A few years back (roughly circa 2022) the web site was configured for MOC builders to register their builds through their portal. The software being used at the time for theme selection didn’t have a place holder like you would typically see in a drop down that says, ‘Please make your selection…’ so the word Aardvark was used as a placeholder since the double ‘a’ would almost always be at the top of an alphabetical list.
The first year it worked as expected and builders selected the theme they wanted from the drop down and left Aardvark untouched. But then something changed. The second and subsequent years, builders started intentionally building MOCs for the Aardvark theme and registering them for display.
A campaign was launched to have the aardvark as the official convention mascot. While it was never ratified, the Aardvark has become the ‘Unofficial’ mascot and now has its own, ‘Anti-Theme’.
As an anti-theme, aardvark gets no official signage, only a haggard cardboard stand. There are also generally no prizes for the builders, unless there is a half-eaten bag of Cheetos or M&Ms available. No winner is declared.
As of late, the builder Matthew Chiles has begun a campaign for, ‘Will it Aardvark’ and has begun rebuilding other sets into aardvarks to see if it can be done.