Original Book

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Current revision as of 01:26, 1 June 2024

The original cover of the book that started it all

The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest is the original children's book that started the entire Homestar Runner body of work. The archive in the museum includes the story plus some alternate cover ideas.

The Homestar Runner, Pom Pom, Strong Bad, and three others enter the Strongest Man in the World Contest. "Whoever holds the most grapes, wins." Strong Bad tries to cheat with the help of a furry yellow animal, from that point aptly named "The Cheat".

Cast (in order of appearance): The Homestar Runner (storybook), Pom Pom, Tiny-Handed Strong Bad, The Cheat, Mr. Bland, The Robot (storybook), Señor, The Announcer, The Grape Fairie, The Fat Bee

DVD: Everything Else, Volume 2; Everything Else, Volume 3 (Easter egg)

[edit] Background

The original book was co-created by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel.

Craig described the story thusly in a 2004 interview with Gothamist:

Mike Chapman and I were working for the Atlanta Olympics and had a day off. We went to the bookstore and somehow found ourselves looking at children's books. We decided that they were all total crap and that we should make one. So we did. We named it Homestar Runner after something our friend Jamey would always say (he liked to pretend he was a sports announcer and would always say, Next up is Mark Lemke, homestar runner for the Braaaves!!!) So, we named it that and we drew a bunch of weird little dudes and made them do things. We gave it to our little cousins.

Mike briefly discussed the book during a 2003 interview with UMFM:

Craig Zobel and I wrote a story in 1996 one afternoon, went to Kinko's, made about ten or fifteen copies of it, and gave it to our friends. We were in college, and did it in a bored afternoon.

In a 2008 interview with Adventure Gamers, Mike added that he and Craig "wanted the book to feel like it was from another country, or maybe poorly translated from Japanese."

Matt Chapman was not involved with the book's writing, joking in a 2003 interview that Mike and Craig "told me to shut up and to go away." He would not contribute to Homestar Runner until the Super NES animation produced later.

[edit] The Story

[edit] Fun Facts

Original artwork and photocopied pages from the book.

[edit] Trivia

• Strong Bad has a belly button.
• This was the first appearance of kicking The Cheat.

[edit] Remarks

• Although identified as "a cheat", the character was not officially named "The Cheat" until the Old Characters Page.

[edit] Goofs

• The caption describing Señor being squished prints his name as "Senor", without the tilde.

[edit] Fast Forward

• Many toons and other site elements were later produced that mimicked the style of the book, referred to as the Storybook World.
  • The opening passage — both "Everybody loves the Homestar Runner" (alternatively written as "Everyone loves...") and especially "he is a terrific athlete" — would often be repeated in early works and Storybook toons.
• Strong Bad later made a "revised" edition of the story in the Strong Bad Email kids' book, called "Strumstar Hammer".
• The book was remade as Strongest Man in the World, a fully modernized and animated adaptation, celebrating the book's tenth anniversary.
• A sequel book, entitled Homestar Runner Goes For The Gold!, was planned; selected sketches were shared in the Museum Sketchbook. The unfinished book was revisited in the toon Homestar Runner Goes for the Gold, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the original book.

[edit] DVD Version

• The DVD version features creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching. This only applies to Everything Else Vol. 2.
• The book is now read out loud. The narrator reading the book also comments on the sound effects in the book while reading.
• Instead of the images being fullscreen, the book is now presented in a similar fashion to kids' book, with the same music playing.

[edit] DVD Transcript

NARRATOR: The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest. A children's book by Mike and Craig. Everybody loves the Homestar Runner! He is a terrific athlete. One day, his friend, Pom-Pom, asked him to enter the Strongest Man in the World Contest. The Homestar Runner agreed, and the two trained for days and days to become the strongest men in the world! On the way to the contest, another competitor, Strong Bad, made fun of them.

STRONG BAD: I am the very strongest. You guys are not very strong.

