flashback
From Homestar Runner Wiki
Strong Bad Email #100
The long-anticipated 100th Email, where Jon from NH asks Strong Bad how long he has known Homestar Runner. It ends up as a big spoof on the original Homestar children's book, in WIDESCREEEEEEEEEEEEN!
Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Homestar Runner, Coach Z, Prince of Town, Strong Mad, Pom Pom, Bubs, Strong Sad, Marzipan, Mr. Bland, Señor, The Cheat, Limozeen (Easter egg), Senor Cardgage (Easter egg), 1936 Strong Bad (Easter egg)
Places: Computer Room, The Moon, The Sweet Sweet Rainbow Bridge, The Field, Marzipan's House (Easter egg), Telegraph Room (Easter egg)
Date: March 16, 2004
Running Time: 5:00
Contents |
Transcript
STRONG BAD: ONE TWO THREE FOUR {starts singing hard rock with instruments in the background} EMAIL IS AWESOME, EMAIL IS WEIRD, EMAIL IS AWESOME AND EMAIL IS WEIRD! And I'll never forget the way it was, GRRRL!
{Starts reading in his old accent. However, the text is in the style of Tandy, and it is in fact the very first e-mail he's ever done.}
Dear Strong Bad,
Do you take your wrestling mask and boxing
gloves off before you go to bed?
Sincerely,
Abdi LaRue
San Diego, CA
STRONG BAD: {He stops reading at "before you go to."} dajede...wait a minute! {hits Compy, the text fixes itself to be a new email} There we go!
{reading}
Hey there, Strong Bad!
I was wondering. How long have you
known Homestar? Is there some sort of
flashback that could describe how
and when you guys met?
Your Fan,
Jon, NH
{Instead of "New Hampshire," Strong Bad says "No Hamsters."}
{typing} Oh, I got flashbacks alright, Jon. I'm like, Discount Flashback Warehouse over here. But this particular flashback has way too much historical significance to be shown in anything but WIDESCREEEEEEEEEEEEN. Left side: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAH! {As he says this with a resonating noise, the left side of the screen expands out. His next one he doesn't type.} Right side: WOOOOOAHH—{the right side of the screen expands out to show Homestar standing there} Wha-uh, what are you doin' over there?
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Oh, I'm pretty much here every week. It's just that usually I'm behind the black.
STRONG BAD: I guess I should start...lookin' to the right more often.
HOMESTAR RUNNER: In fact, I think I might live here.
STRONG BAD: I don't think so. If you lived here, you'd have less non-broken bones. And more crushed spirits.
HOMESTAR RUNNER: {looking dejected} Yes, sir.
STRONG BAD: Frame shift left! WOOOOOAAHHH! {The screen starts shifting left to get Homestar out of the shot.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: See ya after the flashback!
{We go to a picture of Strong Bad on the moon with a tennis racket. The drawing is in the style of the original children's book and we see that it's just a parody of that style. Although, the characters are still somewhat animated. Strong Bad doesn't read every little piece of text, so the text that's there that he doesn't read will be included in a parenthetical when it occurs.}
STRONG BAD: Strong Bad meets the Homestar Runner.
{The book turns the page to a picture of just Strong Bad.}
Everyone loves Strong Bad. He is an okay guy.
(The book turns the page to a picture of Strong Bad and Coach Z playing tennis on the moon.}
One day Strong Bad was finishing up a game of tennis on the moon with his pal, the Coach Z. He won 1,000,000 to 3. "You see, 3 is clearly a smaller number than a million," said Strong Bad. "Ooooooh. Now I understand."
{Turn the page to them flying down a rainbow from the moon to earth.}
They flew on a sweet, sweet rainbow bridge back down to Free Country USA.
{Turn the page to Coach Z holding a towel and talking to Strong Bad.}
"I'ma go shower up!" said the Coach Z. "Gross!" said Strong Bad. "Shut up!"
{Turn the page to see Strong Bad walking toward a giant pink egg with yellow spots.}
Walking home, Strong Bad came upon a big ol' egg. "Waaaaaaaaagh!"
{Turn the page to a closer view of Strong Bad and the egg.}
"I wonder what's inside," thought tiny-handed Strong Bad.
