Discussions Influencing Future Content

From Homestar Runner Wiki

In interviews, public appearances, and DVD commentaries, The Brothers Chaps sometimes discuss subjects that influence future Homestar Runner content.

[edit] Repurposed Content

A version of Trogdor "that will probably never get used", prior to getting used

Things shown at live events often end up being repurposed in some way.

• NYU Talk - 1 Mar 2005 —
  • Mike Chapman showed a cartoon he made the night before in his hotel room. It was later included on Everything Else, Volume 1 as An Open Forum.
  • Nibbles was shown, but wouldn't be used until the Strong Bad Email bottom 10 several months later.
  • Experimental animations were shown off that would later be compiled in From the Vault: the LEGO, Etch-a-Sketch, needlepoint, Bubs roller coaster, and film noir style clips.
  • The Limozeen Coloring Book was shown, which would later be released with coloring.
  • Trogador was shown, with the disclaimer that the character "will probably never get used". He would later appear in Happy Trogday.
• Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007 —
  • The clip of Homestar recorded for the event was uploaded as the Quote of the Week that day.
  • The "Going Away!!!" animation was later posted to Twitter on July 24, 2023.
  • The "Keep on Truckin'" animation presented became the basis for One Two, One Two. It was described as one of many random animations that Mike does behind Matt's back.
  • A portion of "Theme from Stinkoman" was played. Over a decade later, it would be included on Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack Volume 2, and used in the Stinkoman 20X6 intro cinematic.

[edit] Other Examples

Bubs after losing his "frickin' elbows"

• retroCRUSH Interview — Mike Chapman expresses interest in producing figurines. Homestar Runner figurines would begin production around two years later, first sold in the Flash Store.
• Run Devil Run Interview — Mike mentions that the brothers are hoping to produce DVDs "sometime in the near future". The first DVD set, strongbad_email.exe, was released the following year.
• Giant Magazine Interview — Mike mentions that the then-unnamed 20X6 version of Homestar would probably be named either Extra Man or 1-Up. The latter name would be confirmed in the Stinkomanual.
• Zoinks! Magazine Interview — Matt Chapman "thought about having Strong Sad make one of those NES sprite comics using the sprites from our Stinkoman game", an idea that would be explored with Strong Bad instead in web comics and later the game Make-O Your Own Stinko.
• Adventure Gamers Interview - 2 Sept 2004 — Matt brings up a Scalding Lake T-shirt as a possibility. This would later be made available in the Store.
• Email invisibility (DVD commentary) — The Brothers Chaps tentatively decide on the name "Lappy 486" for Strong Bad's next computer.
• Email do over (DVD commentary) — The commentary was recorded before the email was made. In it, the Brothers Chaps make some "executive decisions", like the email's title and basic premise, and Strong Sad not appearing. Multiple points in the email are timed to the brothers' fake reactions, like Homestar's appearance and Strong Bad hitting Homestar with a keyboard.
• Cheat Commandos...O's (DVD commentary) — Matt mentions that the background music is entitled "Written by A. Chimendez". The title would be made official on Volume 1 of the Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack in 2020.
• Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007 —
  • Matt mentions that due to the shifting background color, the DVDs' FBI warning screens are animated at a higher frame rate, making it especially hard to animate The Cheat. On strongbad_email.exe Disc Five, released just over a month later, the background color doesn't shift, allowing The Cheat to be animated at the usual framerate.
  • Matt talked about how halfway animations aren't very possible at 12fps (the frame rate of most toons), using Homestar Runner's mouth as an example. Despite Matt's assertion that "you're not going to get that much more in between," Homestar Runner eventually gained a half-open mouth.
  • Mike implies that Bubs's elbows are difficult to animate. The character's arms have since been revised to no longer have elbow joints, presumably for ease of animation.
  • Matt raises the possibility of level 10 of Stinkoman 20X6 releasing alongside alternate difficulties and level midpoints, features that were indeed added when the level was released over a decade later.
• Email road trip (DVD commentary) — Mike mentions that the band that plays "Jammin' Tunes" and The Dancing Brothers' song could potentially be called "The Power Surge". The band would return as "The Pow-uh Surge" in Trogdor Was A Man.
• Late Nite JengaJam Interview - 4 Oct 2007 —
  • Host JengaShip reminisces about Powered by The Cheat updates, and Matt acknowledges that "[they're] probably due" for a new toon in that style. Rap Song was released roughly a month later.
  • When asked which character he would kill off, Matt mentions that Pom Pom "would be a good one" because "it would be really, really tragic". Pom Pom would briefly be killed in I Killed Pom Pom.
• ROFLCon - 26 Apr 2008 — An OLPC XO-1 laptop was autographed by many panelists and Internet figures at the convention, including the Brothers Chaps, and was later auctioned off with the proceeds donated to OLPC. The Happy 8600 would debut in email thunder a few months later, inspired by the same laptop model.