Timeline of Homestar Runner

Original Book →	1996
	1997
	1998
Where My Hat is At? →	1999
Website → MAM → Old-Timey →	2000
Strong Bad Email →	2001
Videlectrix → PBTC → Compy 386 → TGS →	2002
20X6 → Trogdor → Dangeresque → Puppet Stuff →	2003
Cheat Commandos → Peasant's Quest → strongbad email.exe → Lappy 486 →	2004
Stinkoman 20X6 → Everything Else →	2005
Podstar Runner →	2006
New Paper →	2007
SBCG4AP →	2008
Compé →	2009
Xeriouxly Forxe →	2010
Hiatus → @ronginald →	2011
sbemail 206 teaser →	2012
W00tstock 5.0 →	2013
April Fools' 2014 → @StrongBadActual →	2014
sbemail 206 → Lappier →	2015
MAM 17.2 → 20th Anniversary Show →	2016
Skills of an Artist →	2017
Deleteheads Download → Trogdor!! →	2018
Trogdor!! EP →	2019
Original Soundtrack → Level 10 → Post-Flash site update →	2020
Main Page 27 → Halloween Hide & Seek →	2021
Decemberweenvent →	2022
Roomisode Triungulate →	2023
Back To A Website →	2025

This is a brief overview of the history of the Homestar Runner body of work.

1996

• July/August — Craig Zobel and Mike Chapman write and illustrate the short children's book The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest, creating Homestar Runner, Pom Pom, Strong Bad, and The Cheat.
• September — Sketches are made for a sequel, Homestar Runner Goes For The Gold!, including designs for Strong Mad and Strong Sad. This book is never completed.
• December — Matt, Mike, and Craig make an animation in Mario Paint for brother Donnie as a Christmas present. This video is the first animated Homestar cartoon.

1999

• June — Where My Hat Is At?, which includes the introductions of Coach Z and Bubs, is created.
• December 6 — The domain name "homestarrunner.com" is registered.

2000

• January — Homestarrunner.com debuts with at least the original main page, Where My Hat Is At?, Super NES, and Pom Pom, Too, as well as Marshmallow's Last Stand, the first full-length Homestar Runner Flash cartoon and likely first appearances of Marzipan, The King of Town, and The Poopsmith.
• Fall? — The first installment of Marzipan's Answering Machine is released.
• October — Homestarloween Party, the first of the site's near-annual Halloween toons, is released.
• Kick the Can, a series of short toons, introduces the Old-Timey universe.

2001

• August 22 — Strong Bad Email debuts with some kinda robot.
• September 19 — The second Strong Bad Email introduces Homsar.
• Marshie first appears in Fluffy Puff Commercial, but he does not get to talk until Meet Marshie is released the following year.
• The website begins selling T-shirts.

2002

• January 10 — Quote of the Week begins.
• February 25 — The Cheat Theme Song marks the first toon created in Powered by The Cheat style.
• June 24 — The Tandy 400 explodes in the Strong Bad Email gimmicks. It is later repaired; the repaired version is used through vacation (August 11).
• August — Matt quits his job to work on the website full-time.
• September 9 — The Compy 386 replaces the Tandy 400 in the Strong Bad Email invisibility.
• November 11 — The fiftieth Strong Bad Email, 50 emails, released.
• November 17 — The ongoing Strong Sad's Lament is launched with the Strong Bad Email website.
• December 2 — The Strong Bad Email comic begins the Teen Girl Squad series.

2003

• January 6 — 20X6 debuts with the characters Stinkoman, 1-Up and Pan Pan in the Strong Bad Email japanese cartoon.
• January 13 — Trogdor is created in the Strong Bad Email dragon.
• February 3 — The first game from Videlectrix, Awexome Cross, is found in an Easter egg in the email monster truck.
• March 17 — TROGDOR!, the site's largest game up to that point, is released.
• May 5 — The Sweet Cuppin' Cakes characters debut in crazy cartoon.
• July 21 — The Dangeresque series of films debuts in stunt double.
• September 29 — Everybody Knows It is the first Puppet Stuff toon.
• November 17 — Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits is released.
• December 3 — Senor Cardgage debuts in the Strong Bad Email kind of cool.

