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The System is Down: Difference between revisions

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<!-- Mirrored from Homestar Runner Wiki (hrwiki.org) via Wayback Machine -->
''This article is about the [[Toons|toon]].'' ''For the [[Songs|song]], see [[The System is Down (song)]].''
''This article is about the [[Toons|toon]].'' ''For the [[Songs|song]], see [[The System is down (song)]].''


{| class="wikitable" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
|-
| '''Toon Category: Shorts'''
| '''Toon Category: Shorts'''
| {| class="wikitable" align="right" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; font-size:x-small; line-height:100%; border-collapse:collapse;"
| [https://homestarrunner.com/toons/the-system-is-down watch] · [[Meet Marshie|← Meet Marshie]] · [[20X6 vs. 1936|20X6 vs. 1936 →]]
|-
| [https://homestarrunner.com/toons/the-system-is-down watch]
| [[Meet Marshie|← Meet Marshie]]
| [[20X6 vs. 1936|20X6 vs. 1936 →]]
|}
|}


|}
https://web.archive.org/web/20211001000000im_/http://www.hrwiki.org/w/images/thumb/8/82/systemisdown.png/200px-systemisdown.png
 
<div class="thumb tright">
 
<div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;">
 
[[File:systemisdown.png|[[File:systemisdown.png|200px|thumb]]]]
<div class="thumbcaption">
 
<div class="magnify">


[[File:systemisdown.png|[[File:magnify-clip.png|15px|thumb]]]]
''"The system is down, yo."''


</div>
In January of 2003, [[homestarrunner.com]] suddenly and inexplicably went down. Patient viewers then saw this short toon, cleverly disguised as an error page.
&quot;The system is down, yo.&quot;
 
</div>
 
</div>
 
</div>
In January of 2003, [[homestarrunner.com]] suddenly and unexpectedly went down. Patient viewers were treated to this short toon, cleverly disguised as an error page, when the site returned.


'''Cast (in order of appearance):''' [[Homestar Runner]], [[Strong Bad]], [[Bubs]]
'''Cast (in order of appearance):''' [[Homestar Runner]], [[Strong Bad]], [[Bubs]]
Line 45: Line 24:
'''Page Title:''' 404 Doodoo Error
'''Page Title:''' 404 Doodoo Error


'''DVD:''' [[Everything Else, Volume 1]]
'''DVD:'''[[Everything Else, Volume 1]]


{| id="toc" class="wikitable toc" summary="Contents"
== Transcript ==
|-
| <div id="toctitle">
 
<span id="contents"></span>
== Contents ==
 
</div>
* [#Transcript 1 Transcript]
* [#Fun_Facts 2 Fun Facts]
** [#Explanations 2.1 Explanations]
** [#Trivia 2.2 Trivia]
** [#Remarks 2.3 Remarks]
** [#Inside_References 2.4 Inside References]
** [#Real-World_References 2.5 Real-World References]
** [#Fast_Forward 2.6 Fast Forward]
* [#DVD_Version 3 DVD Version]
** [#Commentary_Transcript 3.1 Commentary Transcript]
** [#Fun_Facts_2 3.2 Fun Facts]
* [#Notes 4 Notes]
* [#External_Links 5 External Links]
 
|}
 
<span id="transcript"></span>
== <span class="mw-headline"> Transcript </span> ==


''{A typical Internet Explorer error page appears. The whistling of the wind is heard. Homestar Runner enters from the right.}''
''{A typical Internet Explorer error page appears. The whistling of the wind is heard. Homestar Runner enters from the right.}''


'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' ''{walks in and looks at the error message}'' Ummmm... what's going on here? What happened my website?
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' ''{walks in and looks at the error message}'' Ummmm... what's going on here? What happened to my website?


''{Strong Bad enters from the left.}''
''{Strong Bad enters from the left.}''
Line 90: Line 44:
'''STRONG BAD:''' Um... I don't think they're coming to see you, Homestar.
'''STRONG BAD:''' Um... I don't think they're coming to see you, Homestar.


'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' What, you think everybody's logging on to watch &quot;tape-leg&quot;? Yeah, that's a good one.
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' What, you think everybody's logging on to watch "tape-leg"? Yeah, that's a good one.


'''STRONG BAD:''' Hey, shut up! The tape-leg is cool. ''{Stretches his hand out and to the right}''
'''STRONG BAD:''' Hey, shut up! The tape-leg is cool. ''{Stretches his hand out and to the right}''
Line 107: Line 61:


''{A handwritten sticky note, which is supposed to be a system alert message, is slapped onto the screen, that reads:}''
''{A handwritten sticky note, which is supposed to be a system alert message, is slapped onto the screen, that reads:}''
<div style="background:#E1E1E1; border:3px solid black; width:505px; margin-left: 2em; padding: 8px; font-weight: bolder">
<div style="background:#03C; color:white; border:3px solid black; padding:6px; font-size:125%">


This is real.
This is real.


