Strong Bad Email

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Revision as of 05:34, 24 September 2024

Strong Bad Email menu

Strong Bad checks his email.

Strong Bad Email, frequently shortened to sbemail, is a feature in which Strong Bad answers an email sent by a real-world fan. Arguably the most recognizable feature of the site, it is occasionally joked that its success has led to Strong Bad becoming more popular than the site's title character.

A typical email opens with Strong Bad humorously mocking the spelling and grammar of the sender, then transitioning to an anecdote or scheme related to a question asked by the email, concluding with Strong Bad returning to his computer to finalize the email response. Strong Bad Emails include numerous Easter eggs and other hidden material, often found at the ending screen; many feature satirical views of aspects of popular culture such as Japanese cartoons, video games, and TV show theme songs. Originally introduced in 2001 as a small feature with brief animations, the responses gradually expanded in scope to establish numerous inside jokes, running gags, and catch phrases. Full-fledged Strong Bad Email spin-offs include Trogdor, Teen Girl Squad, 20X6, Strong Badia, Hremails, the secondary character Senor Cardgage, and even main character Homsar.

Strong Bad Email had historically been the most frequently updated feature of homestarrunner.com, with a new email being added to the menu most Mondays from 2002 through 2008. The pace of releases slowed after the 200th email in September 2008. Creative duo The Brothers Chaps took a self-imposed break at the bicentennial, returning to sbemail production in late 2009. At the end of that year, Homestar Runner entered into an extended hiatus through 2014; nowadays, as Homestar Runner is updated irregularly, multi-year gaps are now common between sbemails and a new one is typically prompted by a special event or circumstance. The social media account @StrongBadActual has since become the main format for the character to respond to and otherwise interact with fans.

Strong Bad Emails

Lappier Era

(April 2015 – present)

209 - parenting 208 - the next april fools thing 207 - too cool 206 - sbemail 206

Compé Era

(August 2009 – October 2009)

205. videography 204. dictionary 203. independent

Corpy NT6 Transition

(July 2009)

Corpy Remote Work Email - NO PERSONAL EMAILS!

202. imaginary

Lappy 486 Era

(November 2004 – June 2009)

subject: sb_email menu

201. hremail 3184 200. email thunder 199. being mean 198. magic trick 197. your edge 196. hiding 195. love poems 194. specially marked 193. rated 192. shapeshifter 191. buried 190. licensed 189. pet show 188. fan club 187. winter pool 186. environment 185. nightlife 184. diorama 183. yes, wrestling 182. business trip 181. web comics 180. slumber party 179. pizza joint 178. bike thief 177. original 176. hygiene 175. concert 174. mini-golf

173. the paper 172. more armies 171. underlings 170. rough copy 169. from work 168. your funeral 167. the movies 166. unnatural 165. strong badathlon 164. looking old 163. what i want 162. the chair 161. 4 branches 160. coloring 159. retirement 158. cliffhangers 157. trading cards 156. road trip 155. theme song 154. keep cool 153. redesign 152. isp 151. senior prom 150. alternate universe 149. candy product 148. disconnected 147. lady fan 146. pop-up

145. myths & legends 144. narrator 143. technology 142. secret identity 141. death metal 140. high school 139. portrait 138. space program 137. bedtime story 136. geddup noise 135. lady...ing 134. record book 133. bottom 10 132. modeling 131. boring (really) 130. do over 129. garage sale 128. rampage 127. long pants 126. best thing 125. rock opera 124. secret recipes 123. origins 122. dreamail 121. part-time job 120. radio 119. animal

Compy 386 Era

(September 2002 – November 2004)

Volume in drive C: has no label
Directory of C:\sbemail\updated somedays

118. virus 117. montage 116. extra plug 115. time capsule 114. the facts 113. pizzaz 112. old comics 111. other days 110. for kids 109. crying 108. pom pom 107. cheatday 106. dangeresque 3 105. replacement 104. theme park 103. haircut 102. lunch special 101. car 100. flashback 99. different town 98. stupid stuff 97. monument 96. lackey 95. the bet 94. video games 93. army

92. kind of cool 91. caffeine 90. colonization 89. local news 88. couch patch 87. mile 86. no loafing 85. 2 years 84. kids' book 83. labor day 82. impression 81. date 80. stunt double 79. the process 78. anything 77. suntan 76. sibbie 75. funny 74. privileges 73. mascot 72. crazy cartoon 71. 2 emails 70. big white face 69. personal favorites 68. caper 67. autobiography

