Free Country, USA
From Homestar Runner Wiki
(→Estimated Real-World Location) |
(Nah.) |
||
| Line 95: | Line 95: | ||
==Estimated Real-World Location== | ==Estimated Real-World Location== | ||
| - | Viewers of Homestar Runner have variously speculated about the "real" location of Free Country, USA, though it is generally assumed [[The Brothers Chaps]] prefer to leave its location undetermined | + | Viewers of Homestar Runner have variously speculated about the "real" location of Free Country, USA, though it is generally assumed [[The Brothers Chaps]] prefer to leave its location undetermined. |
Each time the world is seen from space, the shape of the United States is easily recognizable. The characters speak with American accents, type with American spelling, celebrate many American [[Holidays|holidays]], and make references to elements of American culture (such as its [[Presidents|presidents]]). Most obvious is the fact that "USA" is in the name. On a side note, America is widely known as a "free country." Therefore, it seems safe to conclude that Free Country, USA is somewhere in America. This may be the closest one can come to determining a location for Free Country, USA, as many of the following observations are contradictory to one other. | Each time the world is seen from space, the shape of the United States is easily recognizable. The characters speak with American accents, type with American spelling, celebrate many American [[Holidays|holidays]], and make references to elements of American culture (such as its [[Presidents|presidents]]). Most obvious is the fact that "USA" is in the name. On a side note, America is widely known as a "free country." Therefore, it seems safe to conclude that Free Country, USA is somewhere in America. This may be the closest one can come to determining a location for Free Country, USA, as many of the following observations are contradictory to one other. | ||
Revision as of 14:25, 21 April 2007
| ||
| Language | English | |
| Nominal Monarch | The King of Town | |
| Population | 19, at least | |
| Currency | U.S. Dollar (probably) Pencil Shavings (sometimes). | |
Free Country, USA, is where the Homestar Runner universe is centered. All of the main characters live, work, and play here.
Contents |
Geographical Features and Locations
Free Country, USA features a verdant field that typically serves as a central link between the various features of the landscape. At the center of the field itself is The Stick, which functions as a landmark and a meeting place for Strong Bad and whomever he chooses to meet there. The edge of the field is lined with what appear to be trees. They represent the edge of Free Country. Probably also somewhere in or near the field is a stream with a picturesque stone bridge. Rounding out the natural features are mountains (usually seen only from a distance), a pond and, apparently, a seashore with a wharf. The foothills of these mountains are likely located in the nearby woods, as they contain at least one cliff.
Specific locations in Free Country are treated with a certain ambiguity. Somewhere at the edge of The Field is the Athletic Field; logically, Coach Z's locker room is near the Athletic Field. Somewhere near there is Bubs' Concession Stand. Other locations include a "Town Hall" (see below) and the Marshmallow Stand, a once-popular haunt for Homestar that has not been seen in a while but is presumably still around somewhere.
The toon Summer Short Shorts features a sequence with Pom Pom that reveals that Bubs' Concession Stand, as well as a dense forest, is very near Strong Badia. The forest may or may not be the Spooky Woods that is only seen at night in Halloween-themed episodes.
Characters' Homes
As with Free Country's locations, the homes of different characters do not exist in rigidly established locations. With the exception of Coach Z's locker room and The Cheat's home (which is also the King of Town's grill and therefore always near the King of Town's castle), Marzipan's house, Homestar's house, and the house of the Brothers Strong, as well as the King's castle itself are all found in locations that have no clear geographical relation to each other.
Some clues exist concerning this, however. In Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 9.2, Strong Bad (as Cableman Jorge) asks Marzipan to buy a "hundred-foot spool of coaxial cable" in an attempt to get free cable service; this would imply the two houses are rather close to each other. In The King of Town DVD Commentary, Strong Bad claims that The King of Town does not live in the castle, but in a "run down and creepy" "two bedroom job... next door" to him. Also, the similar designs of the exteriors of Marzipan's and Homestar's houses may be a hint that they were built from the same blueprints, as houses within a development often are. In the email unnatural, a gigantic Bubs silhouette is seen walking from a silhouette of Strong Badia to The King of Town's castle, making it in several steps. This suggests that the castle is actually very close to Strong Badia.
Flora and Fauna
The flora of the land is somewhat sparse. Though individual trees are seldom seen up close in Free Country, they are presented as being deciduous as opposed to evergreen (other than Decemberween trees), evidenced by the barren branches seen during Free Country's autumn. Shrubs and the occasional bush make appearances from time to time; some bushes have been known to have Senor Cardgage emerge from them in some instances, though these events are not considered dangerous so much as they are creepy. Flowers are incredibly rare and have only been seen in a couple of cartoons.
