Trogdor

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==History==
==History==
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[[File:jan10.jpeg|thumb|Countryside, peasants, thatched-roof cottages even!]]
===Creation===
===Creation===
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[[Image:sbemail58picture2a.PNG|thumb|TROGDOR the [[Lowercase i's|BURNiNATOR]]]]
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''From [[Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007#Part II: Q & A|a 2007 appearance at Georgia Tech]]:''
 +
<blockquote>'''MATT CHAPMAN:''' [The idea for Trogdor] is based on Ed Emberley drawing books. When we were kids, [we read] a series of drawing books that were like "to draw an alligator, you draw a triangle, and you draw a rectangle, and a bunch of triangles on the back for the scales, and two lines," and broke it all down. Originally the email was gonna be mostly about like how to draw crappy drawings, and so it was Strong Bad's version of that doing this dragon.</blockquote>
 +
 
Trogdor first appeared in the [[Strong Bad Email]] [[dragon]], in which Strong Bad was asked to demonstrate his "skills of an artist" by drawing a dragon. After [[The S is for Sucks Dragon|a fumbled first attempt]], Strong Bad uses "simple step-by-step instructions" (evocative of {{w|Ed Emberley}}'s books) to create a distinctive dragon: a winged serpent with a single muscular arm and an angry expression.
Trogdor first appeared in the [[Strong Bad Email]] [[dragon]], in which Strong Bad was asked to demonstrate his "skills of an artist" by drawing a dragon. After [[The S is for Sucks Dragon|a fumbled first attempt]], Strong Bad uses "simple step-by-step instructions" (evocative of {{w|Ed Emberley}}'s books) to create a distinctive dragon: a winged serpent with a single muscular arm and an angry expression.
==== How to draw a dragon (according to Strong Bad) ====
==== How to draw a dragon (according to Strong Bad) ====
 +
[[Image:sbemail58picture2a.PNG|thumb|TROGDOR the [[Lowercase i's|BURNiNATOR]]]]
#Draw an S.
#Draw an S.
#Draw a more different S.
#Draw a more different S.
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Trogdor's birthday of January 13 is recognized as "Trogday", occasionally celebrated with new Trogdor media:
Trogdor's birthday of January 13 is recognized as "Trogday", occasionally celebrated with new Trogdor media:
-
* '''2006''' {{--}} [[Happy Trogday]] commemorates his third birthday with a fanstuff montage.
+
* '''2006''' {{--}} [[Happy Trogday]] commemorates his third birthday with a fanstuff montage.
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* '''2008''' {{--}} Strong Bad sings both an entire alphabet song and (though only after Trogdor showed up in person and forced him to) a heavy metal song about [[The S is for Sucks Dragon]], as the two dragons share a birthday. With typical sarcasm, he claimed this was due to internet users "ruining" Trogdor (along with zombies, {{w|Pirates versus Ninjas|pirates, ninjas}}, and himself).
+
* '''2008''' {{--}} Strong Bad sings [[Trogday 08|an alphabet song and a heavy metal song]] about [[The S is for Sucks Dragon]], as the two dragons share a birthday. With typical sarcasm, he claimed this was due to internet users "ruining" Trogdor (along with zombies, {{w|Pirates versus Ninjas|pirates, ninjas}}, and himself). A special [[index page]], featuring Trogdor in the shape of a numeral 5, was in place for his birthday week.
* '''2018''' {{--}} An {{w|HTML5}} version of the [[TROGDOR!]] game was released
* '''2018''' {{--}} An {{w|HTML5}} version of the [[TROGDOR!]] game was released
* '''2021''' {{--}} The Trogdor-themed [[Main Page 27]] was released.
* '''2021''' {{--}} The Trogdor-themed [[Main Page 27]] was released.
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{{seemain|Trogdor (song)}}
{{seemain|Trogdor (song)}}
[[File:Trogdor (karaoke).jpg|thumb|Sing along!]]
[[File:Trogdor (karaoke).jpg|thumb|Sing along!]]
-
The [[dragon]] email consistents mostly of the idea of drawing a dragon, but in its conclusion dramatically shifts to an over-the-top [[heavy metal]] song about Trogdor and his exploits accompanied by pencil artwork.
