Pom Pom

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(Biography: Please keep speculation on if Pom-Pom was truly killed off (which he probably wasn't; see Homsar) OFF the page until confirmed.)
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{{charnav|Pom Pom|pp|Strong Sad|Marzipan}}
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{{sbenav|108}}
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{{aboutcharacter}} {{foremail|pom pom}}
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[[Image:pompom.PNG|thumb|right|220px|The big cheese.]]
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[[Image:3D_pompom.PNG|thumb|200px|3D Pom Pom!]]
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== Biography ==
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[[Image:Sbemail108.png|thumb|"All right, Led Zeppelin! Let's get this settled once and for all!"]]
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'''Pom Pom''' (also spelled '''Pom-Pom''') is a [[Poms|Pom]] from the [[Isle of Pom]]. Pom Pom, like all Poms, appears to be inflated. His body consists of a yellow sphere with an orange stripe.  His oval head and somewhat-triangular arms and feet are the same color orange. Pom Pom's eyes are black ovals and he has [[Lack of Visible Body Parts|no visible mouth]]. He talks by making [[Lack of Intelligible Speech|bubbly noises]] and can absorb objects into his body for storage, suggesting that he is made of some sort of gelatinous substance. He is also quite skilled in [[Wikipedia:Martial Art|martial arts]] (see [[Pom Pom#Fighting Skills|below]]).
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[[Image:pompom.png|thumb|left|Pom Pom is confused...]]
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{{aboutemail}} {{forcharacter|Pom Pom}}
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Pom Pom is [[Homestar Runner]]'s [[Homestar Runner and Pom Pom's Relationship|best friend]], but he sometimes [[Strong Bad and Pom Pom's Relationship|hangs out]] with [[Strong Bad]] as well. He has such an open mind that he sometimes spends time with unpopular characters such as [[The King of Town]] and [[The Poopsmith]]. Pom Pom is often seen talking on [[Cell Phones|his cell phone]] to his many [[Pom Pom's girls|girlfriends]], and he keeps track of their contact information in his [[Pom Pilot]]. His parents' names are [[General and Fraulein Pom Pom]], as seen in an Easter egg in the email [[pom pom]]. Pom Pom was going to have a dog named [[Trivia Time]], but this concept seems to have been abandoned. Pom Pom is also "the big cheese" at [[The Office]] as shown in [[from work]].
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Over the years, Pom Pom seems to have become a bit more pompous, from his irritation at Homestar at being [[Pom Pom's Character Video|interrupted during a cell phone call]], to his ditching the rest of the crew on prom night to [[senior prom|attend a much cooler private school prom]], his working against Homestar in [[Strong Badia the Free]] (on the side of [[the Municipality]]), his brushing off of Strong Bad to attend the [[technology|Sundance screening of his self-written, self-directed, self-produced and self-distributed movie]], and his [[from work|lording over Homestar with his status as "the big cheese" at]] [[The Office]].
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Kevin asks about what would happen if you poked Pom Pom with a pin. Strong Bad experiments with dangerous conditions.
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Pom Pom seems to enjoy making movies and working with cameras in general. He has directed at least two movies, including one made completely on his cell phone. His other movie, [[city (comma) state]], performed quite well in theatres, being shown on 10,000 screens. However, he still has time for the little people; he has helped Homestar broadcast his news of [[No Hands on Deck|building a deck]] and has created a [[pom pom|documentary]] on [[Bubs]].
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'''Cast (in order of appearance):''' {{Film|Strong Bad}}, {{Film|Coach Z}}, {{Film|Homestar Runner}}, {{Film|Bubs}}, {{Film|Pom Pom}}, {{Film|The Poopsmith}}, [[Viklas]] (Easter egg), [[Monkey D]] (Easter egg)
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*'''Debut:''' [[Original Book|"The Homestar Runner Enters The Strongest Man in the World Contest"]]
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'''Places:''' [[Computer Room]], [[The Field]], [[Bubs' Concession Stand]]
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*[[:Category:Pom Pom Filmography|Complete Filmography]]
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{{Comp|Compy 386}}
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{{clear}}
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{{Character Video Transcript}}
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== Fighting Skills ==
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'''Date:''' Monday, July 19, 2004
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[[Image:MartialArtsPom-Pom.PNG|thumb|right|160px|Kung-Fu skills.]]
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Pom Pom is skilled in the martial arts and appears to enjoy fighting.
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The first instance of Pom Pom fighting is inside a dojo from the [[Theme Song Video]] where he shows off his moves; this is broadened on later in the email [[pom pom]] where he gets a [[Nintendo|1-Up]] by severely pummeling Strong Bad. In the [[pom pom#Commentary Transcript|commentary]] for the same email, [[The Brothers Chaps]] discussed wanting to make a side scrolling Pom Pom fighting game. His skills are seen again in [[personal favorites]] where he got into a "knife fight" with [[Coach Z]]. In [[Summer Short Shorts]], Pom Pom shows off his skills with a [[Wikipedia:Bō|Bō]] and disappears with a smoke bomb.  In [[Dangeresque Roomisode 1: Behind the Dangerdesque]], he is seen as a take-out technician who kicks an old take-out box of Chinese food to unstick it from Dangeresque's safe.
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'''Running Time:''' 2:25
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In [[Strong Badia the Free]], Pom Pom is described as "the shogun" and has samurai decorations in [[Club Technochocolate]], including an authentic katana that Strong Bad can steal. In [[Baddest of the Bands]], the katana is back in place, and looking at it causes Strong Bad to [[Blatant Lies|claim he donated it, and that Pom Pom definitely didn't take it back by force and wedgies]].
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'''Page Title:''' Compy 386!!
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== Fun Facts ==
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{{dvd|strongbad_email.exe Disc Four}}
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=== Driver's license ===
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<blockquote>POM POM<br />
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== Transcript ==
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125 Lexington Ave<br />
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'''STRONG BAD:''' ''{singing}'' Oh, I'm an email gambler... that means I play cards with emails. ''{He pulls up the email.}'' Full house.
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Isle Of Pom<br />
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 +
<blockquote class="email">Dear Strongbad,<br />
<br />
<br />
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SEX  HEIGHT  WEIGHT<br />
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What would happen if you poked<br />
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POM  6'2"    4 lbs<br />
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Pom-Pom with a pin? Is that why I<br />
 +
haven't seen him around in a while?<br />
<br />
<br />
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ORGAN<br />
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Kevin<br />
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DONOR</blockquote>
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OH</blockquote>
 +
 
