Homestar Runner
por ari webb-bryantHomestar Runner is the star of his namesake website. He is mainly colored white, with black comma-shaped eyes and a prominent underbite. Usually, he wears a red shirt with a white star and a blue beanie with a red brim and a white spinner and he is gay. His legs are quite long in relation to the rest of his body. Though he lacks a visible pair of arms, he is still able to function as though he has them, being able to carry and throw things and even type proficiently. It's generally accepted that either he does have arms, but for reasons that are never explained, they are invisible, or that he has limited telekinetic powers. According to the toon Marshmallow's Last Stand, he weighs one hundred pounds. While his middle name was said to be Michael by Marzipan in Halloween Potion-ma-jig and by himself in Flash is Dead!, it may also be Hal, as heard in the DVD commentary for time capsule, though it was also suggested that Hal is Marzipan's pet name for him.
The subject of jokes and the recipient of nicknames, Homestar is an earnest character with a pure heart and nothing but love for the rest of mankind. Unfortunately, his absolute cluelessness and clumsiness keep him from realizing his full potential. As Strong Bad stated in TrogdorCon '97, he has an "unbelievably loose grasp on the world around [him]". He's not completely stupid; he once correctly stated Coulomb's law, albeit after being asked what two plus two is; and has proven to be remarkably clever in the past, for example being the only character who knows that The Thnikkaman is just Bubs in a cheap costume, though such occurrences are few and far between. He and most of the other residents of Free Country, USA speak English, but as seen in his welcome speech to homestarrunner.com, he is also able to speak Spanish, though it is unknown exactly how much. He frequently uses two-syllable exclamations, like "Hi-Ya!", "Highball!", and "Ahct-poo!". Also, Homestar has the strange habit of flicking his head in the opposite direction while talking, only to flick it right back, almost like a tic. If he is annunciating several syllables in a word, he will usually flick his head of each of the emphasized parts, such as in A Death-Defying Decemberween, he says, "No way, dog! No way, Bubs!", his head twitching at both the 'no's.
Homestar is the star athlete on an unspecified sports team led by Coach Z and keeps it that way via vigorous workouts, as revealed in the Strong Bad Email dullard. He is also the colonel (which is always pronounced phonetically) of the Homestarmy and the supreme overlord of Broternal Order of Different Helmets in Ever and More!. His best friend remains Pom Pom. He has some speech impediments (as he says, he has "twouble with [his] aw's"), and appears to have short-term memory problems, as he frequently forgets things he has just done or said (for examples, see the 12th Answering Machine or Homestar Presents: Presents). Homestar has also shown an incredible ability to sleep, which has been known to get him into trouble. The most extreme example of this oversleeping is the toon Weclome Back, where he slept through June, and possibly the better half of May as well. He also tends to "borrow" things from (and return things to) Strong Bad, for example, Strong Bad's fondue pot.
Although he is often the target of pranks by Strong Bad, Homestar believes that he is friends with the "wrestleman" and tries to win his favor, often with bad results that Homestar completely misunderstands. Occasionally, he and Strong Bad will be on pleasant terms, usually participating together in a Strong Bad Email or watching TV at Homestar's house. As a whole, Homestar seems to be too dim to realize when people are being mean to him, or when he's being mean to other people. He often unintentionally insults his friends or steps on their feelings and is unable to understand their resulting feelings of anger. Another quirk of Homestar's is his ability to be easily outsmarted at his own game, but still be completely oblivious and even happy. As Strong Bad put it in secret recipes, "It's like, even when we win, he wins." It should also be noted that Homestar's psychology may account for his sleepwalking behavior, as exhibited in the Strong Bad Email nightlife.
"Hey, Strong Bad. I've got a low polygon count
"Hey, Strong Bad. I've got a low polygon count."
Yes, he does have teeth.
Yes, he does have teeth.
Homestar has behaved indignantly at various times, often due to discussions of tender subjects, misunderstanding the topic at-hand or his general ignorance of the present situation. While in this state he acts single-mindedly, and in extreme instances violently. This side of his character, not often shown on the website, is often followed by his coming down into an upset and exhausted state, such as in Happy Fireworks, when he refuses to acknowledge Marzipan's absence, or in long pants, when he adamantly rejects the suggestion that he doesn't wear long pants. In email thunder, he claims that on this occasion he had accidentally taken some of Strong Sad's pills.
At present, Homestar works on the help desk at an unnamed tech company with Strong Bad and The Cheat, but has frequently dabbled in the entertainment industry. He made several commercials for Fluffy Puff Marshmallows along with the product's mascot, Marshie. He was paid for his work in the commercials with a lifetime supply of "Red Flavored Fluffy Puff Translucent Dessert Related Substance". He is also the host of an obscure talk/game show named "The Show", has co-starred in at least three Dangeresque movies, has sung seven hit singles and 1 Double Jam such as "Everybody Knows It", "Bad Jokes" and 5 other jams with They Might Be Giants, has revealed that he is considering a career in male modeling, and also has guest starred in an episode of Caleb Rentpayer (in which he shot Caleb). He enjoys running, breaking into Strong Bad's house, singing, and finding the perfect Decemberween present. He also seems to really like bread, as seen in origins and disconnected. Other favored foods are marshmallows, Bronco Trolleys, melonade, and supposedly Hot Pockets, according to the email dullard. His most prized possession is his propeller-cap and its "buzzer". He might be a fan of the NHL's Boston Bruins, as he is seen wearing a Bruins shirt in Superbowl Dealie.
