HRWiki Featured articles/Archive 8

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HRWiki:Featured articles archive of weeks 1-26, 2009.

Week 26, 2009

Many Homestar Runner characters lack certain body parts that most people in the real world would have. Despite this, they can still do the things that everyday people are capable of. However, they do take note of their unusual structures. In addition to some characters lacking visible arms, among other visibly lacking body parts, various references are made to parts of Coach Z's face that are not visible to the viewer. References are also occasionally made to Strong Bad's nose, even though he does not appear to have one. Strong Bad also sometimes acts as though he has hair, despite the fact that his head is a Mexican wrestling mask. Furthermore, Marzipan usually does not appear to have legs, while some other toons claim otherwise. Finally, few of the main characters appear to have visible fingers, and none of them have ears, yet they still act as though they do. (more...)

Week 25, 2009

Several Homestar Runner characters, especially Strong Bad, have been known to lie blatantly to one another or to the audience, often in an attempt to persuade others of the veracity of a situation, when in fact the opposite is extremely obvious. Sometimes the contradiction isn't immediately blatant, but always later on is revealed to be an obvious, deliberate lie. Sometimes the lie is blatant because it is admitted or proved to be a lie, other times because it is impossible the liar is telling the truth, and still other times the lie is so poorly constructed that one can't help but know it's a lie. Generally, blatant lies are most frequently used to cover up some embarrassing fact about the liar, or (especially in Strong Bad's case) to make the liar seem better. Whatever the reason, blatant lies are the frequent lies that are, quite clearly, the worst and most ineffective practices of deceit in the Homestar Runner universe. (more...)

Week 24, 2009

Crack Stuntman is the voice actor for Gunhaver on the Cheat Commandos. He is a Caucasian man with short cropped blond hair, five o'clock shadow and sunglasses. He apparently doesn't take his job too seriously, since he doesn't have a firm idea of how his character's name is correctly pronounced, and has incorrectly referred to the cartoon as "the Cheat Command-show". Crack has been seen in a rap music video/public service announcement to convince kids not to play with too many knives and inform about Spring Break. He is also the national spokesperson of Pistols for Pandas, though it is questionable how much he takes this non-profit organization to heart. Also, during the recording of The Next Epi-Snowed, he is uncooperative and bossy, insisting on altering the show to his likeness, against the objections of the director, A. Chimendez, until the latter inserted his own character to remove Gunhaver from the episode and trap Crack Stuntman in a box. It has been suggested, until Pistols For Pandas, that he had lost his job and was replaced. He is based on G.I. Joe character, Sergeant Slaughter. (more...)

Week 23, 2009

The Athletic Field is the part of The Field where many crazy sports are played in Free Country USA. There is a scoreboard, but instead of field goal posts, there are basketball hoops. Sometimes the field is painted like an American football field. Other times, it looks more like a soccer field. Some games played here include Peg Strong Sad and some kind of sport where you "hit stuff with a golf club", which the Crazy Go Nuts University Dumples compete in. The Athletic Field also has a climbing rope, which is apparently held up by Homsar, although what holds up Homsar, if anything, is not shown. As seen in the commentary for "In Search of the Yello Dello", Strong Bad complains that he does not know what games they play there, considering that it has basketball hoops and a football field. (more...)

Week 22, 2009

Senorial Day, released on Monday, May 30, 2005, is a holiday toon which spoofs Memorial Day. This toon depicts two different commercials on the Senorial Day Tent Event Supra Sale. One of the commercials is hosted by Senor Cardgage, and the other is hosted by Bubs, as they each try to use their own tactics to draw people to their respective sales. The toon repeatedly alternates between the two and their sales as they do the advertising, with help from Strong Bad and Homestar Runner, respectively. (more...) watch

Week 21, 2009

The Stop Sign is the sign used in Strong Badia to proclaim the land's population to anyone who looks at it. It leans against the Cinder Block, though Strong Bad predicted the two would break up by September of 2005. To date, this has not come to pass. The Stop Sign, and the block with it, are actually the right foot of an unfinished monument to Strong Bad. The current population on the sign reads, "Pop: Tire". Strong Bad predicted that, also in 2005, it would be upped to include a bundt cake pan and Coach Z, a prediction that, again, has not yet come to pass. As noted in the SBCG4AP episode Baddest of the Bands, "Pop: Tire" also resembles "popped tire". However, Strong Bad was oblivious of this when he wrote it, it seems, and says that "it is pretty funny." (more...)

