impression

Strong Bad Email #82

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"Nice use of light and shadow. And picnic supplies."

"Your friend" asks Strong Bad to do his best impression of Strong Sad. Strong Bad goes to the Strong Sad Lookalike Contest instead.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Jhonka (Pictured, Easter egg), Coach Z, Bubs (voice only), Strong Sad, The King of Town (voice only), Homestar Runner, Homsar (in Strong Sad costume), The Cheat

Places: Computer Room, Telephone Pole, The Field, Living Room of the Brothers Strong (Easter egg)

Computer: Compy 386

Date: Monday, August 25, 2003

Running Time: 3:13

Page Title: Compy 386!!

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Three

Transcript

STRONG BAD: {singing} Email: It's like the sugar on the candy for my stuff.

{reading email}

Dear Strong Bad,

Could you please do your impression
of Strong Sad?

Thanks,
Your friend

{pauses between "Dear" and "Strong"}

STRONG BAD: ...and there's no name. Um... Thanks, Your friend... Jhonka.

{He types "Jhonka" under "Your friend", then starts typing his reply.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} No way, Jhonka! What a coincidence! I was just on my way out the door to go to the annual Strong Sad Lookalike Contest where contestants are judged on appearance, impression and penmanship. I'm a shoo-in this year, man. Wait'll you see my costume.

{He runs offscreen, but runs back a few seconds later to say:}

STRONG BAD: Not beatin' around the bush this week.

{Strong Bad runs off again. Cut to The Field. Coach Z is standing under a sign that reads: "2003 Sectional Finals — STRONG SAD LOOKALIKE CONTEST".}

COACH Z: Okay, I'd like to welcome everybody back! Hope you enjoyed your intermission there. Bubs, the hot cold cuts was great!

BUBS: {off screen} Those were moist towelettes!

COACH Z: So without further ado {pronounces "ado" as "adieu"}, I'd like to introduce the man of the hour, the deathly pallor: Strong Sad!

{Strong Sad joins Coach Z under the sign}

THE KING OF TOWN: {off screen} Booo!

STRONG SAD: Thank you! Thank you! I'm simultaneously honored and insulted to be involved in this contest for the fourth year in a row.

COACH Z: That's enough there, Strong Sad! {He shoves Strong Sad out of the way.} Your work is done here. Let's get this pratty started!!

{Cut to a view of Strong Bad in a Strong Sad costume, which consists of a grey "Phys Ed" sweatshirt, a white beret, and a paper plate with Strong Sad's face drawn on it. There's a suspicious looking lump under the sweatshirt.}

COACH Z: Lookin' good there, Strong Bad.

STRONG BAD: I know.

COACH Z: Nice use of light and shadow.

STRONG BAD: I know.

COACH Z: ...and picnic supplies.

STRONG BAD: I know. Shut up.

COACH Z: Let's hear what you got.

STRONG BAD: All right. Let me just push play on my "sweatshirt" here.

STRONG SAD: {on a tape} Why do you want me to say "Hello, my name is Strong Sad"? {He fast-forwards the tape} Get that tape-recorder out of my face! {more fast-forwarding} Stop flickin' my ear!

STRONG BAD: {also on tape} More like you stop flickin' my ear!

STRONG BAD: {He stops the tape.} Ha ha. Oops.

COACH Z: Okay, then. Very unsuspicious.

STRONG BAD: I know.

{Coach Z moves on to Homestar Runner. Homestar is wearing hippo slippers and a grey shirt with a star on it, and he has a sock taped to his head instead of his signature hat.}

COACH Z: Hey, there, Homestar. Nice hippo slippers.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Thanks. They're elephants.

COACH Z: Sure they are! Now let's hear your impression.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Um... Remind me again what type stuff that guy says.

COACH Z: You know. Depressing-type stuff!

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Right, right! Here goes! Ahem. {in a depressing voice} Oh... Some animal died. {In his normal voice} That's something he's always saying, right?

COACH Z: Yeah, I think I heard him say that a few times. Next contestant!

{The next contestant appears to be Strong Sad.}

COACH Z: Strong Sad, you're not eligible for this contest! I thought I told youse to go on home!

{A familiar-looking hat pops up from behind the Strong Sad lookalike's head revealing that he is, in fact, Homsar. His Strong Sad costume is flawless, except the mouth becomes bigger when Homsar talks. Coach Z (already walking away) doesn't realize who it is.}

HOMSAR: {sadly} AaAaAaAa... I'm cryin' on the inside!

{The Cheat hops up in a paper bag, painted to look like Strong Sad's left leg.}

COACH Z: Okay, The Chort, lay it on me!

THE CHEAT: {depressed The Cheat noises}

COACH Z: Holy crap! It's as if Strong Sad was still alive and with us today! First Prize!

THE CHEAT: {The Cheat noise} {Jumps up out of the bag, then lands back inside bag}

{Cut to Strong Bad's computer. Strong Bad walks up muttering. He's still in costume.}

STRONG BAD: Stupid friggin' Cheat-in-a-Bag. {typing} I can't believe The Cheat won sectionals for the 4th year in a row dressed up as Strong Sad's left leg. I knew I should have gone for the bigger butt. {stops typing} Oh well. {resumes typing} At least I won the penmanship award. But I should get going if I'm still going to be fashionably late to the afterparty. {stops typing} So, until next time, all the ladies and dudes say: {singing} "Strong Bad is a cool guy! And we're not cool in the least!"

{Strong Bad leaves and The Paper comes down.}

Easter Eggs

• Click on "Jhonka" to see just what a Jhonka is.

