List of Homestar Runner characters
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Homestar Runner characters include numerous recurring people, places, phrases, ideas, and even times.
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| This article is about a character in the Homestar Runner series. |
Principal characters
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[edit] People
[edit] Principal Characters
- Homestar Runner - (middle name Michael or possibly Hal) is the star of his website namesake, but he probably doesn't realize it. Ever the butt of jokes and the recipient of nicknames, Homestar is an earnest character with a clean heart and nothing but love for the rest of mankind. Unfortunately, his absolute cluelessness and clumsiness keep him from realizing his full potential. He's not completely stupid, though, and has proven to be remarkably clever in the past, though such occurrences are few and far between. You can never be quite sure whether or not he and Marzipan are going out, but he sure seems to think they are. According to the toon Marshmallow's Last Stand, he weighs about one hundred pounds.
- Strong Bad - is one of the most well-known characters on Homestarrunner.com. He started out as the villain who always tried to cheat his way to the top but was always doomed to fail before Homestar Runner; however, he's now less of a villain and more of a highly expanded form of comic relief, with his irascible sarcasm and rough voice seeming to make him ever more popular with fans of the website. He answers e-mails with a passion, and will make fun of your grammar, punctuation, and spelling - he just doesn't seem to be worried about his own. He also writes, illustrates, and narrates the Teen Girl Squad comics.
- The Cheat - whose name is actually "The Cheat", with an integral article, is at knee-height (1' 2" et 18lb.), and covered with yellow fuzz. The Cheat presents an adorable figure that is marred only by his large gold tooth, which he is hesitant to show, as seen in his interview. He speaks entirely in a language of high-pitched squeaks and growls, which is actually called "The Cheat", which other characters apparently understand just fine. According to his Yearbook Character Page, his motto is "No rule is solid". He is what you could call Strong Bad's "sidekick" and Strong Mad's best friend. The Cheat currently resides in the King of Town's charcoal grill, although he spends his daylight hours with Strong Bad. He is known to have not been born on April 18, so that's the day when Strong Bad and Strong Mad celebrate his "cheatday".
- Strong Mad - A monolith of muscle and hostility, Strong Mad is, as his name implies, strong and usually mad. His brothers are Strong Bad and Strong Sad, and he is the oldest of the three. He and The Cheat are "The next bosom buddies" according to a TV TIME cover, and though he often tries to help Strong Bad with his evil plans, he usually only messes up. He communicates mostly in simple sentences shouted in an uninflected roar. He seems to be a wrestler (or perhaps was one in the past), since he wears a blue spandex singlet with an "M" on it. He's a big lug, but with a big heart: though you wouldn't know it to look at him, Strong Mad has a soft side. In Where's the Cheat? he cries over an autographed picture of The Cheat, given to him by the little yellow guy.
- Strong Sad - is the youngest of the Brothers Strong. It is unclear how he was born, as his belly button (which normally indicates the removal of the umbilical cord shortly after birth) was apparently created by Strong Bad using a drill that he received for his birthday. He stands somewhere between Strong Bad and Strong Mad in height, and he has large, elephant-like feet he calls "soolnds". (In the past, poachers have apparently offered large sums of money to obtain Strong Sad's feet.) His body is round and is two shades of grey — a lighter grey from the waist up, and darker grey from the waist down. His head is white and has an odd lump on the top (a trait shared by Mr. Bland). He is usually very calm and soft-spoken, although he has become hyperactive (at least once, under the influence of caffeine), and he has also temporarily (and involuntarily) become a radio DJ once or twice. The words "Covered Bridges" seem to be able to put him in some type of trance, as seen in Fall Float Parade.
- Pom Pom - (also spelled Pom-Pom) is a Pom from the Isle of Pom. Pom Pom, like all Poms, appears to be inflated. He talks by making bubbly noises and can store stuff by absorbing objects into his body, suggesting that he's made of some sort of carbonated/gelatinous substance. Pom Pom is Homestar Runner's best friend, but Pom Pom sometimes also hangs out with Strong Bad. He takes karate and is often on his cell phone talking to his many girlfriends. He appears to be seen as "the cool guy" to most of the other characters. He was going to have a dog named Trivia Time, but this concept seems to have been abandoned. He also has a "wicked Pom Pilot". Pom Pom's parents' names are General and Fraulein Pom Pom, as seen in an Easter egg in the Strong Bad E-mail pom pom. Although he's in the popular crowd, Pom Pom has made friends with unpopular characters such as the King of Town and The Poopsmith.
