The Next American Idol

Sometimes we cling tightly to things we deem ‘traditional’ without realizing they’re not as deeply entrenched in our history as we thought.

Take Uncle Sam: he hasn’t changed much since J. M. Flagg’s iconic World War I recruitment poster, in which he appeared as an older white man wearing a snazzy red, white, and blue outfit — these days, he seems to be busy selling air-conditioners at rock bottom prices.

Yet lost to time is his young, female compatriot Columbia, another once-beloved embodiment of our country who had her heyday in 19th-century political cartoons. This all got us thinking that it’s time to challenge some of the symbols for American that we’ve come to take for granted.

In honor of our nation’s birthday, Studio 360 wants you to come up with a new take on Uncle Sam. Here, Kurt outlines our challenge:

You can see all the entries and submit your own HERE.

“Kid America” by Flickr user nicoleyfun

nicoleyfun cast America as ‘a small child, jam-packed with pure potential, a good heart, a curious little mind, navet, fearlessness, and an unrelenting eagerness to please.’

The deadline to enter our challenge is this Sunday, June 20 at midnight. We’ll reveal our favorites on the show broadcasting the weekend of July 4th.