Fauna is in even shorter supply. Save for the fish in the pond, a few crickets, bees, at least one bird (others have been heard), fly, and cockroach, plus the characters themselves, no other animal life has yet been seen in Free Country, USA.
The King of Town at one point had sheep. Whether he still owns them or ate them all is open to debate.
Politics
Free Country appears at first glance to be a monarchy since it is nominally ruled by The King of Town. However, since Free Country is a municipality and not a kingdom, the King of Town would technically be a lord. As well, the self-conferred sovereign's reign is not recognized by the populace. Therefore, Free Country could be considered to be in a state of anarchy, where there is no accepted centralized government but the members of the community co-exist with loosely established rules that maintain order.
To this end, Free Country can muster a meager police force consisting of Homestar Runner, Pom Pom, Coach Z, and Bubs to ensure that anyone engaged in criminal behavior (to date, only Strong Bad and The Cheat) are placed firmly in jail (a large cardboard box). Since there is no need for an army (nor a government to stand one up), Free Country has no official military. It is, however, home to the Homestarmy, a meager militia that includes a popcorn machine and is led by Homestar Runner. The Homestarmy once attempted to conquer Strong Badia (see below), but appears to represent no cohesive political movement (other than expressing discontent stemming from "playing second fiddle to a two-bit wrestleman and his yellow dog").
Besides the King's castle (which would be the seat of government if the King's rule had any legitimacy), there seems to be a "Town Hall" of sorts, which has been used for various purposes, including a newsroom, police station, and a set for the Dangeresque films, though not for actual political administration.
The name and the currency used may imply that this town is in the United States of America, and in one email Strong Bad makes reference to living in "the States" when addressing a Canadian writer. Yet any further details, regarding what state or town "Free Country" is in is never mentioned. They may have to pay taxes, however, as evidenced by A Decemberween Pageant and Arcade Game.
More recently, the King of Town has expressed an intention to exercise actual power, going so far as to mobilize his own military force headed up by The Poopsmith, as seen in disconnected. This would suggest that the King of Town wishes to return Free Country to a more feudal style of governance.
Strong Badia
Within Free Country's borders, the territory of Strong Badia exists as an autonomous enclave. Strong Badia has a flag, a national anthem, and has even had to defend its autonomy from outside aggression, as seen in army. Whether or not Strong Badia is a "real" country is open to debate, since the permanent population of Strong Badia is a tire and it's only the size of a backyard. A few email senders called Free Country by this name because the characters talk about Strong Badia more often than Free Country.
Other Territories
Mentioned from time to time (and seen only via the depicted map) are other territories outside Free Country. If the circuitous path of Homestar's journey to Potamia for The Yello Dello is to be believed, Free Country borders the territory of Far Off Lands. Very little, if anything, is known about these territories or their relation to Free Country, although Prance is known to make at least one Homestar Runner-related product.
Economics
The economics of Free Country are as ambiguous as the locations and politics of the territory. The local currency is U.S. dollars, although this official currency is augmented by a strong barter system that allows trade of goods and services (further suggesting that the government has no central banking power); most local commerce occurs at Bubs' Concession Stand. Pencil shavings have been accepted by Bubs at least twice, in lackey and secret identity. In the e-mail flag day a coin is visible that resembles a quarter. It is the same color, appears to be the same size, and has a face and words on both sides of it as well as words on the top and bottom of the coin. The date on it would be on the wrong side, though. The face on this coin is Strong Bad's. This implies that it is Strong Badian money, which implies Strong Badia is its own country. Strong Bad could be making this coin up because it has some of the words of the song he is currently singing printed on it. It seems that there is some crabbing industry, as there are crab traps at the wharf (which often claim baby seals), even though this supposed wharf has never been seen.
Employment
- Main article: Occupations
Bubs works at his stand as a general fix-it man. Homestar, Strong Bad (though Homestar and Strong Bad apparently took their athletic careers more seriously at one time), and The Cheat (when not doing freelance Flash work) work in some kind of an office, at least occasionally. Homestar also hosts The Show. Strong Bad, in addition, had a "part, part, part, part, very part time job" as a giant Tragic Clown Dog mascot at Bubs' Concession Stand in part-time job. He quit that job, however, when he realized that he needed to rush back to Marzipan's house to finish his email before the Lappy lost its battery charge. Coach Z is presumably some kind of a coach and a gym class teacher. The King of Town employs The Poopsmith for reasons he does not care to disclose as well as a chef, a blacksmith, a hornblower, a bishop, and a knight. Marzipan, The Cheat, and Strong Mad are in a band named Cool Tapes, which tours and sells 7's for pi dollars. Marzipan additionally runs a kindergarten class which includes Homestar, Homsar and Strong Mad. It has not been revealed whether the remaining characters have jobs.
