Strong Bad
| Strong Bad | |
|---|---|
| 'Homestar Runner' character | |
 | |
| First appearance | "The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest" |
| Created by | Matt and Mike Chapman |
| Portrayed by | Matt Chapman |
| In-universe information | |
| Family | Strong Sad (brother), Strong Mad (brother) |
Strong Bad is one of the major characters of the Homestar Runner series of animated Flash web cartoons. He is portrayed by Matt Chapman, the principle voice actor and co-founder of the series. Strong Bad is enjoys pranking the the other characters of the series, along with his ever diligent lackey pet named "The Cheat" and his older brother Strong Mad.[1] The main segment that Strong Bad is a part of is "Strong Bad Email", in which he answers emails sent to him by fans.[2] Strong Bad Email has turned into several DVDs, as well as a podcast, since its first episode in 2001.[3]
Strong Bad is sometimes referred to as the main antagonist of the series due to his pranks that he, Strong Mad, and The Cheat play on the other characters, and his insulting of his brother Strong Sad.[4] He seems to be a character influenced by the American popular culture trends of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, such as classic rock music and the second and third generations of video games and video game consoles.[4] Since he is one of the site's most popular characters, merchandise has also spun off of Strong Bad, which includes t-shirts and sweatshirts sold by the website.[4]
Strong Bad has been one of the series most popular characters, and has been well received. In an article by National Review Online, Strong Bad was described as "a non-stop braggart, liar, manipulator, and egotist", but "one of the coolest characters on the Internet and the real star of Homestarrunner.com, which may be the most popular homegrown animation in the world".[4] Segments have been spun off of his emails, including "Teen Girl Squad" a comic drawn by Strong Bad about four teenage friends.[5]
Concept and creation
Strong Bad was based on the "Strong Bads", a Lucha libre-style fighter team from the 1983 arcade video game Tag Team Wrestling, as the cartoon does revolve around pop culture references.[6] Along with most of the main characters of the website, Strong Bad debuted in the Chapman brother's children's book called "The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest", in which Homestar Strong Bad, The Cheat, and Pom Pom, as well as The Robot, Mr. Bland, Señor, and the Grape Fairie, some characters that did later not appear in the series. In the story, the characters enter a strength competition.[7] The concept for this began in 1996 when both Chapman Brothers were looking for children's books. When did not find any to their liking, they created their own as a parody. After creating a few characters and writing a plot, they made copies of the book and attempted to sell it.[7]
This hand-drawn book was the only incarnation of Strong Bad for several years. The did not succeed however, so the concept of a website with Homestar Runner and Pom Pom as the protagonists, and Strong Bad and The Cheat as the antagonists became a reality in 2000.[7] The website was originally thought of to revolve around Homestar, but Strong Bad grew in popularity after the first few months of the website, and the Chapman brothers decided to give him his own segment, Strong Bad email.[8] According to Mike Chapman, "...He'd already become everybody's favorite character."[7]
In the children's book and very early stages of the website, Strong Bad looked significantly different than his present day character. He had very small hands, and a plainly-colored red and black lucha libre mask, contrary to the blue and green areas defined in the present version of Strong Bad.[9] In the book, Strong Bad and the cheat were defined as the main "villains" to Homestar Runner and Pom Pom, who were defined as the main "protagonists".[9] This did change, however, as each character developed its own style.[9]
References
- ^ "Characters: Strong Bad". Homestar Runner.com. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Taylor, Lauren (October 24, 2003). "Homestarrunner's antics provide entertainment for its on-line fans". Red and Black. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Miller, Aaron (August 23, 2007). "Podcasts". Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c d Wood, Peter (August 27, 2003). "Everybody to the Limit". National Review Online. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Strong Bad Email 53". homestarrunner.com. 2002. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
- ^ Hamilton, Jeff (April 4, 2008). "Tag Team Wrestling (NES)". Honest Gamer. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d Dean, Kari Lynn (June 23, 3003). "HomestarRunner Hits a Homer". Wired. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Ydstie, John (May 8, 2005). "NPR: Strong Bad Walks in Footsteps of Darth, Lex, J.R. (see audio interview)". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c "Homestar Runner: Museum (see "original book")". Homestar Runner.com. Retrieved 2008-09-20.