- Marzipan -Marzipan is the only female character among the primary characters of the Homestar Runner universe. She is a tall and thin character, she wears her hair in a bright yellow ponytail, and she is almost always seen wearing a purple dress with white trim and gold buttons at the bottom. Like Homestar Runner, she does not appear to have visible arms, but nevertheless she is able to pick up and handle objects and play the guitar. Marzipan is the only character voiced by Missy Palmer.
- Bubs - (full name: Bubs Concession Stand, as he claims in Senorial Day) is the all around fix-it man. Running his own concession stand, Bubs is a sharp salesman who will sell almost anything. It's likely that not all of his dealings are exactly legal, considering his reaction to a practical joke from Strong Bad in lackey, and trying to dispose of items marked EXHIBIT A and EXHIBIT B (a presumably-human pancreas which he tried to sell to Homestar Runner) in Bug In Mouth Disease. He seems to dislike Strong Bad for not paying a debt to him, and threatened to turn him over to a "cut off your toes" style collection agency in other days. He also dances and attends night courses at Disco Tech. His facial configuration is puzzling; in Pumpkin Carve-nival, he appears to have a safety pin stuck through his face above an internal ear. In his spare time he has boring conversations with Coach Z and reads back issues of Motor Trend magazine. Bubs resells Internet access, although he rips off his sole subscriber, Strong Bad, in 99 different ways.
- Coach Z - is the "coach" of Homestar Runner and the gang, though it is unclear just which sports he coaches. He has a strong Upper Midwestern accent which sometimes gets him into trouble. He almost never says anything negative to anyone, and he often offers more encouragement than is needed. When giving advice, he almost always starts with the phrase "You can't just rush into the score zone", which by now has pretty much lost its meaning. He wears a baseball cap and is famous for the large Z emblem around his waist, but nobody knows for sure whether his bright green color is his skin or a body suit.
- King of Town -is the ruler de jure of Free Country, USA. However, nobody wishes to acknowledge this; it's therefore possible that this character is a satire on the obsolescence of monarchy. He is not considered funny or cool by anyone. One of his main problems is that he is a glutton and will eat anything in front of him (except peas and whatsit). His favorite food is butter. He employs The Poopsmith and a few other characters. His age is known to be somewhere in his 60's. He also leads the K.O.T.H.S. Junior Varsity Marching Band during the Fall Float Parade. According to a message he left on Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 13.2, he can play the guitar, and along with The Cheat, he has a cut a remix demo called "Not Talkin' About Butter". He also apparently has his very own "quite popular cartoon show" according to the email senior prom, but it was pre-empted in favor of a Strong Bad Email. According to "Characters" section of the Museum, he is Marzipan's dad and likes his sheep a lot. The concept of him being Marzipan's dad has been discarded by The Brothers Chaps, and they humorously deny ever having said it.
- The Poopsmith - The Poopsmith is just a regular guy with a very crappy job. Literally. It's unclear whether "The Poopsmith" is his actual name, as it's used occasionally with an integral article, but often without. His body is peach-colored and egg-shaped, and he has small blue legs and feet, a white head, and an enormous underbite. He always wears a pair of large orange gloves stained with whatsit, and he is usually seen carrying a large shovel. The Poopsmith has taken a vow of silence and never officially speaks, nor does he seem to ever display any emotions or facial expressions. He does occasionally hold up signs to communicate, however. He is sometimes seen poking his shovel as a half-gesture, similar to how his Old-Timey incarnation, The Demon, uses his pitchfork.
- Homsar - Homsar is perhaps the strangest and most enigmatic of all the main characters in the Homestar Runner universe. He was originally created as a result of a typo in the email homsar, in which Vinnie C. asked, "If you hate homsar so much, why don't you kill him?" (Presumably, Vinnie had actually meant to say Homestar.) Strong Bad promptly dropped a Heavy Lourde on Homsar and left him for dead. The Brothers Chaps later decided to keep Homsar as a main character, and they brought him back in Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 5.0, where he thanked Marzipan for the flowers she sent him while he was in the hospital.
[edit] Trogdor the Burninator
Trogdor the Burninator is a dragon created by Strong Bad while answering an email. Trogdor exists primarily as a video game character within the Homestar Runner world. Distinguishing characteristics include his S-shaped body, one beefy human arm, hopelessly tiny "wing-a-lings" at the top curve of his body, consummate Vs for scales and teeth, and a penchant for incinerating ("burninating") the countryside, peasants, and thatched-roof cottages.
