# Why are the stars on the Republican elephant upside-down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083 "2010-06-22T02:10:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/1 "2010-06-22T02:10:59Z")
I was working on an ad design for one of my customers today. She’s a Republican candidate running a post-primary “thank you” ad in my newspaper. She wanted a little Republican elephant logo in the corner of the ad. I grabbed the official logo, dropped it in the ad, put some stars down the side, and noticed something didn’t look right. The stars in the elephant logo are [pointing down](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Republicanlogo.svg), not up like in the U.S. flag and all of my symbol fonts. I did some Google searching for an answer and all I can find is claptrap about GW Bush changing the logo in 2000 to be a Satanic symbol. Nothing in Snopes. Nothing in Wikipedia. I searched the official GOP website and couldn’t find anything, but all of the images in the [GOP Store](http://www.gopstore.com/cgi-bin/rnc/) are, indeed, with stars pointing downward. The more I look, the more curious I get. Does anyone know why the stars are flipped? _I posted this in GQ because I don’t want a debate about Republicans being Satanists and I don’t want to talk about the 2010 election - I’m looking for a factual answer to a logo design question. If you want to talk about whether Bush is the anti-Christ, please do it in GD, not in this thread!_ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/2 "2010-06-22T02:32:34Z")
Hardly a definitive answer, but I tried flipping them on your image, and the result lacked pizazz. With the rest all being somewhat dull smooth curves, that little bit of starry instability lifts the thing from being a humdrum symbol to something that might actually catch the eye. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/3 "2010-06-22T02:42:32Z")
So far my favorite answer of what I’ve seen is that they’re not flipped; they’re leaning 36 degrees to the right. Of course, they’d look the same if they were leaning 36 degrees to the left… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/4 "2010-06-22T02:45:12Z")
Upside down or even slightly askew is not unusual in U.S. graphic arts; see the 1861 Ft. Sumter flag: [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Fort\_Sumter\_storm\_flag\_1861.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Fort_Sumter_storm_flag_1861.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/5 "2010-06-22T04:40:13Z")
If Bush did it, it was obviously because of his dyslexia. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/6 "2010-06-22T08:08:00Z")
Obviously it is because Republicans hate America (but don’t want to be too obvious about it). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/7 "2010-06-22T09:49:32Z")
Why they did that, I can’t say, but I expect people just liked it better that way. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/8 "2010-06-22T10:32:46Z")
The downward-pointing pentagram really is a Satanic symbol (well, more accurately the Sigil of Baphomet - the Republican logo lacks the goat head drawn inside of it). What’s interesting is that some schools have actually banned pentagrams for having perceived associations with Satanism (later challenged on First Amendment grounds, of course). I wonder if those bans included Republican elephant logos? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/9 "2010-06-22T21:13:22Z")
They’re oriented from the position of the rider. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/10 "2010-06-22T21:23:36Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > They’re oriented from the position of the rider. So the rider is upside down? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/11 "2010-06-22T21:53:48Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > The downward-pointing pentagram really is a Satanic symbol (well, more accurately the Sigil of Baphomet - the Republican logo lacks the goat head drawn inside of it). What’s interesting is that some schools have actually banned pentagrams for having perceived associations with Satanism (later challenged on First Amendment grounds, of course). I wonder if those bans included Republican elephant logos? They were going to go with a goat but they wanted something bigger than a donkey. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/12 "2010-06-22T21:56:36Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Hardly a definitive answer, but I tried flipping them on your image, and the result lacked pizazz. With the rest all being somewhat dull smooth curves, that little bit of starry instability lifts the thing from being a humdrum symbol to something that might actually catch the eye. This would be my guess. Because of the round shape above them, they flow better in that orientation. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/13 "2010-06-22T22:00:57Z")
The star on the Medal of Honor is also inverted: > **[Medal of Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor)** > > The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, guardians and Coast Guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States (the commander in chief of the armed forces) and is presented "in the name of the United States Congress." > It is sometimes referred to as the "Congressional Medal of Honor". The secretary ... ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/14 "2010-06-22T22:11:24Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > The star on the Medal of Honor is also inverted: > > [Medal of Honor - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor) But that has a pretty obvious mechanical advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/15 "2010-06-22T22:13:29Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > But that has a pretty obvious mechanical advantage. One completely ignored with the Silver and Bronze Stars, right? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/16 "2010-06-22T22:24:27Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > One completely ignored with the Silver and Bronze Stars, right? Evidently. Perhaps since the Medal of Honor is “the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government,” they wanted to make sure it stayed attached. 😉 [Silver Star](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_star) [Bronze Star](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_star) ---
**Author:** ![Skullso\_OStars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Skullso\_OStars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skullso_OStars)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/17 "2011-07-05T12:44:06Z")
The unside down stars is signifying the flag is upside down and is used a symbol of dire distress or duress. ITs not Satanic like a lot of people are thinking. The satanic symbol has two circles around it to show the separation of God. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/18 "2011-07-05T12:58:26Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:1, topic:544083”] …but all of the images in the [GOP Store](http://www.gopstore.com/cgi-bin/rnc/) are, indeed, with stars pointing downward. [/QUOTE] Weirdly, that’s not true. ["Parking for Republicans Only"sign with stars upright.](http://www.gopstore.com/cgi-bin/rnc/SN101.html?id=Xqxv9L4g) ["wee"publican bib with stars upright.](http://www.gopstore.com/cgi-bin/rnc/BBWEEB.html) I suppose these aren’y official, so your question remains, but apparently whoever runs the GOP store isn’t all that concerned about star orientation. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/19 "2011-07-05T13:18:35Z")
> [@Skullso\_OStars](#): > > The unside down stars is signifying the flag is upside down and is used a symbol of dire distress or duress. ITs not Satanic like a lot of people are thinking. The satanic symbol has two circles around it to show the separation of God. Raising zombies from the dead isn’t satanic? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083/20 "2011-07-05T14:12:01Z")
The OP’s Wikipedia link to the logo image no longer works. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-stars-on-the-republican-elephant-upside-down/544083.md?page=2)