Homestar Runner Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Homestar Runner (often abbreviated HSR or H*R) is an animated cartoon series available mostly through HomestarRunner.com. It has an absurdist sense of humor similar to that found in H.R. Pufnstuf. Although originally for children, the site is perhaps most popular with (and has been gravitating toward) young adults, with its short movies, games, charmingly naïve music, and plentiful opportunities for interaction.The series notionally centers on Homestar Runner, a clumsy and unintelligent athlete. The antagonist Strong Bad, however, steals the show, mostly through his near-weekly updates of Strong Bad Emails, short cartoons in which he answers viewer email. Strong Bad works closely with his sidekick The Cheat and uses his brother Strong Mad as the muscle in his operations. Together, the three prey on Strong Bad's gawky and constantly-depressed brother Strong Sad.
Many of the site's features—music, games, main pages, etc.—are based on things from the Strong Bad E-mails.
Several other characters fill out the world: Homestar's hippie girlfriend Marzipan, his best friend Pom-Pom, their coach Coach Z, local concession stand operator and dancer Bubs, the King of Town, and his Poopsmith. Rounding out the cast is Homsar, a gibberish-speaking character created due to a poorly-spelled e-mail to Strong Bad.
Another popular feature on the website is the crudely drawn comic Teen Girl Squad (the explanation on why it looks so juvenile is that it is drawn by Strong Bad). The comic revolves around four high school clichés, which are parodied in their own way; in their quest to become unique and popular, they are bland and monotonous. This is evident in the girls' nondescript names: Cheerleader, So-and-So, What's Her Face, and The Ugly One.
Nearly every Monday, some sort of update (a short, a longer cartoon, a Strong Bad e-mail, a video game, or real-life merchandise like CDs and action figures) is added to the website.
The series is the product of Matt and Mike Chapman, who typically call themselves "The Brothers Chaps". Matt Chapman provides the voices of the male characters, while Missy Palmer does that of Marzipan. Mike Chapman provides the stilted voices for The Cheat's amateurish Flash cartoons.
Because "The Brothers Chaps" run their website, they have a creative freedom that they would not have doing a regular TV show. Though the site sells Homestar merchandise, it has no commercials (other than the fake ones for products like "Fluffy Puff Marshmallows"). The Internet has allowed them to reach a large audience that they wouldn't have access to otherwise. Originally, they developed Homestar Runner as a labor of love, and for their own amusement. It has grown large enough that merchandise sales pay for all of the costs of running the website. An article in the Chicago Tribune on July 24, 2003, reports the retired parents of the "The Brothers Chaps" are spending a lot of time dealing with the business aspects of the website.
The website, built mostly out of Macromedia Flash animations, is filled with hidden Easter eggs: if a certain area on the page is mouse-clicked at the right time, an additional cartoon or screen will appear. For example, in the Strong Bad Email "Studying", the clever user can view a hidden web page about a book that Strong Bad mentions. Also, at the end of the e-mail "Vacation", you can click on one of five postcards and hear what Strong Bad thinks of the particular place he has visited.
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