[edit] Senor Cardgage
Senor Cardgage (pronounced sen-or, as opposed to sen-yor) first appeared in Strong Bad Email #92, "Kind of Cool". Strong Bad was trying to represent what he would be if he were an ugly, dumpy guy with a bad comb-over and a beer belly. It turns out Strong Bad's fictional character "creepy comb-over story Strong Bad" is actually a guy who lived down the street from the Brothers Strong when they were little; he gave Strong Sad nightmares and Strong Bad a hero to worship. He's much taller, a little fatter, and has more facial hair than Strong Bad. He's the kinda cool where he walks around with an Aldi shopping bag which is possibly filled with "old pizza, rotten vegetables, or the shattered remains of [his] former life". He has little regard for personal space in lines, and creeps out of bushes conspicuously as other characters walk by; because "he's so cool you don't even know he's cool." He uses female names for everyone, regardless of their gender. He also, according to Homestar, smells like pea soup. He constantly mumbles and combines words into new ones like 'excardon me' and 'no probalo.' He also owns his own mortgage company - Senor Cardgage Mortgage. He also appears in the "Senorial Day" cartoon playing a car salesman. His other appearances include the 100th email, "flashback" as an Easter egg at the end, "HomestarRunner.com PAY PLUS!", Strong Bad Email #129, "garage sale", and Strong Bad Email #149, "candy product". He also appears in Strong Bad Email #150, "Alternate Universe". One might notice that he shares multiple similarities with Homsar, another character in the Homestar universe, as they both are strange twisted versions of another character, they both speak in odd ways, and they both were spawned by Strong Bad E-Mails.
- Senor Cardgage's first appearance
- 100th Email(Easter Egg)
- Senor Cardgage's Mortgage Commercial
- HomestarRunner.com PAY PLUS!
- Garage Sale
- Senorial Day
- Candy Product
- Alternate Universe
- HRWiki entry on Senor Cardgage
- 150th email and 150th email Easter egg
- He also appears in Strong Bad Email #155, "Theme Song".
[edit] Marshie the Marshmallow
Homestar Runner had a job in a marshmallow commercial for Fluffy Puff Marshmallows. He could not remember his lines, and lost his job to a talking marshmallow named Marshie. This has resulted in some resentment from Homestar, although he seems to dislike the character on its own merits as well. Despite his outwardly jolly appearance, Marshie is a fairly odd character and seems to have a borderline psychopathic personality. In his commercials, he has voiced deep-rooted tensions towards both his younger sibling Nibbles as well as his mother. His advertisements are forceful, abrupt, surprising, and increasingly disturbing.
[edit] Limozeen
Limozeen is a parody of 1980s hair metal bands. Unlike other characters in the Homestar Runner universe, they usually appear in the form of live action, real-life actors.
Limozeen consists of Larry, Gary, Perry, and Mary Palaroncini. It is also one of Free Country USA's hottest musical acts. Strong Bad is a huge fan of Limozeen and may have come up with their name while answering an e-mail asking for good band names (other suggestions were "Bigg Nife", "Lazor", and "Taranchula"), and a cool last name. Some of his examples were: Van Halen, Dokken, and Z'Nuff. Limozeen reportedly plays live shows at events in Strong Badia, and the band contributed two tracks to the recent CD Strong Bad Sings (and other type hits): "Nite Mamas" and their megahit "Because It's Midnite", and also produced the lyric-absent "Feed the Childrens" and "Box". Limozeen also had a short-lived Saturday morning cartoon show that was cancelled during its pilot episode. Strong Bad seems to be a friend of Larry and they talk through webcam instant messaging, and Larry apparently likes to play MMORPGs and has his own guild. Limozeen has also come out with a new video, in the cartoon "Short Shorts" called "Brain Sister", which for once didn't show the band as real live people, but it showed them represented as laser light show at one of their concerts. They have also released a coloring book. Limozeen also had an extremely short-run animated series known as 'Limozeen in Space'. It only had one episode produced which only ran once. Strong Bad prides himself on having the only remaining copy on tape, which he recorded when the episode aired.
[edit] Taranchula
Taranchula is a metal band, introduced in the Strong Bad email "band names". Their song called "Moving Very Slowly" is in Strong Bad Sings (and other type hits), and their music video is in the Strong Bad email DVD, strongbad email.exe. Taranchula consists of three apparently Scandinavian members: Dave Bjornborg, Dave Olafstenston, and Schenkel McDoo. They are also the hosts of the Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour music television show, during which they showcased another song, "The Decoupage."
[edit] Leomard "Lem" Sportsinterviews
Leomard "Lem" Sportsinterviews is an author and director who writes various books and magazines. He is never seen in the cartoons, but his name is repeatedly cited. He wrote "This Book is Better Than First, Second, and Quite Possibly Even Third Base" and "Why People in Hollywood Ought to Give Me $5,760". He also owns the credit card that appears on the ATM card in the "Downloads" section. He is also the author of the children's books "Everyone is Different" and "That Time of Year" (both of which have been parodied by Strong Bad). In addition to all that he co-authored "The Castlefunnies", a syndicated comic strip purported to have featured The King of Town and The Poopsmith (renamed "Mushy Chamberpot" to appease censors), as well as cameo appearances from Strong Bad and Homestar.
