Scottish flags.
  • In the special episode on the flag of Minnesota, everyone in the roundtable disliked how the Minnesota State Emblems Committee chose the flag, although some of the participants did like the flag. The design process felt contrived, rushed, and confusing, with many unhappy with the results.
• Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: Episode 26, "Vexi-Cryptids 2", is a sequel to Episode 9, "Obviously Boris Yeltsin in a Beaver Suit", despite the original not being called Vexi-Cryptids.
• Off with His Head!: An unidentified flag from the Kingdom of Benin features a man beheading another man with a sword.
• Once per Episode:
  • When introducing the special guest each episode, Andy generally asks them their favorite flag and what they think are the most overrated and underrated flags.
  • Although the podcast did not start doing this until later on, every episode after it began features a quiz segment near the end, where the guest has to answer some flag-related questions. However, the quiz was eventually phased out and now only happens occasionally.
• Only in Florida: Andy is surprised by some of the strange aspects of Florida, such as its different weather from most of the country, the alligators, and Alex's strange alligator-themed Christmas traditions.
• Our Cryptids Are More Mysterious:
  • In Episodes 9 and 26, Andy depicts strange animals and creatures that appear on flags as "vexi-cryptids" for Kevin Hayman to react to. Kevin also has a podcast called Supernatural Selection where he discusses various cryptids and urban legends.
  • Kevin says that the kiwi shooting lasers out of its eyes on the Laser Kiwi flag could have become a cryptid and urban legend if the flag didn't exist.
• Our Demons Are Different: The flag of Dlouhá Třebová features a black "devil in the form of a dragon". Andy and Kevin find the flag to be incredibly badass.
• Our Wyverns Are Different: Andy flies the flag of Wessex in a short, which features a wyvern. What makes the wyvern on this flag different from most examples is that it has two front legs rather than back legs.
• Overly Narrow Superlative: At the start of most episodes, Andy describes it as "the only podcast" within a very specific field, such as being the largest English language vexillology podcast.
• Patriotic Fervor: Parodied on Andy's Flagventory, which lists every country in North America as "USA! USA! USA!"
• Pen Pals: Nick Page mentions having a pen pal from Finland in the first episode.
• The Phoenix:
  • Episode 29 focuses on the Fog and Gold Flag, a redesigned flag of San Francisco created by Brian Stokle. The flag features a phoenix rising from a flame. A phoenix in a flame also appears in San Francisco's official flag, but with a much worse design that appears amateurish and ugly.
  • The flag of Phoenix fittingly features a white stylized phoenix on a purple background.
• The Points Mean Nothing: In every quiz segment in the podcast, the points received by the guests never affect anything, as the quizzes are just for fun and are not taken seriously.
• Portmanteau:
  • Andy calls his flag inventory his Flagventory.
  • Andy jokingly calls the union flag between Sweden and Norway the Swedwegian flag.
  • Danny Pedre's social media name "panamaniac" combines Panama and maniac.
• Portmantitle:
  • Episode 27's title "Czechillology" combines Czech and Vexillology.
  • Episode 23's title "The Newtah Flag" combines new and Utah.
  • Episode 36 has the title "North Starry-Eyed", which combines North Star and starry-eyed as a reference to the episode’s focus on the North Star Flag.
  • The title of the YouTube channel Flagsession combines flag and obsession.
• Pun-Based Title: Both the podcast's title and the titles of many episodes feature puns. The title comes from the term "flagged for content", which refers to when something is marked inappropriate or breaking the rules on a website, while also referencing the show's focus on flags.
  • Episode 32 is called "For Ham the Belling Tolls", combining "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and Bellingham.
  • Episode 8 is called "Southern Too-Close-for-Comfort", combining the terms Southern comfort and too-close-for-comfort.
• Pungeon Master: Andy is fond of puns and incorporates them throughout the podcast.
• Putting on the Reich: The flag of the Principality of Zeon from Mobile Suit Gundam, which is discussed in Episode 39, is obviously influenced by Nazi flags to demonstrate the evilness of the empire.
• Queer Colors: Pride flags are discussed or appear various times throughout the podcast.
  • Andy and Tara Stark discuss various queer flags and their colors in Episode 15, examining their meanings and origins.
  • Tara's room, which appears in the background of the video version of the podcast, features various pride flags such as the transgender and lesbian flags.
  • Flags For Good is one of the largest manufacturers of pride flags, so they often come up when Michael Green appears.
  • Andy owns a pride version of the Tennessee flag made by Flags For Good that has rainbow stripes on the side. One TikTok shows it flying in the wind. FFG has a collection of Pride versions of state flags called Gayer State Flags.
