Hremails
From Homestar Runner Wiki
Hremails (a contraction of "Homestar Runner Emails") are installments in a series where Homestar Runner responds to emails with humorous advice. Initially featuring Homestar at a computer, the format evolved to that of a television program where Homestar addresses the audience from behind a desk on a set.
Ostensibly a spin-off of Strong Bad Emails, the hremail series is presented as having existed before sbemails (Hremail 7 presenting the series as already in progress during 2001), indirectly inspiring the creation of that series, and frequently overlapping with those toons. In reality, the series allowed The Brothers Chaps to "take a break" from producing Strong Bad Emails — which had recently reached the milestone of 200 emails — and focus on the site's title character; the release of the hremail series coincided with a nearly yearlong gap in sbemail production, the longest interval between sbemails at the time.
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[edit] History
From the Strong Bad Email menu description of email thunder:
Strong Bad discovers that all this time, Homestar has an email checking show too!
Hremails were first revealed in the 200th Strong Bad Email, email thunder, released September 23, 2008. Strong Bad receives an email intended for Homestar, who reveals that he too has had his own email-checking show "since forever" — even indicating that his actions in some sbemail toons were a result of him answering his viewers' emails. Homestar also makes passing mention of "Hremail 49", which could be navigated to from its URL hremail49.html; this toon in turn mentions a "Hremail 24", similarly posted secretly at hremail24.html.
Though Strong Bad vowed to ruin the hremail show after learning of its existence, destroying Homestar's computer with a liberal application of Mountain Dew, hremails would continue while sbemails entered into a hiatus.
The first full standalone hremail toon, Hremail 62, was released January 26, 2009. This was followed by Hremail 2000 the following week, the numbering scheme implying that there was an absurd rate of release in-universe that viewers were not privy to.
Hremail 7 was released May 4, 2009. Fitting its episode number, the toon is anachronistically designed — bearing a copyright date of 2001 and featuring character designs from the earliest years of the site. The toon redefines the origin of sbemails: Homestar teaches Strong Bad about emails and the Internet, and lets him take his discarded old Tandy 400 (previously-established elements suggest this history may not be meant to be taken seriously).
The final installment, Hremail 3184, was released June 30, 2009. With a title suggesting that Homestar had been answering eight emails a day for months on end, he appears understandably exhausted as the toon begins. An exasperated Strong Bad quickly takes control of the segment: the toon is actually a Strong Bad Email, and as such is listed on the Strong Bad Email menu. Focusing on Strong Bad coming out of "e-tirement", 3184 kicked off a new wave of sbemail releases while the hremail segment has yet to be returned to (with Homestar's email auto-reply suggesting newly-received questions are no longer being monitored).
[edit] Hremails
Screenshot | Name | Running Time | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Hremail 7 | 3:50 | May 4, 2009 | |
Hremail 24 | 0:00 | September 23, 2008 | |
Hremail 49 | 0:10 | September 23, 2008 | |
Hremail 62 | 3:06 | January 26, 2009 | |
Hremail 2000 | 3:09 | February 2, 2009 | |
Hremail 3184 | 5:04 | June 29, 2009 |
[edit] Other Hremails
In email thunder, Homestar describes several hremails, two of which took place during the Strong Bad Emails caper and long pants, and another in which Homestar dressed up as Coach Z. The same Strong Bad Email also shows Homestar checking an email before Strong Bad interrupts, and later checking an email sent by Strong Bad. In 8-Bit is Enough, Homestar mentions a hremail similar to japanese cartoon, though Strong Bad claims that it's actually his own email. No numbers or titles were assigned to these hremails.
[edit] Email
Homestar Runner's email address is DJmankiewicz@homestarrunner.com, in humorous contrast to Strong Bad's much more straightforward strongbad@homestarrunner.com.
Sending an email to Homestar will prompt the following auto-reply:
From: DJmankiewicz@homestarrunner.com
Subject: My Inbox Runneth Ova!
Oh, hello everyone! For some unknown reason I'm getting this big cavalcanche of emails all of the sudden. They're filling up the basement and I'm running out of paper towels! Just sit tight and hremails will be back to normal before you know it. And thanks again to everyone who participated in Bacon Pretend Week! Ron Staple you are a GENIUS! Okay bye, Homestar Runner
[edit] Answered Emails
The sender of Hremail 2000, Josh, received the following email:
Oh dango Josh! I answered your email on some website! Here it goes now!
http://www.homestarrunner.com/hremail2000.html
-H*R
It is unknown if the fans who sent the emails answered in 62 or 7 received a similar message (with name and homestarrunner.com link appropriately updated), a different email, or any message at all.
[edit] Series Elements
[edit] Intros
Beginning with Hremail 62 (with regard to release date), Homestar has made some kind introduction for himself from the shadows before he reads an email, much like Strong Bad's.
Number | Intro | |
---|---|---|
7 | Hremail 7 | Oh, hello everybody everybody! I'm Homestar Runner. |
62 | Hremail 62 | Don't look now kids, it's everyone's favorite knock-kneed weightlifter, Homestar Runner! |
2000 | Hremail 2000 | Give it the gas, people! It's the breakout album of the year, Homestar Runner! |
[edit] Computers
[edit] Homestar's Mug
Beginning with Hremail 62 (numerically), there have been mugs sitting on Homestar Runner's desk, similar to the Floppy Disk running gag.
Image | Appearance | Text on the mug |
---|---|---|
Hremail 62 | Soup, Not Coffee | |
Hremail 2000 | I ♥ a Bean | |
Hremail 3184 | [A]untie [Ger]tr♥de's Tea |
[edit] Fun Facts
[edit] Trivia
- This is not the first time Homestar has been seen checking emails. He substituted for Strong Bad in anything and 50 emails, and must have had a computer to email Strong Bad during the time of credit card.
- Prior to the post-Flash site update, the full-length hremails were only listed in the New Stuff menu, with the exception of Hremail 3184; due to it being Strong Bad Email 201, it was also listed on the Strong Bad Email menu. After being removed from the New Stuff menu, Hremails 62 and 2000 were added to the Shorts menu on January 20, 2021 and Hremail 7 was added on January 24, 2021.