Lem's other professional accomplishments include writing the rules for the card game "Three-to-one marny" and directing the movie version of "Peasant's Quest."
[edit] The Goblin
A small, green creature that was originally created in a Halloween cartoon as part of a ghost story. Interestingly, it later appeared and interacted in the same world as the main characters. It appears mostly in Halloween cartoons and communicates by dancing and making an organ-like sound. It has only worn a costume twice, the first one being an exact replica of Strong Bad (as "the bee"), and the second time as "A Santaman".
As of late, he is shown to be summoned by that creepy organ music.
[edit] Visor robot
The robot character was imagined by Strong Bad in Homestarloween but became a more prominent character with his appearance in The Cheat's music video Everybody to The Limit. He is also shown as a "satisfied customer" of Senor Cardgage Mortgage, where Senor Cardgage refers to him (Most likely incorrectly) as Valerie. He also appeared in Teen Girl Squad Issue #10 and the Videlectrix game Hallrunner, in which he is named Robot Darren. However, he was also referred to as the "fhqwhgads robot" in the Brothers Chaps' sketchbook. He also appears in Teen Girl Squad Issue #1.
[edit] Saddy Dumpington
A creation of Strong Sad used to avoid climbing a rope for Coach Z, Saddy Dumpington was a folk-tale character bearing a strong resemblance to a happier, rural Strong Sad. He tried spreading happiness wherever he went, but he always managed to say the wrong thing (such as "Sometime puppies get so hungry, they eat their own tails! Isn't that great?"), and is banished from the village. He is called back to the village on account of populace being uncontrollably happy. He is instructed to make the village gloomy again, but when he dresses up as a purple snake named Weird Snake Joe, he tries to be depressing and bad, but instead, he goes vice versa and makes the villagers pass out of laughter for the rest of their lives. He is also rumoured to be friends with Johnny Appleseed.
Saddy Dumpington was a product of the highly overlooked blog, Strong Sad's Lament. In it, Strong Sad explains how if he lived the late 18th century, he would have made sure he and Johnny Appleseed were best friends. He then goes on to make fun of Johnny Appleseed and then moves onto Francis Scott Key. The cartoon featuring Saddy Dumpington was released over a year after this article.
[edit] The Dancing Brothers
The Dancing Brothers- Glenn, Martbell, and The Killer Dynamo- appear in the story of Saddy Dumpington every time Coach Z makes an interruption. The trio dances to a background song with the lyrics "gonna have a good time tonight/gonna have a real good time tonight." Strong Sad ends these interruptions with the brothers' broken shoes and their coma-inducing allergy to foxes.
[edit] Señor and Mr. Bland
Señor Havin' a Little Trouble and Mr. Bland, one being a short blue guy, the other, having his head being a prototype for Strong Sad's, are two characters that were shown at the start of it all, the kid's book, but were crushed by a falling Bubs' Concession Stand in the Strong Bad Email "Origins". They originally appeared in a children's book written by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel, which is about Homestar Runner and Strong Bad taking part in the 'strongest man in the world' contest. In 2006, a cartoon was released based on that book and both Señor and Mr. Bland were animated and were given voices: Señor's voice seemed to emulate that of Cheech Marin, while Mr. Bland's was simply monotone as his name implies.
[edit] Nebulon
Nebulon is a green, bug-eyed alien who often appears in cartoons with scenes set in space. The Cheat appears to bear some animosity toward Nebulon, as evidenced in the Powered By The Cheat cartoon, New Boots. In fact, it is often said that "no one likes your [Nebulon's] style"
[edit] The Thnikkaman
Basically Bubs with sunglasses and a sign saying "TH" on his chest. His arrival is usually accompanied with a lyrical call of "Here comes the Thnikkaman!" He has no particular relevance to the site and is most memorable for his famous line, "Yeah, shut up, kid!", when asked "Can I have some?" He was first featured in the Strong Bad e-mail "monument". The "TH" is also the title of the broken JPEG that was Bubs' mouth during the "Virus" email. He then reappeared in the Sbemail "cliffhangers" tied up in one of the gym lockers. His 'identity' was almost revealed by Coach Z when the cliffhanger revealed that Coach Z has bad hand-eye coordination when he tripped while attempting to remove the sunglasses. In the easter egg in the same email, Coach Z thinks that he himself is the Thnikkaman.
