pom pom

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Current revision as of 01:32, 2 July 2025

"All right, Led Zeppelin! Let's get this settled once and for all!"

This article is about the Strong Bad Email. For the character, see Pom Pom.

Kevin asks about what would happen if you poked Pom Pom with a pin. Strong Bad experiments with dangerous conditions.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Coach Z, Homestar Runner, Bubs, Pom Pom, The Poopsmith, Viklas (Easter egg), Monkey D (Easter egg)

Places: Computer Room, The Field, Bubs' Concession Stand

Computer: Compy 386

Date: Monday, July 19, 2004

Running Time: 2:25

Page Title: Compy 386!!

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Four

[edit] Transcript

STRONG BAD: {singing} Oh, I'm an email gambler... that means I play cards with emails. {He pulls up the email.} Full house.

Dear Strongbad,

What would happen if you poked
Pom-Pom with a pin? Is that why I
haven't seen him around in a while?

Kevin
OH

{He pronounces "OH" as the word "oh!"}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Oh! Kevin. You scared me! I dunno. I guess he would pop or explode depending on whether he's filled with helium or hydrogen. And also depending on if he's on fire at time of poke. This is sounding pretty good. {clears screen} Poking Pom Pom with a pin while he's on fire! Let's see, how can we raise the stakes a little bit? Ooh! I'll be blindfolded! Truly this will be my greatest feat! {He puts on a blindfold with a rayed sun motif.} All right. I'm ready to go. {Types as "aligrt u.ln reay tui gi"}

{He leaves the computer. Cut to a field where Coach Z and Homestar Runner are standing.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Um, I think it was dot-egg or dot-muffin or something.

COACH Z: You sure it wasn't dot-com? {pronounced "cam" due to his accent} Or dot-org?

HOMESTAR RUNNER: No, I'm pretty sure it was dot-egg.

STRONG BAD: {offscreen} All right, Hindenburg.

{He enters, still wearing the blindfold and brandishing a pin and the BMW lighter.}

STRONG BAD: Where you at?

COACH Z: {He jumps out of the way.} Whoa! Hey there! Careful with those!

STRONG BAD: Pom Pom, is that you?

{He begins to poke Homestar in the chin with the pin, which makes a little high-pitched "poink" noise each time.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Yeah, it's me.

STRONG BAD: {still poking, annoyed} Homestar?!

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Yeah, it's me. {Light pink dots begin to appear on Homestar's face}

STRONG BAD: Look, I'm trying to find Pom Pom. You know where he is? {holds the lighter up to Homestar's shirt}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: I think he's over at Bubs's, filming his documentary.

STRONG BAD: {quickly and dismissively} All right, thanks.

{He stops poking and walks off.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: {assuming a teenager's breaking voice and slightly swaying} Hey, Coach! Check me out! I've got bad zits!

{Cut to Bubs' Concession Stand, where The Poopsmith is wearing headphones and holding a boom mic over Bubs's head and Pom Pom is filming Bubs at his place behind the counter.}

BUBS: And that's how I almost died the fifteenth time.

{Bubs, Pom Pom and The Poopsmith turn to look at Strong Bad as he enters.}

STRONG BAD: All right, Led Zeppelin! Let's get this settled once and for all!

{Strong Bad jumps in the direction of the concession stand, but smashes his face against the wall.}

BUBS: That'll be five dollars! {He puts up a sign reading "Face Mashings $5."}

STRONG BAD: Ugh! {He shakes his head.} That's cool. I'm cool. {quickly} Here I go again! Urah!

