Homestar Runner (left) & Strong Bad (right), the main characters of the series.
For detailed information about this series, see: Homestar Runner Wiki
Homestar Runner is a series of multimediatic works released mainly through the website homestarrunner.com, created by Michael "Mike" Chapman and Matthew "Matt" Chapman, also known as The Brothers Chaps. It's centered around the titular character, and consists mostly in animated shorts, but there also are many videogames and some other media. Despite homestarrunner.com featuring many differnet series based on the Homestar Runner characters (such as Strong Bad's Mail or Marzipan's Answering Machine), all content published on the site is considered part of the Homestar Runner series.
Series origin
The series was originally created as a children's book titled The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest, written by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel in July 1996. Only very few copies were privately published for their friends.
In December 1996, the first animation of the series was created using Mario Paint, again to only be shown to their friends.
In June 1999 a second story was written, titled Where My Hat Is At? while in the form of a children's book, it was actually never published.
On January 1, 2000 the site was created, and Homestar Runner was trademarked, so it must be noted that this is the point were the series officially started to exist. The site originally contained Where My Hat Is At?, the Mario Paint animation, here titled Super NES, the first actual animated episode, Marshmallow's Last Stand, and the first few games where also added shortly thereafter.
It started being updated regularly with new content, up until 2010. After a four year pause, new content was added in 2014.
Animation
Many animated shorts where uploaded on homestarrunner.com, plus two exclusively uploaded on youtube.com, and some exclusively on DVD. These are (when not specified they've been uploaded on the official site):
- Super NES (January 1, 2000)
- Marshmallow's Last Stand (January 1, 2000), later removed from the site.
- In Search of the Yello Dello (May 4, 2000), later updated.
- The King of Town (June 9, 2000), updated for the DVD release.
- Strong Bad Sings (2000)
- Kick the Can (2000), various, selectable versions of the same cartoon, created as if it was from the 1930s. It started a series of episodes in the same style.
- Theme Song Video (2000)
- Homestarloween Party (October 2000)
- A Holiday Greeting (December 2000)
- A Jorb Well Done (March 2, 2001), including the short game Coach Z Talker at the end.
- The Luau (May 1, 2001)
- A Mother's Day Message (May 11, 2001)
- Fluffy Puff Commercial (June 27, 2001)
- The House That Gave Sucky Treats (October 27, 2001)
- Some Stupid Turkey (November 27, 2001)
- The Best Decemberween Ever (December 21, 2001)
- Where's The Cheat? (February 25, 2002)
- Powered by The Cheat: The Cheat Theme Song (February 25, 2002)
- First Time Here? (March 28, 2002), welcome video for first-time viewers of the site.
- The Interview (June 4, 2002)
- Powered by The Cheat: Everybody to the Limit (July 1, 2002)
- Meet Marshie (August 26, 2002)
- Parsnips-A-Plenty (October 21, 2002)
- Pumpkin Carve-nival (October 28, 2002)
- A Decemberween Pageant (December 23, 2002)
- The System is Down (January 22, 2003)
- Superbowl Dealie (January 27, 2003)
- 20X6 vs. 1936 (March 17, 2003)
- Arcade Game (March 17, 2003)
- King of Town Email (April 1, 2003)
- Lookin at a Thing in a Bag (April 8, 2003)
- Field Day Intro (June 7, 2003)
- Ballad of The Sneak (June 23, 2003)
- Mr. Shmallow (August 4, 2003)
- Malloween Commercial (October 20, 2003)
- 3 Times Halloween Funjob (October 29, 2003)
- Not the 100th Email!!! (March 16, 2004), a secret short video in preparation for the 100th Strong Bad Mail.
- Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon (March 22, 2004)
- Under Construction (April 1, 2004)
- Powered by The Cheat: New Boots (April 7, 2004)
- Cheat Commandos (May 10, 2004)
- What We Did Last Week (May 24, 2004), later renamed The Cheatar
- Cheat Commandos...O's (May 31, 2004)
- Senor Mortgage (June 29, 2004)
- Decemberween In July (July 12, 2004), including four selectable shorts plus two easter egg videos.
- Experimental Film (July 13, 2004)
- Peasant's Quest Preview (July 19, 2004)
- Marzipan's Answering Machine: Version 11.2 (August 23, 2004)
- Shopping for Danger (September 28, 2004)
- That A Ghost (October 18, 2004)
- Halloween Fairstival (October 29, 2004)
- Snowglobe (December 16, 2004)
- Homestar Presents: Presents (December 20, 2004)
- The Li'l Brudder Show (April 18, 2005)
- Bug In Mouth Disease (May 9, 2005)
- Senorial Day (May 30, 2005)
- Happy Fireworks (July 4, 2005)
- Cool Things (August 15, 2005)
- A Folky Tale (August 22, 2005)
- TrogdorCon '97 (September 5, 2005)
- Commandos in the Classroom (September 13, 2005)
- Sick Day (October 3, 2005)
- Strong Bad is a Bad Guy (October 17, 2005)
- Halloween Potion-ma-jig (November 1, 2005)
- Fall Float Parade (November 21, 2005)
- Happy Trogday (January 13, 2006)
- 500 The Cheats (February 13, 2006)
- Sbemail 150?!? (March 27, 2006), short video in preparation for the 150th Strong Bad Mail.