 +
''{He pronounces "OH" as the word "oh!"}''
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD:''' ''{typing}'' Oh! Kevin. You scared me! I dunno. I guess he would pop or explode depending on whether he's filled with helium or hydrogen. And also depending on if he's on fire at time of poke. This is sounding pretty good. ''{clears screen}'' Poking Pom Pom with a pin while he's on fire! Let's see, how can we raise the stakes a little bit? Ooh! I'll be blindfolded! Truly this will be my greatest feat! ''{He puts on a blindfold with a rayed sun motif.}'' All right. I'm ready to go. ''{Types as "aligrt u.ln reay tui gi"}''
 +
 
 +
''{He leaves the computer. Cut to a field where Coach Z and Homestar Runner are standing.}''
 +
 
 +
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER''': Um, I think it was dot-egg or dot-muffin or something.
 +
 
 +
'''COACH Z''': You sure it wasn't dot-com? ''{pronounced 'kem' due to his accent}'' Or dot-org?
 +
 
 +
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER''': No, I'm pretty sure it was dot-egg.
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': ''{offscreen}'' All right, Hindenburg.
 +
 
 +
''{He enters, still wearing the blindfold and brandishing a pin and the BMW lighter.}''
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': Where you at?
 +
 
 +
'''COACH Z''': ''{He jumps out of the way.}'' Whoa! Hey there! Careful with those!
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': Pom Pom? Is that you?
 +
 
 +
''{He begins to poke Homestar in the chin with the pin, which makes a little high-pitched "poink" noise each time.}''
 +
 
 +
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER''': Yeah, it's me.
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': ''{still poking}'' Homestar?!
 +
 
 +
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER''': Yeah, it's me. ''{Light pink dots begin to appear on Homestar's face}''
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': Look, I'm trying to find Pom Pom. You know where he is?
 +
 
 +
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER''': I think he's over at Bubs's, filming his documentary.
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 +
'''STRONG BAD''': All right, thanks.
 +
 
 +
''{He stops poking and walks off.}''
 +
 
 +
'''HOMESTAR RUNNER''': ''{assuming a teenager's breaking voice and slightly swaying}'' Hey, Coach! Check me out! I've got bad zits!
 +
 
 +
''{Cut to Bubs' Concession Stand, where The Poopsmith is wearing headphones and holding a boom mic over Bubs's head and Pom Pom is filming Bubs at his place behind the counter.}''
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 +
'''BUBS''': And that's how I almost died the fifteenth time.
 +
 
 +
''{Bubs, Pom Pom and The Poopsmith turn to look at Strong Bad as he enters.}''
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': All right, Led Zeppelin! Let's get this settled once and for all!
 +
 
 +
''{Strong Bad jumps in the direction of the concession stand, but smashes his face against the wall.}''
 +
 
 +
'''BUBS''': That'll be five dollars! ''{He puts up a sign reading "Face Mashings $5."}''
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 +
'''STRONG BAD''': Ugh! ''{He shakes his head.}'' That's cool. I'm cool. Here I go again! Urah!
 +
 
 +
''{He jumps up and runs toward Pom Pom, who leaps into the air. He runs underneath Pom Pom and skids to a halt next to where he was standing. Pom Pom lands gracefully behind him with an angry expression.}''
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': Pom Pom, is that yo&mdash;
 +
 
 +
''{Pom Pom kicks him into the air and 'juggles' him through several strikes, much like a fighting game, making combo signs appear after his fourth, fifth and sixth strikes. He then finishes him off with a kick, sending him flying. A "1-up" sign appears, along with the ''Super Mario Bros.'' "1-up" noise.}''
 +
 
 +
'''BUBS''': That'll be ten dollars! ''{He puts up a sign reading "Severe Pummelings $10."}''
 +
 
 +
''{Cut to the Compy room, where Strong Bad's reply is still on the screen. Strong Bad plummets through the roof, landing on his stool. He removes the blindfold.}''
 +
 