He, Coach Z, Bubs, and Pom Pom, appear to be the current law enforcement in Free Country, USA, as seen in Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon and road trip. The King of Town calls upon his and Pom Pom's assistance in The King of Town DVD, suggesting higher authority and/or credibility. However, he is also seen as a thief in candy product, stealing a pair of half-eaten "choco-pants". In the October 2007 special Jibblies 2, he saves his friends by agreeing to stay inside the Jibblies Painting for "eternity".
Domicile: Homestar Runner's House
Debut: "The Homestar Runner Enters The Strongest Man in the World Contest"
Complete Filmography
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Homestar's Eyes
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Cartoon straight-on
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Puppet Stuff straight-on
Homestar's eyes are quite strange.
Sometimes they seem to move around his head. Most of the time they're like a flounder's eyes, but they switch sides of his face whenever he turns. In the Old Intro 2, Homestar's eyes seem to move as the camera circles around him. Also, in Theme Song Video, the currently absent toon Marshmallow's Last Stand, the old version of In Search of the Yello Dello, the Homestar Screensaver, action figure, Eggs toon, Costume Commercial, and Hremail 7 he faces to the front, which further lends credence to this theory.
It is possible that Homestar's eyes are in fact on the front of his head, but his generally accepted stature always has him facing slightly to the side. Because he is a cartoon character, the three-dimensional shape of his head and face are not shown, so the viewer is left to infer the eyes' correct positions based on which direction Homestar appears to be facing.
His puppet and his two figurines, on the other hand, have eyes stuck on one side of his head. Occasionally the other side of Puppet Homestar's face can be seen.
The Brothers Chaps actually made the eyes detachable, so that they can be switched if necessary.
Homestar's eyes almost always blink at regular intervals (once every approximately 3.9 seconds), even when the cartoon is paused or has stopped, and in some special cases such as where he appears on a magazine cover (as seen in the email modeling). This is explained by the fact that his eyes are animated as a Flash movie clip, which generally animates continuously.
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Homestar's Clothing
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In the middle
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The bottom of his feet
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Spin my buzzer!
Homestar Runner usually wears a blue and red propeller cap, commonly called a beanie. He calls the propeller a "buzzer". In an interview with Wonkavision Magazine, he claimed that he was born with his hat on. He is occasionally seen without it. He had lost his hat in Where My Hat is At? and apparently Marshmallow's Last Stand (according to the DVD commentary) as well. In the email super powers, Strong Bad managed to make the hat pop off of Homestar's head. In the email car, Homestar had his hat "tricked out" with features such as hydraulics and underglow neon. He also claimed that if Strong Bad spun his "buzzer", it would play the theme from Night Court, but it was obvious Homestar hummed it himself. Homestar dressed as himself in TrogdorCon '97, and wore two hats as a result.
Homestar's shirt seems to most resemble a red skirt with a white star on it. Strong Bad stole the star in Marshmallow's Last Stand and used it to coax Homestar and Pom Pom into wrestling Strong Mad and himself. Despite the brothers' loss to Homestar and Pom Pom, Strong Bad tore up the star, and only by kicking Strong Bad and taking one of the stars floating around his head was Homestar able to return his shirt to its original glory. The only other times Homestar's star has been removed were in different town, in which Strong Bad imagined Homestar angrily tearing the star off his shirt and stamping on it when he "called it quits", and hygiene, when he takes it off and blows his nose in it as John. Clearly, the star is a mark of pride to Homestar Runner. In Hremail 62, Homestar shows off some of his apparently older stars, which he calls "Homestars." A real-life version of the shirt is available for purchase in the Store.
In the original script for flashback, Strong Bad wore a similar shirt until Marzipan gave one to Homestar (to replace his Duckie Shirt). After this point, Strong Bad would have ripped off his shirt, explaining why he never wore one to this day. The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck In His Craw offered the alternative explanation that the star shirt somehow became stuck in his craw while he somersaulted around the world fifty times.
Other than his propeller cap, Homestar's shirt appears to be his only piece of clothing, as his questionable pants are a mystery. However, a Homestar costume is available in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People as separate shirt, white pants, and white shoes with blue soles. He wore a gray version of his shirt in impression while doing a bad imitation of Strong Sad. In Costume Commercial, Homestar is seen wearing pants when trick-or-treating as Bubs at Strong Bad's house.
