History WebAnimation / HomestarRunner

* InfoDrop: In the Strong Bad Email [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail162.html the chair]], Strong Bad taunts the audience by randomly pulling out a supposed picture of his parents, which is almost completely obscured by the screen-filling back of his new chair. However, decompiling the Flash reveals nothing on the photo but the message "nice try [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda dodongo!]]"

* CartoonWhale: There's the [[http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Drive-Thru_Whale Drive-Thru Whale]], mascot of the Blubbo's fast food chain, who resembles a blue sperm whale with large, flat teeth.

* BrickJoke:

* {{Flanderization}}: Arguably for the better, in that the series took several characters with somewhat generic personalities and gave them memorable quirks which could be mined for humor.

* OffModel: In both versions of ''In Search of the Yello Dello''. Homestar's design constantly changes. In fact it's only cartoon where the characters had one-time-only designs.

* UnwinnableJokeGame: ''Super Kingio Bros'' is a version of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' with the King of Town replacing Mario. Unfortunately, he can't jump high enough to pass the first [[TheGoomba Goomba]], so it's probably just as well that you don't actually get the three lives shown.

** Parodied with such uses as "awexome", "[[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail191.html Videlectrix Kidx]]" and "[[http://www.homestarrunner.com/aprilfool10.html Xerioxly Forxe]]"

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In this [[http://homestarrunner.com/careerday.html Career Day cartoon]], Homestar makes a joke at the end asking what happens if Space Captainface goes poo in his suit. SCF/Strong Bad scolds him for not showing respect before laughing in earnest after thinking about the question at length.
--> '''Homestar:''' Umm, teacher, if spaceman makes bafroom in his pants, does he go boom?\\
''The entire classroom starts laughing except Strong Bad.''\\
'''Strong Bad:''' Shut up, you little worse-than-homeschoolers! Show some respect! What kind of question is that to ask a Strong Badian hero? Spaceman make bafroom in his pants ''(Strong Bad starts corpsing)'' does he go boom? Actually, a pretty funny question, now that I think about it at length...\\
''[Strong Bad joins in the laughter]''

* StupidStatementDanceMix: The Cheat has made a couple, including one of the "geddup noise" (the sound Strong Bad's chair makes when he leaves his computer) and the King of Town's attempt at a jam. Strong Bad's "The System Is Down" could, arguably, also be one.

What made the website truly standout was how the site handled content. While a good chunk of flash content at the time was incredibly vulgar and offensive, Homestar Runner deliberately wasn't (according to The Brothers Chaps, this was done as a personal challenge); the worst language you'd hear on the site would be something like "Crap" or "sucks" and the worst thing you'd see them do was drink beer and even then, they would rarely get drunk; Most of the humor came from the surreal nature of the world around the characters (and sometimes, from the characters), and from the clever wordplay that would come up on the site. While most flash content was hosted on websites like Website/{{Newgrounds}} and maybe mirrored to the creators own website, everything on Homestar Runner was hosted on its own website and would include easter eggs that would range from the simple "click here on this spot at the right time" to "typing the URL of a seemingly made up page a character mentioned" and even "decompiling the flash cartoon itself."

''[[http://www.homestarrunner.com Homestar Runner]]'', the namesake series of the ''Franchise/HomestarRunner'' family, is a comedic and surreal web-based UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash cartoon by two guys from the state of Georgia, Mike and Matt Chapman ("Creator/TheBrothersChaps"). Starting as a dead-tree children's picture book, ''Literature/TheHomestarRunnerEntersTheStrongestManInTheWorldContest'', it eventually found its way to the internet and spread through word of mouth.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In this [[http://homestarrunner.com/careerday.html Career Day cartoon]], Homestar makes a joke at the end asking what happens if Space Captainface goes poo in his suit. SCF/Strong Bad scolds him for not showing respect before laughing in earnest and admitting what would actually happen.

* WeAllLiveInAmerica: Intentionally and in-universe, as Strong Bad forces his own unique views onto writers of emails regardless of where they're from.

* KnifeThrowingAct: The old theme song video ("old" as in "replaced 10 years ago") has Strong Bad as the knife thrower and Strong Sad as the (unwilling) target. It's obvious that Strong Bad is trying to hit Strong Sad, but the camera cuts away before the knife hits.

--> '''Homestar:''' Umm, teacher, if spaceman makes bafroom in his pants, does he go boom?
--> ''The entire classroom starts laughing except Strong Bad.''
--> '''Strong Bad:''' Shut up, you little worse-than-homeschoolers! Show some respect! What kind of question is that to ask a Strong Badian hero? Spaceman make bafroom in his pants ''(Strong Bad starts corpsing)'' does he go boom? Actually, a pretty funny question, now that I think about it at length...
--> ''Strong Bad joins in the laughter''

--> '''Homestar Runner:''' ''[tired and bandaged up]'' Okay, Strong Mad... We're gonna have a little something I like to call "Migraine Time". We can play your new favorite game: "Feathers... & Cotton." Ready? Go. ''[He places a hot water bottle on his head]''
--> ''[As he's talking, a [[BombWhistle whistling sound]] is heard off-screen, until after he's finished, at which point an asteroid crashes through the ceiling of Homestar's house and crushes him]''
--> '''Homestar:''' WAAAAUGH!!!
--> '''Strong Mad:''' [[NoIndoorVoice THIS ONE'S NOT MY FAULLLLT!]]
--> ''[Nebulon rises from inside the asteroid, with his usual stock sound effect]''

-->'''Matt:''' ...in terms of the wholesomeness of it all, at the time we started, everything on the web was ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' rip-offs and gross-out shock humor. So we were just kind of sick of it. It's like, ''South Park'' did it the best without ripping it off. So it was just more of a personal challenge.
-->'''Mike:''' It's really just more of our style, too. It wasn't a super hard decision to make. We probably would have been doing it like this anyway. We've always leaned toward the more subtle type of humor, as opposed to over-the-top.
-->'''Matt:''' But when we get our sketch comedy show, dude, there's going to be so many swears!