 +
'''STRONG BAD''': Ugh! ''{typing}'' So, since I was blindfolded, I didn't really get a clear view of what happened. But I'm pretty sure I didn't get the everloving snot beat out of me and that Pom Pom exploded in a big fiery ball that was visible from space. Poor guy... I feel kind of sorry for him. I might even miss him a little bit. Well, it had to be done in the name of science. Or, more accurately, because some kid e-mailed me and told me to. ''{said in a childishly angered manner}'' I hope you're happy, Kevin!
 +
 
 +
''{[[The Paper]] comes down.}''
 +
 
 +
== Easter Eggs ==
 +
*At the end, click on "Poor guy" to see a letter from Strong Bad to [[General and Fraulein Pom Pom|Pom Pom's parents]].
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:''{Some sad music starts playing and a sheet of paper appears on the screen. As writing appears, Strong Bad reads it aloud, his voice cracking as he gets sadder.}''
 +
<blockquote>Dear General and Fraulein Pom Pom,<br>
 +
it<!--sic--> is with a heavy heart that i<!--sic--> inform you that your<br>
 +
son recently exploded in a big, fiery ball that was visible<br>
 +
from space. i<!--sic--> would also like to add that in no way did<br>
 +
he beat any of the everloving snot out of me.<br>
 +
Sequentially,<br>
 +
Strong Bad</blockquote>
 +
 
 +
*At the end, click on "e-mailed" to see Strong Bad "email gambling" with Bubs.
 +
:''{Cut to a top-down view of a green table with some poker chips on it.}''
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:'''STRONG BAD:''' Oh, read 'em and weep, boys! Pair of Abdis and a Viklas! ''{He throws cards onto the table, two of which bear a capital A, and one of which shows the Swedish flag.}''
 +
:'''BUBS:''' Oh, man! Alls I got is a lousy MonkeyDude! ''{He throws down a card depicting Monkey D.}''
 +
 
 +
== Fun Facts ==
 +
===Explanation===
 +
*A [[Wikipedia:Full house (poker)|"full house,"]] as Strong Bad says in the opening song, is a poker hand of three cards of one value and two cards of another (e.g., 3 Kings and 2 Tens would constitute a full house).
 +
*This is actually one of the few times the opening song is [[related to the email]] or Easter Egg.
 +
 
 +
===Remarks===
 +
[[Image:Black-thing.png|thumb|The tie in its original black]]
 +
*In the Flash file, between the two Easter eggs, from frames 2085-2105, a black version of the tie on the back of Strong Bad's blindfold appears in front of a plain white background.  This black version is actually the belt from Pom Pom's karate outfit in [[Theme Song Video]]. ''{See also Inside References.}''
 +
*In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, [[The Brothers Chaps]] did not modify the letter "q" (as they normally do) from how it actually appears in AhnbergHand, the [[font]] they usually use for Strong Bad's handwriting.
 +
*After Strong Bad faceplants himself against the wall, the lighter goes out and is not re-lit.
 +
*Strong Bad exposes himself as a less-than-expert typist in this email. After "raising the stakes" and donning a blindfold, he cannot type. An expert touch-typist would have no problem typing in this situation.
 +
**However, in the email [[impression]], he is able to type with a picnic plate over his eyes.
 +
*Supposing the denizens of the Isle of Pom use the same linguistic conventions as Germany, Strong Bad's use of ''Fräulein'' to refer to Pom Pom's mother is technically incorrect: instead he should be using ''Frau''.  In German the word ''Frau'' ("woman") is used when addressing or referring to married women, like ''Mrs.'' in English, while ''Fräulein'' ("young woman") is used for younger, unmarried women, like ''Miss'' in English.  As it is, the letter sounds like it is actually addressed to Pom Pom's father and sister, rather than to both of his parents.
 +
**Additionally,  using ''Fräulein'' is considered politically incorrect in Germany these days, and today both married and unmarried women are all addressed as ''Frau''.
 +
*The sizing between Strong Bad and Homestar seems to be distorted in this email. Strong Bad's head is much larger when seen poking Homestar, contrasted to [[long pants]].
 +
*When Strong Bad puts on the blind fold, he starts to misspell words on the keyboard. Despite this, he never needs to look down at the keyboard while typing, so it doesn't make sense as to why he'd start making so many errors.
 +
*There is actually a [[Wikipedia: .EGG|dot egg]], but it is a file format and is unused in web URLs.
 +
 
 +
===Goofs===
 +
*In the scene where Strong Bad attempts to pop Pom Pom near [[Bubs' Concession Stand]], he is holding the [[BMW Lighter]], but the BMW logo is backwards on it.
 +
*Somewhere between Strong Bad's first and second attempts to poke Pom Pom, the Poopsmith disappears without a trace, for no apparent reason.
 +
*In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, Strong Bad does not properly spell ''Fräulein'' as he omits the [[Wikipedia:Umlaut|umlaut]] over the "a."  In the case of "au" diphthongs in German, the absence or presence of an umlaut over the "a" determines its pronunciation between "ow" and "oy" (as spoken by Strong Bad) respectively.
 +
*When Strong Bad is falling back into the Computer Room, there is no reflection of any part of his body on the Compy's screen until he lands. Also note that there are no laces on the back of his head.
 +
*When Pom Pom hits Strong Bad the first time, his BMW lighter flies away but his pin disappears.
 +
*When Strong Bad pokes Homestar Runner on the chin 11 times, he ends up with 5 pink marks, but when the camera zooms out he has 8 marks.  The marks are much more spread out than Strong Bad's pokes.
 +
 
