Fourth Wall Breaks

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Revision as of 17:55, 7 February 2006

Good morning, reality!

Sometimes, the characters "break the fourth wall" by displaying awareness that they are in an Internet cartoon.

Fourth wall breakages are common in Strong Bad Emails; Strong Bad often addresses the viewers, and references to his "email show" are made. Excluding Strong Bad Emails that involve a character addressing the viewers, here is a list of fourth wall breakages in the toons.

Addressing the viewer, however, isn't nessicarily breaking the fourth wall. Strong Bad may believe that he has a webcam that follows him around during the email show. Just because the characters realize they are being shown on a website doesn't mean they are breaking the fourth wall. A fictional character speaking into a fictional camera to a future audience hasn't nessicarily broken the fourth wall. If they were to refer to being in a cartoon or to refer to being cartoon characters, that would be breaking the fourth wall. This is because fictional character Strong Bad may be actually talking to a fictional audience that only exists in his mind.

Fourth Wall Breakages

Big Toons

• Where's The Cheat?: While reassuring Strong Mad, Strong Bad says "Don't worry, big guy. We'll cut to a montage."
• In Search of the Yello Dello and The King of Town DVD: Characters doing commentaries and being in previews for the toons that are DVDs show that they know it was a cartoon. Strong Bad even calls one of the toons a cartoon several times.
• In Search of the Yello Dello: The TV announcer says that the Yello Dello is "the most rare and exotic bird in this entire cartoon."

Shorts

• Cheat Commandos: There are many breakages, such as Gunhaver saying "Buy all our playsets and toys," "Next episode, Blue Laser," and "Into the action figure storage vehicle!"
• The System is Down: Here are references to both the Error Page and Homestarrunner.com being down.

Holiday Toons

• More Fan Costumes: Strong Bad comments that Coach Z, King of Town and Marzipan are the least popular Homestar Runner characters.
• Halloween Potion-ma-jig: Throughout the cold open, Homestar directly addresses the viewer. When he comes upon Homsar, he remarks "Oh, great. The secret guy" and then comments on the choices that Homsar "gives" him. Then when he reaches the Creepy Cliff, he refers to it as a "cool new background." Finally, in the Goblin ending, Marzipan declares the end of the scene.
• Homestar Presents: Presents: Strong Bad informs the viewers that Homestar runs around frantically from Decemberween to New Year's, then, in the Easter egg, there is a poster on the wall that reads, "Left Out Characters' Support Group & Buffet."
• 3 Times Halloween Funjob: When Bubs shows frustration that Coach Z mangles his words yet again, Coach Z replies that "It's a crowd-pleaser."
• The House That Gave Sucky Treats: During the end discussion, Homestar comments first whether the viewers have voted yet (a feature for that year's toon), and then requests that the characters repeat stuff they have already said to freak "them" out, indicating that the characters know they are being watched.

Strong Bad Emails

• narrator: Strong Bad refers to Strong Sad as the "sbemail" police, having done so three weeks in a row.
• highschool: Strong Bad acknowledges the fact that he is a cartoon character when referring to his high school days.
• bottom 10: After the end of the email, Strong Bad acknowledges that there are no Easter eggs at the end.
• part-time job: Strong Bad peeks around the edge of the black on his way to Bubs'.
• animal: Strong Bad says that a man with a laptop computer comes "from the right side of the screen."
• virus: The Virus opens most of the characters' minds to realize that they are in a cartoon.
• old comics: Strong Bad says he and Homestar were used in a comic that aired at least 60 years ago. Since they are obviously not that old, he is pointing out the fact that he and Homestar are unaging cartoon characters.
• flashback: The size of the display area is purposefully extended and Homestar Runner is "behind the black."
• monument: Homestar peeks out from behind the black and sings "Here comes the Thnikkaman!!!".
• couch patch: Strong Bad points out that the couch patch is visible in Homestar's flashback, and Homestar displays that he knows that the emails have titles.
• the process: Strong Bad tells us that "you can usually click on certain words and make little pictures of dumb stuff pop up." Also, the whole email was explaining how other emails were/would be done.
• huttah!: The Cheat actually watches the email on his own computer.
• island: When Yami Yugi asks what Strong Bad would do if he were stuck on a desert island, Strong Bad nonchalantly replies, "I suspect it would be like most cartoons," indicating that he himself is in a cartoon. Later, Homestar imitates Main Page 3, with similar effects.

Not Quite Strong Bad Emails

• Not the 100th Email!!!: References to the 404 page and the user poking around the site.

Special Toons

• First Time Here?: Sets the stage for fourth wall breakages, especially when Strong Bad shows up to let you know why you're here.

Marzipan's Answering Machine

• Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 8.0: Homestar says "This is Homestar Runner from Homestarrunner.com".

Games

• Stinkoman 20X6: When 1-Up requests Stinkoman's help, Stinkoman says that he already helped him in Level 4. At the beginning of Level -0, Stinkoman addresses the player while he's stuck inside the wall. Also, at the end of Level -0, Stinkoman says he has to get through Level 9 and Level 10 to get to 1-Up and Pan Pan.
• Peasant's Quest: If you talk to the second "Haldo" brother and say "Haldo" without talking to the first one (the one at the booth), he will say, "What'd you read that in PQ Stragedy [sic] Guide? Go talk to my brother first." Also, if you type "throw baby" before you actually get the baby, the game will say that you must have "misread the walkthrough on GameFAQS."

Character Pages

• Strong Sad: On Strong Sad's character page, he runs his finger down the left side of the screen. Beforehand, he complains about making a "character page", which means he is aware he is a character in something online.