HRWiki Featured articles/Archive 1

Featured Article Archives

HRWiki:Featured articles archive of weeks 21-52, 2005.

Week 52, 2005

Holidays are a big part of Free Country, USA. There are many unlikely choices for prevalent holidays, including April Fool's Day and Mother's Day. Other important holidays that are celebrated are Thanksgiving and Labor Day, also known as Labor Dabor. The most celebrated holidays in Free Country, USA are Halloween and Decemberween, the latter of which is a euphemism for Christmas, possibly created for viewers of religions other than Christianity.

Week 51, 2005

Decemberween is a holiday celebrated by the people of Free Country, USA, 55 days after Halloween, on December 25. It bears many similarities to Christmas with colorful lights and garlands and the giving of presents, but also has some obvious differences. Decemberween food has some unique variations on more recognizable cuisine. Instead of turkeys, the traditional meal is bunnies (much to Marzipan's chagrin). The origins of the holiday are complicated, involving at least one Angel, Dr. Christmas (who looks a bit like Santa Claus), two Kobe Bryants, and a sailor named Archibald, as explained in A Decemberween Pageant. It can also be celebrated in July, time permitting.

Week 50, 2005

Limozeen is a hair metal band that Strong Bad loves. Their name was born from the email "band names." Limozeen's logo is reminicent of AC/DC's logo with the same text and the lightning bolt in the center. They had a cartoon based on them that was set in space, but it was canceled before the pilot episode even finished. The members are often played by different actors, such as The Brothers Chaps and their friends and family, or sometimes just by Matt Chapman alone.

Week 49, 2005

Puppet Stuff refers to live-action video clips starring various characters as puppets. The Puppet Jams feature the Homestar puppet rocking out with They Might Be Giants. The Cheat puppet used in these clips is the The Cheat Talking Plush Doll for sale in the Store. As far as we know, The Homestar and Strong Bad puppets are one-of-a-kind items.

Week 48, 2005

The

BMW Lighter

is a handheld naphtha-type fire starter. It prominently displays the logo of

BMW

, an abbreviation of “

Bayerische Motoren Werke

” (Bavarian Motor Works), a German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. When the lighter was first introduced on Homestar Runner, a "real world" BMW lighter was unavailable as

The Brothers Chaps

attest to on the DVD commentary for "

dragon

". There are now several styles of BMW lighter available.

Week 47, 2005

The Paper is the piece of printer paper that comes down after nearly every Strong Bad Email. Although it started simply as the address to email Strong Bad, it has slowly evolved into a separate pseudocharacter, which often talks to Strong Bad via the printed message. According to the Strong Bad Email montage, it will be replaced by an inkjet printer after email #173. That, of course, remains to be seen.

Week 46, 2005

Peasant's Quest

is a text-based game made by

Videlectrix

, set a real long time ago, in the peasant kingdom of

Peasantry

. The player assumes the role of

Rather Dashing

, a peasant wearing short pants, who returns from his vacation to find his thatched-roof cottage BURNINATED! Rather Dashing then embarks on a journey to get revenge on

Trogdor

once and for all. Videlectrix programmers have actually been hard at work bringing lush 16-color landscapes to life, and providing state-of-the-art text commands and interface. "Can one peasant wearing short pants save the country-side from certain Burnination? YOU DECIDE!"

Week 45, 2005

Thorax Corporation, LLC,,.

is a fictional company created by

The Brothers Chaps

. Thorax originated as a joke Web site created by TBC, and the

URL

to this site is found in one of the

Fortune Cookies

. They are the stereotypical, overly aggressive domain-name owners who offer domain-name registration services while smashing you with a lot of popups and ads.

Week 44, 2005

The Brothers Chaps

(real-life siblings

Mike

and

Matt Chapman

) are the creators of the

Homestar Runner

body of work. They create the cartoons using

Macromedia Flash

out of their home in

Atlanta, Georgia

. They are sometimes referred to by the acronym

TBC

. They also have 3 (other) siblings and a

young niece

, who is featured in several

Puppet Stuff

films.

Week 43, 2005

Each year, the Halloween Cartoons feature the characters dressed in different

Halloween Costumes

, usually of pop icons and celebrities.

