There I was browsing through my favourites list and I came across the HomestarRunner site, which I haven’t been to in a while so I went and had a look.
Wow.
I think this could be the best Strongbad email ever, possibly beating the legends that are Trogdor, Sisters and the Rave music ones.
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html
If you don’t know what I’m talking about then visit www.homestarrunner.com and take a look around.
I am in awe.
Holy carp, how did I ever miss this site? I’m peein’ meself.
Bookmarked. Hard.
Yeah, “Virus” definitely has to be in the top 5.
“And the compy…just peed my carpet.”
I was rather shocked at how good the most recent e-mail was. For the past few e-mails, they’ve been “so-so”.
“Making…out…with…MARZIPAN!”
“Computer Over.”
That one is giving my personal favorite, Kid’s book, a run for its money.
That was part of the original phrase to move on to the next level of the Homestar Talker game.
“Virus = very yes!”
What, exactly, am I missing here? This stuff seems fairly pedestrian to me. Is there some sort of in-joke that I don’t know about? I’m not trying to poo-poo on the thread or anything, I just want to know what sets this apart from other humorous animated stuff.
“I see a Strong Ba in there but its getting eaten by some Linux or something.”
Greatest line ever.
Eh, different people like different stuff.
I like it because there’s a large amount of material (comparatively speaking) featuring the same “universe,” giving enough time to develop character (Marzipan’s tree-hugger-ness, Strong Sad’s depression, Coach Z’s gangsta tendencies) and in-jokes (Teen Girl Squad, Homsar, Senor Cardgage, 20X6 and Cheat Commandos all started out as references in one of the Strongbad emails, but have since become characters or features of their own). They just released a DVD set of the emails 1-100, including commentary tracks and bonus material, and that alone took 3 DVDs. I don’t know how many hours’ worth of cartoon is on the site, but it’s a lot more than most other recurring-character Web cartoons.
I also like it because it’s “clean.” There’s very little in any of the content of the site which is offensive. Probably the most offensive is when Strongbad says “Holy crap!” all the time. There are a couple instances of “friggin’” as well, but overall it’s a whole lot cleaner than most stuff out there. I can show it to my family.
I also, of course, like the writing and voice acting, and there are a lot of references to 1980s culture, which appeal to me and those slightly older than me.
If it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing, but I’d suggest starting with the Halloween cartoons (in my opinion, they have the fewest in-jokes and self-referential material), or start at the beginning of the emails list (the bottom), and work your way up.
Or there’s also this great Homestar Runner article from Wikipedia. Homestar Runner Characters talks about the people, places, and things in the HR universe. It’s a good place to start if you are confused about Trogdor or Fhqwhgads.
Actually, I love Montage, the second most recent one. The songs are great:
“Let’s make this moment be the symbol of our lives
Get on your dad’s computer and we’ll sail to paradise…”
“Partying! Party party party it’s the weekend!
Party party party mumble wagon!”
Not sure if it’s the best ever, though. Trogdor was my first exposure to Homestar Runner and it still holds a place in my heart.
Thanks for the insight, Garfield226 and Agrippina. After a little more looking in to it, it seems that this IS a better mousetrap, sort of. I’m still not a fan of such things (I think South Park is just sophomoric, nothing special), but there does seem to be a bit more spark in the Chapmans.
I haven’t been to HSR in a long time, mainly because I just stopped finding the stuff funny. I don’t know if it was a change in the content or myself.
Anyway, my favorite e-mail is Crazy Cartoon. Eh, Steve! will always have a special place in my heart. And that old Casio keyboard demo cracks me up.
Heh. Virus was pretty good. But my all-time favorite SBEmail has to be caffeine .
Anything that is “POWERED BY THE CHEAT” is guaranteed to completely crack me up.
“Here I go again on my own!”
My fave is “Japanese Cartoon”, where Strongbad imagines what he’d be like in an anime universe. It has my crying with laughter every time I watch it, I’ve had to ration myself from playing it too much.
I am also one of those people who kinda lost interest over the last 6 months or so. This new virus one is the only one that I found to be amusing for quite a while. As it stands, my favorites are definitely Japanese Cartoon, Sisters, Guitar, and (the first one I ever saw and still a favorite) New Hands.
“I am still awesome …seriously.”
Yes Homestar is an aquired taste, and it’s getting more and more dependant on it’s fanbase knowing the in jokes to be funny. As far as the best email, it’s the 100th one hands down (Strongbad meets Homestar).
That one cracks me up, because the email is from my town.
“Dear Justin,
In addition to the cut of your job, I likes the sound of your town. Murfreesboro.”