66. the show 65. unused emails 64. english paper 63. fingers 62. interview 61. monster truck 60. huttah! 59. marzipan 58. dragon 57. japanese cartoon 56. current status 55. cheat talk 54. morning routine 53. comic 52. island 51. website 50. 50 emails 49. theme party 48. ghosts 47. new hands 46. your friends 45. techno 44. lures & jigs 43. little questions 42. action figure 41. invisibility

Tandy 400 Era

(August 2001 – September 2002)

 FILENAME  - updated mondays

40. vacation 39. property of ones 38. helium 37. dullard 36. guitar 35. sisters 34. weird dream 33. gimmicks 32. flag day 31. sugarbob 30. 12:00 29. superhero name 28. 1 step ahead 27. 3 wishes

26. CGNU 25. super powers 24. the bird 23. little animal 22. sb_email 22 21. cartoon 20. spring cleaning 19. tape-leg 18. stand-up 17. studying 16. band names 15. the basics 14. duck pond

13. i she be 12. credit card 11. i rule 10. trevor the vampire 9. i love you 8. brianrietta 7. halloweener 6. depressio 5. making out 4. homestar hair 3. butt IQ 2. homsar 1. some kinda robot

Releases

DVD

The six-disc DVD reprint set, released in 2020.

Emails 1–200 were released on the strongbad_email.exe 6-disc DVD series. Multiple DVD-exclusive emails were also featured in this set.

• The first 100 emails were collected in a three-disc box set.
  • Disc 1 contains emails 1-50 (some kinda robot through 50 emails), plus three bonus emails: Greeting Cards, E-mail Birds and Videro Games.
  • Disc 2 contains emails 51-80 (website through stunt double).
  • Disc 3 contains emails 81-100 (date through flashback).
• Disc 4 contains emails 101-130 (car through do over), plus the bonus email Family Resemblence, and the Puppet Stuff email Real-Live E-Mails.
• Disc 5 contains emails 131-160 (boring (really) through coloring), plus the bonus email Accent.
• Disc 6 contains emails 161-200 (4 branches through email thunder), plus the bonus email Comic Book Movie.
• The Sbemails' 50 Greatest Hits DVD contains 55 fan-favorite emails.

Podstar Runner

Strong Bad Emails & More!

The Podstar Runner feed distributed various Strong Bad Emails in .m4v format, designed for viewing on an iPod, from 2006 through 2008. This feed additionally featured toons and Teen Girl Squad issues alongside Strong Bad Emails.

These are all of the emails that were featured through this service (in order of Podstar Runner release, earliest to latest):

YouTube

The homestarrunnerdotcom YouTube channel was registered on October 1, 2007. When it first began uploading Strong Bad Emails on March 31, 2009, they were direct rips of the DVD versions (featuring title cards with the email names in Title Case and ending with The Paper reading ">> The End <<"), with independent being uploaded in a previously unreleased DVD-style version with altered scenes. Starting in 2017, 1080p versions of the emails have been uploaded, with email titles in all lowercase and the paper reading "> THE END <", often incorporating the Easter eggs from the original website versions.

These are all of the emails that have been uploaded (in order of YouTube release, earliest to latest):

Not Quite Strong Bad Emails

The following were originally associated in one way or another with the Strong Bad Emails. They are numbered fractionally to indicate when they were released chronologically relative to the above list.