</div>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; background: none"
|-
|-
| style="padding-bottom: 10px; width: 17%"| [[File:Warning-gray.png|[[File:Warning-gray.png|86px|thumb|Image:Warning-gray.png]]]]
| https://web.archive.org/web/20211001000000im_/http://www.hrwiki.org/w/images/f/ff/Warning-gray.png
| style="text-align: center; width: 80%; font-size: 140%; padding: 10px; line-height: 120%;"| System report:
| style="width:80%; font-size:140%; text-align:center; padding:10px; line-height:120%" | System report:
|}
|}


<div style="font-size:140%; text-align:center; border-top:2px solid black; padding-left:18px; padding-top:18px; padding-right:18px; padding-bottom:6px; line-height:120%">
Everything is fine. Nothing


Everything is fine. Nothing<br />
is ruined.
is ruined.


</div>
ok
<div style="border:3px solid black; margin: 0 auto; width: 135px; padding: 4px">
 
<div class="noul blocklink" style="border:2px dashed black; text-align:center; font-size:135%; padding: 0px; width: 130px">
 
<div style="margin: -9px">
 
<span style="color:black; display:block; padding: 13px">ok</span>


</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' So, Bubs... What are you gonna do with that Swiss Cake Roll?
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' So, Bubs... What are you gonna do with that Swiss Cake Roll?


''(The page automatically redirects to the [[TV Time Toons Menu]].)''
''(You are automatically redirected to the [[TV Time Toons Menu]].)''


<span id="fun-facts"></span>
== Fun Facts ==
== <span class="mw-headline"> Fun Facts </span> ==


<span id="explanations"></span>
=== Explanations ===
=== <span class="mw-headline">Explanations</span> ===


* This cartoon was made in response to actual server downtime on [[homestarrunner.com]]. As explained by [[The Brothers Chaps]],<span class="reference"><sup>[#endnote_1 [1]]</sup></span> at the time their [[Yahoo]] web hosting had a 20-gigabyte bandwidth limit. Unbeknownst to the brothers, the site's popularity drove the bandwidth well into the ''[[terabyte|terabytes]]''; though Yahoo employees that were fans turned a blind eye to the overage, eventually an outage resulted (hence the origins of the toon). This situation led the brothers to shop around and switch web hosts.
* This cartoon came about when the site was still on Yahoo's server. The site's popularity drove the bandwidth well into the [[Terabyte|terabytes]] (most toons are around half to almost a megabyte), which Yahoo overlooked for a time only because they were all fans. They finally had to shut it down because of the intense server consumption, hence the origins of the toon. However, the [[Store]] was still run by [[Yahoo!]] until 2015.
** Note that the [[Yahoo Store|store]] was still run on a Yahoo storefront through 2015.


<span id="trivia"></span>
=== Trivia ===
=== <span class="mw-headline">Trivia</span> ===


* The [[TV Time Toons Menu]] [https://homestarrunner.com/menuswfs/menu_systemisdown.swf preview] has Homestar running past the 404 error. He does not do this in the toon.
* The [[TV Time Toons Menu]] [https://homestarrunner.com/menuswfs/menu_systemisdown.swf preview] has Homestar running past the 404 error. He does not do this in the toon.
* The [[YouTube]] description for this toon is &quot;In the early days of homestarrunner.com, Strong Bad's popularity overloaded the server and brought the site down.&quot;
<span id="remarks"></span>
=== <span class="mw-headline">Remarks</span> ===
<div class="thumb tright">


<div class="thumbinner" style="width:182px;">
=== Remarks ===


[[File:Mb-comparison.png|[[File:Mb-comparison.png|180px|thumb]]]]
https://web.archive.org/web/20211001000000im_/http://www.hrwiki.org/w/images/thumb/e/e3/Mb-comparison.png/180px-Mb-comparison.png
<div class="thumbcaption">


<div class="magnify">
''"Well, I found the problem."''


[[File:Mb-comparison.png|[[File:magnify-clip.png|15px|thumb]]]]
* There are actually ''two'' Swiss Cake Rolls "cram-a-lammed" in the computer's innards.
 
