original

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Revision as of 22:12, 4 September 2007

"That's some great eyesight, Original Bubs!"

Strong Bad discusses Original Bubs, and how he came to be the one we know and love.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Homestar Runner, Original Bubs, The King of Town, The Cheat, Senor Cardgage, Crack Stuntman, Onion Bubs, Bubs, Marzipan (Easter egg)

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

Computer: Lappy 486

Date: Monday, September 3, 2007

Running Time: 3:30

Page Title: Lappy 486

Transcript

STRONG BAD: {singing} Gropin' around in the dark, tryin' ta find an email! Da-da-da-blue-got-a-now! {brings up the email}

subject: Another Actor

Hails and Horns Strong Bad ,\m/
Have you ever been watching your favorite shows and
sequels, and suddenly realized that your favorite character
has been unscrupulously replaced with another actor?
Nicholas & Antonio
Lansing, Michigan

{Strong Bad makes a rock-ish scream in place of the emoticon.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Wait, you guys are really asking me that? We do that to you people all the time. There've been like twelve King of Towns. {clears screen} And are you telling me you've already forgotten about the original Bubs?

{Cut to Homestar Runner in front of Bubs' Concession Stand. A silhouette resembling Bubs is seen in the foreground.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Hi, Original Bubs! How's original business?

{Cut to in front of the stand. The character behind the counter only vaguely resembles Bubs; his head is dark blue and shaped as though it has hair, both of his eyes are the same shape and size, and his teeth are straight. His body is solid orange and hunched over. He has visible rectangular hands that are the same color as his face. "BY ORIGINAL BUBS" is seen on the stand's sign. Two papers are taped to the stand that read "CHEAP THRILLS!" and "CHEAPER TRICKS!"}

ORIGINAL BUBS: {his voice is lower-pitched than Bubs's and not as gravelly; openings form in his mouth as he speaks} Hey, Homestar. I can see you from here! {holds his hands apart}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: That's some great eyesight, Original Bubs!

STRONG BAD: {voiceover} But it wasn't all good eyesight and cheap prices!

{The screen becomes inverted grayscale and spooky music starts. The camera zooms in on Original Bubs.}

STRONG BAD: {voiceover} Behind the scenes lay a thick bubbling pit of crude turmoil!

{As the colors return to normal, the scene cuts to the King of Town and Original Bubs standing behind a table with an iced tea container, paper cups, a box of Swiss Cake Rolls, and a Tupperware box of a white substance. Original Bubs is pointing at the Tupperware box with an angry expression.}

ORIGINAL BUBS: Who ate all the mayo off of my egg salad?! And how?!

THE KING OF TOWN: It's a proprietary technique I can't reveal!

ORIGINAL BUBS: This is the first and last straw! I'm outta here, you amateurs!

{Original Bubs walks away to music. For the first time, his bottom half is revealed. It is gray and similarly-shaped to Bubs's legs, but with tiny legs and pointed in the wrong direction from his upper body. There is no green stripe. He walks offscreen. Cut to the Lappy.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} With Original Bubs' {pronounced "Bubs's"} future uncertain, we had to come up with some pretty creative ways to write him into stories, so that viewers didn't know he was gone.

{Cut to Original Bubs' Concession Stand. Homestar and Strong Bad are standing in front of it wearing lederhosen. Behind the counter is a large cardboard box that reads "FRIDGERATE AGAIN".}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Well, Original Bubs, who is totally behind that refrigerator box, says I won the yodelling contest.

{Static briefly appears, and the scene cuts to one with Homestar and Strong Bad, dressed like Canadian Mounties, speaking to a box labeled "DEESH WARSH".}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Well, Original Bubs, who is totally behind that dishwasher box...

{More static, cutting to a closeup of Homestar in a poncho and sombrero, with a box that reads "KLEENLOAD" behind him.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: ...behind that washer/dryer box...

{More static. Now Homestar is wearing a black jacket and floppy black hat, and the box reads "HOT₂O".}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: ...that hot water heater box...

{More static. Homestar wears an African dashiki, and the stand has an upside-down shoe box labeled "freshley's" with a tower made out of toothpicks on top.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: ...behind that... {clearly confused} toothpick sculpture?

{More static, cutting to the Lappy.}

STRONG BAD: Once it became apparent that Original Bubs was gone for good, there was an interim period of rotating guest Bubs. Like when talk show hosts have surgery, or go to jail.

{Cut to the inside of Bubs' Concession Stand. Homestar walks up. The person behind the counter is Senor Cardgage wearing an orange shirt with a green stripe across it.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Hey there, Senator Cardgage Bubs, lemme get a manilla cheese Coke!

SENOR CARDGAGE: Oh...

{Cut to the front of the stand.}

SENOR CARDGAGE: I should eat a pony.

{Homestar flinches with surprise. Static cuts to Strong Bad and The Cheat at the stand, with Crack Stuntman playing Bubs. The sign has "CRACK STUNT" posted over the word "ORIGINAL".}

CRACK STUNTMAN: {pops up from behind the counter} BLAAAAAAAAAAH!! What can I get? For you fine gentlemen?

STRONG BAD: {annoyed} Never mind, Crack Stunt-Bubs.

{Cut to a closeup.}

CRACK STUNTMAN: Oh... I should eat a pony.