Week 20, 2009

Fightgar is one of the most constant members of the Cheat Commandos. He first spoke in Cheat Commandos...O's. In this case, he is complaining of the heat, despite his most bare look. He resembles John Rambo. He appears to be a grunt fighter. He has a rather poor rough British accent. He likes to insult Reynold and once tried to help defeat Blue Laser by spying on them in the guise of an old lady. He is also ambidextrous with his handling of weaponry. He is fond of saying "Right" a lot, and supports Manchester United. (more...)

Week 19, 2009

The Cheat Theme Song, released on Monday, February 25, 2002, is the very first of the Homestar Runner toons to be powered by The Cheat. This toon shows off The Cheat's drawing style in the form of a music video directed by The Cheat and performed by The Skate Party. This music video is about who The Cheat is (and is not). For instance, he is claimed to always give Strong Bad a hand, ruin Homestar Runner's plans, move to the beat and even make out with Marzipan, but is not the guy from 21 Jump Street. When the video ends, Strong Bad and Homestar Runner each provide their own opinions of the video. This toon introduces The Cheat's first computer, Tangerine Dreams, and features a cameo by Pikachu, to whom The Cheat bears more than a passing resemblance. (more...) watch

Week 18, 2009

Hremails (a contraction of "Homestar Runner Emails") are installments of an email show by Homestar Runner, similar in nature to Strong Bad Email (with which it frequently overlaps). Homestar was first seen checking emails on the Happy 8600, a laptop based on the XO-1 computer. The first time a Hremail was officially seen was in the 200th Strong Bad Email, email thunder, in which Strong Bad does not take at all kindly to the program's existence. Some of the emails mentioned (numbers 24 and 49) were released as secret pages. They also were featured as Easter eggs on the sixth disc of Strong Bad Emails as part of the DVD release of "email thunder". Then, early in 2009, they became full features on the website, starting with Hremail 62 and then Hremail 2000. However, the format here is a bit different than in "email thunder". (more...)

Week 17, 2009

The 200th Strong Bad Email, email thunder, was released on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. Strong Bad is prepared to check his big bicennten-email, only to find out that the email in question he receives is actually intended for... Homestar Runner?! Strong Bad investigates what is going on, and is dismayed to learn that Homestar has his own email show, just like Strong Bad. Naturally, Strong Bad does not take the situation lightly, and so he tries to thwart Homestar's email show as punishment for stealing his email thunder. As with the 100th email, flashback, this 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 a Page Load Error. There was also a special teaser short for this email, Place ya bets!. This email launched the sbemail-spin off Hremails. (more...) watch

Week 16, 2009

The interview on the TV show "Pulse" on August 1, 2003, which aired on G4techTV, featured The Brothers Chaps and Missy Palmer, and hosted by Patrick Clark. Matt discusses how the website came about, how it grew out of Matt visiting Mike in college in 1999. They also show off a clip of 20X6 vs. 1936. Mike also remarks that despite a rumor that he and Matt have jumped the shark, he says otherwise. They discuss favorite video games, including that Missy is a fan of Animal Crossing. Near the end, the brothers and Clark play basketball as they discuss Videlectrix and the games they created, as well as some future plans for it. (more...)

Week 15, 2009

In The Luau, released in the spring of 2001, Marzipan hosts a meatless luau, with the main food to be served being tofu. However, Homestar Runner informs her that no one will come to her luau; most of the others are going to another party which just conveniently falls on the exact same day as her luau: a marshmallow roast Strong Bad is hosting mainly to compete with her luau. Only Homestar and Strong Sad attend the luau, and Homestar eventually leaves to Strong Bad's roast out of boredom. However, Strong Bad's party is greatly marred by his lack of adequate planning, and things for him fall apart quickly. A Luau Main Page was created in reference to this toon, and appears after the toon ends. (more...) watch

Week 14, 2009

Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 14.2, released on March 5, 2007, is the fourteenth of a series of toons featuring the messages left by various citizens of Free Country, USA, for Marzipan to hear. In this installment, Homestar Runner leaves a message asking her about something, but he forgets what it was. Strong Sad, meanwhile, invites her to join him in playing some April Fool's Day pranks on everyone else. She also receives calls from the following: Coach Z, to remind her about shin-tryouts; Crack Stuntman, to object to her protesting his rallies at the organization, Pistols for Pandas; and Strong Bad (using the alias of "Nadine Automated Menu Burger" from "Trusted Financial Institution"), to prank call her into checking on the status of her butt. Finally, Homestar calls again, saying he remembered the urgent message he meant to say earlier. (more...) watch