The costumes are generally "vintage," in that they feature characters who were either popular in the '80s and '90s, or just plain obscure, although it is uncertain if this is simply a style choice, or done deliberately to give the cartoons a more "timeless" feel.

Week 42, 2005, Day 7

The

Random Toon Button

was added to the main page alongside

Quote of the Week

,

Weekly Fanstuff

, and

Sketchbook

on September 12, 2005. It loads a random

Toon

,

Strong Bad Email

,

Marzipan's Answering Machine

, or

Teen Girl Squad

. If you don't like the selection it comes up with, you can press the "again" button on the left side of the box before you are redirected, which will restart the selection process. You can also press the "close" button on the right of the box to abort the selection.

Week 42, 2005, Day 6

In the

disc three

DVD

Sketchbook

,

Mike

and

Matt Chapman

give us a close look at many never-before-seen sketches, along with insightful commentaries. They also demonstrate their speed-drawing abilities on

Homestar

. Some of the sketches have since been featured on the

Main Page

Sketchbook

.

Week 42, 2005, Day 5

The old

Sketchbook

(not to be confused with the

weekly feature

by the same name) is found in the

Museum

section of the Homestar website. It includes a set of thirteen pages of various early character sketches, some of which were rejected. They are accompanied by commentaries written by

Matt Chapman

. He offered ten bucks to anyone who could identify all the rejected

Halloween costumes

thus far one of them is still a mystery to the wiki.

Week 42, 2005, Day 4

The

Sketchbook

is a collection of conceptual art and sketches by

The Brothers Chaps

. These are found by clicking on the

S

at the top of the

Main Pages

, and are generally updated on Thursdays. This page is a list of all the sketches since this feature started on July 19, 2004.

Week 42, 2005, Day 3

Fan Stuff

is a

Museum

collection of early fan-submitted material. The tremendous inflow of fan art and projects prompted

The Brothers Chaps

to later have a more selective

Weekly Fanstuff

feature on the

Main Page

. The comments for some of the pictures are meant to be taken humorously, so in the

FAQ

it asks that you shouldn't write them with corrections.

Week 42, 2005, Day 2

Weekly Fanstuff

is a collection of fan-submitted

Homestar Runner

projects and pictures. These are viewed by clicking on the

F

at the top of the

Main Pages

, and are generally updated on Thursdays. This page is a list of all the fanstuff since this feature started on January 27th, 2004.

Week 42, 2005, Day 1

The

Quote of the Week

is a sound bite from the

Homestar Runner

body of work. These are found by clicking on the

Q

at the top of the

Main Pages

, and are generally updated each week on Thursday. This page is a list of all Quotes of the Week collected since this feature started on January 10, 2002. Since early 2004, the Quote of the Week was updated with more regularity. The dates of some quotes are estimated on the basis of the file-modified date.

Week 41, 2005

The Old-Timey era (also referred to as the 1936 era) is the collective name for the Homestar Runner toons said to have been made in the 1930s; and are in essence a pastiche/tribute to the cartoons of the time. The toons are in black and white and have intentionally sloppy edits, a grainy and scratched appearance, and a soundtrack filled with static and pops. The characters look and sound different from their modern-day counterparts, and often have different personae, much in the way that the characters in the earliest Mickey Mouse and Looney Tunes cartoons are noticeably different than later incarnations.

Week 40, 2005

Strong Badia

(also spelled

Strongbadia

) is the field behind the dumpster that is ruled by

Strong Bad

. He introduced his monarchy in "

i rule

." Its population is

Tire

, and the

Stop Sign

and the

Cinder Block

serve as an unfinished

monument

to Strongbadia's monarch. In the email "

flag day

," Strong Bad sings the

Strongbadia National Anthem

and the flag of Strongbadia is first shown. As explained in "

other days

," Strong Bad gives Strongbadia a firm scrubbing every Thursday. In the email "

2 years

," it was predicted that sweeping changes would happen to Strongbadia by September 2005. However, none of the alterations have appeared.

Week 39, 2005

The

Cheat Commandos

are an elite fighting force that, along with a civilian contractor named

Reynold

, is dedicated to protecting the world from the evil forces of

Blue Laser

. Their appearance is modeled after

The Cheat

, who originally dressed as

Firebert

in the email

army

, which is considered to be the conceptual birth of the Cheat Commandos. Every Cheat Commandos toon seems to parody a different facet of 1980s animated shows, especially

G.I. Joe

, with reiterated plugs for action figures and breakfast cereals, and rehashing as teaching aids.

