I really like your costume

"Hey, Homestar, I really like your 'that one guy from Mad mazagine' costume."

Homestar Runner often will mistake a costume that someone (including himself) is wearing for another person. These mistakes are often bizarre or ludicrous. He appears to be certain his wild assumptions are correct, even going as far as phrasing the mistaken recognition as a compliment to the wearer, rather than simply a question of what they're supposed to be. This began, naturally, as a Halloween joke and has become enough of a running gag that it has happened on several occasions in other toons as well.

Appearances

Homestarloween Party

• "Oh, lookin' good, Strong Bad. The Chiquita Banana lady, that's great!" (Carmen Miranda)

The House That Gave Sucky Treats

• "Hey, Strong Bad, I really like your costume. The Spanish Inquisition? That's great." (Carmen Sandiego)

3 Times Halloween Funjob

• "Hey, Strong Bad, I really like your El DeBarge costume." (Ozone)
• "Say, Bubs, I really like your dirty man outfit." (Mel Sharples)
• "Hey, Coach Z, I really like your Wesley Snakes outfit." (Kool Moe Dee)

Halloween Fairstival

• "Oh man, The Cheat, your pile of leaves costume is so adorable." (Sigmund)

Halloween Potion-ma-jig

• "Hey, Strong Sad. Nice fire hydrant costume!" (A Devo member)
• "Hey, Bubs, I like your Lando Calrissian outfit!" (Apollo Creed)
• "Strong Bad, Blanche from The Golden Girls? Genius!" (Jambi the Genie)

Happy Hallow-Day

• "Sta-rong. Bad. That's the best evil Carmen Sandiego costume I've ever seen!" (Father Guido Sarducci)
• "Marzipan, I just love your I-have-a-caterpillar-crawling-across-my forehead costume!" (Frida Kahlo)

Decemberween Short Shorts

• "Hey, Strong Bad, I really like your rhinestone cowboy costume." (A Christmas tree ornament made of sequins)

Jibblies 2

• "King of Town, I gotta hand it to ya: that is one great melted Don King outfit." (Reverend Al Sharpton)
• "Hey Bubs, nice Schneider from One Day at a Time costume." (Ross from You Can't Do That on Television)

Email yes, wrestling

• "Hey, Strong Bad. I really like your Rudy from Fat Albert costume." (Il Cartographer)

Most in the Graveyard

• "Hey, Strong Sad. Nice Ma Fratelli costume." (Sam Kinison)
• "Hey, Homestar, I really like your Carrot Top costume." (Yahoo Serious(ly))

Doomy Tales of the Macabre Teaser

• "Hey, everybody, I really like your covered all in black ink costumes. Kinda stole my idea, though. Don't you think?" (Silhouettes)

Doomy Tales of the Macabre

• "Pom Pom? Underwater orange juice man? Classic." (Pooka)
• "Strong Bad? Scarecrow and Mrs. King? I would've preferred Jake and the Fatman, but nice work." (Skull Kid)
• "The Cheat as the thorax? Love it. Favorite part of the insect." (The Lorax)
• "Marzipan, off-duty Ronald McDonald? It is what it is." (Lola)

Which Ween Costumes?

• "Oh, Begley, Pom Pom. That is the best last episode of St. Elsewhere costume I have ever seen." (A snow globe)
• "Oh, Strong Sad, I absolutely ADORE your Donnie Darko costume." (Ralphie Parker)
• "Oh, King of Town, an exquisite Devil Don King costume." (Heat Miser)

Halloween Safety

• "Hey Homestar, I really like your that one guy from MAD mazagine costume." (neighborhood watch sign)

I Killed Pom Pom

• "Hey Strong Bad, I really like your Jay Leno costume." (Mac Tonight)
• "Hey Pom Pom, I really like your Dom DeLuise costume." (King-Size Homer)
• "Hey Coach Z, you really nailed that Evil Aquafresh costume." (A Tribe Called Quest)
• "Hey Strong Mad, I really like your M.U.S.C.L.E. toys costume." (Goro)

The House That Gave Sucky Tricks Teaser

• "Hey Homestar, I really-really like your—
  "Say Bubs, I really-really like your—
  "Hey Strong Bad, I-really really like your—
  "Hey Strong Sad, Hey Mar-zi-pan, I really-really like your, said I really-really like your really... I like... your costumes."

The House That Gave Sucky Tricks

• "Strong Bad! You got it this year! ... Best tropical Beetlejuice costume ever worn by man or beast!" (David Lee Roth)
• "Hey, Strong Mad, ... I really like your skipping commercials costume!" (TiVo, a device that let users skip television commercials; for once, he more-or-less got it right)
• "Oh, so you're not dead, Pom Pom. That's pretty great. What's that guy's name again? Franklin? Spalding? John Voight? Maybe a little bit?" (Wilson)

Later That Night...