* The error page is specifically for [[Internet Explorer|Internet Explorer 6]], which makes it somewhat out of place for those using any other browser or version.
</div>
* Bubs is actually holding a [[Motherboard|motherboard]], not a [[Disk storage|disk drive]]. The design was copied from [http://www.learnthat.com/certification/files/aplus/img/motherboard-dt.jpg this image] (comparison shown at right).
&quot;Well, I found the problem.&quot;
 
</div>
 
</div>
 
</div>
* There are actually ''two'' Swiss Cake Rolls &quot;cram-a-lammed&quot; in the computer's innards.
* The error page is specifically for [[Internet Explorer 6]].
* Bubs is actually holding a [[motherboard]], not a [[Disk storage|disk drive]]. The design was copied from [http://www.learnthat.com/certification/files/aplus/img/motherboard-dt.jpg this image] (comparison shown at right).
** The motherboard appears to be of the ATX form factor, with six PCI slots and an ISA slot (all vacant), a single empty CPU socket, and three RAM slots.
** The motherboard appears to be of the ATX form factor, with six PCI slots and an ISA slot (all vacant), a single empty CPU socket, and three RAM slots.


<span id="inside-references"></span>
=== Inside References ===
=== <span class="mw-headline">Inside References</span> ===


* The note that appears on the screen is from [[50 emails]].
* The note that appears on the screen is from [[50 emails]].
* &quot;The system is down&quot; is from the [[Strong Bad Email]] [[techno]].
* "The system is down" is from the [[Strong Bad Email]] [[techno]].
* [[tape-leg]] is a Strong Bad Email, and a [[Tape-leg|running gag]].
* [[tape-leg]] is a Strong Bad Email, and a [[Tape-leg|running gag]].
* [[Swiss Cake Rolls]] are another running gag.
* [[Swiss Cake Rolls]] are another running gag.


<span id="real-world-references"></span>
=== Real-World References ===
=== <span class="mw-headline">Real-World References</span> ===


* &quot;We've got our top men working on it 'round the clock,&quot; said by Strong Bad, is a reference to what the government representative says to [[Indiana Jones]] about the status of the Ark of the Covenant at the end of ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.
* "We've got our top men working on it 'round the clock," said by Strong Bad, is a reference to what the government representative says to [[Indiana Jones]] about the status of the Ark of the Covenant at the end of ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.
* The phrase &quot;cram-a-lam a Swiss Cake Roll&quot; is an approximate [[paraprosdokian]] on the phrase &quot;Rama Lama Ding Dong,&quot; which originated in a [[Doo-Wop]] song of the same name by [[The Edsels]] in 1958, the connection being that a [[Ding Dong]] (made by [[Hostess (brand)|Hostess]]) is a similar type of snack cake to a Swiss Cake Roll (made by [[McKee Foods|Little Debbie]]); however, the Hostess analog of a Swiss Cake Roll is a [[Ho Hos|HoHo]], not a Ding Dong.
* The phrase "cram-a-lam a Swiss Cake Roll" is an approximate [[paraprosdokian]] on the phrase "Rama Lama Ding Dong," which originated in a [[Doo-Wop]] song of the same name by [[The Edsels]] in 1958, the connection being that a [[Ding Dong]] (made by [[Hostess (brand)|Hostess]]) is a similar type of snack cake to a Swiss Cake Roll (made by [[McKee Foods|Little Debbie]]); however, the Hostess analog of a Swiss Cake Roll is a [[Ho Hos|HoHo]], not a Ding Dong.


<span id="fast-forward"></span>
=== Fast Forward ===
=== <span class="mw-headline">Fast Forward</span> ===


* The inquiry &quot;[[What happened my website?]]&quot; has reappeared in similar contexts.
* A similar setting would be used for the secret toon [[Not the 100th Email!!!]].
* A similar setting would be used for the secret toon [[Sbemail 100 Fakeout]].
* The hidden page [[localhtmell]] [https://homestarrunner.com/localhtmell www.homestarrunner.com/localhtmell] features a hidden Swiss Cake Roll hiding in a server.


<span id="dvd-version"></span>
== DVD Version ==
== <span class="mw-headline"> DVD Version </span> ==


* The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching.
* The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch your DVD player's audio language selection while watching.


<span id="commentary-transcript"></span>
=== Commentary Transcript ===
=== <span class="mw-headline">Commentary Transcript</span> ===


('''Commentary by:''' [[Mike Chapman]], [[Matt Chapman]])
('''Commentary by:''' [[Mike Chapman]], [[Matt Chapman]])


'''MIKE:''' So, this is &quot;The System is Down&quot;, and we made it when the system really was down.
'''MIKE:''' So, this is ''The System is Down'', and we made it when the system really was down.