[edit] Eh! Steve
Eh! Steve is a character in the Sweet Cuppin' Cakes subcartoon of the Homestar Runner series of animated cartoons. Eh! Steve is a small light-brown guy with triangular eyes, a curly mouth and a Greek key pattern across his waist. His role in the cartoon is to show up and say his catchphrase: "Eh! Steve!" The Wheelchair hates Eh! Steve for an unknown reason. The Wheelchair is seen chasing Eh! Steve and vowing "I'll get you Eh! Steve, if its the last thing I doooo!" Eh! Steve has also made cameo appearances in other Homestar Runner cartoons, usually when Strong Bad answers an e-mail from a person named "Steve".
[edit] The Wheelchair
The Wheelchair was created by Strong Bad in his "kah-razy" cartoon. He is voiced by Bubs and chases Eh! Steve around in every episode of Sweet Cuppin' Cakes.
Although his rivalry with Eh! Steve is never explained, Eh! Steve always seems to be getting under his skin somehow, whether he stole the Wheelchair's date for the dance from him (although it seems she was never his date to begin with) or getting into his pot of "burled holiday cabbage". The Wheelchair vows he'll get revenge on Eh! Steve someday.
Some of his quotes include:
- I'll get you Eh! Steve, if it's the last thing I doooo!
- Eh! Steve! Get yo sassy-frass out my burled holiday cabbaaaage!
- I know you're out there somewhere, Eh! Steve! I'll blast you 'til tomorrow noooon!
[edit] The Cheat Commandos
The Cheat Commandos are a bunch of toy The Cheats, which parody action figures of the 80's and 90's. They first appeared in Sbemail # 93, and have one big toon, and three other short toons, one of which is an ad for Commandos ...O's cereal, and Commandos in the Classroom. They first appeared in the Strong Bad email army; they also appear in Cheat Commando; the first short toon is Cheat Commandos O's; they further appeared in Commandos in the Classroom; and Shopping For Danger.
[edit] The Geddup Noise
The Geddup Noise was, according to Strong Bad, the incarnation of the sound that Strong Bad's desk chair made whenever he stood up. It released a hit club single before retiring and being replaced by a similar entity called Chairscoot.
[edit] The Wagon Fulla Pancakes
The Wagon Fulla Pancakes is a character spawned in Strong Bad email number 117 "Montage" in which Strong Bad is asked to 'creat' a montage. Strong Bad complies by doing what he calls a montage of montages. These being:
- Strong Bad wandering around with the Wagon Fulla Pancakes
- Strong Bad and the Wagon Fulla Pancakes falling in love
- The Cheat and the Wagon Fulla Pancakes as down-on-their-luck door to door salesmen selling boxes of toner
- The Wagon Fulla Pancakes training to beat Homestar in "the champeenship", this being a spoof of 'The Karate Kid' and all of the 'Rocky' movies. In the eventual fight between Homestar and The Wagon Fulla Pancakes, the handle falls and knocks Homestar on the foot, and Homestar flops down on the floor and seems to faint.
As well as the "end credits photo montage", where the Wagon Fulla Pancakes is described as "currently residing in long beach with its spouse and 2 children" after being a "spokesman for a used car dealership" It also noted that Homestar sold a t-shirt with a #1 on it for around $3 on e-bay. This was the shirt he had on for the Champeenship.
The wagon full of pancakes has also appeared in the toon Senorial day. The wagon also made an appearance in Fall Float parade where it holds a matress used for Strong Bad's float.
[edit] Li'l Brudder
Li'l Brudder is a one legged puppy sketch drawing that Strong Bad created, probably in some sick attempt to be cute, which had the adverse effect upon characters such as Homestar and the Cheat. In email #109 Strong Bad shows Homestar the picture to get him to cry, and he just falls apart. The cheat soon shows up and he begins to bawl too. everyone involved just falls to pieces upon viewing it. Li'l Brudder's common saying, as written on the college ruled piece of paper from whence he was born says "I can make it on my own." A very sad statement indeed.
Later they invented a TV show for Li'l Brudder and friends, including Tendafoot, a faceless, large nosed possum, and a bird with its bottom half bandaged up. Tendafoot is the two legged elephant modeled after Strong Sad, quoting "I can power a small city with my whining." the tv show itself is nothing huge, just the intro to the show, and then cut to the brother's strong house, and all of a sudden homestar goes off the wall crying again.
Not much has been done with Li'l Brudder, and that could partially be because he never was popular, and it almost seems slightly in poor taste. It is too depressing to have a likable character like Li'l Brudder. his appearances: email #109 Crying, and the short: The Li'l Brudder show.
