Mississippi—which is in the process of redesigning its state flag to get rid of racist Confederate imagery in the old one—will not put a giant mosquito on its new flag. The state said Tuesday that a design featuring the itch-inducing insect had inadvertently slipped through the net during the screening process and should not have been among the selections posted online Monday. The public has submitted nearly 3,000 designs, according to The Guardian. The commission narrowed that down to 147 proposals, and the department posted those on its website. One had a huge mosquito on it surrounded by a circle of dark blue stars. “The mosquito flag advanced to Round Two due to a typo in a list of flag numbers submitted by one commissioner,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday. “That commissioner has requested that the flag be removed from the Round Two gallery.” On Friday, the state will unveil a shortlist of the final five designs.