Free Country Through Time
In addition to its current, contemporary depiction, Free Country has been shown in the past and possibly in the future.
Old-Timey Free Country
In the 1930s, Free Country was characterized by dirt roads, picket fences, carnival tents, antiquated Industrial Revolution-era factories, and even a graveyard, only the latter of which may have survived the passage of time. As with the rest of the USA during this time period, Free Country was economically depressed, with the population being forced to subsist on dry meal, water soup, and parsnips. Commerce, such as it was, was located at a dilapidated depot.
There was a growing, through sponsorship funds, radio (name still unknown) which had a drama - "The Fish Was Delish Progrum", in which Sir Strong Bad already was building up his showman career. It probably has grown into what is known as Public Radio Sounds (PRS).
And, though there is some debate as to whether or not Free Country was still under Prohibition during this time period, some residents enjoyed the occasional nip of hooch regardless.
Free Petry Dish, USA
In the email highschool, Strong Bad claims that the entirety of Free Country, USA was, in the past, merely on a petri dish, with all its inhabitants being single-cell organisms. However, considering his purported "unphotographic memory", it's unlikely that such a place ever truly existed.
Futuristic Free Country?
In the futuristic year 20X6, Free Country may or may not be one and the same as Planet K, which looks much like the current Free Country. If so, Free Country will grow to feature significantly more architecture to the extent of having a full city (a quality the territory currently lacks). Nothing is yet known about the economic or political state of this ultramodern version of Free Country, though there is a significantly higher frequency of fights and challenges faced by its residents, which include various robots. They appear to be located in the same region, however, as Strong Bad buries a time capsule that is later discovered by Stinkoman.
Estimated Real-World Location
Viewers of Homestar Runner have variously speculated about the "real" location of Free Country, USA, though it is generally assumed The Brothers Chaps prefer to leave its location undetermined.
Each time the world is seen from space, the shape of the United States is easily recognizable. The characters speak with American accents, type with American spelling, celebrate many American holidays, and make references to elements of American culture (such as its presidents). Most obvious is the fact that "USA" is in the name. On a side note, America is widely known as a "free country." Therefore, it seems safe to conclude that Free Country, USA is somewhere in America. This may be the closest one can come to determining a location for Free Country, USA, as many of the following observations are contradictory to one other.
- The scene in the Theme Song Video where Homestar runs around the planet and a star appears on a United States map would lead one to believe it's possible that Free Country is somewhere in northern Nebraska.
- In the email radio, the CGNU radio station's call letters are given as WSBD. Real-world radio designations would place Free Country east of the Mississippi river.
- Free Country is likely in a northern latitude or high altitude given the snowy weather around Decemberween.
- In the email anything, Homestar refers to his two liter bottle of Mountain Dew as "soda", which is a term more used in the northeast and in the west. In parts of the Upper Midwest it is frequently called "pop".
- The Brothers Chaps themselves live in Atlanta, Georgia, making it possible that Free Country is located in the Southeast.
- In Homestar Presents: Presents, Marzipan references baby seals and crab traps at the wharf, suggesting that Free Country is near the ocean, or at least a salt-water body.
- This might just show that there is a large lake nearby.
- In Homestar vs. Other Little Girl, Homestar claims he does not live in Texas, meaning he must live somewhere else.
- In the end of Where the Crap Are We?, Homestar thinks he and Strong Bad are in Massachusetts, which would indicate that they are not from there.
- In Welcome Back, Cool Tapes did a midwest tour, indicating that they may be from around there.
- In colonization, Strong Bad and Bubs share some "cold Hardee's he had lying around", which implies that Free Country may be in the Eastern half of the USA (In the Western half of the US, "Hardee's" is called "Carl's Jr.").
- In the email keep cool, the temperature was 98º, but in all the Decemberween episodes, there is snow, suggesting that:
- Free Country is not near any water, since the temperature doesn't vary much in places around water, and
- Free Country is in a state where the climate varies greatly.
- In the email retirement, Strong Bad tells the audience to "feast their Dust Bowl-ravaged eyes" on his show. This suggests that they might be in the Great Plains area.
Trivia
- The Strong Bad Email flashback marked the first (and so far, only) time that a character actually said the name "Free Country, USA."