 +
===Inside References===
 +
*In the poker game, Strong Bad has two [[Abdi LaRue|Abdis]] and a [[Swedish Flag|Viklas]] card which are references to emails [[some kinda robot]] and [[little questions]].
 +
*Bubs's "MonkeyDude" card has a picture of [[Monkey D]]. Monkeydude himself came from [[crazy cartoon]].
 +
*The blindfold Strong Bad wears has the same design as Pom Pom's headband in the [[Theme Song Video]]. The tie is a recolored version of Pom Pom's belt, in the same cartoon. ''{Also see Real-World References.}''
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*The music that accompanies Strong Bad's letter of consolation is from [[2 years]] and [[A Decemberween Pageant]].
 +
*Pom Pom directing a documentary may be a reference to [[The House That Gave Sucky Treats]], where he dressed as controversial documentarian Michael Moore.
 +
*This is an instance of [[Strong Bad getting beaten up]].
 +
*This is an instance of Strong Bad [[falling through the ceiling]].
 +
*Homestar's confusion over websites echoes his confusion in [[First Time Here?]]
 +
 
 +
===Real-World References===
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[[Image:Beating.gif|thumb|"That'll be ten dollars!"]]
 +
*Pom Pom's fighting style is similar to [[Wikipedia:Kirby (character)|Kirby's]] fighting style in the [[Wikipedia:Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros. series]], with combo and Smash attacks.
 +
*When Pom Pom beats up Strong Bad, you can hear sound effects from the [[Wikipedia:Super Mario Bros.|''Super Mario Bros.'']] [[Nintendo|NES]] game, as is his scoring a [[Wikipedia:1-up|1-up]] after hitting Strong Bad several times (however, it usually takes 8 hits, not 7). The [[Wikipedia:Combo (fighting)|"Combo"]] sign is also a reference to the many fighting games that feature them.
 +
*The rayed sun on Strong Bad's blindfold is from the military (especially pre-WWII) version of the [[Wikipedia:Flag of Japan#Military|Japanese flag]]. Its use here may be inspired by the 1984 film [[imdb:tt0087538|The Karate Kid]], in which Ralph Macchio's character wore a Japanese bandana known as a [[Wikipedia:Hachimaki| hachimaki]], which is traditionally worn during a difficult or important task. (Or maybe it was just the closest thing to a blindfold [[Mike Chapman|Mike]] had lying around among his props. See Inside References.)
 +
*The email song is a reference to the [[Wikipedia:Kenny Rogers|Kenny Rogers]] song (and movie) [[Wikipedia:The Gambler (music)|The Gambler]].
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*[[Wikipedia:Led Zeppelin|Led Zeppelin]] was a '70s British band noted for their innovative, influential approach to heavy blues-rock.
 +
*[[Wikipedia:Hindenburg disaster|The ''Hindenburg'']] was a German Zeppelin that exploded and burned on May 6, 1937.
 +
**A famous picture of the Hindenburg disaster was used as the cover to Led Zeppelin's [[Wikipedia:Led Zeppelin (album)|first album]].
 +
 
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===Fast Forward===
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* Strong Bad falls through the roof again in [[keep cool]].
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* Pom Pom again shows his martial arts prowess in [[Summer Short Shorts]].
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* Homestar references a .[[egg]] domain in [[Sbemail 169 Deleted Scene]], and one is present on the Bookazon site in the DVD version of [[studying]].
 +
* In [[Strong Badia the Free]], attempting to use the katana on Pom Pom results in Strong Bad recalling the events of this email. Trying to use the lighter on Pom Pom also refers to this email ("I'm not sure what Pom Pom's filled with...").
 +
*Strong Bad plays poker again in [[Poker Night at the Inventory]]
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*Pom Pom would eventually be popped in [[Doomy Tales of the Macabre]] and [[I Killed Pom Pom]].
 +
 
 +
==DVD Version==
 +
*The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch your DVD player's audio language selection while watching.
 +
===Commentary Transcript===
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 +
('''Commentary by:''' [[Matt Chapman]], [[Ryan Sterritt]], [[Jonathan Howe]])
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' All right. No introductions this time, guys. We're just gonna do it.
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 +
'''JON:''' Let's go!
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 +
'''MATT:''' All right.
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 +
'''RYAN:''' On the spot.
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'''JON:''' What&mdash;what email are we doing here?
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Uh, this is pom pom.
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 +
'''JON:''' All right.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' And he just sang his little song about being the email gambler.
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 +
'''RYAN:''' Ohh, is&mdash;
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 +
'''JON:''' Is that, uh&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Like ''{simultaneously with Ryan}'' Kenny Rogers Roasters.
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 +
'''JON:''' I used to have the, um, Kenny Rogers' record of the Gambler soundtrack.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Ooh, nice.
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 +
'''JON:''' And I thought, as a child, that if you put it on the record, you'd be able to watch the movie?
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 +
'''MATT:''' ''{high-pitched}'' What?
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 +
'''JON:''' Like, I just didn't know that the soundtrack was not the movie and&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Wow.
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 +
'''JON:''' I was&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' How did you think&mdash;Where did you think the movie was gonna appear?
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' ''{embarrassed}'' I don't know. I was just a visionary waiting for laserdisc.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Yeah, I guess so.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Anyway.
 +
 