In long pants, Strong Bad claims that Homestar doesn't have shoes, but has blue soles glued to the bottom of his feet. Several times, however, this has been disproven, as in New Boots The Cheat animated Homestar's shoes being unambiguous objects. This was confirmed in Hremail 2000, where he was shown holding his shoe, though the same hremail shows a close up of his foot with warts and hair, and no clear distinction between shoe and foot. He also has two larger shoe sizes; sizes 18 and Strong Mad.
Note that the shirt is also straight compared to the eyes on the unfinished toon, Tis True, Pom Pom, Tis True.
Homestar & Marzipan
Homestar's favorite hippie.
Homestar's favorite hippie.
Main article: Homestar Runner and Marzipan's Relationship
Homestar's relationship with Marzipan seems tenuous at best, and it has appeared to deteriorate over time. Although Homestar frequently (and usually inadvertently) insults Marzipan, and she claims to have broken up with him several times, the two still seem to stick together. It is unclear how their relationship started, but the fact that their relationship is never truly broken suggests that they really do love each other.
Homestar appears to greatly value their relationship; on the rare occasion that he realizes that their relationship is in jeopardy, he will spring into a desperate ploy to patch things up. He also seems to miss and need Marzipan's badgering every once in a while. When she was out of town in July of 2005, he carried around a cardboard cutout version of her and provided a voice for it. The cardboard version still made similar comments about violence and Homestar's poor grammar that the actual Marzipan would have, providing Homestar with the presumably cathartic opportunity to say "Shut up, Marzipan." Even then, Homestar's relationship with the "Cardboard Marzi" appeared to be tenuous, as he voiced her flirting with other men. Cardboard Marzipan returned in August of 2006, when she was slightly more positive with Homestar, and said she was proud of his unusually-constructed deck.
In Date Nite, Marzipan went out with The Cheat, much to Homestar's dismay. Though the date went well, Marzipan did not stay with The Cheat. She later went out with Bubs, to Coach Z's dismay.
In Donut Unto Others, it was revealed that Homestar and Marzipan have broken up at least 17 times, and that the 17th break-up had reached its 16th anniversary.
Relationships
Main article: Character Relationships
Homestar Runner and Homestar Runner's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Strong Bad's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Pom Pom's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Marzipan's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Coach Z's Relationship
Homestar Runner and The Cheat's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Bubs's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Strong Sad's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Strong Mad's Relationship
Homestar Runner and The King of Town's Relationship
Homestar Runner and The Poopsmith's Relationship
Homestar Runner and Homsar's Relationship
Variations
The Homestar Runner (Old-Timey)
1-Up (20X6)
Dangeresque Too (Dangeresque)
Uzi Bazooka (Dangeresque)
The King of Town (Decemberween)
The Homestar Runner (storybook)
Tofu Homestar
Atari Homestar
Vector Homestar
Bad Graphics Homestar
Compy 386-emulated Homestar
Handheld Homestar
Dating Sim Homestar
Melee Homestar
Kid Speedy Homestar
Freaky Marzipan (Halloween Potion-ma-jig)
Suave Homestar (Halloween Potion-ma-jig)
One-eyed Homestar (Halloween Potion-ma-jig)
Teenage Homestar
Middle School Homestar (high school)
Homestarmecium (high school)
The Castlefunnies Homestar Runner (old comics)
Cardboard Homestar
3D Homestar
Puppet Homestar
The Exact Same
Powered by The Cheat Homestar
Mario Paint Homestar
Ornament Homestar
Egg Homestar
John (hygiene)
Shadow Homestar
H. Star (Xeriouxly Forxe)
Character 2 (Yonder Website)
Halloween Costumes
Kurt Cobain (of Nirvana) in Homestarloween Party
The Greatest American Hero in The House That Gave Sucky Treats
Angus Young (of AC/DC) in Pumpkin Carve-nival
John McEnroe in 3 Times Halloween Funjob
Carl Spackler (played by Bill Murray in Caddyshack) in Halloween Fairstival
Moocher from Breaking Away in Halloween Potion-ma-jig
Teen Wolf in Happy Hallow-day
Artie, the Strongest Man in the World (from The Adventures of Pete and Pete) in Jibblies 2
Yahoo Serious(ly) (specifically in Young Einstein) in Most in the Graveyard
Crispin Glover as Rubin Farr (from Rubin and Ed and more notably an infamous Late Night with David Letterman interview) in Doomy Tales of the Macabre
The Alien Super-Being (from Christmas on Mars) in Which Ween Costumes
Tobias Fünke (from Arrested Development) in I Killed Pom Pom
H.I. McDunnough (from Raising Arizona) in The House That Gave Sucky Tricks
Mr. B. Natural (from the '50s educational short of Mystery Science Theater 3000 infamy) in Later That Night...
Power Alley Dale Murphy (from the '80s Nike pinup poster) in Haunted Photo Booth
Dirk the Daring (from Dragon's Lair) in Mr. Poofers Must Die
Snufkin (from Tove Jansson's Moomintroll books, comics and cartoons) in The Homestar Runner Enters the Spooky Woods
Bod in Halloween Hijinks
