Airdate: Monday, August 22, 2005
Strong Sad regales Coach Z with a story about Saddy Dumpington, the legendary folk hero he made up.
Tropes:
- Arrowgram: The townsfolk send Saddy Dumpington a message attached to an arrow when they want him to come back.
- Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad: Saddy Dumpington seems to think miserable and depressing things (like disasters and animal cruelty) are good news. He's never thought about what would be considered miserable and depressing, but guesses that weird and silly things (like a "weird snake") might count.
- Brick Joke: Near the start of the cartoon, Strong Sad wonders what the rope Coach Z wants him to climb is attached to, and Coach Z brushes his concerns off with "Never you mind." An Easter Egg reveals that Homsar is floating in mid-air, holding the other end of the rope in his mouth.
- Character Catch Phrase: Saddy always punctuates his depressing statements with "Isn't that great?"
- Continuity Nod: Saddy Dumpington was first mentioned on Strong Sad's Character Blog, "Strong Sad's Lament".
- Derailed Fairy Tale: Twice, Coach Z tries to shoe-horn in three characters called "the Dancing Brothers" into Strong Sad's story.
- Downer Ending: In-universe, Saddy Dumpington's attempt to deliberately make the townsfolk depressed just causes them to laugh so hard they pass out for the rest of their lives.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: In-universe, Strong Sad negates Coach Z's attempt to write in "the famous Dancing Brothers," first by having their shoes break, then by having them "sneeze themselves into a coma" due to severe allergies.Coach Z: Aw geez, that's harsh.
- Fake Faint: Strong Sad finally manages to get out of climbing a rope by pretending to pass out.Strong Sad: Works every time!
- Helpless with Laughter: After banishing Saddy, the townsfolk's lives are so cheerful by comparison they can't stop laughing, and they end up asking him to come back and make them depressed again so they can get their work done.
- Ice-Cream Koan: While he never says it in the story Strong Sad tells, Saddy Dumpington was apparently fond of nonsensical folk sayings like "Ropes are for dopes."
- Persona Non Grata: The mayor of the unnamed town banishes Saddy Dumpington to the wilderness for making everyone miserable and depressed.
- The Triple: According to Coach Z, the Dancing Brothers are named "Glenn, Martbell, and the Killer Dynamo".
- Unfortunate Names: Coach Z comments on what a weird name for a folk hero "Saddy Dumpington" is: "Sounds kinda like a terlet, if ya ask me."
- Unusual Euphemism: While trying to encourage Strong Sad to climb a rope, Coach Z tells him to "cram a little oom-pah down your pants."Strong Sad: Look, I'm willing to ignore that "oom-pah down my pants" comment...
- What Would X Do?: When Coach Z becomes convinced he killed Strong Sad, he asks himself "What would the Dancing Brothers do in a situation like this?" The answer is apparently to dance away singing "Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight".