{He jumps up and runs toward Pom Pom, who leaps into the air. He runs underneath Pom Pom and skids to a halt next to where he was standing. Pom Pom lands gracefully behind him with an angry expression.}

STRONG BAD: Pom Pom, is tha—

{Pom Pom kicks him into the air and 'juggles' him through several strikes, much like a fighting game, making combo signs appear after his fourth, fifth and sixth strikes with the Super Mario Bros. "coin" noise. He then finishes him off with a kick, sending him flying. A "1up" sign appears, along with the Super Mario Bros. "1-up" noise.}

BUBS: That'll be ten dollars! {He puts up a sign reading "Severe Pummelings $10."}

{Cut to the Compy room, where Strong Bad's reply is still on the screen. Strong Bad plummets through the roof, landing on his stool. He removes the blindfold.}

STRONG BAD: Ugh! {typing} So, since I was blindfolded, I didn't really get a clear view of what happened. But I'm pretty sure I didn't get the everloving snot beat out of me and that Pom Pom exploded in a big fiery ball that was visible from space. Poor guy... I feel kind of sorry for him. I might even miss him a little bit. Well, it had to be done in the name of science. Or, more accurately, because some kid e-mailed me and told me to. {said in a childishly angered manner} I hope you're happy, Kevin!

{The Paper comes down.}

[edit] Easter Eggs

• At the end, click on "Poor guy" to see a letter from Strong Bad to Pom Pom's parents.

{Some sad music starts playing and a sheet of paper appears on the screen. As writing appears, Strong Bad reads it aloud, his voice cracking as he gets sadder.}

Dear General and Fraulein Pom Pom,
it is with a heavy heart that i inform you that your
son recently exploded in a big, fiery ball that was visible
from space. i would also like to add that in no way did
he beat any of the everloving snot out of me.
Sequentially,
Strong Bad

• At the end, click on "e-mailed" to see Strong Bad "email gambling" with Bubs.

{Cut to a top-down view of a green table with some poker chips on it.}

STRONG BAD: Oh, read 'em and weep, boys! Pair of Abdis and a Viklas! {He throws cards onto the table, two of which bear a capital A, and one of which shows the Swedish flag.}

BUBS: Oh, man! Alls I got is a lousy MonkeyDude! {He throws down a card depicting Monkey D.}

[edit] Fun Facts

[edit] Explanation

• A "full house", as Strong Bad says in the opening song, is a poker hand of three cards of one value and two cards of another (e.g., 3 Kings and 2 Tens would constitute a full house).
• This is one of the few times the opening song is related to the email or Easter egg.

[edit] Trivia

• The YouTube description for this email is "Strong Bad investigates what happens if Pom Pom is poked with a pin. No ever-loving snot is kicked out of anyone."
• This is the third email with a title that consists only of a character's name, with no other qualifying text like "hair" or "talk". The first and second are homsar and marzipan respectively.

[edit] Remarks

The knot in its original black

• In the Flash file, between the two Easter eggs, from frames 2085-2105, a black version of the knot on the back of Strong Bad's blindfold appears in front of a plain white background. This black version is actually the belt from Pom Pom's karate outfit in the Theme Song Video. {See also Inside References.}
• In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, The Brothers Chaps did not modify the letter "q" (as they normally do) from how it actually appears in AhnbergHand, the font they usually use for Strong Bad's handwriting.
• After Strong Bad faceplants himself against the wall, the lighter goes out and is not re-lit.
• Strong Bad exposes himself as a less-than-expert typist in this email. After "raising the stakes" and donning a blindfold, he cannot type. An expert touch-typist would have no problem typing in this situation.
  • However, in the email impression, he is able to type with a picnic plate over his eyes.
  • He is also able to turn his attention away from the Lappy and type one-handed in redesign.
• Supposing the denizens of the Isle of Pom use the same linguistic conventions as Germany, Strong Bad's use of Fräulein to refer to Pom Pom's mother is technically incorrect: instead he should be using Frau. In German, the word Frau ("woman") is used when addressing or referring to married women, like Mrs. in English, while Fräulein ("young woman") is used for younger, unmarried women, like Miss in English. As it is, the letter sounds like it is actually addressed to Pom Pom's father and sister, rather than to both of his parents.
  • Additionally, using Fräulein is currently considered politically incorrect in Germany; both married and unmarried women are all addressed as Frau.
• The sizing between Strong Bad and Homestar seems to be distorted in this email. Strong Bad's head is much larger when seen poking Homestar, contrasted to long pants.
• There is actually such a thing as dot egg, but it is a file format and is unused in web URLs.

