Couch Mumbling

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"Get up already!"

Couch mumbling is the phenomenon that occurs primarily when Strong Bad is asleep on the couch in the Brothers Strong's basement and, in addition to incomprehensible muttering, mutters the names of Nintendo (usually those for the Super Nintendo) video games in his sleep. A variation on this also occurred in Jibblies 2 when Strong Bad fell onto the couch as he was recovering from a fit of the jibblies. While this running joke is similar to video game titles like those found on the labels of the Floppy Disk Container, those games are generally older and less well-known than the titles Strong Bad mumbles. In Homestar Ruiner, Strong Bad mentions a game made by Videlectrix, RhinoFeeder (which Strong Bad dreamt up in the Strong Bad Email video games), rather than a real-world game (probably for copyright reasons, as an IGN trailer for Homestar Ruiner reveals that Strong Bad originally mentioned Super Punch-Out!!). In 8-Bit Is Enough, Rhino Feeder was again mentioned; however, this time Strong Bad was nowhere near his couch. Instead, he was sleeping outside (apparently knocked out), showing the first instance of couch mumbling away from the couch, with the second being Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 17.2.

[edit] Appearances

Transcript Appearance Explanation Sources
{multiple mumbles} Super Bomberman... Email morning routine Super Bomberman was the SNES incarnation of the puzzle game series by Hudson Soft, released in 1993. Like most games in the Bomberman series, Super Bomberman features a normal game as well as the famous battle mode. In the normal game, Mr. Karat and Dr. Mukk have been terrorizing Diamond City. You must go from board to board, defeating the bad guys and solving puzzles to move to the next board. In battle mode, up to four computer- or human- controlled players go head to head in a battle to the death. The Super MultiTap which originally came with this game enabled more than two player gameplay. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
{mumbling} Super...Super Contra... Email cheatday Super Contra, or Super C, was the second in a series of side scrolling action games by Konami, this one for NES and DOS, released in 1990. The alien Red Falcon is back, and planning on taking over the planet Earth. Now it's up to Scorpion and Mad Dog to battle through five levels and save the planet. Gameplay is a combination of side scrolling/platform and top down view. There is a wide variety of enemies to defeat, starting with earthly locations, and progressing to more alien ones. To help out, weapon upgrades can be found as the game progresses. Two players can play simultaneously, or one player can attempt to take on Red Falcon himself. Since all other instances of couch mumbling refer to Super Nintendo games, Strong Bad and/or The Brothers Chaps may have thought that they were referring to Contra III: The Alien Wars on the Super Nintendo which is often mistakenly called "Super Contra" because so many other SNES games had titles that started with "Super." MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
Dangit, chrona trigga! ... Chrona trigga! ... Chrhn—Chrono Trigger! ... Magus, I'm gonn... I'll kill you. Email other days Chrono Trigger was an RPG for the SNES and PlayStation, released by Square Co. in 1995. What begins as a carefree day at the Millennial Fair for a young man named Crono turns into his ultimate adventure. A young girl named Marle, his best friend Lucca's invention, and a mysterious pendant are a recipe for adventure and an incredible trip through time and space. With his new friends, he must battle the wizard Magus (whom he later has the option to recruit) and stop the alien Lavos in the year 1999. This game is well-known for its multiple alternate endings and is highly sought after. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
{mumbling} ActRaiser. The Li'l Brudder Show ActRaiser was an action strategy game for the SNES, released by Enix in 1991. It was one of the early SNES games drawing upon the success of side-scrolling platform action titles and the building model of SimCity. You play "The Master" (essentially, God), and must save the world from evil. It includes a combination of side scrolling action and top view strategy. First, in side scrolling format, you send your spirit into a statue of a warrior with a big sword and magic powers, and travel through swamps and forests, pyramids and snowy mountaintops. Then, after eliminating evil from different parts of the land, you allow villagers to return and build their towns. During these parts you control an angel who helps guide the villagers in their town building, and you can send down miracles to aid them in meeting their needs. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
