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HRWiki:Featured articles archive of weeks 1-26, 2006.

Week 26, 2006

The world of Homestar Runner contains several names of characters, places, sound effects, etc., where an article (A, An, or The) is treated as integral to the name. With varying consistency, these names will include the integral article, even when it makes the construction of the sentence extremely odd ("And out poured a lifetime supply of fishsticks. And a The Cheat!!!!"). The Cheat is the most renowned and recognizable example. Even for The Cheat, however, this rule is occasionally overlooked or suspended. For instance, in replacement, Strong Bad's epitaph reads, "...and kicking Cheats in the hereafter." (More...)

Week 25, 2006

"How do you type with boxing gloves on?" is a question that Strong Bad is asked on a regular basis in his emails. This question greatly annoys Strong Bad, and the emails are usually seen DELETED. In the email fingers, Strong Bad tried to create prosthetic fingers made of various items so people would stop asking him the question. However, this negatively affected his typing skills, to the point of being unable to read what he typed. In the email 50 emails, Old-Timey Strong Bad was asked a similar question, "How do you manage the telegramophone whilst wearing gentleman's sport gloves?" In the DVD commentary for the email video games, The Brothers Chaps say that they might come up with a way to answer this question someday. However, in February 2006, they also included this question as one of five topics which will likely never be addressed in a Strong Bad Email. (More...)

Week 24, 2006

Strong Sad is the most depressed main character. It is unclear how he was born, as his belly button was apparently created by Strong Bad using a drill that he received for his birthday. He stands somewhere between his brothers in height, and he has large, elephant-like feet he calls "soolnds". In the past, poachers have apparently offered large sums of money to obtain Strong Sad's feet. His body is round and is two shades of grey — a lighter grey from the waist up, and darker grey from the waist down. His head is white and has an odd lump on the top (a trait shared by Mr. Bland). He is usually very calm and soft-spoken, although he has become hyperactive (at least once under the influence of caffeine), and he has also temporarily (and involuntarily) become a radio DJ once or twice. The words "Covered Bridges" seem to be able to put him in some type of trance, as seen in Fall Float Parade. (More...)

Week 23, 2006

The 100th Strong Bad Email, flashback, was released on March 16th, 2004. Upon being asked on how he and Homestar Runner met, Strong Bad tells a tale so momentous, it can only be shown in widescreen. It turns out to be a parody of the Original Book, which includes Homestar and Strong Bad fighting over the ownership of an egg. The email was highly anticipated before its release, and some fans even went as far as to check the expected URL of the email, only to be greeted with Not the 100th Email!!!. The 100th email is also noted for being the longest Compy-era email (at 5 minutes in length), having more Easter eggs than any other email on the site, and even having its own DVD featurette.  (More...)  watch

Week 22, 2006

The office is where Strong Bad, Homestar Runner, and The Cheat supposedly work. Strong Bad works in a cubicle with a computer. Homestar's work area was first featured in the Strong Bad Email isp as a tech support calling center that Strong Bad called up complain about his slow internet speeds. The office has a wood-paneled boardroom equipped with a dry-erase board. Shareholders meet there to discuss the earnings. The Office is also where Senor Cardgage films commercials for his mortgage company, Senor Cardgage Mortgage. It is where calls are transferred to and received by his many "handsome talking experts."

Week 21, 2006

Cool Things is a full-length toon that was released on Monday, August 15, 2005. Coming one week after lady...ing, it was the first toon in a nearly month-and-a-half stretch with no Strong Bad Email. In the toon, Marzipan sends Homestar Runner out to buy some paint in order to cover up the writing Homestar did on Marzipan's wall. Homestar buys three cans of Yella Paint and a pair of cool shades from Bubs' Concession Stand. Along the way, Homestar encounters Strong Sad, and passes off the paint to him. Homestar then goes back to the concession stand to trade in the cool shades for a bag of four grapes, then returns to Marzipan's house, only to find that she started a band with Strong Mad and The Cheat called Cool Tapes.  (More...)  watch