[edit] Places
[edit] Free Country USA
The Homestar Runner cartoons are set in a fictitious land called Free Country USA. The King of Town supposedly rules all or part of this region, although rumors have spread that the King may simply have bought his crown at a costume shop, and asked people to call him the King of Town. Tourist attractions in Free Country USA (as seen in the Strong Bad Email "Vacation") include the Great Mound, Pantsburg, The Clock, Two Cars and Over There. Places called Ohio and Tennessee also appear to exist. It apparently has a wharf that Marzipan wants to "free the baby seals" from, though the news that one even exists surprises Strong Bad.
Neighboring countries include Dortugal, Prance, Potamia, and the Dortugal Congo.
[edit] Strong Badia
Strong Badia exists as a field behind a dumpster, with a permanent population of a single tire. Outstanding features of the field include a white fence, a stop sign, and a cinder block. It also includes a spring loaded paper cutout of a bear holding a shark to scare The Cheat away. Strong Badia's flag consists of a red, white, and brown background featuring a tire with a snake going through it in the foreground. The snake's tail is coiled around a combat knife. Strong Badia is alternately described as a country and a kingdom; in either case, Strong Bad is the unquestioned ruler. Strong Badia has its own space program, the Strong Badian Administration of Some Aluminum Foil (SBASAF).
In an early Strong Bad email, Strong Bad claimed he has ruled the field since "diaper school". A later cartoon contradicts this by claiming the land was purchased from Bubs a few years earlier so Strong Bad could put ketchup on eggs without being persecuted.
One Strong Bad email depicts the ghost of Strong Bad's obsolete and broken Tandy-like computer haunting the "kingdom".
In another e-mail entitled 'Army', Homestar offers Strong Bad the chance to join the "Homestarmy", which will shortly be invading Strong Badia. Unsurprisingly, Strong Bad rejects the chance to invade his own "country". The "Homestarmy" [consisting of Homestar, Strong Sad, Homsar, the painting of a guy with a big knife (from the e-mail I Love You), and a popcorn popper named "Frank Benedetto"] attempts to carry out the invasion nonetheless. When Strong Bad refuses to allow the invasion (he and Strong Mad were thinking about playing badminton), "Col-o-nel" Homestar and his three-man army are forced into full retreat (with Strong Bad kicking "Benedetto" off the battlefield). This is the only recorded attempt at invading Strong Badia.
[edit] The Stick
A few sketches, most notably the cartoon Where's the Cheat?, feature characters meeting at a mundane-looking stick in the ground. Strong Bad has revealed that he would like The Stick to be a large man-eating tree. The stick is also a DJ as revealed in the secret invitation hidden at the end of SB email #45, "Techno." The 123rd SB e-mail, origins, discussed the Stick's "hangingoutitude," starting with Homestar's weekly bread singalongs.
[edit] Crazy Go Nuts University (CGNU)
A fictional correspondence school run by Strong Bad. CGNU's sports teams are called "The Dumples" (initially Strong Bad's misspelling of "dumplings"), and a "Golf Club Team", which participates in a strange sport that consists of The Cheat whacking things with a golf club. The motto for the University is "The future is you....probably."
Their fight song:
Fighting, and sometimes striving
Wondering what the Dumple is
Excellence, and what is valor?
And The Cheat will hit stuff with a golf club!
C! G! N! ... U!... Me?
[edit] Marshmallow's Last Stand
Although not seen often, this place is where Homestar is seen talking to Strong Bad on the Homestar Runner toon "Interview." It is also seen in the SB Email "date," where Strong Bad secretly spies on Marzipan and Homestar on a date and the odd conversations that follow. The name comes from an early flash animation by the Brothers Chaps.
[edit] Club Technochocolate
The name for this dance club comes from the Strong Bad e-mail "monument," in which Strong Bad referenced the Aztecs' technochocolate, a mispronounciation of Tenochtitlan. The Cheat has DJ'ed there at least once, with his remix of the Geddup Noise. Also, when Strong Bad got a pair of tricked out boots with flashing lights, he headed down to the club to pick up ladies.
[edit] Time periods
[edit] 20X6
The Stinkoman series began when Strong Bad was asked in an email what he would be like as a "Japanese cartoon". Stinkoman is Strong Bad drawn as a stereotypical anime character. The spinoff is set in the future year 20X6 (A parody of 20X5 from Metroid, or of Mega Man's frequent 20XX time periods), and the other characters also have 20X6 counterparts, including Homestar Runner (a kid named 1-Up with a completely different voice), Pom Pom (a panda, called "Pan Pan"), Coach Z (very similar to the normal version) and The Cheat (called "Cheatball", with big blue eyes and a tiny mouth). 20X6 is pronounced as Twenty-Exty-Six.