• Quirky Ukulele: Andy is a fun and silly guy, and he plays the ukulele for the whimsical theme song.
• Rage Against the Heavens: The guests in Episode 13 joke that the leopard on the flag of the Pskov Region would bite off God's hand if he tries to scratch him.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: In Episode 40, the guests discuss the Nazi flag and mention how its color scheme of red, black, and white has become less common in flags due to its association with evil. However, they point out that the Tino Rangatiratanga flag subverts this, as it uses the same colors but is associated with ancient Māori religious colors and is perceived positively.
• Rhyming Title: Episode 25 is called "Primo Fimo".
• Rigged Contest: Bradley Lockhart discusses having been accused of rigging a Seattle flag design competition because his flags received a lot of bot votes. However, he had nothing to do with this and his Orca Face flag received the most authentic votes despite its disqualification.
• Rimshot:
  • The first episode feature a rimshot after Andy makes a joke about a priest wanting to make a pair of dirty underwear holy instead of holey.
  • Another rimshot appears in Episode 2 after Andy jokes that a pirate named Benjamin Hornigold would be "getting that booty".
• Running Gag:
  • Andy often starts out episodes by describing the podcast as the only one within an Overly Narrow Superlative.
  • During the quiz segment, Andy usually asks the guest the answer to 13 times 13.
• Russian Bear: Many Russian flags feature bears, including those of Zheleznogorsk and Perm. Andy jokes that Russians will put bears on any thing that halfway deserves one.
• Self-Deprecation: Andy makes many jokes about his difficulties closing out the episodes.
• Sequel Episode: Episode 26 is a sequel to Episode 9, as both episodes have Kevin Hayman react to various "vexi-cryptids".
• Sharp-Dressed Man: After Eric Nystul calls Andy his "handsome friend" in a letter, Andy snaps his fingers, instantly cutting to him in a suit.
• Simple, yet Awesome: Max considers simple flags very underrated, as bicolors and tricolors are able to convey national pride and symbolism in just two or three colors.
• So Bad, It Was Better:invoked
  • Andy points out that some flag redesigns create an aesthetically better flag, but they don't have the same charm of the original design. For instance, Andy thought the new design for Pocatello is fine, but the original design was hilariously bad and stood out more.
  • While calling the original flag bad is subjective, Andy and some of the guests agree that removing the text from the flag of California and simplifying its design makes the design less appealing, despite the original flag breaking flag design rules.
• So Bad, It's Good:invoked Andy and his guests have discussed some flags that they find hilariously bad, such as the flag of Springfield Township, Illinois.
• Space Opera: In Episode 39, David Davis describes his comic Cosmic Dash as being influenced by Space Operas.
• Special Guest: Each episode has a guest who Andy discusses flags with. Some guests are vexillological figures, such as members of vexillological organizations, flag designers, or just people with interests in flags, while some other guests know nothing about flags.
• Stealing the Credit: In Episode 13, the guests joke that the real life creator of basketball actually stole it from "Saint Air Bud".
• Still Fighting the Civil War: Confederate apologists are mentioned in Episode 40's segment on the Rebel flag, as many Southerners continue to fly the flag due to wishing the South won the Civil War, while others are ignorant to its true meaning and just see it as a symbol of Southern pride.
• The Stinger: Episode 35 is a rare example of an episode having a stinger. After the main portion of the podcast ends and the social media links are shown alongside the ending theme, the episode shows the Syracuse city council officially adopting the First Light Flag as its official flag.
• The Stoner:
  • Billy Wayne Davis makes multiple comments about smoking weed.
  • Kevin jokes that Boris Yeltsin has traded in his alcoholism for a weed addiction and is supposedly reaching for weed while dressed as a beaver on the flag of Khoroshevo-Mnevniki.
• Stylistic Suck: Doug Wells made an intentionally awful flag to prepare for Episode 6 because the episode focuses on terrible flag designs, although he still considers Tampa's flag to be worse.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial:
  • Andy stresses that his basement is totally normal and "not creepy at all".
  • Kryštof's presentation in the third bonus episode says that it is "definitely not made in an hour before the recording".
• Take That!:
  • In Episode 19's opening section which lists the podcast's social media accounts, it says "fuck Elon Musk" by the Twitter icon due to his recent purchase of Twitter.
  • There are many Take Thats to Republican politicians and any other conservatives throughout the podcast.
  • The podcast is filled with jabs at badly designed flags, as well as offensive and hateful flags such as the Confederate flag.
  • Andy often makes jokes at the expense of the flag of Maryland due to his dislike towards the flag.
  • Raquel Maestre says that the unique flag of Zamora, Spain is the only interesting thing about the city.