'''MATT:''' It was down for two whole days.
'''MATT:''' It was down for two whole days.
Line 231: Line 137:
'''MATT:''' To all fifteen people.
'''MATT:''' To all fifteen people.


'''MIKE:''' To all fifteen people that were watching the site. But by the time we got done with it, the site was back up, so we just put it on there, and it ended up being a nice little, uh, cartoon.
'''MIKE:''' To all fifteen people that were watching the site. But by the time we got done with it, the site was back up, so we just put in on there, and it ended up being a nice little, uh, cartoon.


'''MATT:''' A humor piece. A humor— A nice humor piece. We call these humor-toons, some of these.
'''MATT:''' A humor piece. A humor— A nice humor piece. We call these humor-toons, some of these.
Line 245: Line 151:
'''MIKE:''' Like look at the bill of his hat versus his body.
'''MIKE:''' Like look at the bill of his hat versus his body.


'''MATT:''' I don't like it. I remember we found a— we did a Google Image Search for &quot;motherboard&quot; or something and that's what, uh...
'''MATT:''' I don't like it. I remember we found a— we did a Google image search for "motherboard" or something and that's what, uh...


'''MIKE:''' ''{mumbles}''
'''MIKE:''' ''{mumbles}''
Line 255: Line 161:
'''MATT:''' It's a motherboard.
'''MATT:''' It's a motherboard.


<span id="fun-facts-1"></span>
== External Links ==
=== <span class="mw-headline">Fun Facts</span> ===
 
* The website for [[Side Projects|side project]] [[Thorax Corporation]] is mentioned as where this toon was originally planned to be hosted.
* A [[Secret Pages|mailing list]] was used to notify fans of new toons prior to the site adopting a weekly update schedule in [[2002]].
* Matt suggests Homestar is [[Sassing Back|sassing back]].
* As observed, the color of Homestar's shirt in [[Homestar Runner Evolution|his seventh design]] occasionally varied.
 
<span id="notes"></span>
== <span class="mw-headline">Notes</span> ==
 
# [#ref_1 ^]  Mentioned in several sources: [[Flashforward 2006 Seattle - 28 Feb 2006|Flashforward 2006]], [[The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show Interview - 7 July 2014|The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show (2014)]], [[TechStuff Interview - 16 Feb 2018|TechStuff (2018)]]
 
<span id="external-links"></span>
== <span class="mw-headline"> External Links </span> ==


* [https://homestarrunner.com/toons/the-system-is-down watch "The System is Down"]
* [https://homestarrunner.com/toons/the-system-is-down watch "The System is Down"]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1F4W8-DqjE watch "The System is Down"] on [[YouTube]]
* [https://old.homestarrunner.com/systemisdown.html watch "The System is Down"] on the old [[Flash]] site
* [https://old.homestarrunner.com/systemisdown.html watch "The System is Down"] on the old [[Flash]] site
* [https://old.homestarrunner.com/systemisdown.swf view the Flash file for "The System is Down"]
* [https://old.homestarrunner.com/systemisdown.swf view the Flash file for "The System is Down"]
 
[[Category:Homestar Runner Filmography]]
<div id="catlinks" class="catlinks">
[[Category:Strong Bad Filmography]]
 
[[Category:Bubs Filmography]]
<div id="mw-normal-catlinks">
[[Category:Everything Else, Volume 1]]
 
[[Category:Shorts]]
[/wiki/Special:Categories Categories]: <span dir="ltr">[[Category:Homestar Runner Filmography|Homestar Runner Filmography]]</span> | <span dir="ltr">[[Category:Strong Bad Filmography|Strong Bad Filmography]]</span> | <span dir="ltr">[[Category:Bubs Filmography|Bubs Filmography]]</span> | <span dir="ltr">[[Category:Everything Else, Volume 1|Everything Else, Volume 1]]</span> | <span dir="ltr">[[Category:DVD Commentary|DVD Commentary]]</span> | <span dir="ltr">[[Category:Shorts|Shorts]]</span>
[[Category:DVD Commentary]]
 
</div>
 
</div>


Latest revision as of 14:24, 14 July 2026

This article is about the toon. For the song, see The System is down (song).

Toon Category: Shorts watch · ← Meet Marshie · 20X6 vs. 1936 →

200px-systemisdown.png

"The system is down, yo."

In January of 2003, homestarrunner.com suddenly and inexplicably went down. Patient viewers then saw this short toon, cleverly disguised as an error page.