While Stinkoman does not rely on any single source for parody, many references are made to "fighting anime" shows (such as Dragon Ball Z) and the graphical styles of early Mega Man games. The theme music for Stinkoman is actually "fast music" from Squaresoft (Now Square Enix)'s early NES title, Rad Racer.
[edit] Old-Timey
The Homestar Runner, drawn in the style of a 1930s "car-toon". The other characters appear in the '30s as well. Marzipan is still Homestar's girlfriend, Fat Dudley (Pom Pom) is his best friend, and Sir Strong Bad is exasperated at people who send him telegrams to ask how he operates the "telegramophone whilst wearing gentleman's sport gloves".
Even minor character Marshie has appeared "in the past", as Mr. Shmallow, a more reserved advertising mascot. 2 The music for the Old-Timey cartoon "Ballad of the Sneak" -- Who's the jaunty jackanapes with moxie and pizazz? -- was provided by Virginia-based a cappella group Da Vinci's Notebook.
This era was formerly known as the "1936" era, but "That A Ghost" is credited as being from 1937, leading the era to be renamed as "Old-Timey".
[edit] Comparison chart
| Character | Old-Timey Counterpart | 20X6 Counterpart |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Bad | Sir Strong Bad | Stinkoman |
| The Cheat | The Sneak | Cheatball |
| Homestar Runner | The Homestar Runner | 1-Up |
| Marzipan | Marzipan | [Anime girl on 20X6 main page, animated like Chun Li from Street Fighter II, with similarities to Sailor Moon] |
| Strong Mad | The Strong Man | [no appearance] |
| Strong Sad | Sickly Sam (Other Old-Timey version of Strong Sad found on Main page 10) | [no appearance] |
| Pom Pom | Fat Dudley | Pan Pan (A Panda) |
| The King of Town | The Kaiser, "The Devil" | [no appearance] |
| The Poopsmith | "The Demon" | Sticklyman (unconfirmed) |
| Coach Z | "The Fort Wayne Locomotive" | [Coach Z on new Games Page] (possibly the end boss of Stinkoman 20X6, unconfirmed) |
| Bubs | "Parsnip Salesman" | [no appearance] |
| Marshie | Mr. Shmallow | [no appearance] |
| Announcer | The Barbershop Trio | [no appearance] |
| Trogdor | [no appearance] | Trogador [appeared in "Happy Trogday"] |
| Unnamed robot character | [no appearance] | Stlunko (unconfirmed) |
[edit] Companies
[edit] Fluffy Puff Marshmallows
A brand of marshmallows in the Homestar Runner universe. The mascot is a talking marshmallow named Marshie, who replaced Homestar Runner. Among the products are Fluffy Puff Marshmallows, Fluffy Puff Marshmallow Mayonnaise, Fluffy Puff Malloweens, and Fluffy Puff Bite-Sized Nibblers.
The motto for the marshmallows and mayonnaise is "Made from the best stuff", and the motto for the Malloweens is "They Taste the Same, But Look Different!" Coincidentally, Fluffy Puffs Marshmallows are a real brand, in Israel.
In the 'Old Timey' cartoons Marshie is seens as Mr. Shmallow, and the marshmallows were puffed in a factory in 'Newconsin' where there is a lot of puffing technology, including a turkey and brocoli.
[edit] Cheap as Free
Cheap as Free is a fictional Homestar Runner brand name. It is found on such "products" as: Strong Bad Sings, Everyone is Different (see Lem Sportsinterviews), the Christmas tree found in "The Best Decemberween Ever", the Cheat "Firebert" action figure found in email #93, Action Figures found in the store, as well as a great deal of merchadise referenced in the Cheat Commandos cartoons.
[edit] Videlectrix
Videlectrix is a fictional company that ostensibly makes all of the 80's-style video games featured on the site. Videlectrix has reputedly made games on a number of platforms, including the "Funmachine" (ex. Secret Collect), the "Super Funmachine" (Rhinofeeder), the "Compydore 64" (Population Tire), arcade cabinets (Trogdor), Game & Watch-like LCD handhelds (Pigs on Head), and personal computers (Thy Dungeonman).
Recently a Videlectrix website was set up at videlectrix.com. Their games are scattered throughout the Homestar Runner site, particularly on the games page and at the end of E-mail #94.
Videlectrix was recently showcased as a real video gaming company on G4techTV (now known as G4) which featured the host of the show going to Videlectrix's headquarters, a dubious front office with freshly painted tacky blue walls and the not-so-professional owner of Videlectrix, to speak about their games. After speaking with the owner of Videlectrix, it became apparent that it was not, in fact, a professional organization, as the owner looked very uneasy about the cameras invading the organization unannounced. The owner thanked the host for interviewing him, and disappeared into the back. When the host returned the next day to follow up, the office had vanished, as if the building had never been there.