2004

• January 27 — Weekly Fanstuff begins.
• February 2 — The tie-in website videlectrix.com is launched with the game Pigs on Head.
• February 16 — The Kick The Cheat doll is made available for purchase on the store.
• February 23 — The first collaboration with They Might Be Giants in the Strong Bad Email different town.
• March 8 — The tenth Marzipan's Answering Machine is released.
• March 16 — The hundredth Strong Bad Email, flashback, released.
• May 10 — The Cheat Commandos debut in Cheat Commandos, although the concept was first mentioned in the email army (released January 5th).
• July 19 — The Sketchbook begins.
• August 2 — The critically-acclaimed game Peasant's Quest is released.
• November 9 — The first set of strongbad email.exe DVDs is released.
• November 15 — The Compy 386 is infected by viruses and destroyed by Bubs' shotgun in the email virus.
• November 29 — The Lappy 486 debuts in the Strong Bad Email animal.

2005

• March 21 — The Brothers Chaps' second large game Stinkoman 20X6 is released with only three levels.
• October 10 — The tenth Teen Girl Squad is released.
• November 14 — Volume one of the Everything Else DVD series is released.

2006

• January 13 — Happy Trogday is released, celebrating Trogdor's 3rd birthday.
• January 30 — The Podstar Runner service is started.
• April 4 — Another Strong Bad Email milestone – the 150th email, alternate universe.
• August 21 — Strongest Man in the World is released, celebrating Homestar Runner's 10th anniversary.

2007

• January 28 — Viidelectrix added, allowing Nintendo Wii owners to play some games with a Wii remote.
• February 12 — A New Stuff section is added to the Toons menu listing all new toons released.
• June 11 — Strong Bad gets an inkjet printer and the New Paper in the email the paper. This was hinted at in montage.
• September 23 — Podstar Runner service is discontinued.
• October 1 — homestarrunnerdotcom is registered on YouTube but remains inactive.
• October 25 — Jibblies 2 Teaser, the first of the site's near-annual Halloween teasers, is released.

2008

• January 10 — Podstar Runner service is reestablished with looking old as its first available email.
• January 14 — Trogday 08 marks another spinoff milestone, the 5th birthday of Trogdor.
• March 27 — Limozeen Live! at the 10 High Club in Atlanta.
• April — The first official YouTube videos from the Homestar Runner body of work are released, including video of the Limozeen Live! appearance.
• April 10 — Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is first announced.
• August 11 — Homestar Ruiner, the first episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, is released for the Nintendo Wii and PC.
• September 15 — The second SBCG4AP episode, Strong Badia the Free, is released for the Nintendo Wii and PC.
• September 23 — The 200th Strong Bad Email, email thunder, is released.
• October 27 — The third SBCG4AP episiode, Baddest of the Bands, is released for the Nintendo Wii and PC.
• November 17 — The fourth SBCG4AP episode, Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective, is released for the Nintendo Wii and PC.
• December 15 — The fifth and final SBCG4AP episode, 8-Bit is Enough, is released for the Nintendo Wii and PC.

2009

• January 26 — The first official Hremail, Hremail 62, is released.
• March 31 — The first seven videos are uploaded on the homestarrunnerdotcom YouTube channel, starting with guitar.
• June 30 — Strong Bad Emails return after a nine-month hiatus, with hremail 3184. The Lappy 486 is destroyed.
• July 2 — All five episodes of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People are released on the SBCG4AP Collector's DVD.
• July 27 — Where My Hat Is At? is adapted into a cartoon in celebration of its 10th birthday.
• August 3 — Strong Bad buys the Compé in the toon Compy Catalog, and replaces the New Paper with the Compé-per.
• October 11 — FeedBurner Page is launched. Podstar Runner service is soon discontinued once again.
• November 10 — Punkin Show is released, marking the end of weekly site updates.
• December 1 — Matt announces via RSS that site updates will be fewer due to the arrival of a new baby.

2010

• April 1 — After months of only minor store-related updates, the site celebrates April Fools' Day with Xeriouxly Forxe. A new main page is released a couple of weeks later with the same theme.
• May 31 — A behind-the-scenes look is shared directly with the Homestar Runner Wiki: alternate concepts for the 136th email.
• September 8 — Another draft is shared with the Wiki: the unfinished script for a toon titled Soap Box Doiby.
• November 22 — Telltale Games releases Poker Night At The Inventory, a game featuring Strong Bad.
• December 14 — A Decemberween Mackerel, the first bona fide toon of the year, is released.
• December 22 — The missing Halloween toon (and the final toon until 2014) Which Ween Costumes? is finally released, just in time for Decemberween.