Week 13, 2009

The King of Town DVD, released in the year 2000, is a remake of the website's oldest Big Toon, an older King of Town cartoon. It includes the cartoon's new and improved version, audio commentary by Strong Bad, storyboards, the original version of the toon, and an Easter egg involving the king's own answering machine. In the toon, The King of Town has lost his flock of sheep, and so sends Homestar Runner and Pom Pom to investigate the missing sheep's whereabouts. This toon first introduced several of the King of Town's servants, except for The Poopsmith, who, along with the king himself, made his first appearance in Marshmallow's Last Stand. Homestar and Pom Pom question the servants about the sheep, until they finally come the toon's shocking conclusion. (more...) watch

Week 12, 2009

Eh! Steve! is the breakout star of Sweet Cuppin' Cakes, having seemingly usurped Sherlock as the most popular character of the cartoon. His catchphrase, which is also his name, is the only thing he has been known to say. The Wheelchair holds a deep-seated grudge against Eh! Steve! for reasons that are not entirely clear. He appears to be a brown quadrilateral with thin black arms and legs, upside-down triangles with thick black outlines for eyes, a very curly mouth, and a Greek-style spiral design along his bottom. He speaks with a distinctively Italian accent. Eh! Steve! has made several cameos outside of Sweet Cuppin' Cakes, where he has sometimes been referred to as "Steven". (more...)

Week 11, 2009

The Storybook World is a place in the Homestar Runner universe based on the Original Book by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel. It often refers to the past, utilizing the book's more primitive, hand-drawn art style. It features Storybook versions of places such as The Field and The Moon, and even has has one of its own places called The Sweet Sweet Rainbow Bridge. It also sometimes features characters from the Original Book such as Mr. Bland and Señor, who were crushed by a falling Bubs' Concession Stand. Some of the original characters have slightly different names, such as The Homestar Runner, Tiny-Handed Strong Bad, and Coach Zee; all of them have slightly different personalities. (more...)

Week 10, 2009

The Ugly One (with the integral article "the") is the ugly-looking member of the Teen Girl Squad. Despite her ugliness, suspect hygiene and psoriasis, she seems to be better-liked within the Squad than What's Her Face. The Ugly One is portrayed as a mindless follower of Cheerleader, and appears both dimmer and slightly more eccentric than the other girls (one of her introductory lines describes her as being "actually crazy"). She is readily included in the Squad's Cheerleader-led activities, such as shopping, spring break vacation, and jumping into a lion's mouth. She is fond of school lunches, the popular yogurt topping jimmies, and has a crush on every boy. Despite the strength of her crushes, she has difficulty acting on them; in Teen Girl Squad Issue 5, she stuck her head in the sand rather than converse with the olda boys. (more...)

Week 9, 2009

Strong Badman is Strong Bad's comic book-style alter ego, originating in the email superhero name. He appears in the comic book series, The Total Adventures of Strong Badman. The fact that he is more muscular than his creator is another use of Strong Bad exaggerating himself. His sidekick "Li'l Stiny" is forever fetching things for him, primarily Danishes. Stiny was first introduced at least in name in superhero name, where Strong Bad receives an email signed Stiny. In the series, Strong Badman faces many different characters, such as Deutschman, Grossman, Hit-Enter-Too-Soon Man and a monster version of The Cheat. In alternate universe, he is revealed to not be such a criminal mastermind after all, as his "evil plans" include stealing cable and wasting water. He also does not have a secret underground lair filled with secret underground gadgets, but a rent-controlled apartment. There are at least 87 issues of The Total Adventures of Strong Badman, of which only nine have been seen. (more...)

Week 8, 2009

Dennis is a name frequently used, especially in Thy Dungeonman. Dennis is sometimes used as one of the "obvious exits" in the Thy Dungeonman games, its opposite being "Not Dennis". In the first game, he wears a sporty frock coat and a long "jimberjam", and enjoys pacing nervously. Thy Dungeonman thinks Dennis is boring to have a conversation with. To win the first game, you must give Dennis a trinket. Then he tells you what parapets are, allowing Thy Dungeonman to leave thy dungeon. In the next game, Dennis has a significantly smaller role as an Easter egg. Dennis was later seen in web comics in the "The Animated Adventures of Thy Dungeonman" portion of "Saturday Mornideo Games" as a cartoon form of the word "Dennis" chasing "Ye Flask". Beyond "Thy Dungeonman", several other line drops in the Homestar Runner body of work have surfaced from time to time, but it isn't always clear whether or not the Dennis mentioned is referring to the same Dennis in Thy Dungeonman. (more...)