+
''From [[UMFM Interview - 20 May 2003|a 2003 interview on ''UMFM'']]:''
 +
<blockquote>'''[[MIKE CHAPMAN]]:''' We didn't even think to come up with the song until about 6 pm on Monday. We had pretty much finished the rest of the email, and Matt just started singing that song. And it's like, "oh, well, now we gotta ''make'' it," so then we had to write the song, record the guitar and vocals and then do all the new drawings and make the little video that sits at the end.</blockquote>
-
As mentioned in [[dragon#Commentary Transcript|the DVD commentary]], there originally wasn't supposed to be a song in the email, but after [[Matt Chapman]] started singing it off the top of his head while making eggs, The Brothers Chaps knew they had to put it in the email.
+
The [[dragon]] email concludes with an over-the-top [[heavy metal]] song by Strong Bad about Trogdor and his exploits accompanied by pencil artwork.
-
The [[Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits]] contains an [[TROGDOR (song)|extended version]] of the song. The song is also [[Trogdor (karaoke)|featured]] in [[KaraokeFun]] on the [[strongbad_email.exe Disc Two|DVD]]. [[Homestar Runner]] is the singer and gets a score of 84 out of 100. In November 2006, the extended version of the Trogdor song made an appearance as a bonus song in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 game [[Guitar Hero|Guitar Hero II]].
+
This song was expanded with full instrumentation, additional lyrics, and an instrumental bridge for the album ''[[Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits]]''. A [[Trogdor (karaoke)|karaoke version]] of the song is included on [[strongbad_email.exe Disc Two|the DVD version]]. The video game ''[[Guitar Hero|Guitar Hero II]]'' included "Trogdor" as a bonus track, as the lead developer was a fan of Homestar Runner.
== Games ==
== Games ==
 +
===Video Games===
 +
[[Image:trogdorgame.png|thumb|Arcade styles]]
 +
On March 17, 2003, the [[TROGDOR!]] game was released. In [[Arcade Game]], it is shown to be an [[Stand up arcade games|arcade]] game found in the [[Basement of the Brothers Strong]]. The player controls Trogdor, and the goal of the game is to squish enough peasants required to achieve burnination, which can then be used to destroy the thatched-roof cottages. Trogdor must avoid [[the Red and Blue Knights]] and the Siamese archers while doing so. The game swiftly became a fan favorite.
-
On March 17, 2003, the [[TROGDOR!]] game was released. In [[Arcade Game]], it is shown to be an [[Stand up arcade games|arcade]] game found in the [[Basement of the Brothers Strong]]. The player controls Trogdor, and the goal of the game is to squish enough peasants required to achieve burnination, while at the same time avoiding [[The Red and Blue Knights]] and the Siamese archers. The game was a fan favorite before the debut of the game [[Peasant's Quest]]. In Peasant's Quest, killing the Burninator is [[Rather Dashing]]'s goal after Trogdor burninates his thatched-roof cottage. In this game, Trogdor's voice is an old speech synthesizer called the [[Wikipedia:Software Automatic Mouth|Software Automatic Mouth]], or S.A.M.
+
[[Adventure Gamers Interview - 2 Sept 2004|Believing that]] "the world of Trogdor and peasants and thatched-roof cottages just made sense for an adventure game," the Brothers Chaps and [[Jonathan Howe]] centered their large-scale [[Sierra]] parody game ''[[Peasant's Quest]]'' around Trogdor's penchant for burninating peasants and their cottages. In this game, the focus is inverted: players control [[Rather Dashing]] as he seeks to kill the Burninator in revenge for Trogdor burninating his thatched-roof cottage.
-
Trogdor was also the main subject of the finale of [[Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People]], [[8-Bit is Enough]]. In it, the [[TROGDOR! arcade machine]] breaks and Trogdor is released into [[Free Country, USA]], and promptly burninates [[Strong Badia]]. Driven for revenge (much like [[Rather Dashing]] in [[Peasant's Quest]]), Strong Bad sets out to kill Trogdor by enlisting the help of various other [[Videlectrix]] characters. When Strong Bad finally confronts his foe, Trogdor morphs into [[ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!]], but is still no match for [[Ultimate Strong Bad]].
