Homestar Runner: Difference between revisions

Over time, many alternate versions of the Homestar Runner world and characters would appear, parodying other cartoons and animation styles. Many of these feature in their own cartoons. The many alternate universes would later cross over in some cartoons, such as the 150th Strong Bad Email, ''alternate universe''.

 

Old-Timey cartoons take place in an [[old time|old-time]] setting, with most of the characters being Old-Timey counterparts of the ''Homestar Runner'' characters. These cartoons are in black and white with a film grain effect and scratchy audio quality. They parody the distinctive style of [[animated cartoon]]s during the 1920s and 1930s (à la [[Steamboat Willie]]), and can be seen as perhaps deliberately unfunny, to make a slanted joke about such old-style cartoons. The versions of the characters are, for the most part, similar to their standard counterparts. The names are mostly slightly changed (for instance, Homestar Runner becomes The Homestar Runner, and The Cheat becomes The Sneak) but some are completely different; for example, Pom Pom's equivalent is called Fat Dudley and Strong Sad's equivalent is called Sickly Sam.

 

''Stinkoman 20X6'' (abbreviated to ''20X6''; pronounced "twenty exty-six"), a parody of the Mega Man and [[EarthBound]] games' "year 200X", originated from Strong Bad Email #57, ''japanese cartoon'', an email asking Strong Bad what he would look like if he were in a Japanese [[anime]]. The main character, Stinkoman, is an anime version of Strong Bad with [[blue hair]], a shiny body and robot boots. He is always looking for a fight, asking various characters he interacts with to engage him in a "challenge" ("Are you asking for a challenge?"). The characters in ''20X6'' cartoons each have a counterpart in the ''Homestar Runner'' universe, and their features are a parody of anime and [[Japan]]ese [[video game]] stereotypes. The game of the same name was heavily based on the [[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]] series, particularly the first 6 levels. Stinkoman's name comes from a conversation Homestar Runner and Strong Bad had while marooned on a desert island. Strong Bad created Stinkoman by applying several anime stereotypes (head shaped like a little bean, big shiny eyes, shiny body, mouth that is tiny when closed and huge when opened, blue hair, and robot boots) to his own appearance.

 

''Cheat Commandos'' is a parody of ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' that features a cast of characters that are the same species as The Cheat.<ref name="io9 oral" /> Most are based on G.I. Joe characters. For example, the character Crackotage is based on [[Roadblock (G.I. Joe)|Roadblock]], but with a voice more like [[Scatman Crothers]], while Reinforcements' generic name and appearance is reminiscent of common grunt soldiers. The enemy of the Commandos is Blue Laser, a direct parody of [[Cobra Command|Cobra]], who have their equivalent of [[Cobra Commander]], known as Blue Laser Commander. The cartoon is constantly advertising its products in the cartoons by such methods as referring to the areas they are in as "playsets", a convoy truck as an "action figure storage vehicle", and by ending each cartoon with the phrase "Buy all our playsets and toys!", sung in a patriotic way. It also parodies the G.I. Joe cartoons' use of [[public service announcements]], referring to nonsensical things like "peer-2-teen choice behaviors." Other cartoons feature the character Crack Stuntman, the fictional voice actor for the Cheat Commandos character Gunhaver. While ''G.I. Joe'' was heavily advertised during unrelated contemporary shows, Matt and Mike purposely avoiding placing similar ad parodies in other shorts, as part of the joke around the commercialization and marketing aspects of ''Cheat Commandos''.<ref name="io9 oral" />

 

The site-generated music has enjoyed surprising popularity, such that two songs, "Trogdor" by the character [[Strong Bad]] and "Because, It's Midnite" by Limozeen, have been included in the successful ''[[Guitar Hero II]]'' and ''[[Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s]]'' video games, respectively. Their inclusion in the games is reportedly because [[Harmonix]] founder [[Alex Rigopulos]] is a professed fan of ''Homestar Runner''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Georgia Tech – 26 April 2007 |url=http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php/Georgia_Tech_-_26_Apr_2007 |work=Homestar Runner Wiki |date=26 April 2007 |accessdate=16 July 2009}}</ref>

 

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