gimmicks

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Revision as of 17:05, 11 July 2010

This does not look good for Strong Bad.

The beginning of the end of the Tandy 400: Mike W. misses the days when Strong Bad would answer emails without some sort of gimmick. Then, the computer explodes.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Strong Sad

Places: Computer Room, Strong Sad's Room

Computer: Tandy 400

Date: Monday, June 24, 2002

Running Time: 1:16

Page Title: TANDY 400!!

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc One

Transcript

STRONG BAD: Super great, super great... Check your email! Diggity...

D-D-D-D-D-D-Dear Strong Bad,

Do you remember when you would answer emails and
be funny without some sort of gimmick? I do, I miss
those days.

With a lot of crap,

Mike W
Everett, MA

{Strong Bad pronounces MA as "ma."}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Yep. I remember those days, Mike. Those were good days... {sniffs} good days. {The email shrinks to the center of the screen with a powering-down noise.}

STRONG BAD: {Mutters} What the... crap? {The monitor sparks sharply} Whoa! Whgjht?

{silence}

Tandy 400: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo. STRONG BAD FWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! STRONG SAD: Oh, geezis me! Are you all right?

{Strong Bad stands up.}

STRONG BAD: Uh, yeah, no, I'm fine! {brushes burnt wrestling mask parts backwards} Nothing happened; I'm fine!

STRONG SAD: Did your terrible computer sneeze/explode?

STRONG BAD: No, shut up! Look, I'm gonna need to borrow, like, 900 dollars maybe.

STRONG SAD: Well, I hope that's for another computer. You could get one like yours at a garage sale for, like... (Laughs) 15 dollars.

STRONG BAD: I said shut up! {sulkily} I liked that computer.

{Strong Bad crawls through the hole in the wall back to his room.}

STRONG SAD: I hope some of that money's for buying me a new poster. You don't seem too broken up about that.

Tandy 400 Has Thing From The Gigantic Big Sneeze. (The Paper Comes Down)

Easter Eggs

• At the end of the email, click on the contrast buttons to make the broken monitor spark and flash.
  • Pressing the left contrast button causes the broken bulb-like component in the center to flash bright white.
  • Pressing the right contrast button causes the green wire to jump and spark.

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This is the first instance of Strong Bad's computer malfunctioning.
• This email marks the first appearance of Strong Sad's new mouth movement style.

Remarks

• If the flash file is paused during the sneeze, it can be seen that the "sneeze" is just glass shards overlapped on the screen.
• As Strong Bad flies across the room, he passes the same door and window several times. Repeating backgrounds are common in low-budget animation.
• The Tandy 400 is allergic to Strong Bad.
• When Strong Bad is talking to Strong Sad, his mouth is unusually small.
• The spinning fan inside the exploded Tandy at the end doesn't seem to be attached to anything else, and is just floating in midair.
• Most computers need fans, but gears of the size shown are never found in a home computer. This is likely a joke referring to Strong Bad's taste for old computers.
• As of sisters, the Tandy 400's sneezing screen is shown as if it was never shattered, but instead it is shown as slightly cracked.
• It is unusual for the back link to be on the screen, as the picture tube of the Tandy is facing the table and most likely broken.

Goofs

Misplaced head and glass shards.

• When you click the left contrast button at the end of the email, the rainbow star logo disappears until the animation is done, along with the word "Contrast."
  • As well, the contrast buttons, the back link and a glass shard from the Tandy's monitor remain on top of the flash of light.
• When the Tandy explodes, Strong Bad's reflection is incorrect. It is located at the top of the computer screen, at the same angle as the computer.
• When Strong Bad is flying through the air and crashes into the wall, the bottom-left corner of Strong Sad's room's wall protrudes more than it should where it meets the floor.
• As Strong Bad is flying, the last object in the background is a door. When he is in Strong Sad's room, the last object before the wall is a window.
• When Strong Bad wakes up in Strong Sad's room, he brushes off a piece of rubble which later disappears.
• After Strong Bad lands from the computer explosion, his mouth moves in an odd, overlapping way.

Inside References

• Strong Bad receives another email signed with the word crap; this is the last time he reads such a signature without expressing his displeasure at it.
• As this is Strong Bad Email 33, The phrase "Super Great" (said twice) at the beginning could be a reference to butt IQ, the third email, in which Strong Bad states that "on a scale of 1 to awesome, [he is] 'Super Great.'"

Fast Forward

• The Tandy 400's sneeze and Strong Bad's flying backward were featured in the explosions montage in hremail3184. It was also featured in personal favorites.

DVD Version

• Instead of clicking on the contrast buttons to make pieces of the computer short-circuit/explode, the malfunctions happen without user interaction.

External Links

• watch The Video For "gimmicks" At Homestarrunner.com
• Watch The Flash Video for "gimmicks"