{Strong Bad flinches with surprise.}

STRONG BAD: {voiceover} And don't forget fan favorite,

{Cut to an onion with Bubs's face drawn on it sitting on the stand's counter.}

STRONG BAD: {voiceover} Onion Bubs.

{A crowd can be heard cheering, with one voice screaming "Onion Bubs!" over and over. Static cuts back to the Lappy.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Finally, we had to settle on a little known Bubs with zero experience. And it's been downhill ever since.

BUBS: {from offscreen} Ahem.

{Cut back to show Bubs looking at Strong Bad angrily. He has the ends of his arms curled up as though they are fists and is waving them menacingly.}

STRONG BAD: Oh, hey, New Bubs.

BUBS: We're gonna need a new Strong Bad in about two seconds!

STRONG BAD: {reminiscing} Yeah, Original Bubs used to threaten me like that. It just doesn't sound the same coming out of you.

{Bubs punches Strong Bad in the face four times and puts his hands on his hips.}

STRONG BAD: Yeah, Original Bubs used to pummel me senseless like that. It just doesn't sound—

{Bubs holds up his right "fist" menacingly.}

STRONG BAD: OKAY OKAY OKAY!!!

BUBS: You tell these people I'm the original Buh... b'zuh.

STRONG BAD: All right! You're the original Bubs!

{Cut to a closeup of Bubs, no longer angry and looking at the camera. The background turns orange.}

BUBS: That's right! {The following words appear above him:} 100% All Original Bubs! {And the following words appear below him:} If I had thumbs, I'd be sticking 'em up my armpits right now!

{He puts the ends of his arms into his armpits as a demonstration. The camera closes out to encircle Bubs's face with a blue background.}

ANNOUNCER: {voiceover} 100% all original Bubs! If he had thumbs, he'd be sticking 'em up his armpits right now! {queasy} Uhhhhh...

{Cut to the Lappy.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} But we really do replace people. Take the New Paper, for instance. Come on, New Paper, disappoint me!

{New Paper comes down and the entire page falls off the top of the screen.}

STRONG BAD: Whoop! Ahh, when it comes to disappointment, you never disappoint.

Easter Eggs

• At the end, click on "replace people" to see a field full of King of Town graves, including one for "Onion King of Town".
• At the end, click on the word "downhill" to see a short scene with Homestar Runner and Marzipan.

{Open at the Field. Homestar Runner is standing with a can by his feet}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: {sigh}

{Homestar Runner kicks the can to the right of screen as Marzipan enters}

MARZIPAN: What's the matter, Homestar?

HOMESTAR RUNNER: I miss Original Bubs.

MARZIPAN: Homestar, Strong Bad made all that stuff up.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: You can't make up eyesight that good. {Marzipan stares flatly} He could always see me {sobbing} from over there.

Fun Facts

Explanation

• The .\m/ emoticon is intended to represent the "rock horns".

Trivia

• The Floppy Disk Container reads "SWOTL".

Remarks

• Onion Bubs has differently-shaped eyes, like the real Bubs, instead of two identical eyes like Original Bubs, on which it was supposed to be based.
• New Paper's "Click here to email Strong Bad" link is fully functional until it falls off the screen.
• The plural of "Bubs" should be "Bubses", as it was in the Sketchbook for February 27, 2005.

Goofs

Disconnected again?

• On the second punch (when Strong Bad's head pops up) his head is for a very brief moment disconnected, mainly around at the right side of the neck.

• At the line "And are you telling me you've already forgotten about the original Bubs?", if you listen closely, you can hear a short "skip" in the sound between the end of the previous sentence, and the beginning of this one.

Inside References

• The clothes Homestar's wearing are from Main Page 2
• Original Bubs resembles a preliminary sketch of Bubs as seen in the Sketchbook in the Museum.
• The "original" Bubs' Concession Stand sign is similar to the design used in A Jumping Jack Contest, The Best Decemberween Ever and Where's The Cheat?.
• Bubs saying that he has no thumbs is a reference to his lack of visible fingers.
• The premise of this email, that Bubs is a character in what equates to a TV show, is a fourth wall break.
• The back of Bubs' Concession Stand on this toon is the same one from A Jumping Jack Contest. Crack Stuntman's line "What can I get for you fine gentlemen?" echoes Bubs' similar line from the same toon the back of the stand came from.

Real-World References

• This email spoofs the Darrin syndrome, when an actor in a series is replaced without explanation, a prominent example being the replacement of Dick York with Dick Sargent in the role of Darrin Stevens on Bewitched. Similarly to in the email, shortly after York left the show but before Sargent took his place, Darrin's character was frequently referred to but was never present on screen.
• The toothpick sculpture is in the shape of the Statue of Liberty.
• The Music played during Original Bubs's exit is simlar to the music from Crash Twinsanity.
• Homestar's black outfit is similar to the sheriff's outfit worn by Frances McDormand in the movie Fargo.
• Homestar asking Senor Cardgage for manilla cheese Coke is a play on the various flavored colas, especially Vanilla Coke.
• The first scene involving Original Bubs having its colors inverted while zooming in on Original Bubs is a reference to documentary series such as E! True Hollywood Story, which commonly detail the careers of actors who are currently or previously popular. E! True Hollywood Story in particular is known for focusing on scandals and failures in actors' lives.

External Links

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