Believe it or not, there was a time before Flamingle. Let’s set the scene: 2016 was a propitious time. The UN declared it the “year of pulses” (by which they meant legumes rather than heartbeats), and Pokémon Go was giving everyone a healthy relationship with their phone. The Badger football team began its season with an upset win over LSU in Green Bay — and the Badgers have been undefeated at Lambeau ever since. In that golden year, the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) prepared to launch a new newsletter. WAA’s previous digital newsletter, a monthly called Badger Voice, was in need of a refresh. The editorial team decided that the new incarnation could forge a stronger relationship with readers if it appeared weekly rather than monthly, but what to call this new creation? They considered options that were traditional (The Weekly Scoop) and cheeky (Bucky’s Briefs).They held brainstorms to find original ideas. (“Maybe The Weekly 2 Percent,” one suggested, referencing Voice’s low open rate, and another offered, Toasted English Muffin, following a memorable breakfast.) Eventually, the editors decided on Flamingle,combining a reference to a classic UW prank with an implication of shared experience. The idea must have been a good one, because 10 years later, Pokémon Go has Pokémon Gone, but we’re still flamingling.

Support future generations of Badgers with a gift to the WAA Scholarship Fund.