- Weclome Back (July 3, 2006)
- Summer Short Shorts (July 25, 2006)
- No Hands On Deck! (August 14, 2006)
- Strongest Man in the World (August 21, 2006), animated version of the original book, released for its 10th anniversary.
- Happy Hallow-day (October 30, 2006)
- Let us give TANKS! (November 21, 2006)
- Decemberween Short Shorts (December 18, 2006)
- The King of Town's Very Own Quite Popular Cartoon Show!! (February 26, 2007)
- Drive-Thru (March 19, 2007)
- An Important Rap Song (March 26, 2007)
- Eggs (April 9, 2007), an unfinished cartoon, featured as an extra.
- Date Nite (April 24, 2007)
- Sbemail 169 Deleted Scene (April 30, 2007)
- DNA Evidence (May 15, 2007)
- One Two, One Two (May 28, 2007)
- Ever and More! (June 26, 2007)
- Quality Time (August 7, 2007)
- Jibblies 2 (October 29, 2007). A teaser for it was also released shortly before.
- Rap Song (November 12, 2007)
- Toikey TV (November 19, 2007)
- Happy Dethemberween (December 17, 2007)
- Trogday 08 (January 14, 2008)
- Sloshybowl (February 3, 2008)
- Sickly Sam's Big Outing (February 11, 2008)
- Blubb-O's Commercial (March 10, 2008)
- Rotten Eggs (March 24, 2008)
- Strong Bad Gameways (April 1, 2008), released on YouTube.
- Play Date (June 9, 2008)
- Somber Vacation (June 16, 2008)
- The Baloneyman (June 30, 2008)
- Cheat Commandos: The Next Epi-Snowed (July 28, 2008)
- Powered by The Cheat: Trudgemank (August 18, 2008)
- Place ya bets! (September 15, 2008)
- Page Load Error (September 19, 2008), a secret short video in preparation for the 200th Strong Bad Mail.
- Costume Commercial (October 20, 2008)
- Most in the Graveyard (October 30, 2008). A teaser for it was also released shortly before.
- Twenty THANXty Six (November 24, 2008)
- Coach Z's 110% (December 8, 2008)
- Hooked on Decemberween (December 15, 2008)
- A Death-Defying Decemberween (December 22, 2008)
- Hremail 62 (January 26, 2009)
- Hremail 2000 (February 2, 2009)
- Best Caper Ever (February 9, 2009)
- 4 Gregs (February 16, 2009)
- Career Day (March 10, 2009)
- Kick-A-Ball (March 17, 2009)
- Sbemailiarized! (March 30, 2009)
- April Fool 09 (April 1, 2009), originally replacing the site's introduction, was later moved in the Holiday Toons section.
- Donut Unto Others (April 6, 2009)
- Where U Goin' 2? (April 19, 2009)
- Pistols for Pandas (April 27, 2009)
- Hremail 7 (May 4, 2009)
- 79 Seconds Left (May 18, 2009)
- 2 Part Episode: Part 1 (June 1, 2009)
- 2 Part Episode: Part 2 (June 8, 2009)
- Loading Screens (July 5, 2009)
- Where My Hat Is At? (July 27, 2009), animated version of the second written story.
- Compy Catalog (August 3, 2009)
- On Break (August 24, 2009)
- The Animated Adventures of Puppet Homestar (September 15, 2009). While starring the incarnations of the characters from the puppet videos, it only consists in animated photos of them.
- Powered by The Cheat: Crystal Fortress (September 28, 2009)
- Coach Z pukes in dude's toupee (October 5, 2009), released on YouTube.
- Decomposing Pumpkins (October 19, 2009)
- Doomy Tales of the Macabre (October 29, 2009). A teaser for it was also released shortly before.
- Punkin Show (November 10, 2009)
- Xeriouxly Forxe (March 31, 2010)
- A Decemberween Mackerel (December 14, 2010)
- Which Ween Costumes? (December 22, 2010)
- April Fools 2014 (April 1, 2014)
- Fish Eye Lens (October 3, 2014)
- Halloween Safety (October 20, 2014)
- I Killed Pom-Pom (October 30, 2014)
- Strong Bad reads "The Ocelot and the Porridge Maiden" (Teaser Trailer) - Worldbuilders 2014 (December 5, 2014). A promotional video to support worldbuilders.com, posted on their YouTube channel. An extended version titled "Strong Bad Classics!" was published on the site on September 30, 2015.