Week 20, 2006

The Compy 386 was Strong Bad's second computer, and in his words, "a spectacle of graphics and sound." He used this machine to answer his emails after the Tandy 400 was thrown out at the beginning of invisibility. This machine was built by Compy, Inc. and seemed to have something against The Cheat. Strong Bad checked 78 emails on the Compy, more than double the number of emails he checked on the Tandy (38). If you look at it from the side or from the far front, you can see that the keyboard is wireless, even though all other features of the computer are of lesser technology. Every Compy 386 email had Easter eggs. Although lures & jigs didn't have any Easter eggs when it was first released; they were added later.

Week 19, 2006

Marzipan is the only female character among the primary characters of the Homestar Runner universe. She is a tall and thin character, she wears her hair in a bright yellow ponytail, and she is almost always seen wearing a purple dress with white trim and gold buttons at the bottom. Like Homestar Runner, she does not appear to have visible arms, but nevertheless she is able to pick up and handle objects and play her guitar, Carol. Marzipan—along with her 20X6 and Old-Timey counterparts—is voiced by Missy Palmer.

Marzipan is Homestar's girlfriend, and early on in the site's history, this seemed to be the primary reason for her existence. Her character has developed greatly over time, however, and their relationship no longer appears to be their main focus. Marzipan has actually broken up with Homestar several times, some of which were due to his unintentional mean streak, others so that she could demonstrate her independence. Luckily for Homestar, she continues to love him dearly, and the two always seem to end up together again. (continued...)

Week 18, 2006

Blue Laser, the sworn enemy of the Cheat Commandos, is an evil organization that attempts to take over the planet using various schemes. They are a parody of COBRA, the principal evildoers of the G.I. Joe cartoons on which the Cheat Commandos toons are based. The leader of this organization is the evil Blue Laser Commander, who, with the help of army of minions, tries to crush the Cheat Commandos. Blue Laser has a fairly high-tech operation, including a supercomputer. Despite the possible technological edge that Blue Laser may have over the Cheat Commandos, all their schemes are destined to fail. These include trying to blow up the ocean, sending the Cheat Commandos on a wild goose chase while the command center was relocated and exploiting Double Coupon Day to buy cleaning products.

Week 17, 2006

One of the ultimate mysteries in the Homestar Runner body of work is that Homestar Runner, Marzipan, The King of Town, Homsar, and many other characters all lack visible arms and hands. In spite of this potential handicap, they have the ability to pick things up and carry them around. The most common explanations for the phenomenon are that they either have invisible arms or can manipulate objects with some kind of psychokinesis. Usually none of the other characters seem to pay attention to this curiosity, although sometimes their lack of hands is referenced.

Week 16, 2006

On February 28, 2006, The Brothers Chaps appeared at Flashforward 2006, a conference for Flash designers and developers, held in Seattle, Washington. They conducted an hour and fifteen minute long session called "How and Why Homestar Runner Cartoons Get Made." They provided details about how they animate the cartoons and make the games. They also previewed an unreleased cartoon and fielded many questions from the audience.

Week 15, 2006

At knee-height (1' 2" et 18lb.), covered with yellow fuzz, and sporting a gold tooth, The Cheat is decidedly "holy crap adorable". He speaks entirely in a language of high-pitched squeaks and growls, which is actually called "The Cheat", and other characters apparently understand it just fine. The Cheat is loyal to Strong Bad, protected by Strong Mad, and respected by the rest of the gang. He is an amateur Flash animator in his spare time, creating Powered by The Cheat cartoons and music videos. The Cheat Commandos are based on Firebert, The Cheat's alternate persona (with a bad commando name).

Week 14, 2006

Trogdor is an S-shaped wing-a-ling dragon with a beefy arm who originated in the email dragon. Trogdor burninates the countryside, peasants, and thatched-roof cottages of Peasantry. He sprung from the wild imagination of Strong Bad when he was asked to show his "skills of an artist." Trogdor quickly became a popular Internet character, developing into one of the most recognizable figures from the Homestar Runner body of work, both on the Internet and in the real world. The dragon inspired the production of games such as TROGDOR! and Peasant's Quest, a heavy metal song, and countless fanstuff submissions. Trogdor recently celebrated his third birthday in January.