 +
'''RYAN:''' I met Kenny Rogers at a sushi place once.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Did you? Where at?
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' He wasn't eating at his own chicken venue?
 +
 
 +
'''RYAN:''' No. He and his whole family were there so we got him some sake and he came over and met us.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Nice! Well, speaking of sake, Strong Bad is wearing a Japanese... headband, with the rising sun.
 +
 
 +
'''RYAN:''' Would you say Karma?
 +
 
 +
''{Jon and Matt laugh}''
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' What?
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' I think I was karma.
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 +
'''JON:''' ''{laughs}'' Karma D?
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Um&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Oh, that's very&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' What do you think those guys were talking about just then? Dot com or dot egg? Dot Muffin?
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' My favorite, um&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''RYAN:''' The movement.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' My favorite moment, you know, where you're always picking up the characters in some like, nonsensical&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Right.
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 +
'''RYAN:''' &mdash;conversation is when, when he goes, "And [[crying|you ''stay'' over there.]]"
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' That's right.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' That's...
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' I think we were discussing on this commentary for that one who&mdash;who exactly he's talking to.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' ''{unintelligible}''
 +
 
 +
'''RYAN:''' I like Poopsmith holding the&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' I would like... we should make that documentary someday.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Yeah.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Or, just like show that whole documentary about Bubs, I guess?
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' ''{laughs}''
 +
 
 +
''{pause until Strong Bad says "I'm cool"}''
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' He's cool.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' I did some, uh, extra special animation on the little backstraps of his headband there. I don't remember&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Yeah, Mike probably&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' This part was really fun to animate.
 +
 
 +
'''RYAN:''' I like the noises.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Yeah.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Angry Pom Pom face rules, too.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Ooh. He came right through the ceiling.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' That&mdash;That made the hole that, um, that three-foot hole or whatever?
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' Oh, well that was in the ceiling, though.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Now I'm confused&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' He came through the ceiling.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' Oh yeah.
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' He didn't shoot up through the floor.
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' See, there's a lot of holes&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''MATT:''' There's a lot of holes in Strong Bad's&mdash;
 +
 
 +
'''JON:''' ''{simultaneously}'' Serious falling hazard. Yeah.
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===Phone Numbers===
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'''MATT:''' It's an old, rotted-up house. Just with nice, nice carpet on top of it.
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''Home'': (123) 456-7890<br>
+
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''Cell'': (123) 555-8307<br>
+
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''Pager'': (718) 555-1059<br>
+
-
*The area code for Pom Pom's pager number, 718, is the area code for the boroughs of New York City other than Manhattan. 123 is not a real area code, as none (in the [[wikipedia:North American Numbering Plan|North American Numbering Plan]], at least) begin with the numeral 1.
+
'''JON:''' So, um, Pom Pom fighting game coming soon?
-
* Pom Pom's "voice" is the same re-used sound sample of [[Mike Chapman]] blowing bubbles into a glass of milk. His is the only voice that is never recorded fresh for every toon (and never has been since his first appearance).
+
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* Pom Pom is the only main character never to have said anything understandable as an English word.
+
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*"The Most Mackinest", the page title of Pom Pom's character video, is a phrase taken from the [[Wikipedia:Beastie Boys|Beastie Boys]]' song "Shake Your Rump."
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*Pom Pom is the only main character whose [[parents]] have been seen on the site, in a picture in [[Pom Pom, Too]]. They are differently-colored Poms in the picture, but Strong Bad hypothetically envisions them as a [[Pom Pom's Hypothetical Family|File Cabinet]] in [[Family Resemblence]].
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*Pom Pom's ringtone is a clip of DJ Teh Cheat's remix of [[The Geddup Noise]], as heard in [[technology]].
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*Pom Pom owns a [[Guns|firearm]]. He has been shown with a gun in [[In Search of the Yello Dello]], [[Most in the Graveyard]] and [[Halloween Potion-ma-jig]].
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*Email [[independent]] suggests that Pom Pom may also go by the name "J. William Pom Thomas C. Pom", at least when directing.
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== Relationships ==
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'''MATT:''' Yeah, no, exactly. It makes me wanna play a side-scrolling Pom Pom street fighter&mdash;
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:''Main article: [[Character Relationships]]''
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*[[Homestar Runner and Pom Pom's Relationship]]
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*[[Strong Bad and Pom Pom's Relationship]]
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*[[The Poopsmith and Pom Pom's Relationship]]
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== Variations ==
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*[[Fat Dudley]] ([[Old-Timey]])
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*[[Pan Pan]] ([[20X6]])
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*[[Other Character Variations#2046|2046 Pom Pom]] ([[your funeral]])
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*[[Professor Experimento]] ([[Dangeresque (film series)|Dangeresque]])
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*[[Pom (character)|Pom]] ([[Xeriouxly Forxe]])
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=== [[Halloween Costumes]] ===
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*[[Wikipedia:Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man|Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man]] (from ''[[Wikipedia:Ghostbusters|Ghostbusters]]'') in [[Homestarloween Party]].
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'''JON:''' Pom Fighter. Double&mdash;
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*[[Wikipedia:Michael_Moore|Michael Moore]] in [[The House That Gave Sucky Treats]].
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*[[Wikipedia:Kool-Aid_Man|Kool-Aid Man]] in [[Pumpkin Carve-nival]].
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*[[Wikipedia:Kamala (wrestler)|Kamala the Ugandan Giant]] in [[3 Times Halloween Funjob]].
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*The Big Boy (from [http://www.bobs.net/ Bob's Big Boy]) in [[Halloween Fairstival]].
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*Walter Sobchak from ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'' in [[Halloween Potion-ma-jig]].
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*[[Wikipedia:Mario Batali|Mario Batali]] in [[Happy Hallow-day]].
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*A [[Cacodemon]] from ''[[Wikipedia:Doom (video game)|Doom]]'' in [[Jibblies 2]].
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*[[Wikipedia:Scud: The Disposable Assassin|SCUD]] in [[Most in the Graveyard]].
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*[[Wikipedia:Dig Dug|Pooka]] in [[Doomy Tales of the Macabre]].
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*[[Wikipedia:King-Size Homer|King-Size Homer]] in [[I Killed Pom Pom]].
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==See Also==
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'''MATT:''' Pom Freaks.
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*[[Pom Pom Evolution]]
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*[[Pom Pom Other Costumes|Other Costumes]]
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*[[Nicknames#Pom Pom|Nicknames]]
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*[[Pom Pom's Hypothetical Family]]
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== External links ==
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'''JON:''' Get it? Double Pom?
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*[[HR:vcr_pp.html|watch Pom Pom's character video]]
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*[[HR:vcr_pp.swf|view the Flash file for Pom Pom's character video]]
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{{Characters|Pom Pom}}
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== External Links ==
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{{sbemailextlinks|108|310}}
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{{Strong Bad Email}}
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[[Category: Emails With DVD Commentary]]