2011

• September 29 — @StrongBadActual is registered.
• Following the December 22, 2010 update, homestarrunner.com was not updated during 2011, and most of the merchandise in the Store was put on sale on May 16.

2013

• July — Strong Bad and Homestar Runner make an appearance at W00tstock 2013.

2014

• April 1 — After a three and a half year hiatus, the site is updated with a brand new toon, April Fool 2014.
  • July 7 — Matt reveals in an interview on The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show that he and Mike hope to start creating new toons by the year's end.
• September 26 — @StrongBadActual begins tweeting.
• October 3 — Fish Eye Lens is released, marking the return of semi-regular site updates.
• October 22 — Weekly Fanstuff, the Quote of the Week, and the Sketchbook are updated after exactly five years of inactivity.
• October 30 — I Killed Pom Pom, the first full-length Halloween toon in five years, is released.

2015

• April 1 — Strong Bad checks his email for the first time in five years in sbemail 206. The Compé is unceremoniously "compressed" by dust into the Lappier, and the Compé-per is replaced with a CGI Paper.
• March 3 — The store is redesigned and moved to a different website.
• March 27 — NavBar updated; "subscribe" link replaced with "youtube"

2016

• April 1 — Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 17.2, the first Marzipan's Answering Machine in seven years, is released. It is the first toon on the site to not be displayed in Flash, and instead an embedded YouTube player. It is also the longest toon on the site, over half an hour long.
• September 2 — Homestar Runner's 20th anniversary was celebrated at the Homestar Runner 20th Anniversary Show; a second show occurred on October 7. Homestar Runner Goes for the Gold was presented, later released on the site on December 24.

2017

• July 12 — The first Skills of an Artist segment, Sammich, is released on @StrongBadActual. New iterations of the series would go on to be released on a frequent basis.
• December 23 — The first Decemberween special in 7 years, Dangeresque Puppet Squad: The Hot Jones Hijack, is released.

2018

• January 13 — The Index Page is redesigned, and the HTML version of TROGDOR! is released.
• January 24 — The first volume of The Deleteheads Download is sent to all subscribers at the time.
• July 17 — The Trogdor!! The Board Game Kickstarter is started and a (now unused) HTML redesign of the Index Page is revealed.

2019

• April 15 — Trogdor!! The Board Game Rulebook EP is released. (It is uploaded to streaming music services on September 19 with an additional hidden track.)
• September 11 — Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits re-released for streaming music services.
• December 9 — Hooked on Decemberween re-released for streaming music services with two bonus tracks: Santaman is a Blademan and Death Defying Entertainment.

2020

• April 10 — The first three volumes of the Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack are released to music streaming services.
• September 22 — The sloshy album Degradest Hits is released to music streaming services.
• November 9 — The first six strongbad email.exe DVDs are re-released in the Strong Bad Emails 1-200 Six Disc Set.
• November 25 — Official Homestar Runner merchandise is sold by Fangamer, including the Strong Bad Talking Plush.
• December 20 — Stinkoman 20X6 Level 10 is released, finishing the game. It had been over 15 years since the prior level's release.
• December 31 — homestarrunner.com is updated and redesigned, with Ruffle-emulated content, HTML5 menus, and a new Index Page.

2021

• January 13 — Main Page 27, the first Main Page in nearly 11 years, is released.
• February 12 — The first Strong Bad's Disk 4 of 12 video, FriendlyWare, is released.
• March 25 — The first three Everything Else DVDs are re-released in the Everything Else DVDs Three Disc Set.
• October 30 — An itch.io page for Videlectrix is created, with the first game on it being Halloween Hide & Seek.

2022

• April 1 — The 209th Strong Bad Email, parenting, is released, marking the first email in four years (since the next april fools thing).
• December 1-24 — Decemberweenvent Calendar, the first Decemberween toon in 5 years and first toon to be updated daily, is released.

2023

• August 11 — Standalone computer game Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate features three episodic games: an expanded remake of the fifteen-year-old Dangeresque Roomisode 1 and two wholly new sequels.

2024

• February 12 — Main Page 28 is released.
• February 13 — Front Facing is released.

2025

• April 16 — The website celebrates its 25th anniversary in Back To A Website.
• November 17 — The 25th anniversary is further commemorated with Homestar Anniversary Merch.

See Also

• Firsts