cheatday
From Homestar Runner Wiki
Strong Bad Email #107
Someone asks what Strong Bad does on the Cheat's Birthday: 'The Cheatday'.
Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Coach Z, Bubs, The Cheat, Strong Mad
Places: Computer Room, Strong Bad's Basement, The Field
Computer: Compy 386
Date: July 5, 2004
Running Time: 2:32
Contents |
Transcript
STRONG BAD: {typing "strongbad_email.exe"} Let's check a Strong Bad E-mail, you and me. Together. Like we used to. Like a family. {hits Enter; the e-mail appears}
{reading}
Dear Strong Bad,
what did you do for the Cheat's
birthday party
{he sees there is no signature}
Aw, man! Another one of those "no-name brand" e-mails. Ah, let's see. Who are you from? You're from... {typing signature} Mike {pause} Control.
{rapping}
Here comes Mike, he's on the Mike... Control. Chiggity here comes Mike, he's on the Mike... Control. Miggity here comes Mike, he's on the Mike... Control.
COACH Z: Hey, that's a good rhyme! We should cut a demo!
BUBS: {enters} I could be your manager. I'll make millions!
STRONG BAD: You'll do no such thing! I don't need you fools. Now get outta here and let me answer Mike Controller's question.
COACH Z: {leaving} Yeah, we'll be better off without 'im.
BUBS: {leaving} I can play keytar!
STRONG BAD: Anyways, where were we? Oh yeah, Cheatday. {begins typing his response} So, nobody knows exactly when The Cheat's Cheatday is, so we celebrate it on the only day we know for sure it isn't. And that's the date of birth on his fake I.D.
{A fake identification card appears, titled "SCANDINAVIAN FAKE I.D.," giving a name of Ilko Skevüld, date of birth of 4/18/1961, height of 6'9", weight of 293, and a type of "Miner." A profile view of a man whose hair vaguely resembles The Cheat with a swirly chin, an underbite and The Cheat-type eyes is featured. The card is signed with Ilko's name.}
STRONG BAD: {still typing} Which says he's a 43-year-old Scandinavian miner named Ilko Skevüld. The festivities usually begin when {cut to Strong Bad sleeping on couch; voiceover continues} The Cheat wakes me up around the crack of noon, and I'll sing him the Date of Birth song.
THE CHEAT: {pokes Strong Bad and sings "rise and shine" in The Cheat sounds}
STRONG BAD: {mumbling} Super...Super Contra...
THE CHEAT: {pokes Strong Bad again and sings "rise and shine" once more}
{Strong Bad grunts and sits up. A bag of potate chips sits atop his head. The Cheat grins and bats his eyes several times.}
STRONG BAD: Oh. Right, right. {He clears his throat.}
{singing}
Sweet, sweet The Cheat, Today is the day on your fake I.D.
{Bubs appears from behind the couch, playing a keytar.}
Now, get upstairs—unh! And fix me some breakfast.
(Bubs breaks off into a solo. Strong Bad and The Cheat lean in angrily.)
BUBS: Hey, that's a good jam! We should cut a—
STRONG BAD: Get outta here, kid!
{Bubs hides behind the couch. Strong Bad affectionately pats The Cheat on the head.}
STRONG BAD: {voiceover} After breakfast, in honor of Ilko's heritage, we'll usually play some mining games...
{Cut to a scene in a field. Strong Bad, Strong Mad, and The Cheat, all with helmets equipped with flashlights, stand around a pile of charcoal briquettes. Strong Bad holds a shovel, and The Cheat a pickaxe.}
STRONG BAD: {continuing voiceover} ...like... Mining... and... Coal?
{The Cheat half-heartedly plunks his pickaxe into the ground.}
STRONG MAD: I WIN!
{We return to Strong Bad typing his response.}
STRONG BAD: And then as a special treat, I let The Cheat answer some emails.
{Strong Bad gets up, and The Cheat takes his place. The Cheat "reads" each e-mail, and his response, with a few syllables each in his squeaky, incomprehensible voice.}
THE CHEAT:
{reading}
i want to know whos beter you or
the cheat or strong mad?
your friend
ryan az
{typing}
Yeah, man. I'll gnaw your face off. - Teh C.
{reading}
hey, sb!
what's up? i was just wondering
what you're mom and dad look like.
please answer,
bridget thornton, co
{typing}
Yeah, man. I'll gnaw your face off. - Teh C.
{reading}
make more trogdor pleasepleaseplease
p.s. pay out strong sad
{typing}
Yeah, man. I'll gnaw your face off. - Teh C.
STRONG BAD: {apparently recovering from laughing} O-ho, man! "I'll gnaw your face off"! {The Cheat grins} Every year it gets funnier! Ohhh! {He regains his composure.} Happy The Cheat day, Ilko! May you never get the black lung.
{The Paper comes down.}
Easter Eggs
- Click on the nameless e-mail to bring up a box of No-Name Brand E-mails.