JHONKA

The Jhonka are one of many
tribes of primitive, troll-like
creatures found in the lowlands
and throughout lesser dungeons.

Their low intelligence makes
them quite susceptible to toilet
humor and cheap gags such as
"Gimme five. Up high. Down
low. Too slow."

FREQUENCY: Common
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ARMOR CLASS: +2

• Click on "Bigger Butt" to see Strong Bad's alternative plans for his costume. The drawings are labeled "side front" and "side", with "aerodynamix?" on the right, and "radius/meter" in the bottom right corner. Between the two drawings is an illustration of an acute angle measuring roughly 45 degrees.
• Click on "Penmanship Award" to see Strong Bad's entry for the Strong Sad penmanship contest.

Official Entry Form For
2004 Sectional Finals
Penmanship Competition

Write something:
STRONG
SAD'S
FANCY
HANDWRiTiNG
{The text is excessively curly, with the exception of the last nine letters as the page runs out of space. A blue ribbon reading "BLUE" is attached.}

• Click on "afterparty" at the end to see what happened at the afterparty.

{Homestar and Coach Z are standing in a room filled with balloons. Homestar is dressed in his Strong Sad costume, "Poot-Slap" is playing in the background, and Coach Z is holding a Not So Cold One.}

COACH Z: I meant to tell you the sock on the head was a nice touch.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: I have a sock on my head? {shaking back and forth} Getitoff getitoff getitoff getitoff getitoff getitoff {stops shaking} getitoff getitoff.

Fun Facts

Explanations

• The "not beating around the bush" comment may refer to Strong Bad's normal way of not really answering an email's question. Alternatively, it may mean that there is no delay between his remark and his answer.
• Pallor means paleness.
• The "cheap gag" mentioned in the Jhonka Easter egg involves the perpetrator giving the receiver a high five ("Up high"), then pretending to offer a low-five ("down low"), but pulling their hand away before the other person can slap it ("too slow").

Trivia

• This toon has the ending Easter egg embedded in the beginning of the Flash file, instead of it being at the end as usual.
• The YouTube description for this email is "Strong Bad tries to dethrone The Cheat in the annual Strong Sad Lookalike Contest!"

Remarks

• Strong Sad on the tape tells Strong Bad to stop flicking his ear, but Strong Sad doesn't have visible ears.
• The Cheat's costume has three toenails, whereas Strong Sad's soolnds only have two toenails each.
• In this email, Strong Bad shows excellent touch-typing skills as he finishes the email with a paper plate mask taped to his face. However, he seems to later lose this ability. In pom pom, Strong Bad is unable to type while blindfolded.
• Strong Sad actually saying "Oh, some animal died" was the Quote of the Week the same day this email appeared on the site.
• Both wooden columns supporting the banner have the staples and torn pieces of paper in the exact same spots.
• Coach Z says "adieu" instead of "ado"; this is a rather common mistake, and seemingly all the more probable with Coach Z being the speaker.
• Strong Bad's line "Stupid friggin' Cheat-in-a-Bag..." is a rare instance of using The Cheat's name without the integral article.

Goofs

• When Strong Bad comes back to the computer after the contest, still wearing his costume, his hat is incorrectly mirrored in the screen's reflection.
• The form for the penmanship contest says 2004 Sectional Finals; however, the year on the sign for the contest (and the year of the toon's release) is 2003.
• Homestar's eyes reverse direction quickly before he slouches to do his Strong Sad impression.
• Strong Sad doesn't move his mouth to his "whoa!" when he is pushed. Instead, his mouth switches direction.

Fixed Goofs

• The initial YouTube upload cut the audio as Strong Bad returned to his computer room. It was re-uploaded with fixed audio a day later.

Glitches

• If the "Bigger Butt" Easter egg is clicked while The Paper is coming down, it will disappear as it is zooming in.

Inside References

• At the afterparty, Coach Z is drinking a "Not So Cold One", from property of ones.
• Strong Bad's comeback "More like, YOU stop flicking MY ear," is very similar to his comeback in 50 emails.
• The hat Strong Bad wears is similar to the hat Strong Sad originally wore in his original sketches seen in the Museum Sketchbook.
• Coach Z's praise of The Cheat's costume ("It's as if Strong Sad was still alive and with us today!") is another instance of Strong Sad's imagined death.
• The blue ribbon in the penmanship Easter egg is the same as the ribbons from Pumpkin Carve-nival.
• The King of Town boos Strong Sad.
• The Cheat dresses as Strong Sad's leg.

Real-World References

• The picture of Jhonka is reminiscent of the various humanoid creatures in Dungeons & Dragons.
  • The article's tone seems to indicate that it was written for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, where an armor class of +2 would be a decent defense rating. In the current version of D&D, an armor class of 5 or below is considered very easy to hit in combat.
• In the bigger butt Easter egg, Strong Bad drew the Kangol kangaroo above his cap. Kangol is a British clothier famous for its berets.

Fast Forward

• The Jhonka plays a prominent role in Peasant's Quest.
• Homestar also uses, "Oh... Some animal died" in Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 9.2.
• The Deathly Pallor is the name of Strong Sad's radio persona in radio. It is also used in the email trading cards.
• The King of Town again demonstrates his low, one-man "boooo" in geddup noise after showing "The Standing Up Noise".
• Homestar claims he is doing a Strong Sad impression in fan club.

DVD Version

• All of the Easter eggs in this email are viewable using the angle button on the DVD remote.

External Links

• watch "impression"
• watch "impression" on YouTube
• watch "impression" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "impression"