Happy Fireworks

This article is about the toon. For the pyrotechnic explosives, see Fireworks.

"Want to go on a secret hot date?"

Bubs, Coach Z, Homestar, and a Cardboard Marzipan watch a fireworks show.

Cast (in order of appearance): Bubs, Coach Z, Homestar Runner, Cardboard Marzipan, Strong Bad, Strong Mad, The Cheat

Places: The Field

Date: Monday, July 4, 2005

Running Time: 1:46

Page Title: Fuh-lamable!

DVD:Everything Else, Volume 2

Transcript

{Coach Z and Bubs are sitting next to each other in lawn chairs at dusk, waiting for fireworks to start.}

COACH Z: Naw, I tell ya's, I once shoved an M-80 up my nose just to impress the lady-types!

BUBS: Aw, that's nothin'. I once ate an entire bowl of M-200s at my family reunion!

COACH Z: Oh yeah, well I married an M-300—

BUBS: {angrily} They don't make a 300.

COACH Z: Oh... 250?

BUBS: No!

COACH Z: Elephant?

BUBS: Hup-bup-bup-bup!

{Homestar comes in with Cardboard Marzipan. Each of Cardboard Marzipan's lines are actually provided by Homestar Runner in a high, light voice.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Hey guys! Happy Fireworks!

CARDBOARD MARZIPAN: Homestar, that's not what the holiday's called.

BUBS: Marzipan's still out of town for the summer, eh, Homestar?

HOMESTAR RUNNER: {angrily} No, what're you talking about?

CARDBOARD MARZIPAN: Yes, I'm still out of town, Bubs, you gorgeous hunk of man.

BUBS: {blushing} Oh, why thank you, Cardboard Marzipan.

COACH Z: Hey, Cardboard Marzi! Uh, you want in on some of this action?

CARDBOARD MARZIPAN: No, you're disgusting.

BUBS: What's takin' these fireworks guys so long anyways? I got peoples to rip off!

{Cut to Strong Bad, Strong Mad, and The Cheat. Cans of gas and WB-46 are around them as well as a sign that says, "The fireworks guys (f'real)".}

STRONG BAD: Ugh, I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to let you make your homemade fireworks, Strong Mad.

{Cut to Strong Mad's fireworks, which are just batteries and matches taped together.}

STRONG MAD: OOH AHH! OOH AHH!

STRONG BAD: We'll get to the oohing and ahhing soon enough. But first, we gotta go straight to plan G!

{Cut to The Cheat with "PLAИ "g"" painted on him.}

THE CHEAT: {sad, sigh-like The Cheat noise}

{Strong Mad grabs The Cheat and starts shaking him. The Cheat makes noises.}

STRONG BAD: Wait for it... wait for it...

{The Cheat's noises turn higher-pitched.}

STRONG BAD: And... pull!

{Strong Mad throws The Cheat upwards.}

THE CHEAT: Meeeeeeeeeehhhhh!

{The Cheat goes flying into the sky. Eventually, he explodes and The Cheat-shaped fireworks appear. Cut back to Homestar, Bubs, and Coach Z, now watching the fireworks.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER, BUBS: Oooooh! Ahhhhhh!

COACH Z: It's dazzle-mazing!!

CARDBOARD MARZIPAN: I think fireworks promote violence.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: {pauses, then glares at Cardboard Marzipan} Shut up, Marzipan.

{A firework explodes and shows "Happy Fireworks!" The Cheat crashes into the ground. His head has exploded. After a little while, Cardboard Marzipan leans in.}

CARDBOARD MARZIPAN: Oh, The Cheat, are you okay? Do you want to go on a secret hot date?

Fun Facts

Explanations

• Strong Bad saying "Pull" to signal Strong Mad to throw The Cheat is a reference to trap shooting, where one says "Pull" to signal that the clay pigeon should be thrown.
• M-80s are a class of large firecrackers originally developed by the United States military to simulate the sound of gunfire, but then sold to the public as fireworks. M-80s are sometimes known as "quarter sticks of dynamite".