Week 13, 2006

The Yearbook Character Page was a school-themed characters page, which directly preceded the current Character Videos page. It featured 11 main characters, which included The Poopsmith but didn't yet include Homsar. Selecting each character brings up a short description of his or her personality and role within the group, along with a repeating animated image. Strong Mad's character page was later featured in virus.

There is an "autographs" portion of the yearbook where some of the guys have signed "your" book for you. Their character traits are further emphasized by their comments and handwriting. Strong Sad's superb penmanship is seen here, as well as Pom Pom's phone numbers. Strong Bad's handwriting is not yet the common AhnbergHand that appears in all Teen Girl Squad comics. It can also be noted that Strong Mad can write, but spelling remains a hurdle.

Week 12, 2006

Pom Pom (also spelled Pom-Pom) is a Pom from the Isle of Pom. Pom Pom, like all Poms, appears to be inflated. He talks by making bubbly noises and can store stuff by absorbing objects into his body, suggesting that he's made of some sort of carbonated/gelatinous substance. Pom Pom is a friend of both Homestar Runner and Strong Bad. He is often on his cell phone talking to his many girlfriends and taking karate. He was going to have a dog named Trivia Time, but this concept seems to have been abandoned. He also has a "wicked Pom Pilot". Pom Pom's parent's names are General and Fraulein Pom Pom, as seen in an Easter egg in the Strong Bad E-mail pom pom. Pom Pom has such an open mind that he has even made friends with such characters as the King of Town and The Poopsmith.

Week 11, 2006

The Geddup Noise was the chair-on-wood sound Strong Bad made when he got up from his computer and sat back down, even though the stool was scraping against carpet. Strong Bad originally called it "the get up noise" in the email the bet. It inspired DJ Teh Cheat to create a Geddup Noise indie-tronic remix, which Pom Pom used as a ring tone for his cell phone in technology. According to Strong Bad, The Geddup Noise eventually bought a house in the Coches and now just snowboards all day, still occasionally popping up in very odd celebrity endorsements. In the email geddup noise, it was established that Chairscoot replaced The Geddup Noise somewhere around email #84 (kids' book) and now provides the sound effect for Strong Bad leaving his computer.

Week 10, 2006

The Flash Store was the Flash-based marketplace on homestarrunner.com where visitors could browse Homestar merchandise. The actual purchases were handled through a Yahoo storefront. The store links on HomestarRunner.com now direct users directly to the redesigned Yahoo Store. Several things available in the Flash Store are not available in the redesigned store. In particular, the Kick The Cheat game and the strongbad_email.exe DVD Promo could only be found in the Flash Store.

Week 9, 2006

They Might Be Giants is a popular rock band that has collaborated with The Brothers Chaps on several occasions. The band leaders are John Flansburgh and John Linnell. They currently record and tour with Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf, and Marty Beller. They Might Be Giants furnished the music for the Strong Bad Email "different town." They later jammed with Homestar Runner in the Puppet Jam series. The Brothers Chaps animated the video for "Experimental Film," one of the songs from They Might Be Giants' 2004 CDs The Spine, The Spine Hits The Road, and Almanac. The Brothers Chaps also performed at a They Might Be Giants concert in 2004.

Week 8, 2006

As with all famous cartoon character ensembles, Homestar Runner went through its fair share of character line-up changes early on, before the final group of twelve main characters was chosen. The Rejected Characters are those that seem to have been abandoned, with very few sightings to date. Some appeared in an early toon or game, while others are only seen in the Museum Sketchbook or the Character Cards. Often, they are humorously referenced by The Brothers Chaps, such as Homeschool Winner in Sample of Style, or the Unguraits in the sketchbook. All that is known about them is that any substantial appearances in the future are doubtful.

