pom pom

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Revision as of 07:52, 24 March 2005

This article is about the Strong Bad Email "pom pom". "Pom Pom", with initial capital letters, is a character.

Strong Bad makes an attempt on Pom Pom's life.

Strong Bad Email #108

Kevin asks about what would happen if you poked Pom Pom with a pin.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Coach Z, Homestar Runner, Bubs, Pom Pom, The Poopsmith

Date: July 19, 2004

Running Time: 2:25

Transcript

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

{Strong Bad reads the email out loud}

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!"}

{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. 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.} aligrt u.ln reay tui gi {He says "All right. I'm ready to go."}

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

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

COACH Z: You sure it wasn't dot-com? 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're you at?

COACH Z: Whoa! Hey there! Careful with those!

STRONG BAD: Pom Pom? Is that you?

{He begins to poke Homestar in the chin with the pin.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Yeah, it's me.

STRONG BAD: {still poking} Homestar!

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Yeah, it's me.

STRONG BAD: Look, I'm trying to find Pom Pom. You know where he is?

{By this point, pink spots are appearing on Homestar's face where Strong Bad is poking.}

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

STRONG BAD: All right, thanks.

{He stops poking and walks off.}

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

{Cut to Bubs's, 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! {He jumps in the direction of the concession stand, but smashes his face against the wall.}

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

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

{He jumps up and runs towards 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.}

STRONG BAD: Pom Pom, is that yo-

{Pom Pom kicks him into the air and juggles him, making combo signs appear after his fourth, fifth and sixth kicks. He then finishes him off with a kick, sending him flying. A "1-up" sign appears.}

BUBS: That'll be ten dollars! {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. I hope you're happy, Kevin!

{The paper comes down.}

Easter Eggs

• After The Paper comes down, 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.}

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

• After The Paper comes down, click on "e-mailed" to see an email game between Bubs and Strong Bad.

{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! {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! {throws down a card depicting Monkey D}

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This is one of the few recent emails where Strong Bad doesn't make fun of and/or forget the emailer's name.

Remarks

• In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, TBC did not use the modified Ahnberg Hand Q, a 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 assumed that Pom Pom was filled with either hydrogen or helium, although it's probably neither of those, since they are each lighter than air in their natural states. If he were filled with hydrogen or helium, he would float away like a balloon, instead of being able to land on the ground.
• After Strong Bad "raises the stakes" and puts a blindfold on he cannot type. He can type though when he has his eyes uncovered, but is not looking at the keyboard.
• Strong Bad's use of "Fraulein" 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 adressing or referring to married women, like "Mrs." in English, while Fraulein ("young woman") is used for younger, unmarried women, like "Miss" in English. As it is, the letter sounds like it's actually addressed to Pom Pom's father and sister, rather than to his parents.
  • Additionally, using "Fraulein" is considered politically incorrect in Germany these days, and today both married and unmarried women are all addressed as "Frau."

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 apparant reason.

Inside References

• In the poker game, Strong Bad has two Abdis and a Viklas card, referencing the e-mails "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. (also see Real-World References)
• The conversation between Coach Z and Homestar is in reference to the First Time Here? video, where Homestar messes up while attempting to say "Homestarrunner dot-com".
• 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.
• There is a very old cartoon, Isle of Pom, that shows pom-pom's family. This must be whom Stong Bad is writing.

Real-World References

• When Pom Pom beats up Strong Bad, you can hear sound effects from Super Mario Brothers. When he scores a 1-up after hitting Strong Bad several times, that's another SMB reference. The "Combo" sign is also a parody of the fighting game "Killer Instinct".
• The blindfold Strong Bad puts on has the design of a Kamikaze bandana. It may be a reference to the 1984 film The Karate Kid. (also see Inside References)
• A "Full house", as Strong Bad says in the opening song, is a poker hand of three cards of one kind and two cards of another.
• The email song is a reference to the Kenny Rogers song (and movie) The Gambler.
• The Hindenburg was a German zeppelin that exploded on May 6, 1937 and was utterly destroyed with a large loss of life. The highly-flammable nature of hydrogen greatly contributed to its quick destruction. Most lighter-than-air craft now use non-flammable helium.
• Led Zeppelin is the name of the late 60's through 80's Rock band. they have been said to be the fathers of modern rock.

External Links

• watch "pom pom"
• view the flash file for "pom pom"
• forum thread re: "pom pom"