-->'''Strong Bad:''' I'm Strong Bad, and you don't know it yet, but I'm the reason you're here.
-->'''Homestar:''' ''(peeking in from off-camera}'' It's true.

--> '''Homestar Runner:''' What are you ''talking'' about, Strong Bad? I wear long pants.
--> '''Strong Bad:''' Um... No... From what ''I'' can tell, you wear ''no'' pants, and have blue soles glued to the bottoms of your feet.

--->'''Q:''' I noticed a mistake or inconsistency in one of your cartoons!! AHHH!
--->'''A:''' It was either done on purpose or it's just a cartoon and you probably shouldn't worry about it.

-->'''Strong Bad''': Hmmm... crappy plastic Bubs mask... and a crappier plastic apron with a picture of Bubs on it that says "Bubs" on it.
-->'''Homestar''': Mm-hmm! [[BlatantLies Just like Bubs all the time wears!]]

--->'''Strong Bad:''' So, who got that last butt pat?
--->'''Homestar:''' Oh. I think he gave himself that one. He's been known for his self butt-pats.
--->'''Strong Bad:''' Yeah. ''[[MemeticMolester Known in seven states.]]''
--->'''Homestar:''' What?!

-->'''Strong Bad''': What the crap kind of freaked-up sport are you guys playing anyways? I mean, you're on a football field, but you've got a basketball goal, and basketballs and footballs...
-->'''Homestar''': [[ComicallyMissingthePoint I know! It's America's pastime!]]

-->'''Strong Bad:''' Where did you get ''snowballs'' at this time of year?? And how did you fit them in that notebook?!?
-->'''Strong Sad:''' ''[[TheDogBitesBack I've been saving these in the freezer since I was eight!!]]''

-->''Revamped for TheNineties!''
-->''So much more exciting!''
-->''[[LampshadeHanging Pointy elbows and lots of lightning!]]''
-->''Edgy and angry, so zesty and tangy!''
-->''[[AnimationAgeGhetto There's new demographics]]''
-->''When nobody asked for it!''

-->'''Coach Z:''' Hey there kids, I'm the drive-thru whale! ''I'll chop off your legs!''
-->'''Strong Sad:''' Sometimes it seems like you're ''trying'' to go to prison, Coach Z.
-->'''Coach Z:''' Hey! Three square meals a day!

-->'''Coach Z:''' Whaddya mean, I'm the green Bubs? If anything, you're the orange Coach Z!
-->'''Bubs:''' The first person to call me the orange Coach Z is gonna get a free consultation with my friends Jacoby ''(balls up his left fist)'' and Meyers! ''(balls up his right fist)''

-->'''Strong Sad:''' So wait. Was there ever a Jibblies 1?
-->'''Strong Bad:''' Nah, horror movies don't even need first movies anymore. This is the reboot of the reimagining of the reinvention of the original!
-->'''Strong Sad:''' "Original" and "horror movie"? Not these days.

--->''[Take 1]''
--->'''Homestar:''' Before I drink a tall glass of melonade, I like to eat about 147 Fluffy Puff Marshmallows.
--->'''Cherry Greg:''' Cut. The bag's upside down.
--->''[Take 6]''
--->'''Homestar:''' Before I drink something, often times I eat something too!
--->''[Take 653]''
--->'''Homestar:''' ''[tired and monotone]'' Before I eat a tall slice of marmalade I like to drink lots and lots of marshmallows. I mean Fluffy Puffies.

--->'''Homestar:''' Oh, hello! Welcome to Homestarrunner.net.
--->'''Cherry Greg:''' It's "dot com".
--->'''Homestar:''' Oh, right. ''Homestarrunner dot net. "It's dot com!"''
--->'''Cherry Greg:''' Cut!

* HollywoodBoardGames: In "Where's the Cheat?", Homsar and Strong Sad are playing what looks to be CalvinBall but is actually Connect Four. This is meant to highlight Homsar's obliviousness and randomness.

* HollywoodBoardGames: In "Where's the Cheat?", Homsar and Strong Sad are playing what looks to be Battleship but is actually CalvinBall. This is meant to highlight their obliviousness and randomness.

* AWildRapperAppears: Parodied with Peacey P, to the point that he's a guest star on one of his own albums.
-->''Crample-O Stow Records presents "Deliberance", the new album from Peacey P! Featuring: Large Craig, featuring: The Overripe MC, featuring: Tenerence Love, featuring: Akryllix & 3rd Lung, featuring: Peacey P!''\\
'''Peacey P:''' I'm a guest star on my own album, [[CatchPhrase y'all biscuitheads]]!
** Lampshaded even further in "Rap Song". First:
-->'''Coach Z''': Coach Z, R-A-P,/Accidentally featuring Peacey P...\\
'''Peacey P''': Hey, ya biscuithead, you ain't featuring me!\\
'''Coach Z''': I said ''accidentally'' featuring Peacey P!
** Second:
-->'''Peacey P''': I'm the best guest rapper in the music biz/I ain't even know whose song this is!\\
'''Coach Z''': It's mine! I thought I made that abundantly clear!

* ElephantInTheLivingRoom: What would happen if Homestar and Marzipan got married and had kids? Also, none of the characters think it strange for the two to be together, despite their two completely different personalities.