Week 7, 2009

In Date Nite, released on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, Homestar Runner sees Marzipan putting on makeup in preparation for a hot date. Unfortunately, however, Homestar is shocked to learn that this date is not with him, but rather with The Cheat! Needless to say, he is offended to learn that she cheats on him. Marzipan retaliates by saying that her relationship has always been an open one, but Homestar is still mad at her. Likewise, Strong Bad is mad at The Cheat for his going on the date with Marzipan. As Marzipan and The Cheat go on the date together, they both leave Homestar and Strong Bad devastated. So they try repeatedly to ruin Marzipan and The Cheat's date, which goes to Marshmallow's L'est Stand and then to the stone bridge, but to no avail. (more...) watch

Week 6, 2009

Tis True, Pom Pom, Tis True is an unfinished toon made around 2001 and makes use of The Brothers Chaps' old drawing style (circa The Luau). Although unfinished, it is available on the first disc of the strongbad_email.exe DVDs as an Easter egg. In the toon, Strong Bad and Homestar Runner are racing each other in The King of Town's 100 Mile Superthon, with Homestar in the lead. But just as he gets in sight of the finish line at The King of Town's Castle, a lurking The Cheat knocks Homestar out, leaving Strong Bad to win the race. But to his consternation, no one cares about Strong Bad winning; they are more concerned about Homestar's safety. He comes to, but in a way that is clearly unexpected. (more...)

Week 5, 2009

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (or SBCG4AP) is an episodic series of games by Telltale Games for the PC and WiiWare platforms. It was announced by a press release on April 10, 2008, followed shortly by an advertisement on homestarrunner.com and a trailer and screenshots on the Telltale Games website. The game was produced in collaboration with The Brothers Chaps and Videlectrix. The 3-D animation in the game was rendered by Telltale's animators with attention to preservation of the look and feel of the 2-D Flash. This game is divided into five episodes, released in intervals of one month, the first episode being released on August 11, 2008. Using a point-and-click interface, players have Strong Bad talk to various characters using an icon system or highlight objects to interact with. In addition to the main plot, the player can participate in numerous side quests, which will raise the player's "Awesomeness Meter". Once an episode is finished, an "extended play" mode is unlocked, allowing players to explore the environment further. (more...)

Week 4, 2009

Club Technochocolate is a dance club where various residents of Free Country, USA hang out from time to time. The club has matte gray walls, a lighted floor, and various spotlights, and dance music is usually played there. The Cheat plays the role of DJ here, under the pseudonym "DJ Teh Cheat", with the help of his DJ equipment. He played and remixed different songs here, including an indie-tronic remix, "The Geddup Noise". As seen in nightlife, the club has its own bar, where Bubs acts as barman. The shelves are lined with various colored bottles and no chairs or stools appear to be present. Some drinks are served in an eyedropper and cost $17.50 each. The club name originated in the email monument. Strong Bad first visited this club in the email extra plug to show off his 'Lectric Boots, which ended up blowing the circuit breaker. (more...)

Week 3, 2009

The Tire forms the complete population of Strong Badia, and was the "indigenous peoples" before the land was colonized by Strong Bad. Due to its status as the entire population of Strong Badia, it has earned a place on the country's flag and anthem, and even stars in two games. Strong Bad has a strong affinity for the Tire and feels a need to protect it, to the point where he installed a security system around it. To date, the system (which is composed of a touch-activated electrical charge and the Bear holding a Shark) has kept The Cheat from touching the Tire. It has also been utilized for purely commercial ends. It was employed as a weatherman on Strong Badia's local newscast, and it played Ted Averill, the SBASAF's ground flight engineer. (more...)

Week 2, 2009

In Happy Trogday, released on Friday, January 13, 2006, it is Trogdor's third birthday, and Strong Bad celebrates the occasion with a kick-awesome montage of fanstuff involving the dragon, from pancakes to Microsoft Paint drawings to vanity plates, all to the heavy metal rendition of the Trogdor theme song from Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits, albeit shortened to match the form of the original song, as heard in the email of origin. Then, after the montage ends, the action then shifts abruptly to Planet K, where Stinkoman complains that his birthday was last week, but no one celebrated it. An unexpected visitor changes that, though. (more...) watch

Week 1, 2009

In winter pool, the 187th Strong Bad Email, released on Monday, January 21, 2008, J.Hazard, IN, asks Strong Bad what he does with the pool during the winter. After lying about how they once used the pool, he says that this year, they will do something with it that is "way cooler and less pretend", using Homestar Runner's payment for doing the Fluffy Puff commercials: namely, a lifetime supply of gelatinous Fluffy Puff Translucent Dessert Related Substance. Strong Bad and some of the other Homestar characters fill the pool with the substance, turning it into a huge gelatinous vat, and they proceed to have fun with it, but the results are disastrous. This email introduces not only Fluffy Puff Translucent Dessert Related Substance to the website, but also its mascot, a gelatin version of Marshie. (more...) watch