• 208½B. @StrongBadActual tweet (3 Apr 2019) — Strong Bad replies to one of the Discount Strong Bad Emails generated by Janelle Shane's neural network.†
• 208½A. @StrongBadActual tweet (22 Aug 2018) — Strong Bad checks an email on the Tandy 400 using Mario Paint, with a subject similar to the basics.†
• 206½B. The House That Gave Sucky Tricks — The page title is "St. Cadaverstump's Home for Wayward Sbemails", suggesting that at one point this was originally going to be a sbemail.
• 206½A. Dad's Garage & Friends - 13 Jun 2015 — Strong Bad and Homestar Runner showcase the worst parts of improv.†
• 205½D. Dad's Garage & Friends - 11 Jul 2014 — A Strong Bad Email played at Dad's Garage.†
• 205½C. April Fool 2014 — Strong Bad updates the website's "best feature".
• 205½B. Sbemail 136 Alternate Versions — Original drafts of Sbemail 136.†
• 205½A. Doomy Tales of the Macabre — Strong Sad mentions how Strong Bad checks emails on the Compé.
• 202½. Compy Catalog — Strong Bad buys a new computer for checking emails.
• 200½E. April Fool 09 — Strong Bad "sbemailiarizes" the Intro to homestarrunner.com.
• 200½D. Sbemailiarized! — Strong Bad explains how old toons can be recycled into Strong Bad Emails.
• 200½C. 8-Bit is Enough — Strong Bad can check emails during the game.†
• 200½B. Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective — The game starts with Strong Bad sending an email about Dangeresque 3 to his fans. Additionally, Strong Bad can check emails during the game.†
• 200½A. Baddest of the Bands — Strong Bad can check emails during the game.†
• 199½C. Sbemail 200 Fakeout — Secret URL address for anyone who wanted a peek at Email 200 before it was released.*
• 199½B. Place Ya Bets! — Its HTML file is "sbemail199andahalf". In it, The Deleteheads try to predict what will be in Strong Bad Email #200.
• 199½A. Strong Badia the Free — The game starts with an email from Roy T. about the King of Town. Additionally, Strong Bad can check emails during the game.†
• 198½. Homestar Ruiner — The whole game is an attempt to answer Ennie M.'s email requesting that Strong Bad beat the snot out of Homestar Runner. Additionally, Strong Bad can check emails during the game.†
• 193½B. The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck In His Craw — The reading of the story takes place after what appears to be a Strong Bad Email.
• 193½A. SBCG4AP Advertisement — This email is an advertisement for a game that was in the making and never actually appeared on the Strong Bad Email page.
• 191½. Rotten Eggs — A message made by the splattered rotten Easter egg reads, "Sbemail Next Week."
• 171½. DNA Evidence — The toon is about a running gag from six consecutive Strong Bad Emails.
• 170½. Sbemail 169 Deleted Scene — A deleted scene from sbemail 169.
• 158½. Lappynapped! — Messages on Strong Bad's answering machine, as the Lappy is missing.*
• 152½. Weclome Back — Strong Bad tries to show an email he checked over summer vacation (in midair, no less), but hits "stop" instead of "record" on the video camera.
• 149½. Sbemail 150?!? — Strong Sad tries to get Strong Bad to do his 150th email.
• 136½. Sick Day — A failed attempt at an email due to sickness striking the entire cast.
• 127½. HomestarRunner.com: PAY PLUS! — "The Email Show" is one of the pay-per-view features.
• 118½. Broken Compy Menu — The page title is "Strong Bad Email?". It is a short toon that played on the email menu after the release of virus.*
• 99½B. Sbemail 100 Fakeout — Secret URL address for anyone who wanted a peek at Email 100 before it was released.*
• 99½A. Puppet Time — A message was taped onto Puppet Compy's screen that read "Probably at a barbecue, from SB".
• 84½. Teen Girl Squad Issue 4 — A message was taped onto the Compy on the Strong Bad Email menu that read "made a new teen girl squad".
• 68½B. Lookin at a Thing in a Bag — A message was taped onto the Compy in the email menu that read "Looking at a thing in a bag" when the cartoon was released.
• 68½A. King of Townmail — The King of Town tries to answer an email on his recently bought (but broken) Tandy 400.
• 66½. Arcade Game — Homestar Runner reads Strong Bad's note he left on the Compy 386.
• 59½. Superbowl Dealie — The Paper reads "Due to the big game, the Strong Bad Email will be late this week."
• 36½. TV Time Toons Menu — Placing the mouse over Strong Bad Email will bring up a short, soundless email from Stu. See Wireless Bizness.

*Not linked to from anywhere on the site.
†Neither released to nor hosted on homestarrunner.com.

Milestones

Whenever Strong Bad reaches a centenary milestone, or a significant portion thereof, the email will focus on or at least make note of the significant milestone. Thus far, five emails have commemorated a landmark number of emails.

50. 50 emails — Strong Bad attempts to check 50 emails in honor of his 50th email check. However, he only succeeds in answering three.

