Acknowledged Update Delays

LELLOWTAPE: Do not cross!

A delay in an anticipated Homestar Runner update may be acknowledged prior to or alongside its eventual release. Over the years, these acknowledgements have taken the form of special main page messages, meta jokes in the released toons, or other messages from the Brothers Chaps.

From 2002 through 2009, homestarrunner.com was typically updated every Monday morning with a new toon (most frequently Strong Bad Emails), as well as special toons on many holidays. Delays or gaps in this schedule would occasionally be addressed. After 2014, the site adopted an infrequent and irregular update schedule; acknowledgements are now more commonly broad jokes about how long it has been or will be between toons, rather than reacting to missing a specific self-imposed deadline.

Appearances

• Email vacation — Strong Bad goes on vacation in this email, explaining the delay of invisibility.
• Email ghosts — The toon begins with Strong Bad facetiously remarking "Boy, is it ever Monday!" although the email was released on a Thursday.
  • Pumpkin Carve-nival, that year's Halloween toon, was released earlier in the week and contributed to this delay.
• Decemberween Email Menu — All the email links are replaced with a message reading "No emails on the holidays," with the page title "Too busy to check e-mails". This was put in place on Monday, December 23, days before Christmas.
  • The next email, current status, would not be released until the next Monday.
• Superbowl Dealie — The Paper reads, "Due to the big game, the Strong Bad Email will be late this week."
  • The Super Bowl took place on Sunday. That week's email, huttah!, was released on Tuesday rather than Monday.
• Email army — The Compy 386 appears to be dusty with a little cobweb on the top left corner, to which Strong Bad remarks "Guess it's been a while."
  • The prior email, kind of cool, was released over three weeks prior.
• Email geddup noise — The lights are off and Gavin the cockroach is crawling on the screen of the Lappy 486 at the beginning of the email.
  • It had been over a month since the previous email, lady...ing.
  • The alternate versions take this even further. In the first draft, the Lappy coughs when it is turned on. In the second draft, Strong Bad says he is out of practice with his email songs, and Homestar Runner has taken up residence under the desk.
• Main Page message on October 31, 2005 — "workin' as fast as we can!"
  • That year's Halloween toon, Halloween Potion-ma-jig, would be released early the following day, with the main page message for its release reading "it's still halloween!" and changing to "in certain timezones!" when rolled over.
• Sick Day (DVD commentary) — The commentary mentions that Teen Girl Squad Issue 10 was released a week later than planned because Matt was sick.
• Sbemail 150?!? — explained the delay of alternate universe.
• Weclome Back — The toon explains that everyone was out.
  • It had been 48 days, the longest hiatus to date, since the release of isp.
• Email redesign — LELLOWTAPE covers the Lappy at the beginning of the email.
  • Nearly two months had passed since prior email isp.
• Main Page message on January 15, 2007 — "sbemails return next week!"
  • The previous email, what i want, was released 5 weeks before the message, on December 11, 2006.
• Main Page message on July 2, 2007 — "takin' a baby break"
  • This break would last until August 7.
• Main Page message on August 7, 2007 — "sbemails return next week!"
  • The previous email, the paper, was released 8 weeks before the message, on June 11, 2007.
• Email yes, wrestling — In Strong Bad's introduction, he mentions that he is checking his email on a Tuesday, which is the day the email was released.
• Email hremail 3184 — Strong Bad acknowledges that he is "a little out-of-practice" as he comes out of "e-tirement", remarking "I haven't checked my email in so long".
  • The last time he had checked his email was 280 days previous.
• FeedBurner message on December 1, 2009 — "New Baby vs. Updates!"
• Main Page message on December 14, 2010 — "new holiday toon!" when rolled over read "for real!".
  • The previous toon, Xeriouxly Forxe, was released 8 months prior, on March 31, 2010; this was the longest period without site updates to date.
• Which Ween Costumes? — is essentially one big acknowledgment of the lack of any Halloween toons in 2010. The page title alone reads "I don't know what you're talking about!".
• April Fools' 2014 — The entire cartoon is a joking reference to the lack of updates to the website in over four years, with a specific 'teaser' regarding the lack of Strong Bad Email updates.
• Fish Eye Lens — Coach Z frets that it's been too long since the last Number One Jam in the opening.
• Email sbemail 206 — Strong Bad has trouble remembering that he used to check emails on a computer and the Compé got compressed under a pile of dust, turning it into the Lappier.
  • It had been over five years since he checked an email on the Compé.
• Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 17.2 — Marzipan's outgoing message includes "I'll be out and about for about seven years", which refers to the amount of time since her previous answering machine was released.
• Email too cool — Strong Bad sings, "Let's not make a big deal out of this; it's just a little Strong Bad Email" in the email intro.
  • The previous email was more than two years prior.
• Stinkoman 20X6 Level 10 — The opening cutscene features Stinkoman falling asleep outside Z Sabre's castle. In the time that had passed between Levels 9 and 10, 1-Up had grown a prodigious beard and Pan Pan had a hundred babies.
  • The level's marketing material (including the launch trailer) also pokes fun at the long wait.
• Email parenting — The Kickstarter update announcement acknowledges "It has been many years! [...] But WE remembered and now, after 4 years, we finally finished the thang ding!"
  • The Trogdor!! The Board Game Kickstarter reward of Strong Bad answering a backer's email had been announced July 18, 2018.
• Back To A Website — Homestar asks Strong Bad if the toon indicates that "our website's gonna have more frequent updates featuring our hilarious adventures?", to which Strong Bad says, "What? No. No, not at all."

See Also

• New Toon Soon
• Not Quite Strong Bad Emails