- Click on The Cheat at the end to bring up Ilko's head moving from left to right, with his mouth opening and shutting, along with the rhythm of a train bell sound.
- Click on the floppy disks on the left to bring up a demo tape:
- Coach Z & Bubs's Demo Tape
- "the two-o duo"
- {singing}
- COACH Z: Well we're good friends.
- BUBS: But don't you steal my napkins.
- COACH Z: I got fresh jams.
- BUBS: But I get all the royalties.
- COACH Z: {talking} I never agreed to that.
Fun Facts
Explanations
- The name "Mike Control" is apparently a reference to the notion of a "microphone controller," one possible expansion of the abbreviation MC (as in MC Hammer). Though, this is usually said to stand for "Master of Ceremonies".
Remarks
- The Strong Bad's Room Main Page refers to The Cheat's Cheatday party as his "birthday party."
- Strong Bad said nobody knows when The Cheat's Cheatday is, though almost every character witnessed the event in flashback. (Assuming that The Cheat was "born" from the egg. Technically, we don't know how he got inside it.)
- Also, it is possible that none of the townspeople remember the day The Cheat came out of the egg.
- It could also be that Strong Bad made up the events of flashback, as suggested in those email's remarks.
- It's possible that Ilko being a "miner" is a play on the purpose of the fake ID (an attempt to persuade people that The Cheat isn't a minor).
- You can click on the Ilko Easter egg after you've clicked on the floppy disk Easter egg to give the demo tape some funny background music.
Inside References
- The "Potate" bag is from morning routine.
- This is another instance of Strong Bad's couch mumbling.
Real-World References
- The game Strong Bad says in his sleep is Super Contra, a notoriously difficult sidescrolling shooter arcade game. It was released on the NES under the title Super C.
- Black lung disease is a lung condition caused by the inhalation of coal dust.
- The ringing Ilko head may be a reference to Mr. Machine, a popular toy made by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1960. Mr. Machine was a wind up 'man' who would walk, open, and close his mouth while a bell rung in his stomach.
- The Keytar (Keyboard + Guitar) is the name given to the musical keyboard synthesizer that is fashioned into the shape of a guitar. Also known as a Gui-Board (Guitar+keyboard).
DVD Version
- The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch your DVD player's audio language selection while watching.
Commentary Transcript
(Commentary by: Mike Chapman, Marzipan)
MIKE: Hey, Marzipan.
MARZIPAN: Hi, Mike.
MIKE: It's just the two of us doing the commentary on this email here.
MARZIPAN: That's right.
MIKE: Matt's on the phone.
MARZIPAN: I think he's in the bathroom.
MIKE: Ohhhh. So, uh, what the— have you seen this email?
MARZIPAN: No, I try not to watch the emails.
MIKE: Really?
MARZIPAN: I get upset by them.
MIKE: Why?
MARZIPAN: Because...I don't know. They make me sad.
MIKE: Yeah.
MARZIPAN: Sometimes.
MIKE: Sometimes.
MARZIPAN: What's this one about, Mike?
MIKE: It's about The Cheat's birthday.
MARZIPAN: Really? What day is his birthday?
MIKE: Well, you'll find out if you watch. Here, he tells you right here.
MARZIPAN: Do they have a party?
MIKE: Listen. Nobody knows when it is.
MARZIPAN: I once had a boyfriend who had a hairdo like that.
MIKE: Really? Was his name Ilko?
MARZIPAN: It was.
MIKE: Wow. You dated Ilko Skevüld?
MARZIPAN: I did. But don't tell anybody that's how we got the I.D.
MIKE: Ohhhhhh. Wow.
MARZIPAN: Yeah.
MIKE: Interesting. You helped The Cheat get a fake I.D.
MARZIPAN: Yeah.
MIKE: Cool.
MARZIPAN: {singing} Sweet, sweet, The Cheat. {stops singing} I actually wrote that song.
MIKE: Really?
MARZIPAN: Yeah. {sings} Breakfast.
MIKE: Good job {laughs}
MARZIPAN: Thanks!
MIKE: Whatchu been up to today?
MARZIPAN: Well, I've been out, um, riding. Riding my mule.
MIKE: You have a mule?
MARZIPAN: I do. I believe that they are very underappreciated. I like their ears a lot.
MIKE: Really? What's your mule's name?
MARZIPAN: Buttercup.
MIKE: "Buttercup The Mule", eh?
MARZIPAN: Yes.
MIKE: Wow. I didn't realize mules were good for riding. You do any tricks on it or anything?
MARZIPAN: I can do, um, a "standing on the back" trick.
MIKE: Really?
MARZIPAN: Yes.
MIKE: Wow.
MARZIPAN: It's pretty hard. I have to do it on one leg.
MIKE: You have a leg?
MARZIPAN: I have one.
MIKE: {laughs} Look at The Cheat's gold tooth.
MARZIPAN: Where did he get that?
MIKE: I don't know. Maybe you should email Strong Bad and ask him.
MARZIPAN: Maybe.
