Editing Homestar Runner (body of work)

[[Image:logo.png|thumb|The Homestar Runner logo]]
:''This article is about the Flash cartoon. For information on the [[Characters|character]] Homestar Runner, see [[Homestar Runner]].''
== What's Homestar Runner? == 
'''Homestar Runner''' (often abbreviated '''HSR''' or '''H*R''') is an animated cartoon series available mostly through [http://www.homestarrunner.com/ homestarrunner.com]. It has an absurdist sense of humor similar to that found in ''[[Wikipedia:H.R. Pufnstuf|H.R. Pufnstuf]]''. Although originally conceived as a book written for children, the site is perhaps most popular with (and has been gravitating toward) young adults, with its short movies, games, charmingly na�ve music, and plentiful opportunities for interaction.

The cartoons nominally center on Homestar Runner, a clumsy and unintelligent athlete. The character [[Strong Bad]], however, is often more popular among fans, 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]], and many of the site's features&mdash;music, games, main pages, etc.&mdash;are based on things from the Strong Bad Emails.

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 [[The Poopsmith|Poopsmith]].  Rounding out the cast is [[Homsar]], a gibberish-speaking character created due to a poorly-spelled email to Strong Bad.

Another popular feature on the website is the crudely drawn comic ''[[Teen Girl Squad]]'', which drawn by Strong Bad. The comic revolves around four high school clich�s, each of which is parodied in her 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 Chapman|Matt]] and [[Mike Chapman]], who typically call themselves "[[The Brothers Chaps]]". Matt Chapman provides the voices of the male characters, while [[Missy Palmer]] (Mike's wife) does that of Marzipan. Mike Chapman provides the stilted voices for [[Powered by The Cheat|The Cheat's amateurish flash cartoons]].

Because The Brothers Chaps run their own website, they have a creative freedom that they would not have doing a regular TV show.  Though the site sells [[Store|Homestar merchandise]], it has no commercials, and a few of the cartoons parody advertising, with 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 [[Don and Harriet Chapman|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 [[Wikipedia:Macromedia Flash|Macromedia Flash]] animations, is filled with hidden [[Glossary#E|Easter Egg]]s: 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]]", viewers 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 to hear what Strong Bad thinks of the particular place he has visited.

:''Content for the above was taken chiefly from the [[Wikipedia:Main Page|Wikipedia]] article for [[Wikipedia:Homestar Runner|Homestar Runner]] found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestar_Runner.  As such, this article is licensed under the [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html GNU Free Documentation License].

==External links==
* [http://www.homestarrunner.com/ Homestar Runner Official Website]
** [http://www.homestarrunner.com/firsttime.html Introduction for first-time visitors]
*[http://www.whois.sc/homestarrunner.com Whois]

[[Category:Special Pages]]