Revision as of 02:52, 4 January 2015

Strong Bad Email #108
watch cheatday crying
"All right, Led Zeppelin! Let's get this settled once and for all!"
This article is about the Strong Bad Email. For the character, see Pom Pom.

Kevin asks about what would happen if you poked Pom Pom with a pin. Strong Bad experiments with dangerous conditions.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Coach Z, Homestar Runner, Bubs, Pom Pom, The Poopsmith, Viklas (Easter egg), Monkey D (Easter egg)

Places: Computer Room, The Field, Bubs' Concession Stand

Computer: Compy 386

Date: Monday, July 19, 2004

Running Time: 2:25

Page Title: Compy 386!!

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Four

Contents

Transcript

STRONG BAD: {singing} Oh, I'm an email gambler... that means I play cards with emails. {He pulls up the email.} Full house.

{He pronounces "OH" as the word "oh!"}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Oh! Kevin. You scared me! I dunno. I guess he would pop or explode depending on whether he's filled with helium or hydrogen. And also depending on if he's on fire at time of poke. This is sounding pretty good. {clears screen} Poking Pom Pom with a pin while he's on fire! Let's see, how can we raise the stakes a little bit? Ooh! I'll be blindfolded! Truly this will be my greatest feat! {He puts on a blindfold with a rayed sun motif.} All right. I'm ready to go. {Types as "aligrt u.ln reay tui gi"}

{He leaves the computer. Cut to a field where Coach Z and Homestar Runner are standing.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Um, I think it was dot-egg or dot-muffin or something.

COACH Z: You sure it wasn't dot-com? {pronounced 'kem' due to his accent} Or dot-org?

HOMESTAR RUNNER: No, I'm pretty sure it was dot-egg.

STRONG BAD: {offscreen} All right, Hindenburg.

{He enters, still wearing the blindfold and brandishing a pin and the BMW lighter.}

STRONG BAD: Where you at?

COACH Z: {He jumps out of the way.} Whoa! Hey there! Careful with those!

STRONG BAD: Pom Pom? Is that you?

{He begins to poke Homestar in the chin with the pin, which makes a little high-pitched "poink" noise each time.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Yeah, it's me.

STRONG BAD: {still poking} Homestar?!

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Yeah, it's me. {Light pink dots begin to appear on Homestar's face}

STRONG BAD: Look, I'm trying to find Pom Pom. You know where he is?

HOMESTAR RUNNER: I think he's over at Bubs's, filming his documentary.

STRONG BAD: All right, thanks.

{He stops poking and walks off.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: {assuming a teenager's breaking voice and slightly swaying} Hey, Coach! Check me out! I've got bad zits!

{Cut to Bubs' Concession Stand, where The Poopsmith is wearing headphones and holding a boom mic over Bubs's head and Pom Pom is filming Bubs at his place behind the counter.}

BUBS: And that's how I almost died the fifteenth time.

{Bubs, Pom Pom and The Poopsmith turn to look at Strong Bad as he enters.}

STRONG BAD: All right, Led Zeppelin! Let's get this settled once and for all!