{Turn the page to see Homestar behind the egg wearing a yellow shirt with a duck on it.}
"Hello! How do you like my egg, Mr. Strong Bad?" said a voice from behind. "Who the crap are you, Duckshirt?" asked No-shirt. "I'm The Homestar Runner!" said the duckshirt. "Some folk say I'm a terrific athlete."
{Turn the page to a closer view of the scene.}
"Well I folk say you're a terrific liar!" (said Strong Bad.) "This is plainly my egg. {in a King of Town voice} "What's all the commotion about?"
{Turn the page to zoom out to see the Prince of Town looking at Strong Bad and Homestar.}
...said the svelt, young Prince of Town. "And who's this weirdo in the duckie shirt?" "I'm The Homestar Runner! Some folk say I'm a terrific (athlete!" said Duckshirt.) "Prancibald over here says this egg belongs to him, when I found it first."
{Turn the page to a closeup of the Prince of Town.}
"We'll settle this with a ten-step footrace."
{Turn the page to see a bunch of the gang, including some characters from the original children's book, watching Strong Bad and Homestar at the start line of a race.}
And so they all gathered for a ten-step footrace. The slim and trim young Prince of Town explained the rules. {a piece of paper shows up reading: "Ten-step Footrace Official Rules. Rule One. Whoever goes the most distance in ten steps, will be the winner! Rule Two. No biting."} "Whoever goes the most distance in ten steps, will be the winner!"
{Turn the page to see Strong Bad and Homestar at the line and Marzipan giving the startoff.}
"Ready-and-set-and-go-now." {they start running, with Homestar counting} "One, two, three, four, five, six..." {Strong Bad takes tiny steps and is way behind} "Keep up the pace. Gotta break 4:40"
{Turn the page to see silhouettes of everyone, and Homestar has reached the end.}
"Ten!" "And the Duckie-man is the winner. Loser gets the egg."
{Turn the page to see Homestar up front and Strong Bad in the distance with the egg.}
"WHAAAAT??!!?&,:;%${}" "Hooray a-for me!!"
{Turn the page to see Strong Mad holding the egg over his head while Strong Bad watches.}
And so Strong Mad helped to break open the egg. {Strong Mad tosses the egg}
{Turn the page to see the egg broke and a bunch of fishsticks pour out.}
And out poured a lifetime supply of fishsticks. And a The Cheat!!!!
{The Cheat springs out of the egg, turn the page to give him his very own page. Turn the page again to see Strong Bad and The Cheat with the egg in the background.}
"Awesome! My very own a The Cheat!"
{Turn the page to see everyone hanging out by a boombox.}
And so, The Cheat mashed play on an extremely expensive jambox with high-speed dubbing and everybody put their weight on it! {The Cheat plays a remix of the original intro music for H*R.com, and everyone dances.}
{Cut back to Strong Bad sitting at the stool, talking to Homestar, who's sitting on the ground listening to the tale.}
So that's pretty much how it all went down, huh?
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Oh, yes. Read me another one! Another one!
STRONG BAD: Ohhhhh, very well. This one's called The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck In His Craw {Strong Bad pulls out a children's book of the same name. Compy beeps and turns blue with the caption "Congratulations! You have answered 100 emails." and ASCII fireworks.} What the—whoah! Would ya look at that! 100 emails. I had no idea! I lost count around 51. Well, I suppose I should do something to celebrate...ooh! I'll say email 100 times!
{He says email 100 times, The Paper comes down.}
Oo. I'm pa—I'm parched. {wheezes} I need a glass of water. {A glass of water appears onscreen.}
Easter Eggs
- When Strong Bad pulls out the book "The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck In His Craw," you can click on it to get a closer look.
- After Strong Bad says "Email" 100 times, you can click on the words:
- "Congratulations!" for a message from Limozeen.
- Transcript
- LIMOZEEN: Congratulations Strong Bad on your 100th email!
- {slight pause}
- LARRY: We're from the band Limozeen!
- PERRY: Uh, I think it says that at the top of the screen, Larry.
- LARRY: Well, I didn't know that!
- {The band members strike various poses and the frame freezes, as the central riff from "Because It's Midnite" plays.}
- Direct link to Limozeen's greeting here.
- "you" to see Homestar deliver his message.