  • When discussing hateful flags, Joe Billips says that hate groups using the flags of Mali or Guinea wouldn't survive because the flags suck.
  • Andy often brings up his ire of the flag of Maryland.
  • There are various insults towards Vladimir Putin throughout the podcast, especially because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Talk Like a Pirate: When discussing pirate flags in Episode 2, Andy uses various stereotypical pirate phrases.
• Tears of Joy: Andy cries out of happiness after Eric Nystul gifts him an early prototype of the Utah flag and shows his appreciation for him.
• Thanking the Viewer: Andy often thanks the listeners of the podcast for their support and gives a special shout-out to patrons.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!:invoked There are some flags that Andy and his guests believed were better than the flags that replaced them.
  • Andy, like many other vexillologists, argues that the 1901 flag of Maine is much superior than its replacement and that it should return to its original design.
  • Andy and Kryštof believe that the original proposal for the flag of Guyana by Whitney Smith was better than the final design, which swapped around the colors and added fimbriation.
• They Copied It, So It Sucks!:invoked
  • Andy and Michael Green discussed how some dislike the flag of Reno, Nevada due to it looking similar to the People's Flag of Milwaukee. Some accuse it of being a ripoff of the other flag. While they note that the flags look rather similar, Andy and Michael both do not see it as a ripoff, pointing out the differences in the designs and the fact that the People's Flag of Milwaukee is not official anyway.
  • Andy and Ian Sharp hate the flag of Trenton, Georgia. It is an exact copy of the former flag of Georgia with the words City of Trenton added. Not only do they hate it for being a copy, but it is also reactionary and racist due to featuring the Confederate battle flag.
  • The flag of Georgia is an almost exact copy of the Confederate national flag with Georgia's seal added. Andy and Ian accuse the flag of being a racist dogwhistle.
  • Although Andy has an interest in communist flags, he finds most communist flags, especially those of Soviet Socialist Republics, to be very boring because they almost all look the same.
  • Andy and various guests dislike that S.O.B. flags almost all look identical from a distance, being both boring and ugly.
• This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!:
  • The Backyard Flag TikTok featuring the flag of Kenya randomly changes the text at the end of the video to "Kenya, bitch".
  • Episode 4 is called "You're in the Kingdom of Kandy Now, B***".
• Title Theme Tune: Each episode starts with a theme song played on ukulele that uses the show's title in the lyrics.
• Urban Legends: In Flagged For Bonus Content 2, Tara brings up a myth that the flag of Easton, Pennsylvania was the original American flag. This legend is popular in the city, but it has no basis in reality.
• Variations on a Theme Song:
  • Episode 18 features a rock cover of the theme performed the the episode's guest, Nick Page.
  • Episode 28 uses a French language version of the theme, as it focuses on French vexillology.
  • Episode 30 uses a choir cover of the theme to commemorate the podcast's one year anniversary.
  • The bonus episode on the flag of Los Angeles uses a live version of the theme.
• Vibrant Orange: Frédéric describes himself as a playful person and represents himself with the color orange. When in the persona he puts on when acting as a science communicator, he wears an orange bow tie and exaggerates these aspects of himself.
• Visual Innuendo:
  • The polar bear on the Franco-Ténois flag looks a lot like a penis.
  • The mermaid on the flag of Waasmunster, Belgium is grabbing a turnip very suggestively, looking as if she is sexually pleasuring it.
• Visual Pun:
  • When Eric Hart was a guest, Andy had the flag of Berkshire in the background. The flag features a deer, and hart is a term for a male deer.
  • The flag and coat of arms of Castile and León feature castles and lions.
  • The Crossland Banner of Maryland's flag features a cross.
  • The canting arms of Bowes-Lyon features bows and lions.
  • Andy's family/wedding flag features St. Andrew's cross, due to his name being Andrew.
• War Is Hell: Andy mentions this by name is Episode 10, pointing out that because war is hell, it would be very easily for someone to lose a flag.
• War Reenactors: Andy's dad has a strong interest in the American Civil War and takes part in Civil War reenactments.
• Weaponized Animal: The flag of Sri Lanka features a lion holding a sword.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Andy has worn a shirt featuring various national flags, and various guests also have worn shirts featuring flags on them.
• White Flag: Joe Billips mentions how a red band was added to the second Confederate flag because it looked too much like the white flag of surrender.
• White Stallion:
  • A white horse appears on the flag of Kent, which was given to Andy by Tareth.
  • The flag of the 69th Pennsylvania Regiment features a version of the Pennsylvania coat of arms with white horses rather than black.
• You Cannot Grasp the True Form: Andy jokingly claims that the flag of the union between Sweden and Norway impossible to comprehend and that successfully describing it could cause anyone to go insane.

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