{Strong Bad jumps in the direction of the concession stand, but smashes his face against the wall.}

BUBS: That'll be five dollars! {He puts up a sign reading "Face Mashings $5."}

STRONG BAD: Ugh! {He shakes his head.} That's cool. I'm cool. Here I go again! Urah!

{He jumps up and runs toward Pom Pom, who leaps into the air. He runs underneath Pom Pom and skids to a halt next to where he was standing. Pom Pom lands gracefully behind him with an angry expression.}

STRONG BAD: Pom Pom, is that yo—

{Pom Pom kicks him into the air and 'juggles' him through several strikes, much like a fighting game, making combo signs appear after his fourth, fifth and sixth strikes. He then finishes him off with a kick, sending him flying. A "1-up" sign appears, along with the Super Mario Bros. "1-up" noise.}

BUBS: That'll be ten dollars! {He puts up a sign reading "Severe Pummelings $10."}

{Cut to the Compy room, where Strong Bad's reply is still on the screen. Strong Bad plummets through the roof, landing on his stool. He removes the blindfold.}

STRONG BAD: Ugh! {typing} So, since I was blindfolded, I didn't really get a clear view of what happened. But I'm pretty sure I didn't get the everloving snot beat out of me and that Pom Pom exploded in a big fiery ball that was visible from space. Poor guy... I feel kind of sorry for him. I might even miss him a little bit. Well, it had to be done in the name of science. Or, more accurately, because some kid e-mailed me and told me to. {said in a childishly angered manner} I hope you're happy, Kevin!

{The Paper comes down.}

Easter Eggs

  • At the end, click on "Poor guy" to see a letter from Strong Bad to Pom Pom's parents.
{Some sad music starts playing and a sheet of paper appears on the screen. As writing appears, Strong Bad reads it aloud, his voice cracking as he gets sadder.}
Dear General and Fraulein Pom Pom,
it is with a heavy heart that i inform you that your
son recently exploded in a big, fiery ball that was visible
from space. i would also like to add that in no way did
he beat any of the everloving snot out of me.
Sequentially,
Strong Bad
  • At the end, click on "e-mailed" to see Strong Bad "email gambling" with Bubs.
{Cut to a top-down view of a green table with some poker chips on it.}
STRONG BAD: Oh, read 'em and weep, boys! Pair of Abdis and a Viklas! {He throws cards onto the table, two of which bear a capital A, and one of which shows the Swedish flag.}
BUBS: Oh, man! Alls I got is a lousy MonkeyDude! {He throws down a card depicting Monkey D.}

Fun Facts

Explanation

  • A "full house," as Strong Bad says in the opening song, is a poker hand of three cards of one value and two cards of another (e.g., 3 Kings and 2 Tens would constitute a full house).
  • This is actually one of the few times the opening song is related to the email or Easter Egg.

Remarks

The tie in its original black
  • In the Flash file, between the two Easter eggs, from frames 2085-2105, a black version of the tie on the back of Strong Bad's blindfold appears in front of a plain white background. This black version is actually the belt from Pom Pom's karate outfit in Theme Song Video. {See also Inside References.}
  • In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, The Brothers Chaps did not modify the letter "q" (as they normally do) from how it actually appears in AhnbergHand, the font they usually use for Strong Bad's handwriting.
  • After Strong Bad faceplants himself against the wall, the lighter goes out and is not re-lit.
  • Strong Bad exposes himself as a less-than-expert typist in this email. After "raising the stakes" and donning a blindfold, he cannot type. An expert touch-typist would have no problem typing in this situation.
    • However, in the email impression, he is able to type with a picnic plate over his eyes.
  • Supposing the denizens of the Isle of Pom use the same linguistic conventions as Germany, Strong Bad's use of Fräulein to refer to Pom Pom's mother is technically incorrect: instead he should be using Frau. In German the word Frau ("woman") is used when addressing or referring to married women, like Mrs. in English, while Fräulein ("young woman") is used for younger, unmarried women, like Miss in English. As it is, the letter sounds like it is actually addressed to Pom Pom's father and sister, rather than to both of his parents.
    • Additionally, using Fräulein is considered politically incorrect in Germany these days, and today both married and unmarried women are all addressed as Frau.
  • The sizing between Strong Bad and Homestar seems to be distorted in this email. Strong Bad's head is much larger when seen poking Homestar, contrasted to long pants.
  • When Strong Bad puts on the blind fold, he starts to misspell words on the keyboard. Despite this, he never needs to look down at the keyboard while typing, so it doesn't make sense as to why he'd start making so many errors.
  • There is actually a dot egg, but it is a file format and is unused in web URLs.