- Transcript
- {Homestar is standing in the field, wearing the Duckie Shirt.}
- HOMESTAR RUNNER: Happy hundredth birthday, Strong Bad!
- "have" to see a funny message from Marzipan.
- Transcript
- {Marzipan is standing in her house near her answering machine.}
- MARZIPAN: Whoo-hoo, Strong Bad, whoo-hoo. I've almost caught up with you. I only have 90 more answering machines to go.
- "answered" to see Senor Cardgage say some stuff.
- Transcript
- {Senor Cardgage is standing in The Field near his bush.}
- SENOR CARDGAGE: Many combolations, Elizagerth! {holds up a sign reading "combolations, elizagerth," and puts it back down, then produces a melty candybar from behind his back} I hope you get all my... particles.
- STRONG BAD: {off screen} Man, so cool!
- "100" to see Sir Strong Bad making a telegram. His "doppelgänger" or "copy" is present-day Strong Bad.
- Transcript
- {Sir Strong Bad is standing next to a telegraph machine. Half of his moustache has been ripped off, and he is holding a envelope that looks like it contains the missing half of the moustache.}
- SIR STRONG BAD: {operating the telegraph} Well done, my doppelgänger! Stop! By the time you read this telegrammaparcel, I'll be long dead! Stop! Therefore, I've enclosed half of my moustache therein. Stop! I bid you good tidings, and may you continue to flummox those less fortunate than you!
- Also, clicking in the 2 areas where the fireworks go off will bring you to two other shorts.
- The firework on the left takes you to a TV ad for Discount Flashback Warehouse.
- Transcript
- {cut to Strong Bad's basement with the Television. Strong Bad's face appears on it}
- STRONG BAD: Come on down to Discount Flashback Warehouse.
- {Discout Flashback Warehouse text appears, then disappears. Camera pans back so we can see Strong Bad's body}
- STRONG BAD: I've got this season. {He gestures to the left, where a screen from "different town" appears.} Last season. {He gestures to the right where a screen from "band names" appears.} Even stuff I've just made up! {The screenshots disappear and "just made up!!" appears as he says it.}
- {Cuts to just his head again, next to text reading "These prices: $9 $6.53."}
- STRONG BAD: How can I make these prices any lower?
- {Cut to Strong Bad standing beneath yellow text that reads "Discount Flashback Warehouse."}
- STRONG BAD: Just ask for me, the guy that works here {very quietly, trailing off} at the flashback place.
- The firework on the right shows you what became of the lifetime supply of fishsticks.
- Transcript
- {Cut to the field back in the flashback. The Prince of Town is standing near the broken-open egg.}
- THE PRINCE OF TOWN: Will no one claim this lifetime supply of fishsticks?
- {Prince of Town does an over-the-top look left and right.}
Fun Facts
Trivia
- The DVD commentary for this episode reveals several interesting facts—originally, it would have been animated in the normal style, and would have told a different story, until the Brothers Chaps decided to re-write it halfway through. Originally, story elements included Strong Bad wearing a star shirt, and Marzipan attempting to do something about Homestar's awful fashion sense (his duckie shirt, and also in this version, a pair of sandals). She gets him a star shirt, and Strong Bad rips his own shirt off in protest, which is why nowadays, Strong Bad never wears a shirt.
- The email was assigned the URL of "http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemailahundred.html," breaking the convention of the previous ninety-nine. This was done because of Not the 100th Email!!!.
- Strong Bad actually says the word "E-mail" exactly 100 times.
- The Paper comes down during "e-mails" #28 through #30.
- For #49 he distinctly says "e-MAIL-a."
- For #67 he quickly says "e-mail-mail-nahduhluh."
- For #72 he says "e-meh-meh-meh-meh-mail."
- "E-mails" #91 and #92 blend together so much that it sounds like "email—mail," but if it was just one "e-mail" then there would only be 99, so it has been accepted to be 2 separate "e-mails."
- This is the first time a character has mentioned Free Country, USA.
- This email features an amazing eight Easter eggs, the most in any toon to date.
- 1936 Strong Bad appearing with half a mustache was inspired by a waiter The Brothers Chaps once encountered who sported the same odd facial hair style.
Remarks
- It is debatable whether the story in the book really "happened", since Strong Bad could be making it up. Homestar verifies the tale, but this may just be typical, dense Homestar behavior.