The company's slogan is "We use computers...to make video games!"
[edit] Thorax Corporation
Thorax Corporation, LLC, is a fictional company created by The Brothers Chaps. Many of the Easter eggs and inside jokes on the Homestar Runner site refer to the company, even though it seems to exist in a separate universe.
From the Thorax Corporation website, it is hard to tell exactly what the company does. The site is intentionally filled with blurry and pixelated images, misspellings, ambiguous information, and HTML errors. The company seems to be run by the Delabor family, including Gent, Rode, Leg, Sted, and El Delabor.
[edit] Holidays
Many standard US holidays exist in the Homestar Runner world. Special cartoons have been made for April Fool's Day, Mother's Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. One year the Super Bowl managed to qualify as a holiday.
By far the most frequently celebrated holidays on the site are Halloween and Decemberween.
[edit] Halloween
An annual tradition on the Homestar Runner site is the production of a special Halloween cartoon. In these cartoons, all of the main characters appear in costume. Typical costumes include musicians, television characters, cartoon characters, and advertising mascots, usually popular characters from the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
[edit] Decemberween
A fictional holiday that occurs fifty-five days after Halloween, which happens to be December 25. However, in 2004, a collection of Decemberween cartoons were released in July (see Christmas in July).
Song Lyrics
- Decemberween, Decemberween
You're fifty-five days after Halloween
With bunnies running for their lives
I wish this one was super-sized
Decemberween, Decemberween
You're fifty-five days after Halloween
What are you guys talking about
Hey, who the crap let Strong Sad out?
Decemberween, Decemberween
You're fifty-five days after Halloween
I got all types of crazy crap
I bought Strong Bad a Deep Impact
Decemberween, Decemberween
Coach Z's been drinking Listerine
It's essentially Christmas, only without any religious connotations. The fact that the both Christmas and Decemberween fall on the same day and feature many of the same aspects is never mentioned. Marzipan disapproves of Decemberween, on the grounds that it kills bunnies (which are eaten in lieu of turkeys), and that the holiday is too commercialized. She does, however, expect Homestar to provide gifts.
The origin of Decemberween is partially shown in the cartoon A Decemberween Pageant. According to the pageant, the first Decemberween involves an attempt by Doctor Christmas to raise funds from the King of Town(not the Main character), a sailor named Archibald fighting a giant squid, a trip by "the Angel" and The Popular Vote to Paris, and Archibald and Doctor Christmas fighting to the death on Mount Rushmore.
The Long Island based rock band Patent Pending wrote a song entitled Decemberween.
[edit] Games
Numerous games have appeared on the Homestar Runner website during its existence. The earliest games had only simple point and click gameplay, but more recent games have taken on the style of 1980s Atari, NES, and computer releases.
Complete descriptions of all Homestar Runner games can be found at the Homestar Runner Wiki's Games page.
[edit] Pigs on Head
Pigs on Head is a video game which involves stacking pigs up on your head. The game was originally played by Strong Bad in email #71, as he was waiting for the 2003 "Ladies Choice Awards" to start, but has since been made into a "handheld LCD" version available on the Web.
[edit] Thy Dungeonman
In email #94, Strong Bad was asked to come up with how he would be represented in a video game. Of the four video games dreamed up, "Thy Dungeonman" was the most primitive: a text-based adventure game. "Thy Dungeonman" has little to do with Strong Bad; rather, it chooses to make fun of text adventure games, most notably with a phrase that has become household among H*R fans: "Get ye flask." (When attempting to 'get ye flask,' players are told that task is impossible, but are given no explanation why -- and, as Strong Bad quips, "there certainly aren't any precious 'graphics' to help you out!") In the subsequent weeks, the Brothers Chaps released "Thy Dungeonman 2", which is much more in-depth than (though just as humorous and impossibly confusing as) the original "Thy Dungeonman." Two years later, the Brothers Chaps released "Thy Dungeonman 3", which has orange text and low-resolution graphics.
[edit] Peasant's Quest
Released August 2004, the title was created in the style of the adventure games of the 1980s and early 1990s such as Sierra On-Line's King's Quest. The game follows the adventures of Rather Dashing, a peasant wearing short pants, as he takes revenge on Trogdor, who burned down his thatched-roofed cottage while he was away on vacation.
A live-action movie trailer detailing many events of the game was released during Super Bowl XXXIX's halftime on February 6, 2005.
[edit] Stinkoman 20X6
Released on March 21, 2005 with only the first three levels playable. Additional levels were released individually over a period of several months, and number 9 as of early September, 2005. 20X6's look and gameplay is similar to that of early Mega Man games, and feature text-driven cutscenes similar to those in Ninja Gaiden.