- Record Store Day (April 18, 2015)
- Flash is Dead! (August 3, 2015)
- The House That Gave Sucky Tricks (October 29, 2015)
- Marzipan's Answering Machine 17 (April 1, 2016)
Additionally on August 22, 2001 started Strong Bad Email, a series of shorts depicting Strong Bad responding to actual fan-sent e-mails. Most of these additionally to Strong Bad reading the e-mail and then responding, also feature some short animated scenes. A total of 205 responses were given up to October 5, 2009; a 206th episode was released on April 1, 2015.
Some more videos were released exclusively on the DVDs of the series.
Live action/Puppets
A series of puppet videos were also released on the site, some of them including actors, and some totally live-action videos were also released. These are:
- Whoa! Puppets (September 29, 2003), later renamed Puppet Thing and then Everybody Knows It.
- Puppet Time (March 8, 2004)
- Puppet Jam: Bad Jokes (May 24, 2004)
- Puppet Jam: Tropical Lazor Beams (May 31, 2004)
- Puppet Jam: Vitamins/Celebrities (June 7, 2004)
- Homestar and the Nice Present (July 12, 2004), released within Decemberween In July.
- Homestar vs. Little Girl (July 12, 2004), released as an easter egg within Decemberween In July.
- Labor Day (September 6, 2004), later renamed Labor Dabor.
- Homestar vs. Little Girl 2 (October 25, 2004)
- Peasant's Quest Movie Trailer (February 6, 2005)
- Strong Bad vs. Little Girl! (March 14, 2005)
- Biz Cas Fri 1 (June 24, 2005)
- Biz Cas Fri 2 (July 1, 2005)
- Puppet Jam: Mission Control (July 8, 2005)
- Biz Cas Fri 3 (August 5, 2005)
- Homestar vs. Other Little Girl (November 28, 2005)
- Homestar vs. Very, Very Little Girl (July 25, 2006), released as an easter egg within Summer Short Shorts.
- Marshie vs. Little Girl (October 22, 2007)
- Limozeen Live! (practice) (March 17, 2008)
- Workin' on the Game (May 5, 2008)
Games
Many games are available on the site, some in the Games category, other hidden in other spots. Some of these are supposed to be fictional within the main Homestar Runner universe, and are created by the fictional company Videlectrix. On February 2, 2004 a specific site for Videlectrix was created, so games featured exclusively on that site are considered a series on their own, and so is the game Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. The Homestar Runner games are:
- Fortune Cookies (January 1, 2000)
- Homestar Talker (January 1, 2000). A hidden game called Strong Bad Talker is also unlockable from this.
- Bronco Trolley (January 1, 2000), later renamed Bronco Trolleys.
- Hairstyle Talker (January 1, 2000)
- Astrolite 2600 (January 1, 2000), later renamed Astro-Lite 2600.
- Dancin' Bubs (January 1, 2000)
- Strong Libs (January 24, 2001)
- Coach Z Talker (March 2, 2001), featured at the end of A Jorb Well Done.
- Armless Invaders (January 10, 2002), a secret game accessable from Strong Bad's Message Bored, the site's message board.
- The Cheat's Smoking Challenge (January 10, 2002), a secret game accessable from Strong Bad's Message Bored.
- Nighttime Driving Type Game (January 10, 2002), a secret game accessable from Strong Bad's Message Bored.
- Duck Pond (February 17, 2002), a game accessable from the Strong Bad Mail "duck pond".
- Awexome Cross (February 4, 2003)
- TROGDOR! (March 17, 2003), a Wii version was also later momentarily made available on the Videlectrix site.
- Revenge of the King (April 1, 2003), a game accessed from the "King of Town Main Page", in turn accessed from King of Town Email.
- Population: Tire (June 23, 2003), a Wii version was also later made available on the Videlectrix site.
- Marshie's Malloween Mix-Up (October 28, 2003)
- Secret Collect. (January 12, 2004), a Wii version was also later made available on the Videlectrix site.
- StrongBadZone (January 12, 2004), a Wii version was also later made available on the Videlectrix site.
- Peasant's Quest (August 2, 2004)
- Hallrunner (August 2, 2004)
- Stinkoman 20X6 (March 21, 2005)
- Thy Dungeonman 3 (April 24, 2006)
- Kid Speedy (July 10, 2006), a Wii version was also later made available on the Videlectrix site.
- Make-O Your Own Stinko (October 8, 2007)
Comics
A 15-issue comic called Teen Girl Squad was started on the site, the first issue being released within Strong Man's Mail on December 2, 2002, while the last was released on May 11, 2009. While shown in the form of a video, it actually consists in still drawings with baloons read by Strong Bad.
