Airdate: Monday, August 30, 2004
Sender: Zack, West Islip NY
Zack from "West Is Lip" ("Sounds like some kind of British New Wave band") wants to know why the King of Town employs a Poopsmith. Strong Bad isn't sure himself; he just knows that the King of Town has always had a Poopsmith... and that the two originally got their start as characters in a newspaper comic, "back when comics didn't seem to need jokes or humor or readers under the age of ninety-one."
"The Castlefunnies", as it was called (in "a pathetic attempt by the authors into fooling you into thinking it was actually funny"), mostly revolved around the King of Town standing around and talking about ointments, salves, and his aching hip to the Poopsmith (who in those days was known as "Mushy Chamberpot", and communicated in word balloons filled with commas).
Strong Bad and Homestar started showing up as guests in later strips in a failed attempt to boost readership, and ultimately The Castlefunnies was cancelled after the death of "the last living reader, a Civil War veteran and creamed corn enthusiast".
(Strong Bad leaves, The Paper comes down.)
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Strong Bad thinks the Poopsmith's name in the comic, "Mushy Chamberpot", is actually amusing in the otherwise unfunny strip.
- Flash In The Pan Fad: The Castlefunnies authors' big comeback bid was a line of officially licensed "pencil moisteners", attempting to cash in on the Dry Pencil Scare of '47. Unfortunately for them, said Scare only lasted three days.
- A Good Name for a Rock Band: After reading the name of the sender's town as "West Is Lip", Strong Bad remarks that it "sounds like some kind of British New Wave band."
- Low Count Gag: The final strip of "The Castlefunnies" gives thanks to "All our reader" after the passing of its last living reader.
- Non-Indicative Name: "The Castlefunnies" isn't really that funny, and the King of Town's castle is nowhere to be seen.
- Remember the New Guy?: Strong Bad and Homestar's appearances in "The Castlefunnies". "How could you forget STRONG BAD???"
- Shout-Out: The Poopsmith only speaking in commas is likely a reference to Woodstock from Peanuts, whose "speech" was rendered as rows of horizontal lines.
- So Unfunny, It's Funny: "The Castlefunnies" is a deliberately mediocre take on newspaper comic strips.
- The Unintelligible: The Poopsmith's Castlefunnies incarnation spoke, but only in commas.
- Take That!: "The Castlefunnies" pokes fun at the sort of antiquated comic strip Long-Runners one might see on The Comics Curmudgeon (which perhaps-not-coincidentally had opened its doors in July 2004, about a month before this email came out). It's probably closest to The Wizard of Id, between the protagonist, setting, and big-nosed artwork.
- You Say Tomato: Strong Bad mispronounces Islip ("EYE-slip") as "Is-lip".
Knight: I didn't know you played polo.
King: Are you crazy? I'm too old to play polo!
Knight: Then what were you doing there?
King: Whudderya askin' me for?
