cheatday
From Homestar Runner Wiki
| Strong Bad Email #107 |
|
Someone asks what Strong Bad does on The Cheat's birthday, or "Cheatday", while Coach Z and Bubs try to form a band.
Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Coach Z, Bubs, The Cheat, Strong Mad
Places: Computer Room, Basement of the Brothers Strong, The Field
Computer: Compy 386
Date: Monday, July 5, 2004
Running Time: 2:33
Page Title: Compy 386!!
DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Four
Contents |
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: 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 but not typing} 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.
{Cut to behind Strong Bad at his computer, with Coach Z standing on the right side of the screen}
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!
{Cut back to the Compy}
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 o' 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 Potate bag 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.
{The Potate bag falls off Strong Bad's head and lands out of sight. 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!
{Cut back 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 email to bring up a box of No-Name Brand Emails.
- At the end, click on The Cheat 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.
- Also at the end, 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 a backcronym for MC, which was formally Master of Ceremonies. "Microphone Controle" came to be first used in rap music during the 1970s and 1980s. Strong Bad's incantation is rhythmically similar to a section of the Beastie Boys' song "Jimmy James" from their Check Your Head album.
- 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 suggested in Where's The Cheat? that The Cheat is a smoker.
- 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, the misspelling itself is a staple of Leetspeak.
Trivia
- Two of the three emails that The Cheat answers regard topics that The Brothers Chaps would later say are in their top five commonly sent emails that will likely not be answered (Parents and Draw Trogdor Again).
- The label on the disk in the floppy disk container reads "bushido".
- The YouTube description for this email is "Strong Bad divulges the mysteries surrounding the Cheat's birthday."
Remarks
- The Strong Bad Main Page refers to The Cheat's Cheatday party as his "birthday party".
- The ID blatantly reads "SCANDINAVIAN FAKE ID". By displaying that the ID is fake and out-of-state, it defeats the purpose of having an ID.
- The ID card says Ilko's birthday is April 18, yet this email was released on July 5 and The Cheat answering emails is not presented as a flashback.
- According to his ID, Ilko Skevüld is 6'9" and weighs 293 pounds. According to Where's The Cheat?, The Cheat is 1'2" and weighs 18 pounds.
- 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).
- The Ilko Easter egg can be clicked on after clicking on the floppy disk Easter egg.
- 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.
- The custom of The Cheat answering emails is truly a special one indeed, since it is said that he never answers them in huttah!.
- The Cheat's fake ID does not list a gender.
- In the DVD Sketchbook, an unused The Cheat email can be seen:
Dear SB,
Why so glate?
-Deb Stein
- The letter "ü" is not typically used in Scandinavian alphabets.
Goofs
- While Bubs is in the computer room, part of the dark gray outline of his pants appears outside the green outline of his belt.
- Strong Bad types "Scandnavian" as opposed to "Scandinavian" as the fake ID appears in the screen. It can be seen only for a split second on the Compy's screen before Strong Bad clears it.
Inside References
- The "Potate" bag is from morning routine.
- This is another instance of Strong Bad's couch mumbling.
- This is the first appearance of Bubs's Keytar. The song mentions Bubs' Napkins and jams.
- Strong Bad's "Mike Control" song and the "Date of Birth" song become musical moments.
- The Cheat uses a pickaxe to play mining games.
Real-World References
- The game Strong Bad mentions in his sleep is Super Contra, a notoriously difficult sidescrolling shooter arcade game. It was released on the NES under the title Super C.
- 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 Ilko head may also be a reference to an Easter egg in the Nintendo 64 game Cruisin' USA. A player had to achieve a "Hot Time" on any stage. After entering their initials, the player would scroll down to the bottom of the screen, then hold Left on the analog stick for about 35 seconds. A head of similar characteristics would roll across the conveyer belt. The ringing noise heard in this toon is the same as the ringing noise made by the rollers on the conveyor belt.
Fast Forward
- Cheatday as opposed to birthday is a practice later used with Trogdor's Trogday. Strong Bad also mentions "Flashday" in Flash's 10th Birthday.
- In narrator, Bubs and Coach Z again argue about a napkin.
- A keytar is later seen in coloring.
- Strong Bad wears a mining helmet again in Ever and More.
- The Two-o Duo later show up for a "once-in-a-lifetime reunion performance" in Baddest of the Bands.
- Strong Bad apparently shows a picture of his parents in the chair, although the picture is never actually seen.
- Strong Mad again declares "I WIN" after a non-activity in Strong Mad vs Wind Up Drinks.
- The Cheat's "WaitreID" in Dangeresque Roomisode 3 is "ILKO418," referencing Ilko Skevüld and his birthday.
DVD Version
- Though the interior of the case shows the email's name as "Cheatday", the DVD menu lists the title as "Cheat Day".
- The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch the 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 YouTube
- watch "cheatday" on the old Flash site
- view the Flash file for "cheatday"
- forum thread re: "cheatday"