[edit] Goofs

• In the scene where Strong Bad attempts to pop Pom Pom near Bubs' Concession Stand, he is holding the BMW Lighter, but the BMW logo is backwards on it.
• Somewhere between Strong Bad's first and second attempts to poke Pom Pom, the Poopsmith disappears without a trace, for no apparent reason.
• In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, Strong Bad does not properly spell Fräulein as he omits the umlaut over the "a". In the case of "au" diphthongs in German, the absence or presence of an umlaut over the "a" determines its pronunciation between "ow" and "oy" (as spoken by Strong Bad) respectively.
• When Strong Bad is falling back into the computer room, there is no reflection of any part of his body on the Compy's screen until he lands. Also note that there are no laces on the back of his head.
• When Pom Pom hits Strong Bad the first time, his BMW lighter flies away, but his pin disappears.
• When Strong Bad pokes Homestar Runner on the chin 11 times, he ends up with 5 pink marks, but when the camera zooms out, he has 8 marks. The marks are much more spread out than Strong Bad's pokes.

[edit] Inside References

• In the poker game, Strong Bad has two Abdis and a Viklas card, which are references to the emails some kinda robot and little questions.
• Bubs's "MonkeyDude" card has a picture of Monkey D. Monkeydude himself came from crazy cartoon.
• The blindfold Strong Bad wears has the same design as Pom Pom's headband in the Theme Song Video. The tie is a recolored version of Pom Pom's belt, in the same cartoon. {Also see Real-World References.}
• Homestar and Coach Z's conversation about websites and Bubs's statement about his almost-deaths are both examples of interrupted conversations.
• The music that accompanies Strong Bad's letter of consolation is from 2 years and A Decemberween Pageant.
• Pom Pom directing a documentary may be a reference to The House That Gave Sucky Treats, where he dressed as controversial documentarian Michael Moore.
• This is an instance of Strong Bad getting beaten up.
• Strong Bad falls through the ceiling of the computer room.
• Homestar's confusion over websites echoes his confusion in First Time Here?.

[edit] Real-World References

"That'll be ten dollars!"

• Pom Pom's fighting style is similar to Kirby's fighting style in the Super Smash Bros. series, with combo and Smash attacks.
• When Pom Pom beats up Strong Bad, sound effects can be heard from the Super Mario Bros. NES game, as is his scoring a 1-up after hitting Strong Bad several times (however, it usually takes 8 hits, not 7). The "Combo" sign is also a reference to the many fighting games that feature them.
• The rayed sun on Strong Bad's blindfold is from the military (especially pre-WWII) version of the Japanese flag. Its use here may be inspired by the 1984 film The Karate Kid, in which Ralph Macchio's character Daniel Larusso wore a Japanese bandana known as a hachimaki, which is traditionally worn during a difficult or important task. (However, it is likely just the closest thing to a blindfold that Mike Chapman had lying around among his props. See Inside References.)
• The email song is a reference to the Kenny Rogers song (and movie) The Gambler.
• Led Zeppelin was a '70s British band noted for their innovative, influential approach to heavy blues-rock.
• The Hindenburg was a German Zeppelin that exploded and burned on May 6, 1937.
  • A famous picture of the Hindenburg disaster was used as the cover to Led Zeppelin's first album.

[edit] Fast Forward

• Strong Bad falls through the roof again in keep cool.
• Pom Pom again shows his martial arts prowess in Summer Short Shorts.
• Homestar references a .egg domain in Sbemail 169 Deleted Scene, one is present on the Bookazon.com site in the DVD version of studying, and it is mentioned again in Back to a Website.
• In Strong Badia the Free, attempting to use the katana on Pom Pom results in Strong Bad recalling the events of this email. Trying to use the lighter on Pom Pom also refers to this email ("I'm not sure what Pom Pom's filled with...").
• Strong Bad playing poker is the main subject of Poker Night at the Inventory.
• Pom Pom would eventually be popped in Doomy Tales of the Macabre and I Killed Pom Pom.