NARRATOR: The contestants. Mr. Bland, The Robot, last year's winner, Señor, Pom-Pom, Strong Bad, The Homestar Runner. Upon their arrival, the rules were explained: The Grape Fairie starts everyone off with twenty grapes, then adds one at a time. Whoever holds the most grapes, wins. The Grape Fairie granted each of them twenty grapes. Mr. Bland did not hold up. Squish. That says "Squish" there. The Grape Fairie added another grape. Senor was NOT the strongest man in the world. Splurt. It says "Splurt". Suddenly, the Robot shut down and dropped his grapes. Zip. The yellow man says "Zip". Homestar knew something was up. There were only three contestants left. Another grape was added. Homestar noticed that Strong Bad was getting some extra help.

HOMESTAR RUNNER: I will drop my grapes and UNCOVER that CHEAT!

NARRATOR: The Homestar Runner yanked the cheat out from under the pile of grapes.

STRONG BAD: Oh no.

NARRATOR: ...screamed Strong Bad. Strong Bad was squished and Pom-Pom won. Knowing that he could not have done it without The Homestar Runner's help, Pom-Pom shared the trophy...

[edit] Commentary Transcript

STRONG BAD: Oh great, we gotta watch this one now?

MIKE: Oh great, I have to talk to you.

STRONG BAD: You don't have to ta— why don't you just sit there in silence, I'll take over.

MIKE: Let's see it.

STRONG BAD: Takin' the reins! {monotone} Hi, my name is Strong Bad, welcome to the commentary. I'll be taking the reins today. {Makes microphone clicking noise} If you'll look to the back of your cabin, this is The Homestar Runner Enters The Crappiest Universe In The Man Contest. {click} If you took at this page, they have a bunch of barbells. {click} This is the page that's the best all over, because I'm in part of it.

MIKE: Are you gonna get a new... new little gimmick, or are you just gonna do that. We're on a ride at the theme park, the whole time.

STRONG BAD: Oh, okay. {deep voice} Hi, I'm the spaceship Strong Bad, and you're on board a spaceship. {click} Uh... This is a... {normal voice} Look, I look great. In that picture.

MIKE: You had a belly button there.

STRONG BAD: Yeah. Is it just that page?

MIKE: Very possibly.

STRONG BAD: It could be like, this page has been gr— that page was graffitoed.

MIKE: Just your belly button?

STRONG BAD: Just my belly B.

MIKE: {laughs} You've got a name for your belly button.

STRONG BAD: Belly B, man. Speaking of bees, the bee fairy. {short pause} Who is the guy that's narrating this thing, I wanna punch him. I wanna turn his lights out.

MIKE: {laughs} Turn them out or punch them out?

STRONG BAD: Turn them out.

MIKE: Sounds like it would be very— very— very— very painful.

STRONG BAD: Yeah. Senor.

MIKE: Look at The Tea— The Teach got a tongue!

STRONG BAD: The Teach? I never seen the tongue before on The Teach. Uh... So what's with that robot? That's the worst technological robot I've ever seen.

MIKE: He's gotta be plugged— H-he's got a pretty short cord, too.

STRONG BAD: Yeah, what's the point, you can wa— It's like them boots that I had. Where I could only walk, like, twelve... y-y-y-yards, short, whatever shortest...

MIKE: {laughs} You've got a mouth within your mouth there!

STRONG BAD: Yeah, that's creepy. That was clearly graffitoed onto me. All right, you missed the part, I— like, I clearly told them, "I'm taking a nap! Shut the contest down for a moment!" and they didn't listen.

[edit] Fun Facts

• Strong Bad refers to the 'Lectric Boots he owned in extra plug.
• Strong Bad's monotone voice and mimicked microphone clicks are similar to how he sounds in theme park.
• Strong Bad commenting his taking a nap under the grapes instead of being squished (as is the case in the story) may be a reference to the Strumstar Hammer version of the story from an Easter egg in kids book.
• The Teach was first referenced in geddup noise.

[edit] External links

• View the Flash file for the Original Book
• View the old Original Book