{incomprehensible mumbles} Pilotwings... {more incomprehensible mumbles} Sbemail 150?!? Pilotwings was a launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, made by Nintendo in 1991. It was a third-person flying game, giving you a selection of aircraft (including bi-planes, hang gliders, and helicopters) to fly through a range of training programs and missions. The more training you complete, the more difficult the tasks become. Try your hand at taking off, landing, party tricks, flying through bad weather and even performing dangerous rescue missions. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
{incomprehensible mumbles} Lost... Vikings... {more incomprehensible mumbles} Email underlings The Lost Vikings was a side-scrolling puzzle game on the SNES, developed by Synapse (now known as Blizzard) and released by Interplay in 1992. Three Vikings, Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout have been abducted by the evil Tomator, an alien ruler who is collecting lifeforms to put on display in his intergalactic zoo. The player must help the trio escape by using each Viking's unique abilities to solve the many puzzles in each level. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
Jibblie jibblie jibblie jibblie Super Scope 6! Jibblies 2 Super Scope 6 was a shooting-themed minigame collection on the Super Nintendo, developed by Intelligent Systems (Nintendo's internal development team) and released by Nintendo of America in 1992 as a pack-in with the Super Scope peripheral. It featured six mini-games in two different modes: Blastris, which featured games based on Tetris, Columns, and Whac-A-Mole; and LazerBlazer, which featured games similar to military-style arcade actioners. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
{mumbling} Rhino... RhinoFeeder... Homestar Ruiner, 8-Bit Is Enough RhinoFeeder is a game, found on the games page, that was introduced in the Strong Bad email video games. Strong Bad has to feed a rhino before it charges. It was considered "super photo realistic" by Strong Bad. The game was developed by Videlectrix and is for the Super FunMachine, a parody of the SNES. Play RhinoFeeder
{mumbling} Super... Super Punch-Out... Homestar Ruiner IGN Trailer Super Punch-Out!! is a boxing game on the Super Nintendo, made by Nintendo in 1994 as the sequel to Punch-Out!!. MobyGames, GameFAQs, Wikipedia
{mumbling} Blackthorne... {more mumbling} Fish Eye Lens Blackthorne is an action-platformer game released by Blizzard Entertainment for the Super Nintendo and MS-DOS in 1994, later re-released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, and finally made available as freeware to PC owners with a Battle.net account in 2013. In Blackthorne, players take control of Kyle Vlaros, a former soldier who discovers he is an alien prince, the Blackthorne, who was sent to Earth as an infant from his homeworld of Tuul to protect him from the evil creatures of Ka'dra'suul after they overran Tuul years ago. In the name of the oppressed people of Androth, his people, Kyle must return to Tuul and use his trusty pump-action shotgun to wage war against the Ka'dra, reclaim his throne, and bring peace to the land! MobyGames, GameFaqs, Wikipedia
Urgh— how— possible— Demon's— Crest— gar-garble— Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 17.2 Demon's Crest, known in Japan as Demon's Blazon, is a side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A spinoff of the Ghosts & Goblins series, it's the third game to star the demon Firebrand. MobyGames, GameFaqs, Wikipedia

[edit] Other Characters' Mumbling

Transcript Appearance Explanation
Strong Sad: Jokey Smurf... Brainy... Brainy Smurf... that carpenter Smurf... Oh, watch out, Julian Sands! haircut "The Smurfs" cartoons focus on the adventures of eponymous little blue creatures, popularized by a 1980s animated series. Julian Sands was a British actor known for his roles in horror and drama films.
Strong Sad: Oh, mineral water! Wha? Halloween Potion-ma-jig Mineral water is bottled water that has been enriched with minerals to energize and fortify.
Strong Mad: Uh... Fluffy Puff Casserole... Toikey TV Spoken shortly before falling asleep. Fluffy Puff Casserole is a product of Fluffy Puff Marshmallows, an in-universe company responsible for the creation of marshmallows and marshmallow memorabilia.
Strong Sad: Look out, Julian Casablancas! Record Store Day He says this as he wakes up. Julian Casablancas is the lead singer of indie garage rock band The Strokes.
The phrasing is similar to the scene in haircut.

[edit] See Also

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