Extreme Makeover: Uncle Sam Edition

I’m as patriotic as the next guy. But this morning on the subway, I couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated by the sight of our national mascot peddling fast cash.

Uncle Sam, how could you? Playing into our all-American desires to get rich quick and bling ourselves silly…

That’s why Studio 360 proposed a radical redesign of our nation’s spokesman. We got dozens of submissions: from Sam recast as a wizened little old lady, to more overtly political stand-ins. You can see all the submissions here.

Our favorite was Brendan Condit‘s ‘What You Can Do’ series. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, Condit wanted to encourage Americans to find their own ways to contribute to the public good. (Serve.gov is a real website managed by The Corporation for National and Community Service.)

This week on the show, Kurt and a team of experts deconstruct Uncle Sam — and consider if the National Anthem might need a make-over as well:

Thanks to everyone who submitted their designs.

Brendan Condit, we salute you.