Cast (in order of appearance): Homestar Runner, Strong Bad, Bubs

Places: Error Page

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Running Time: 1:05

Page Title: 404 Doodoo Error

DVD:Everything Else, Volume 1

Transcript

{A typical Internet Explorer error page appears. The whistling of the wind is heard. Homestar Runner enters from the right.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: {walks in and looks at the error message} Ummmm... what's going on here? What happened to my website?

{Strong Bad enters from the left.}

STRONG BAD: The system is down, yo.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Ohh... the system... Right, right.

STRONG BAD: Yeah, I think too many people tried to log on. {scratches his head} Uh... sorry about that.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: What are you sorry for? It's my website.

STRONG BAD: Um... I don't think they're coming to see you, Homestar.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: What, you think everybody's logging on to watch "tape-leg"? Yeah, that's a good one.

STRONG BAD: Hey, shut up! The tape-leg is cool. {Stretches his hand out and to the right}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Well, when do I get my website back?

STRONG BAD: Oh, anytime now. We've got our top men working on it round-the-clock.

{Bubs enters from the left holding a motherboard.}

BUBS: Well, I found the problem. Looks like somebody tried to cram-a-lam a Swiss Cake Roll into the disk drive.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Oh, really? {leaning toward Strong Bad, eyeing him suspiciously}

STRONG BAD: Uh, what are you looking at me for? I did— hut— wut— nany— huit— {runs off quickly}

{A handwritten sticky note, which is supposed to be a system alert message, is slapped onto the screen, that reads:}

This is real.

Warning-gray.png System report:

Everything is fine. Nothing

is ruined.

ok

HOMESTAR RUNNER: So, Bubs... What are you gonna do with that Swiss Cake Roll?

(You are automatically redirected to the TV Time Toons Menu.)

Fun Facts

Explanations

  • This cartoon came about when the site was still on Yahoo's server. The site's popularity drove the bandwidth well into the terabytes (most toons are around half to almost a megabyte), which Yahoo overlooked for a time only because they were all fans. They finally had to shut it down because of the intense server consumption, hence the origins of the toon. However, the Store was still run by Yahoo! until 2015.

Trivia

Remarks

180px-Mb-comparison.png

"Well, I found the problem."

  • There are actually two Swiss Cake Rolls "cram-a-lammed" in the computer's innards.
  • The error page is specifically for Internet Explorer 6, which makes it somewhat out of place for those using any other browser or version.
  • Bubs is actually holding a motherboard, not a disk drive. The design was copied from this image (comparison shown at right).
    • The motherboard appears to be of the ATX form factor, with six PCI slots and an ISA slot (all vacant), a single empty CPU socket, and three RAM slots.

Inside References

Real-World References

  • "We've got our top men working on it 'round the clock," said by Strong Bad, is a reference to what the government representative says to Indiana Jones about the status of the Ark of the Covenant at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
  • The phrase "cram-a-lam a Swiss Cake Roll" is an approximate paraprosdokian on the phrase "Rama Lama Ding Dong," which originated in a Doo-Wop song of the same name by The Edsels in 1958, the connection being that a Ding Dong (made by Hostess) is a similar type of snack cake to a Swiss Cake Roll (made by Little Debbie); however, the Hostess analog of a Swiss Cake Roll is a HoHo, not a Ding Dong.

Fast Forward

DVD Version

  • The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch your DVD player's audio language selection while watching.

Commentary Transcript

(Commentary by: Mike Chapman, Matt Chapman)

MIKE: So, this is The System is Down, and we made it when the system really was down.

MATT: It was down for two whole days.

MIKE: In January of 2003.

MATT: That's right.

MIKE: So we made this cartoon, and we were going to put it on a different website, ThoraxCorp.com... um, and email— uh, send out an email to everyone telling them that the system was down and to watch this cartoon.

MATT: To all fifteen people.

MIKE: To all fifteen people that were watching the site. But by the time we got done with it, the site was back up, so we just put in on there, and it ended up being a nice little, uh, cartoon.

MATT: A humor piece. A humor— A nice humor piece. We call these humor-toons, some of these.

MIKE: Homestar's got a little sass, and also—

MATT: Sass dackery.

MIKE: There's also a period where Homestar's dress/shirt was a slightly more magenta than red.

MATT: Yeah.

MIKE: Like look at the bill of his hat versus his body.

MATT: I don't like it. I remember we found a— we did a Google image search for "motherboard" or something and that's what, uh...

MIKE: {mumbles}

MATT: Yeah. Not a disk drive at all, is it?

MIKE: {laughs a little}

MATT: It's a motherboard.

Retrieved from "https://hrwikitwice.com/index.php?title=The_System_is_Down&oldid=13619"