Week 38, 2005

Free Country, USA

, is where the

Homestar Runner universe

is centered. All of the

main characters

live, work, and play here. It has been around since at least

1933

, and will continue to be around until at least

20X6

. Viewers of Homestar Runner have variously speculated about the "real" location of Free Country, USA, though it can be safely assumed

The Brothers Chaps

prefer to leave its location undetermined.

Week 37, 2005

Marzipan's Answering Machine

is probably one of the most overlooked sections on

homestarrunner.com

, likely because it has little or no animation. The messages often dive deeper into interpersonal relationships between the

characters

, with each short message packed with insight. Some mainstays of the section are

Strong Bad

's unrelenting prank calls,

Homestar

's constant misunderstandings, and

Coach Z

's and

Strong Sad

's depressing ramblings. It also features various other surprise messages and cameos from major and minor characters.

Week 36, 2005

The

Main Pages

are the menu pages for

homestarrunner.com

. They are the central hub, with links to nearly every facet of the site. The Main Pages are one of the more interesting aspects of the site. Every time a viewer returns to the Main Page, a random one will load. Rolling-over the six central buttons with the cursor makes

Homestar Runner

read them aloud, and also makes certain events happen in proximity to Homestar. These all are related to the theme of the Main Page, and often make references to previous

toons

.

Week 35, 2005

With more and more released on

homestarrunner.com

, it's hard to keep track of all the

Strong Bad Email Statistics

. For example, which computer was used the most, or how the length of emails has increased throughout the years. To correctly calculate those numbers, a few charts and graphs have been made for the ease of the people who like to know

everything

about

Strong Bad

and his emails.

Week 34, 2005

Videlectrix

is a multi-dollar fictitious video game company that makes some of the hottest games ever. If anyone is playing a video game in any of the Homestar Runner toons, chances are it's a chart-topping Videlectrix classic. The brains behind the company were the cover story for January 2005's issue of

Hundredaire Socialite

. They are, of course,

The Brothers Chaps

in fake mustaches, and their friend

Jonathan Howe

.

Week 33, 2005

Marshmallow's Last Stand

is the first full-length

Homestar Runner

toon made, and though removed from the official website, it was spoofed in the recent

Strong Bad Email

entitled "

lady...ing

." In the toon,

Strong Bad

and

Strong Mad

steal the star from

Homestar Runner

's shirt in order to force Homestar and

Pom Pom

to participate in a tag team wrestling match.

Week 32, 2005

strongbad email.exe

is a DVD collection of the first 130

Strong Bad Emails

. Commonly referred to as the Strong Bad Emails DVD, this product was originally released as a three-disc box set in November 2004. A fourth disc was released separately in July 2005. Along with the first 130 Strong Bad Emails, the DVDs contain four extra emails, creators' commentaries,

Puppet Stuff

, and other bonus features not found on

homestarrunner.com

. The DVDs are available for purchase at the Homestar Runner

Store

.

Week 31, 2005

In the

Strong Bad Email

"

comic

," a girl named Brittany asked if

Strong Bad

could make a comic strip about her four friends: Virginia, Joy, Kristin, and Jennifer. Strong Bad's spur-of-the-moment comic strip soon became a series.

Teen Girl Squad

centers on four teenage girls —

Cheerleader

,

So and So

,

What's Her Face

, and

The Ugly One

— who like to buy clothes and attract cute boys and look SO GOOD! Unfortunately, they are all-too-often subjected to the random dangers of Strong Bad's overactive imagination. But being killed doesn't seem to be a problem for the girls, for they are always back for the next episode.

Week 30, 2005

Strong Sad's Lament

is

Strong Sad

's personal weblog. It originated in the email "

website

," when you could access it by clicking on the "F10" image at the bottom of

Strong Bad's Website

.

In his lament he expresses his frustrations with life, complains about Strong Bad's constant practical jokes, and describes his bizzare relationship with Homsar. It was on hiatus for 17 months until August 5, 2004, when Strong Sad remembered his password and began posting regularly again. Once again, it appears to be on hiatus as it has been over 10 months since the last update.