Trivia

• This toon was released on the Fourth of July, which is marked by fireworks displays and other festivities.
• The loading screen for this toon displays "Loafing..." instead of "Loading...".
• The cardboard box used to make Cardboard Marzipan had "(F)RAGILE" stenciled across its top before Homestar drew Marzipan on it, as well as "DON'T BEND" stenciled across the bottom.
• The cans of WB-46 have the slogan "Stops the Squeaks! Gets some jobs DONE! Fuh-lamable." written on them.
• The can of gasoline that was next to Strong Bad, Strong Mad, and The Cheat is labeled "THE GAS".
• "Dazzle-mazing" is a portmanteau, albeit one that is less subtle than most of Strong Bad's.

Remarks

• "90 degrees or higher" and "11.9 FL OZ" are written on the bottom of the label of Bubs's Not so Cold One, but zooming in causes the text to disappear.

Inside References

• Homestar's drawing of Marzipan looks very similar to The Cheat's drawing of her in mile.
• Bubs has a Not so Cold One bottle and Coach Z has a can of Coldson Lite.
• The burnt out matches next to Strong Mad's "Fireworks" are the same kind as in The Luau.
• The batteries are the same kind as in Meet Marshie.
• The cooler originally from labor day also appears in one scene.
• This is another instance of The Cheat's Head Exploding.
• Strong Bad went straight to plan "g".

Real-World References

• The cans of WB-46 are a spoof of WD-40, an industrial lubricant.
• Some of the batteries Strong Mad used to make fireworks are black with copper colored tops, the classic design of Duracell, while others are silver with black tops, the design used by Energizer.

Fast Forward

• Marzipan and The Cheat go on a hot date in Date Nite, complete with more fireworks.
• In Quality Time, Marzipan makes herself a Cardboard Homestar to go out with.
• In hremail 3184, Bubs and Coach Z watch the explosion of the Lappy 486 in a similar way as they watch the fireworks in this short.

DVD Version

• The DVD version features creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching.

Commentary Transcript

(Commentary by: Matt Chapman, Mike Chapman)

MATT: I did most of this while you was gone, Mike!

MIKE: That's right! Look at, uh, Bubs looks a little dumpy when he's sitting down.

MATT: He does look— It's not a very flattering position for him to sit in.

MIKE: Doesn't look very comfortable either. {pause} So, Marzipan was out of town, uh, all summer, that summer, working on a— she was in North Carolina.

MATT: Working on millionaire gadabout Craig Zobel's movie.

MIKE: That's right.

MATT: Homestar does a really good impression of how Marzipan would act, like... she contradicts him a lot.

MIKE: Yeah.

MATT: You'd think that if he was making up his— She corrects him.

MIKE: Yeah. Cardboard Marzipan is smarter than Homestar even though Homestar is controlling.

MATT: {chuckles} It's good, he's doing a really great impression. He knows how the dynamic works between them and... "The Gas." That's what that gas can says. This is good; we should try this. I wanna tape some batteries to some sticks and try and light them on fire. {pause} Uh oh! The Cheat is Plan "g", Mike.

MIKE: He's also Istanbul, {Matt laughs} and what else was he in the Christmas Pageant?

MATT: The Popular Vote?

MIKE: Oh, the Popular Vote, yeah.

MATT: This is another example of The Cheat— apparently you don't have to— to give him Pop Rocks and Coke—

MIKE: —to make him explode.

MATT: You can just shake him up. {chuckles} And what's the other one? The, uh, the Compy makes him explode at some point, right? ...Homestar spitting Teddy Grahams? I don't remember how that works.

MIKE: He explodes a lot.

{The Cheat crash lands.}

MATT: Oh! ...And now Marzipan is hitting on The Cheat. {laughing} Illicit.

Fun Facts

• "Craig Zobel's movie" is The Great World of Sound, which Missy Palmer produced.
• The instances of The Cheat's Head Exploding that Matt refers to include The House That Gave Sucky Treats ("You don't have to give him Pop Rocks and Coke...") and couch patch ("The Compy makes him explode at some point, right?")
• The alternate identities described for The Cheat are The Popular Vote from A Decemberween Pageant, and Istanbul from dangeresque 3.

External Links

• watch "Happy Fireworks"
• watch "Happy Fireworks" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "Happy Fireworks"
• forum thread re: "Happy Fireworks"