- More proof that Strong Bad's boxing gloves are his hands; the small boxing gloves are referred to as his tiny hands.
- Strong Bad couldn't have lost count at email 51 because in email 91 the intro is "Coming in at number 91, it's, EMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL." However it is possible that he could have said number 91 by coincidence.
- Also, he knew that it was the 100th email because he confronted users trying to find the email before it was finished in Not the 100th Email!!!
- During the ten-step footrace, Strong Bad made more than ten steps, although that wouldn't have affected the result of the race, for he would have lost/won the egg anyway.
- When The Cheat jumps out of the egg, Strong Bad says "Awesome! My very own-a The Cheat!" but the text says "My very own The Cheat!"
- When the Compy said Strong Bad had answered 100 e-mails, that's not entirely true. He answered two in 50 emails, two more in 2 emails, and you could say he answered more than one in huttah! (although he didn't answer any in anything or mile). Depending on your definition of "answering" an email, he read extras in spring cleaning (although they were promptly deleted). If you count by each toon being an e-mail, then he still answered in excess of 103 e-mails, since the three bonus e-mails on the DVD are presumably pre-100th. So really, at the time of the hundredth e-mail, Strong Bad actually has answered more than 100 e-mails.
- There is also the preview email in the Toons Menu.
- As well as the never-before-seen emails from personal favorites.
- There is also the preview email in the Toons Menu.
- Though the style of the artwork and the voice acting for most of the characters resembled closely that of the classic Homestar cartoons, Strong Bad, for some reason, sounds nothing like the real "old-school" Strong Bad in the flashback. Old Strong Bad's manner of speaking was very loud and dramatic (almost overacted), and he had a strong Mexican accent. "Old-school" Strong Bad in the flashback is just the opposite, speaking in a monotonal, mumbling fashion.
- Maybe the Compy gets confused with the "one" in "one-hundred" which caused it to go back to the first email.
- When he reads the Tandy e-mail, his accent is more like it is in the old cartoons (most notably, he pronounces "you" as "joo" a few times).
Glitches
- While the Limozeen video is up, the links beneath it are still clickable.
Inside References
- Present in the flashback are Mr. Bland and Señor, who haven't been seen since Marshmallow's Last Stand.
- Strong Bad first uses "grrl" (seen here as grrrl) in i she be. The word is also used in the Teen Girl Squad Mainpage and The House that Gave Sucky Treats.
- Old-style Marzipan, Strong Sad, and Strong Mad refer to the concept sketches.
- Old-style Coach Z and Bubs refer to "Where My Hat is At?."
- The Cheat also mashed play on a jambox in "Everybody Knows It."
- When Strong Bad gasps at the end of the e-mail, it is the same sound effect of the Dry Meal in 20X6 vs. 1936.
- The TV from the Discount Flashback Warehouse egg is from an old H*R.com main menu.
- The two e-mails in the Discount Flashback Warehouse egg are different town and band names.
- When Senor Cardgage/Creepy Comb-Over Strong Bad says "Many combolations, Elizagerth," it's a reference to the credits in japanese cartoon.
- Strong Bad is heard saying "Man, so cool" in the Senor Cardgage Easter egg. He said the same thing in the email "kind of cool."
Real-World References
- The widescreen is a perfect 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
- The guitar the guy is holding in the Limozeen egg is the same guitar that Homestar Runner steals in Puppet Time, a Hamer "Bat" spin-off of the more popular Gibson Explorer shape. The bass the other guy is holding is a Fender Jazz-Bass.
- It may also be a Jackson KE3 Kelly model.
- The melty candy bar Creepy Comb-Over Strong Bad/Senor Cardgage holds up near the end appears to be a Zagnut bar, which was also seen in 3 Times Halloween Funjob.
DVD Version
- The Limozeen video is now in fullscreen and much higher quality.
- As well, you can use your DVD player's angle Button while watching the Limozeen clip to change the clip's background image. There are three separate backgrounds in all.
- Due to it being widescreen, the characters in this email look a little stretched out from top to bottom, unless you are watching it on a widescreen TV. Computer monitors seem to have this problem as well.
- The DVD version features hidden creator's commentary. To access it, switch your DVD player's audio language selection while watching.