Week 29, 2005

20X6

is an era of cartoons that depict stereotypical Japanese cartoons. Pronounced "Twenty-Exty-Six", this era contains elements of Mega Man and Metroid video games, wherein the year is referred to as 200X, 20XX, 21XX and 20X5.

20X6 stars anime versions of the standard "present era" characters. Strong Bad becomes Stinkoman, a reference to the email "island". Homestar Runner becomes 1-Up, a kid who wants to be the guy. Pom Pom becomes a hungry panda called Pan Pan. Marzipan, Coach Z, The Cheat, and possibly The Poopsmith also made minor 20X6 appearances as well.

Week 28, 2005

Strong Bad's Message Bored

was a bulletin board that fans of

Homestar Runner

could post messages on. On May 12th, 2003,

The Brothers Chaps

upgraded the Message Bored to one that required registration. Due to the overwhelming response from the fans, The Brothers Chaps were forced to close the board shortly after the update. The old header is still accessible by clicking the front of the blue mailbox on the

Email

page. Clicking the "O" in the word "bored" will reveal three playable games, namely,

Armless Invaders

,

The Cheat's Smoking Challenge

, and

Nighttime Driving Type Game

.

Week 27, 2005

Bubs' Concession Stand

is where

Bubs

works. It is the place in

Free Country

to get anything and everything, albeit not everything legal. It accepts different forms of currency, one of them Pencil Shavings. The Concession Stand also has a mascot named the

Tragic Clown Dog

, played by

Strong Bad

. There are 296 bricks on the right side of the stand, and according to Bubs' Yearbook Character Page, the Stand is located near the

Athletic Field

.

Week 26, 2005

The

Floppy Disk Container

sits to the right of

Strong Bad

's computer. Whenever the view on a toon or email cuts to a wider view of Strong Bad's computer desk, the Floppy Disk Container is there. With a new game displayed almost every time, it's become an Easter egg of itself. The majority of the labels are names of computer games, and mostly from the '80s. This page not only lists each game, but also includes a brief summary of the described game.

Week 25, 2005

Crazy Go Nuts University is a university created by Strong Bad. It may be a mockery of Whatsamatta-U, of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame. To attend CGNU, send in the free art test consisting of drawing a guy with a big knife. A diploma from Crazy Go Nuts University will be pretty impressive on your wall, and all your friends will be pretty impressed. "Remember, at Crazy Go Nuts University, the future is... you. Probably."

Week 24, 2005

The CD you've all been waiting for! It's Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits! With 20 songs by Strong Bad, Marzipan, Taranchula, Coach Z, Limozeen, and more! Spectacular cover and inside drawings by the man himself, Strong Bad! And a "Secret Song" sung by Homestar Runner!

You might expect to pay almost $193.75 for this timeless collection, but can be yours at the Homestar Runner Store for only a small fee of $12.00!

Week 23, 2005

The Cheat and his trusty computer, Tangerine Dreams, have been spewing out "Powered by The Cheat" Flash cartoons since 2002. The Cheat's toons, which are a parody of the many poorly drawn Flash cartoons on the web, are usually packed with bad animation, poor imitations of the character's voices (provided by Mike Chapman), and nonexistent plots. He always incorporates himself into his cartoons, sometimes in a Hitchcock-style cameo, but usually making himself appear awesome or receive some sort of prize. The Cheat has won many prizes for these cartoons in real life, including an iron goblet full of Brunswick Stew and the so called "Pizza Trophy".

Week 22, 2005

Strong Bad's emails are the most frequently updated feature of homestarrunner.com. They were originally a small feature introduced in 2001, in which Strong Bad would mock the spelling and grammar of those who wrote him. Although the animations were initially brief, the responses gradually grew to establish numerous catchphrases and running gags, as well as spin-offs like Trogdor, 20X6, Teen Girl Squad, and even the main character Homsar. A typical Strong Bad email will also include numerous easter eggs and other hidden material.

Week 21, 2005

Homestar Runner (often abbreviated HR, HSR or H*R) is an animated cartoon series available mostly through homestarrunner.com. It has an absurdist sense of humor similar to that found in H.R. Pufnstuf. Although originally conceived as a book written for children, the site is perhaps most popular with (and has been gravitating toward) young adults, with its short movies, games, charmingly naïve music, and plentiful opportunities for interaction.