Goofs

  • In the scene where Strong Bad attempts to pop Pom Pom near Bubs' Concession Stand, he is holding the BMW Lighter, but the BMW logo is backwards on it.
  • Somewhere between Strong Bad's first and second attempts to poke Pom Pom, the Poopsmith disappears without a trace, for no apparent reason.
  • In the letter to Pom Pom's parents, Strong Bad does not properly spell Fräulein as he omits the umlaut over the "a." In the case of "au" diphthongs in German, the absence or presence of an umlaut over the "a" determines its pronunciation between "ow" and "oy" (as spoken by Strong Bad) respectively.
  • When Strong Bad is falling back into the Computer Room, there is no reflection of any part of his body on the Compy's screen until he lands. Also note that there are no laces on the back of his head.
  • When Pom Pom hits Strong Bad the first time, his BMW lighter flies away but his pin disappears.
  • When Strong Bad pokes Homestar Runner on the chin 11 times, he ends up with 5 pink marks, but when the camera zooms out he has 8 marks. The marks are much more spread out than Strong Bad's pokes.

Inside References

Real-World References

"That'll be ten dollars!"
  • Pom Pom's fighting style is similar to Kirby's fighting style in the Super Smash Bros. series, with combo and Smash attacks.
  • When Pom Pom beats up Strong Bad, you can hear sound effects from the Super Mario Bros. NES game, as is his scoring a 1-up after hitting Strong Bad several times (however, it usually takes 8 hits, not 7). The "Combo" sign is also a reference to the many fighting games that feature them.
  • The rayed sun on Strong Bad's blindfold is from the military (especially pre-WWII) version of the Japanese flag. Its use here may be inspired by the 1984 film The Karate Kid, in which Ralph Macchio's character wore a Japanese bandana known as a hachimaki, which is traditionally worn during a difficult or important task. (Or maybe it was just the closest thing to a blindfold Mike had lying around among his props. See Inside References.)
  • The email song is a reference to the Kenny Rogers song (and movie) The Gambler.
  • Led Zeppelin was a '70s British band noted for their innovative, influential approach to heavy blues-rock.
  • The Hindenburg was a German Zeppelin that exploded and burned on May 6, 1937.
    • A famous picture of the Hindenburg disaster was used as the cover to Led Zeppelin's first album.

Fast Forward

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: Matt Chapman, Ryan Sterritt, Jonathan Howe)

MATT: All right. No introductions this time, guys. We're just gonna do it.

JON: Let's go!

MATT: All right.

RYAN: On the spot.

JON: What—what email are we doing here?

MATT: Uh, this is pom pom.

JON: All right.

MATT: And he just sang his little song about being the email gambler.

RYAN: Ohh, is—

JON: Is that, uh—

MATT: Like {simultaneously with Ryan} Kenny Rogers Roasters.

JON: I used to have the, um, Kenny Rogers' record of the Gambler soundtrack.

MATT: Ooh, nice.

JON: And I thought, as a child, that if you put it on the record, you'd be able to watch the movie?

MATT: {high-pitched} What?

JON: Like, I just didn't know that the soundtrack was not the movie and—

MATT: Wow.

JON: I was—

MATT: How did you think—Where did you think the movie was gonna appear?

JON: {embarrassed} I don't know. I was just a visionary waiting for laserdisc.

MATT: Yeah, I guess so.

JON: Anyway.

RYAN: I met Kenny Rogers at a sushi place once.

MATT: Did you? Where at?

JON: He wasn't eating at his own chicken venue?

RYAN: No. He and his whole family were there so we got him some sake and he came over and met us.

MATT: Nice! Well, speaking of sake, Strong Bad is wearing a Japanese... headband, with the rising sun.

RYAN: Would you say Karma?

{Jon and Matt laugh}

JON: What?

MATT: I think I was karma.

JON: {laughs} Karma D?

MATT: Um—

JON: Oh, that's very—

MATT: What do you think those guys were talking about just then? Dot com or dot egg? Dot Muffin?

JON: My favorite, um—

RYAN: The movement.

JON: My favorite moment, you know, where you're always picking up the characters in some like, nonsensical—

MATT: Right.

RYAN: —conversation is when, when he goes, "And you stay over there."

MATT: That's right.

JON: That's...

MATT: I think we were discussing on this commentary for that one who—who exactly he's talking to.

JON: {unintelligible}

RYAN: I like Poopsmith holding the—

MATT: I would like... we should make that documentary someday.

JON: Yeah.

MATT: Or, just like show that whole documentary about Bubs, I guess?

JON: {laughs}

{pause until Strong Bad says "I'm cool"}

JON: He's cool.

MATT: I did some, uh, extra special animation on the little backstraps of his headband there. I don't remember—

JON: Yeah, Mike probably—

MATT: This part was really fun to animate.

RYAN: I like the noises.

MATT: Yeah.

JON: Angry Pom Pom face rules, too.

MATT: Ooh. He came right through the ceiling.

JON: That—That made the hole that, um, that three-foot hole or whatever?

MATT: Oh, well that was in the ceiling, though.

JON: Now I'm confused—

MATT: He came through the ceiling.

JON: Oh yeah.

MATT: He didn't shoot up through the floor.

JON: See, there's a lot of holes—

MATT: There's a lot of holes in Strong Bad's—

JON: {simultaneously} Serious falling hazard. Yeah.

MATT: It's an old, rotted-up house. Just with nice, nice carpet on top of it.

JON: So, um, Pom Pom fighting game coming soon?

MATT: Yeah, no, exactly. It makes me wanna play a side-scrolling Pom Pom street fighter—

JON: Pom Fighter. Double—

MATT: Pom Freaks.

JON: Get it? Double Pom?

External Links

Subtitles