some kinda robot

Strong Bad Email #1

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The beginning of an era.

This email was the first Strong Bad Email to appear on the site. Strong Bad answers an email from Abdi LaRue from San Diego, California, who asks if Strong Bad takes off his mask and boxing gloves before he goes to bed.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad

Places: Computer Room

Computer: Tandy 400

Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2001

Running Time: 0:45

Page Title: Tandy 400!!!

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc One, Sbemails' 50 Greatest Hits DVD

Transcript

STRONG BAD: {singing, types 'run "strongbad's__email"'} Oh, who is the guy that checks all his emails? That's me, Strong Baaad.

Dear Strong Bad,
Do you take your wrestling mask and boxing
gloves off before you go to bed?
Sincerely,
Abdi LaRue
San Diego, CA

STRONG BAD: {clears screen, typing} Well, that's a stupid question, Abdi. Do you take off your face and hands before you go to bed? And if so, are you some kind of robot? And if so, what kind of powers do you have? Do you use them for good, or for awesome? Would you like to join forces? I just happen to be the greatest criminal mind of our time. {types "—Strong Bad" and then stops typing} Okay, until next time. Keep sending me your questions, and I will make fun of you... I mean, answer them.

{The Paper comes down.}

Fun Facts

Trivia

• The YouTube description for this email is "Strong Bad answers the age old question of whether he takes his mask and boxing gloves off before he goes to bed."

Remarks

• When Strong Bad first reads the email, he pronounces "before you go to bed" as written. In his response, however, he pronounces "you" as "joo".

Goofs

• Strong Bad types "before you got to bed" when he says "before you go to bed".
• After Strong Bad finishes typing a sentence, the typing sound is still played but no letters appear on the screen.

Fixed Goofs

• When Strong Bad typed "and if so, what kind of powers do you have?", the word "what" would not appear.

Inside References

• Strong Bad's opening line, "Oh, who is the guy that checks all his emails? That's me, Strong Baaad," is very similar to a line he says in A Jumping Jack Contest: "Who is the guy that wins all the contests? That's me, Strong Baaad."

Real-World References

• "The greatest criminal mind of our time" is the self-applied title of Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman movie.

Fast Forward

• "For good or for awesome" is a suggested band name in band names.
• This email comes up on Strong Bad's computer as a gag in flashback.
• Abdi is later referenced in several sbemails.
• A short clip of this email is seen in Accent.
• Strong Bad repeats his assertion that his mask is his face in the chair, and supposedly demonstrates it.
• In Hremail 7, it is suggested that Strong Bad and The Cheat told Abdi to send the email.
• In 20X6 vs. 1936, Stinkoman asks The Homestar Runner if the washboard was some kind of robot, referencing the title of this email.

DVD Version

• The DVD version has an Easter egg. If the hidden Strong Bad icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the Tandy 400's screen is clicked on at the end of the email, an ASCII art rendering of a robot will appear.
• The typing sound effect was changed.
• The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching.

Commentary Transcript

(Commentary by: Mike Chapman, Matt Chapman)

MATT: Hey! It's Mike and Matt!

MIKE: We're doing the commentary on the first Strong Bad Email we ever made! It's called... {pause} Some Kinda Robot.

MATT: {simultaneously} In—Invisibility.

{Mike laughs}

MATT: The Basics.

MIKE: So this, of course, is back when you could see Strong Bad's mouth, when we would animate his mouth.

MATT: And didn't his head didn—

MIKE: His head didn't shake.

MATT: His head didn't shake around violently.

MIKE: So at some point, we thought that it would be quicker if we put his hea—the foreground head over the mouth...and, uh, just shake his head around, which now takes way longer than it ever took to just make his mouth move.

MATT: I think that's right. And Abdi LaRue was—this was from before we started doing this, we sent out, was it a fan list?

MIKE: Yeah, it was like a list.

MATT: Yeah, the few, just the 10 people who had ever emailed us.

MIKE: The email's almost over!

MATT: Good grief!

MIKE: Thanks, Abdi!

MATT: Thanks, Abdi!

Fun Facts

• invisibility (email #41) and the basics (email #15) are facetiously listed as the first email.
• brianrietta was the first email to use the "shake his head around" style of animation.

External Links

• watch "some kinda robot"
• watch "some kinda robot" on YouTube
• watch "some kinda robot" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "some kinda robot"