+
Trogdor was also the main subject of [[8-Bit is Enough]], the final chapter of [[Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People]]. In it, the [[TROGDOR! arcade machine]] breaks and Trogdor is released into [[Free Country, USA]], and promptly burninates [[Strong Badia]]. Driven for revenge, Strong Bad sets out to kill Trogdor by enlisting the help of various other [[Videlectrix]] characters. When Strong Bad finally confronts his foe, Trogdor morphs into [[Ultimate Trogdor]], but is still no match for [[Ultimate Strong Bad]].
-
On September 29, 2017, Strong Bad began to tease a potential Trogdor [[board game]] on social media. On July 17, 2018, [[Trogdor!! The Board Game]] (an adaptation of the TROGDOR! game) was put on Kickstarter. The goal was $75,000, but it was surpassed in the first three hours. By the end of the campaign on August 15, $1,421,903 had been pledged by 23,338 backers. Later that year, [[The Cheat]] made a [[Trogdor Was A Man|music video]] for a song from a '70s commercial of said board game.
+
[[Trogday Micro Game]], a micro platforming adventure through Peasantry in the style of a [[Game Boy]] game, was released for Trogday 2022. In addition to being playable in-browser, it is also compatible with a Game Boy emulator. Later that year, [[Burninate the Barnyard]] (a farm-themed version of the game) was later released as part of day 23 of the [[Decemberweenvent Calendar]].
<gallery>
<gallery>
-
Image:trogdorgame.png|<center>''But he was still'' '''[[TROGDOR!]]'''</center>
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Image:Trogdor from the game.PNG|<center>TROGDOR!</center>
-
Image:Trogdor from the game.PNG|<center>Trogdor game sprite</center>
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Image:PQTrogdor.png|<center>Peasant's Quest</center>
-
Image:PQTrogdor.png|<center>From '''[[Peasant's Quest]]'''</center>
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Image:Ultimate Trogdor.PNG|<center>ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!
-
Image:Ultimate Trogdor.PNG|<center>'''[[ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!]]'''<br>from [[8-Bit is Enough]]</center>
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Image:trogday-micro sprite.png|<center>Trogday Micro Game</center>
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Image:trogday-micro sprite.png|<center>From '''[[Trogday Micro Game]]'''</center>
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</gallery>
</gallery>
 +
 +
=== Board Game ===
 +
{{seemain|Trogdor!! The Board Game}}
 +
A [[board game]] starring Trogdor, drawing influence from his eponymous song and game, was funded via {{w|Kickstarter}} in 2018. Initially seeking $75,000, this goal was met within three hours; the campaign concluded on August 15 having raised $1,421,903 in pledges. Players act as [[the Keepers of Trogdor]], guiding Trogdor as he burninates the countryside, peasants, and thatched-roof cottages whilst avoiding knights and archers.
 +
 +
[[The Cheat]] [[Powered by The Cheat|made a music video]] for [[Trogdor Was A Man|a song from a '70s commercial of the game]].
 +
 +
In Spring 2022, the "Magicks and 'Mergencies Expando Deck" was released which added new and revised gameplay elements.
 +
 +
<gallery>
 +
Image:InstagramTrogbuildening.png|<center>"Trogbuildening" a 3D‑printed model</center>
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Image:meeples trogdor on.png|<center>Trogdor figurine</center>
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Image:meeples trogdor off.png|<center>Kickstarter-exclusive wooden meeple</center>
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File:trogdorgame retail contents.png|<center>The board game and its contents</center>
 +
</gallery>
 +
== Portrayal==
== Portrayal==
 +
[[Image:Trogdor in window.png|thumb|A [[Made-up Real Things|for-real]] Trogdor menaces Strong Bad.]]
Trogdor is typically characterized as a cruel, powerful fire-breathing monster who takes pleasure in destruction, in the manner of {{w|European dragon}}s of legend. He is not simply mindless, showing capacity for intelligence and thought, but does not burninate to hoard treasure or for any secondary goal beyond for its own sake.
Trogdor is typically characterized as a cruel, powerful fire-breathing monster who takes pleasure in destruction, in the manner of {{w|European dragon}}s of legend. He is not simply mindless, showing capacity for intelligence and thought, but does not burninate to hoard treasure or for any secondary goal beyond for its own sake.