Other site entries
Other notable entries in the site include:
- Introductive bios for the most prominent characters in the series, later replaced by videos.
- Marzipan's Answering Machine, a series of audio recordings on Marzipan's answering machine, with each video including about five of them. 16 videos have been released between Autumn 2000 and March 2, 2009.
- The Secrets that I Keep, added on October 19, 2001 and showing some of the things Strong Sad secretly keeps under his bed
- Strong Sad's Lament, the fictional weblog of Strong Sad, that debuted on November 17, 2002 and had 19 posts up until September 9, 2005.
- Fan Costume Commentary released in November 2003, and 2005 through 2009, featuring a comment of Strong Bad over photos of people in Homestar Runner Halloween costumes.
- Limozeen Thanksgiving E-Cards (November 24, 2003)
- HomestarRunner.com PAY PLUS! (April 1, 2005), classified as a holiday video, it's actually a fake site, and includes some small videos and a game demo.
- Lappynapped! (September 25, 2006), Strong Bad's answering machine messages.
- Limozeen vs. Sloshy (September 17, 2007), a playable music track.
The site also include non-fictional sections such as "Interviews and Public Appearances".
Merchandise
Available at the site's store are many items, including t-shirts, caps, messenger bags, tote bags, figurines and the CD Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits, released on November 17, 2003.
The Downloads section also features downloadable elements such as wallpapers, icons and most notable a Strong Bad Clock.
Links to Other Series
| Direction | Series | Date | Description | Type
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Pitfall | May 4, 2000 | The Homestar Runner episode In Search of the Yello Dello features a reference to Pitfall! | 3 |
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Leisure Suit Larry | July 8, 2002 | The Strong Bad Mail "sisters" features images from Leisure Suit Larry games. | 2 |
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Mario | October 29, 2002 | The Homestar Runner series features many references to the Mario series. | 2 |
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The Legend of Zelda | January 6, 2003 | The Homestar Runner series features many references to the Legend of Zelda series. | 2 |
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Videlectrix | February 2, 2004 | The Videlectrix series is a spin-off of the Homestar Runner series. | 1 |
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King's Quest | August 2, 2004 | Peasant's Quest is a parody of King's Quest, and makes many references to it. | 3 |
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Muppets | November 1, 2005 | Marzipan is dressed up as Beaker in Halloween Potion-Ma-Jig. | 2 |
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Thundarr the Barbarian | November 1, 2005 | The Poopsmith dresses as Ookla the Mok in the Homestar Runner cartoon "Halloween Potion-ma-jig" | 2 |
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Guitar Hero | November 7, 2006 | "Trogdor" by Strong Bad and "Because, It's Midnite" by Limozeen from Homestar Runner appear in Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. | 2 |
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Final Fantasy | June 26, 2007 | The English version of Final Fantasy's PSP port uses the word "burninate" from Homestar Runner. | 3 |
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Strong Bad | August 11, 2008 | The Strong Bad series is a spin-off of the Homestar Runner series. | 1 |
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Captain Caveman | October 30, 2008 | Homsar dresses as Captain Caveman in the Homestar Runner episode "Most in the Graveyard". | 2 |
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Dig Dug | October 29, 2009 | A character is dressed like a Pooka from Dig Dug in the episode "Doomy Tales of the Macabre" from Homestar Runner. | 2 |
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The Kingkiller Chronicle | December 13, 2017 | Strong Bad draws a Draccus from The Kingkiller Chronicle in an episode of Skills of an Artist. | 2 |
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Robot Chicken | December 17, 2017 | Homestar Runner is parodied in the Robot Chicken episode "Hey I Found Another Sock". | 2 |
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Baldi's Basics | March 31, 2018 | You can find a chalkboard in Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning that mentions Homestar Runner. | 2 |
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The Aquabats! | August 28, 2018 | Carl from Aquabats! is based on the character Strong Bad from Homestar Runner. Homestar Runner and Strong Bad from Homestar Runner appear in The Aquabats! Super Kickstarter! episode "The Wizard of Hollywood!". | 1 |
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The Locked Tomb | October 4, 2020 | In Harrow the Ninth, Ianthe compares Harrow to Li'l Brudder from Homestar Runner. | 3 |
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All Hams on Deck! | September 22, 2020 | A pig based on Strong Bad from Homestar Runner called "Hog Bad" appears in All Hams on Deck! after an update. | 2 |
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Poker Night at the Inventory | March 5, 2026 | Homestar Runner makes a cameo appearance in the Poker Night at the Inventory remaster. | 1 |
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Walkabout Mini Golf | June 25, 2026 | A content pack featuring characters and locations from Homestar Runner appears as DLC in Walkabout Mini Golf VR. | 1 |