Week 7, 2006

Strong Bad is one of the most well-known characters in the Homestar Runner body of work. He started out as the villain who always tried to cheat his way to the top but was always doomed to fail before Homestar Runner. Now he's less of a villain and more of a highly expanded form of comic relief. He answers e-mails with a passion, usually on Mondays. He's Strong Sad's big brother and Strong Mad's little brother. His is the dominant personality and he loves to push everyone around: he's often abusing Homestar, kicking The Cheat, prank-calling Marzipan, or tormenting Strong Sad. He also writes and illustrates the Teen Girl Squad comics. Strong Bad owns his own country, Strong Badia, a barren field behind the Dumpsters that is completely devoid of any sentient life.

Week 6, 2006

The Bobby Blackwolf Show interview with The Brothers Chaps and Jonathan Howe occurred on September 5, 2005. They were interviewed at Dragon Con 2005, which is the basis of the toon TrogdorCon '97. They talked about the current status of the Homestar Runner RPG under development by Paul Slocum for the Atari 2600. They also gave some behind-the-scenes information about the making of Peasant's Quest and Stinkoman 20X6, as well as discussed the frustrations and limitations of programming games in Flash. One of their potential future projects that they mentioned is a Cheat Commandos game. Jonathan Howe disclosed how he came to help The Brothers Chaps with their programming, talked about his role in making the games.

Week 5, 2006

The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest is the original children's book written by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel that started it all. The museum archives the story plus some alternate cover ideas. In the book, The Homestar Runner, Pom Pom, Strong Bad, and three other characters enter the Strongest Man in the World Contest. Strong Bad tries to cheat with the help of a furry yellow animal, thus given the unique name, "The Cheat." Strong Bad later made a revised edition of the story in the email "kids' book." The book was also spoofed in the 100th email "flashback," which in turn inspired Main Page 20.

Week 4, 2006

Minor characters are regularly created in Teen Girl Squad, and only make cameo appearances. Some exist only for the purpose of hurting one of the girls. Usually they are never seen again, but in the 10th Issue special, many of these characters made cameo appearances at The Ugly One's Sweet Someteen Birthday Bash. This page is a documentation of all minor characters seen in Teen Girl Squad cartoons.

Week 3, 2006

Leomard "Lem" Sportsinterviews is a Free Country, USA author and illustrator. He first appeared in the Strong Bad Email studying with the book This Book is Better Than 1st, 2nd, and Quite Possibly Even 3rd Base for sale on Bookazon.com. Since then, he has authored many works of literature and caricature. According to vacation, Leomard lives, or at least draws caricatures, in Historic Over There. Also, a Beverly Sportsinterviews wrote Ewww, Claire!! Why???, as revealed in origins. The last name is the same, but the relation is unknown.

Week 2, 2006

The Tandy 400 was Strong Bad's first computer. He used it to answer emails until the 33rd email, "gimmicks," when it suddenly crashed and exploded. After using Tangerine Dreams to check his email for "weird dream," he got it working again in "sisters," although it was still malfunctioning. Strong Bad made do with the damage for a while until he returned from his vacation in "invisibility," replacing the Tandy 400 with the Compy 386. Tandy 400 haunted Strong Badia for some time. The computer appeared floating in mid-air in "ghosts," displaying a Bad Graphics Ghost on its screen. Bubs later salvaged the Tandy 400 and sold it to The King of Town for $900, who attempted to check his email with it.

Week 1, 2006

Homestar Runner is the star of his namesake website, but he probably doesn't realize it. Ever the butt of jokes and the recipient of nicknames, Homestar is an earnest character with a clean heart and nothing but love for the rest of mankind. Unfortunately, his absolute cluelessness and clumsiness keep him from realizing his full potential. He's not completely stupid, though, and has proven to be remarkably clever in the past, though such occurances are few and far between. You can never be quite sure whether he and Marzipan are going out or not, but he sure seems to think they are. According to the toon Marshmallow's Last Stand, he weighs about one hundred pounds.