[edit] DVD Version

• The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching.

[edit] Commentary Transcript

(Commentary by: Matt Chapman, Ryan Sterritt, Jonathan Howe)

MATT: All right. No introductions this time, guys. We're just gonna do it.

JONATHAN: Let's go!

MATT: All right.

RYAN: On the spot.

JONATHAN: What—what email are we doing here?

MATT: Uh, this is pom pom.

JONATHAN: All right.

MATT: And he just sang his little song about being the email gambler.

RYAN: Ohh, is—

JONATHAN: Is that, uh—

MATT: Like {simultaneously with Ryan} Kenny Rogers Roasters.

JONATHAN: I used to have the, um, Kenny Rogers' record of the Gambler soundtrack.

MATT: Ooh, nice.

JONATHAN: And I thought, as a child, that if you put it on the record, you'd be able to watch the movie?

MATT: {high-pitched} What?

JONATHAN: Like, I just didn't know that the soundtrack was not the movie and—

MATT: Wow.

JONATHAN: I was—

MATT: How did you think—Where did you think the movie was gonna appear?

JONATHAN: {embarrassed} I don't know. I was just a visionary waiting for laserdisc.

MATT: Yeah, I guess so.

JONATHAN: Anyway.

RYAN: I met Kenny Rogers at a sushi place once.

MATT: Did you? Where at?

JONATHAN: He wasn't eating at his own chicken venue?

RYAN: No. He and his whole family were there so we got him some sake and he came over and met us.

MATT: Nice! Well, speaking of sake, Strong Bad is wearing a Japanese... headband, with the rising sun.

RYAN: Would you say Karma?

{Jon and Matt laugh}

JONATHAN: What?

MATT: I think I was karma.

JONATHAN: {laughs} Karma D?

MATT: Um—

JONATHAN: Oh, that's very—

MATT: What do you think those guys were talking about just then? Dot com or dot egg? Dot Muffin?

JONATHAN: My favorite, um—

RYAN: The movement.

JONATHAN: My favorite moment, you know, where you're always picking up the characters in some like, nonsensical—

MATT: Right.

JONATHAN: —conversation is when, when he goes, "And you stay over there."

MATT: That's right.

JONATHAN: That's...

MATT: I think we were discussing on this commentary for that one who—who exactly he's talking to.

JONATHAN: {unintelligible}

RYAN: I like Poopsmith holding the—

MATT: I would like... we should make that documentary someday.

JONATHAN: Yeah.

MATT: Or, just like show that whole documentary about Bubs, I guess?

JONATHAN: {laughs}

{pause until Strong Bad says "I'm cool"}

JONATHAN: He's cool.

MATT: I did some, uh, extra special animation on the little backstraps of his headband there. I don't remember—

JONATHAN: Yeah, Mike probably—

MATT: This part was really fun to animate.

RYAN: I like the noises.

MATT: Yeah.

JONATHAN: Angry Pom Pom face rules, too.

MATT: Ooh. He came right through the ceiling.

JONATHAN: That—That made the hole that, um, that three-foot hole or whatever?

MATT: Oh, well that was in the ceiling, though.

JONATHAN: Now I'm confused—

MATT: He came through the ceiling.

JONATHAN: Oh yeah.

MATT: He didn't shoot up through the floor.

JONATHAN: See, there's a lot of holes—

MATT: There's a lot of holes in Strong Bad's—

JONATHAN: {simultaneously} Serious falling hazard. Yeah.

MATT: It's an old, rotted-up house. Just with nice, nice carpet on top of it.

JONATHAN: So, um, Pom Pom fighting game coming soon?

MATT: Yeah, no, exactly. It makes me wanna play a side-scrolling Pom Pom street fighter—

JONATHAN: Pom Fighter. Double—

MATT: Pom Freaks.

JONATHAN: Get it? Double Pom?

[edit] External Links

• watch "pom pom"
• watch "pom pom" on YouTube
• watch "pom pom" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "pom pom"
• forum thread re: "pom pom"