• "Oh Mad, Strong Man, the door from Seinfeld?" (Monica and Rachel's door)
• "Bubs! Bubs! Bubs! Bubs! Bubs! I really like your American Hot Sauce Businessman Metallica costume and don't-deny-that-that's-what-it-is-'cause-that's-obviously-what-it-is-and-there's-no-alternative." (Billy Mitchell)
• "Hey Strong Bad, I really really like your Long Sad costume." (No-Face)
• "Heeeey, Strong Sad! I really like your lady Milhouse costume, hey Strong Sad!" (The Utz Girl)

Haunted Photo Booth

• "Hey, Homestar. I really like your Mark Lemke costume! Homestar Runner for the Braves?" (Dale Murphy)
• "Oh, man, Strong Mad. Bread Face Red Panties Man?" (Powdered Toast Man)

Mr. Poofers Must Die

• "Hey, Marzipan. I really like your thrift store Gandalf costume." (J. Mascis)
• "Hey, Strong Sad! I really tend to like your Bill Murray from cartoon Ghostbusters from the voice of Garfield: The Movie dot com costume!" (Tummi Gummi)
• "Hey, Homsar! I really like your Doug Henning made his own mustache disappear costume!" (David St. Hubbins)
• "King of Town? Spot-on Little Debbie costume!" (Little Debbie, he was exactly right)
• "Bubs? Serviceable Little Debbie's Dad costume." (Stan S. Stanman)

The Homestar Runner Enters The Spooky Woods

• "Hey, The Cheat! I really like your Emperor Eh! Steve costume!" (Little Caesar)
• "Hey, Strong Sad! I really like your give me nightmares forever and always costume!" (The Loughton Candidate)
• "Homsar, that is the most accurate patriotic Hovan Roll costume I've ever seen!" (A Bill)
• He starts to make a similar compliment to Marzipan, but she interrupts him and admits that not even she knows who she's dressed as. (Maetel)

Halloween Hijinks

• "Say, Bubs, I really like your costume. It's '70s Bubs! Giving a piggyback ride! To Totoro! Eating a purple burrito! It's such a great costume, you know (ba-da-dum, da-da-dum, da-da-dum.)" (Beedle)
• STRONG BAD: "Hey, Homsaw! I weally like youw BB-8 got wun ovew by a sand cwawlew costume!" HOMESTAR RUNNER: "Eh, I dunno. Personally, I woulda gone with Oscar the Grouch 2000." (B.O.B)
• "That's a real swell zombie Ziggy Stardust costume, Marzipan. Real swell!" (Captain Planet)

Halloween Hide & Seek

• "How will I tell them how much I really like their [INSERT INCORRECT INTERPRETATION] costume?!" (said during the intro)
• "I really really like your copy protection costume, Pom Pom." (The Manhole)
• "Homsar, I love, love, LOVE that droopy Pikmin costume!" (Gnome)
• "Say Strong Mad. I really like your Goron dressed up as Speed Racer costume." (Glottis)
• "Hey Strong Sad, I really like your Jeff Foxworthy costume." (Mike Dawson)
• "Well, Goblin, at least you dressed up in a really great Toadwart from Gummi Bears costume." (Creeper)

2022 Costume Pack Now Available

• "Oh, lookin' good, Strong Bad. Death Clock or whoever, that's great!" (Dr. Crygor)
• "Hey, Pom Pom, I really like your Twinkie the Kid ate too many Twinkies as a kid costume!" (Timer)
• "Hey, Poopsmith, I really like your evil Tron costume." (Rinzler. Homestar is disappointed to learn from Strong Bad that Rinzler actually is an evil Tron.)
• {to Marzipan} "Say, Ringo, I really cotton to your Sonny Bono from that one Scooby-Doo episode getting eaten by a pink and green cotton candy monster costume and that's no lie." (John Lennon)
• "Hey, Strong Sad! I really like your dad from ALF with gravy on his head costume!" (Mikhail Gorbachev)

The Show: Ween Edition

The whole toon is based around characters guessing how Homestar will respond to their costumes:

• COACH Z: "Hey, Coach Z, I really like your Devo crossing guard costume! They was always telling me to go froward, move ahead!" (A Beastie Boy from the "Intergalactic" video)
  • "Hey, Coach Z, I really like your Devo construction worker costume!"
• THE KING OF TOWN: "Hey, King, I weally wike your what-you-look-like-when-you-first-wake-up-still-wearing-your-CPAP-machine costume!" (Immortan Joe)
  • "Hey, King of Town, I really cotton to your Mötley Crüe in the ICÜ costume."
• BUBS: "Say, Bubs, say, Bubs, I really like your French GI-Joe costume! What was that character's name again? Jaunty Plumarenne? He came with a baguette bazooka!" (Jack Flack)
• STRONG BAD: "Hey, Stwong Bad! I really enjoy your doing a deep dive into your hobo Clockwork Orange costume!" (Elliott's Brother Mike's Halloween Costume)
• STRONG SAD: "Whoa! Strong Sad! I am over the moon about your just plain Strong Sad on a Tuesday costume!" (Elliott's Halloween Costume)
• "Hey, Homestar, I've really been leaning, towards liking and loving, your Fred from Super Chicken and Fred from Scooby-Doo mashup costume!" (Tom Dover)

Variations

• The Show: Ween Edition —
  • HOMSAR: {in reference to The Poopsmith's costume} "DaAaAaAh! Hey, Lumbar! I typed out the whole recipe instead of just taking a screenshot!" (Xur)
  • "Hey Lumbar, I typed out the whole recipe instead of just taking a screenshot."

See Also

• What are you supposed to be?
• Halloween Costumes