cheatday

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Revision as of 20:58, 10 April 2006

The Cheat's Fake ID

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

Page Title: Compy 386!!

Transcript

STRONG BAD: {typing "strongbad_email.exe"} Let's check a Strong Bad Email, you and me. Together. Like we used to. Like a family.

Dear Strong Bad,
what did you do for the Cheat's
birthday party

STRONG BAD: {regarding the lack of signature} Aw, man! Another one of those "no-name brand" emails. 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}

STRONG BAD: {voiceover} —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 making The Cheat noises}

STRONG BAD: {mumbling} Super...Super Contra...

THE CHEAT: {pokes Strong Bad again and makes the same The Cheat noises}

{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. {clears throat, sings} Sweet, sweet The Cheat, today is the day on your fake I.D.

{Bubs appears from behind the couch, playing a keytar.}

STRONG BAD: 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. He brings up an email.}

THE CHEAT: {reading}

i want to know whos beter you or
the cheat or strong mad?

your friend
ryan az

THE CHEAT: {typing} Yeah, man. I'll gnaw your face off. - Teh C. {brings up new email, reads}

hey, sb!
what's up? i was just wondering
what you're mom and dad look like.

please answer,
bridget thornton, co

THE CHEAT: {typing} Yeah, man. I'll gnaw your face off. - Teh C. {brings up new email, reads}

make more trogdor pleasepleaseplease

p.s. pay out strong sad

THE CHEAT: {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}

STRONG BAD: Every year it gets funnier! Ohhh! {regains 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 a form of "Mic Control", or "Microphone Control". The term is backcronym for MC, which was formally Master of Ceremonies. "Microphone Controle" came to be first used in rap music during the 1970's and 1980's. Strong Bad's incantation is rhythmically similar to a section of the Beastie Boys' song "Jimmy James" from their "Check Your Head" album.

Trivia

• Two of the three emails that The Cheat answers are in The Brothers Chaps' top five commonly sent emails that will not be answered.
• The label on the disk in the floppy disk container reads "bushido".

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. (This is assuming that The Cheat was "born" from the egg. Technically, we don't know how he got inside it.)
  • 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.
• The ID card says Ilko's birthday is April 18, yet this email was released on July 5.
• Even though the Potate bag appears to be sitting on top of Strong Bad's head (it doesn't seem to be attached or stuck in any way), it manages to not fall off, even though Strong Bad is moving his head a lot while singing.

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. It is also similar to the result of long-term smoking.
  • It was revealed in Where's The Cheat? that The Cheat is a smoker.
• 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. It is also known as a Gui-Board (Guitar+keyboard).
• Teh is a common misspelling of the, a mistake often made by typing too quickly. The mistake is common enough that most word processors have an automatic fix to spot instances of teh. The Compy 386 obviously doesn't have one of those. However, some internet users intentionally spell the word this way.
• The cheat's fake hairdo is the same as the hairstyle you can get on Millsberry.com .

Fast Forward

• Cheatday as opposed to birthday is a practice later used with Trogdor's Trogday.
• In narrator, Bubs and Coach Z again argue about a napkin.

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. I just— 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 in mule riding. I think 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 someday.

MARZIPAN: Maybe.

External Links

• watch "cheatday"
• watch "cheatday" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "cheatday"
• forum thread re: "cheatday"