100. flashback — The email is done in "wiiidescreeeen". Marzipan, Homestar Runner, Senor Cardgage, Old Timey Strong Bad, and Limozeen congratulate him on his 100th email (although Homestar absent-mindedly wishes him a "happy 100th birthday" instead). The Compy presents Strong Bad with a congratulatory screen indicating that he has checked 100 emails, and Strong Bad celebrates by saying "email" 100 times.

125. rock opera — Strong Bad performs a rock opera featuring scenes and at least one word from all of Strong Bad's previous emails.

150. alternate universe — Strong Bad visits alternate universes featuring different versions of himself; they all form a supergroup to sing a ballad commemorating the "sesquicentennemail".

200. email thunder — The Poopsmith breaks his vow of silence to sing a grand fanfare (written by They Might Be Giants). The email also ends with a screen listing the first 200 emails.

Several milestone emails have been teased with an additional toon released the week prior in order to play off viewers' anticipation. The teaser toons so far have been Sbemail 100 Fakeout (teasing viewers hoping to view email 100 before it was released); Sbemail 150?!? (in which Strong Sad tries to convince Strong Bad to check email 150 and writes a proposed storyboard for it); Place Ya Bets! (in which the Deleteheads speculate on what will happen in email 200); and Sbemail 200 Fakeout (in which the Deleteheads camp out at the sbemail200.html URL).

Fun Facts

Trivia

• In 2001, prior to the introduction of Strong Bad Email, Mike Chapman stated in an interview that the site received five or ten emails a day. By January 2003, the daily number had climbed to "500 or more", peaked in mid-2003 with five to eight thousand daily emails, and by 2004 had leveled out to between two and five thousand a day.
• During the Tandy 400 era (until at least July 2002), emailing Strong Bad would result in this automated response:

Thanks for your freakin email. I hope it's not stupid.
Once I finish these swiss cake rolls I'll read it and if it's awesome enough,
I'll answer it on the site.
But if your email is terrible, then it gets R.E.D. alright.
The Cheat Reads it, Strong Mad Eats it, and I Deletes it.
Click Here to see us in action!
Check back every Monday to see if your email has what it takes.
Watch me while I'm awesome,
Strong Bad

• The link in the automated response leads to the Email Processing Room.

• At Flashforward 2006, The Brothers Chaps gave a list of five things not to email Strong Bad about. Additional insight about how emails are selected was given in a later radio interview.
• butt IQ and CGNU are the only onsite emails with capital letters in their titles. Prior to the post-Flash site update, 3 Wishes and what I want did as well.
• Prior to the post-Flash site update, some emails had different URLs instead of sbemail#.html.
• Occasionally, there is a lengthy gap between email updates. This is sometimes recognized at the start of the next email, as in army, geddup noise, redesign, hremail 3184, and sbemail 206.
• Email #22, sb_email 22, was actually made between emails 40 and 41. This number was originally skipped as the 23rd email followed the 21st, with the 22nd later made and released under the title "the lost email" right before Strong Bad replaced his computer with the Compy 386.
• Email #208, the next april fools thing, was originally hidden inside a holiday toon, and wasn't listed on the Strong Bad Email menu until the post-Flash site update on December 31, 2020.
• Although viewers were originally prompted to email Strong Bad at strongbad@homestarrunner.com, as of sbemail 206 the CGI Paper has directed viewers to "email" by tweeting @StrongBadActual.

Statistics

See main article: Strong Bad Email Statistics

• Not including Not Quite Strong Bad Emails, Strong Bad has checked 238 emails as of parenting.
• As of parenting, it would take 10 hours, 7 minutes, and 19 seconds to watch every Strong Bad Email, including the DVD exclusives but excluding clickable Easter eggs. Including clickable Easter eggs, it would take 11 hours, 33 minutes, and 3 seconds.
• As of September 2022, Strong Bad Emails make up about 43% of the toons on the site by volume; as of May 2021, they make up about 26% of toons on the site by runtime.

Remarks

• Two emails have been checked by someone other than Strong Bad, but count as Strong Bad Emails anyway: mile was made up and animated by The Cheat, and anything was checked by Homestar Runner.
• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People features emails both as a framing device and as interactive content in the games; however, these were not sent by actual fans.

External Links

• Strong Bad Email menu

See Also

• Hremails
• @StrongBadActual
• @strongbadactual (Instagram)