 +
 +
As he is a drawing made up by Strong Bad, Trogdor is almost exclusively portrayed as a fictional character that only appears in the fantasy world of [[Peasantry]]. Any of his rare appearances in [[Free Country, USA]] are treated as highly irregular and found to be alarming by Strong Bad and other residents.
=== Dragon-Man ===
=== Dragon-Man ===
-
The "Trogdor" song features Strong Bad initially asserting that "Trogdor was a man", before hesitantly instead suggesting that Trogdor is either ''also'' "a dragon-man" or simply "just a dragon". This portion of the song is sung in a halting tone, suggesting Strong Bad is making it up as he goes (and the song was created offhand by [[Matt Chapman]]); the conceit of Trogdor being something other than a dragon is almost never brought up. No games featuring Trogdor include man or dragon-man.
+
The "Trogdor" song features Strong Bad initially asserting that "Trogdor was a man", before hesitantly instead suggesting that Trogdor is either ''also'' "a dragon-man" or simply "just a dragon". This portion of the song is sung in a halting tone, suggesting Strong Bad is making it up as he goes (as the song was created offhand by [[Matt Chapman]]); the conceit of Trogdor being something other than a dragon is almost never brought up. No games featuring Trogdor include man or dragon-man.
The illustrations accompanying the song in [[dragon]] portray Trogdor the man as a long-haired medieval knight, clad in a suit of {{w|plate armor}} and wielding a battle-[[axe]]. The "dragon-man" humorously swaps everything above the waist for the illustration of Trogdor as a dragon. Whether this is meant to depict Trogdor as a sort of [[TVTropes:Main/Weredragon|weredragon]] or simply Strong Bad changing his mind about what the character's story is is left unclear.
The illustrations accompanying the song in [[dragon]] portray Trogdor the man as a long-haired medieval knight, clad in a suit of {{w|plate armor}} and wielding a battle-[[axe]]. The "dragon-man" humorously swaps everything above the waist for the illustration of Trogdor as a dragon. Whether this is meant to depict Trogdor as a sort of [[TVTropes:Main/Weredragon|weredragon]] or simply Strong Bad changing his mind about what the character's story is is left unclear.
-
<gallery perrow="3">
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<gallery>
Image:A man.PNG|<center>''A man!''</center>
Image:A man.PNG|<center>''A man!''</center>
Image:A dragonman.PNG|<center>''A dragon-man!''</center>
Image:A dragonman.PNG|<center>''A dragon-man!''</center>
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==== Powered by The Cheat ====
==== Powered by The Cheat ====
[[Trogdor Was A Man]], a '70s-themed cover of "Trogdor", similarly features the "man" and "dragon-man" versions of Trogdor. A visual gag in the video features the dragon-man leaping out of the armored legs, revealing his whole body to be that of a dragon.
[[Trogdor Was A Man]], a '70s-themed cover of "Trogdor", similarly features the "man" and "dragon-man" versions of Trogdor. A visual gag in the video features the dragon-man leaping out of the armored legs, revealing his whole body to be that of a dragon.
-
<gallery perrow="3">
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<gallery>
Image:PBTCTrogdorMan.png|<center>''Man''</center>
Image:PBTCTrogdorMan.png|<center>''Man''</center>
Image:PBTCTrogdorDragonMan.png|<center>''Dragon-man''
Image:PBTCTrogdorDragonMan.png|<center>''Dragon-man''
-
Image:PBTCTrogdor2.png|<center>''Trogdor''</center>
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Image:PBTCTrogdor.png|<center>''Trogdor''</center>
</gallery>
</gallery>
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=== Size ===
=== Size ===
-
Trogdor is consistently portrayed as large in scale, though his size has constantly and dramatically shifted. In ''TROGDOR!'', he is approximately twice as tall as a peasant; in ''Peasant's Quest'', he is over a dozen times larger than Rather Dashing. His size continues to vary widely between portrayals.
+
Trogdor is always portrayed to be large in scale, though his exact size has constantly and dramatically shifted. In ''TROGDOR!'', he is approximately twice as tall as a peasant; in ''Peasant's Quest'', he is over a dozen times larger than Rather Dashing. His size continues to vary widely between portrayals.
=== Variations ===
=== Variations ===
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== Popularity ==
== Popularity ==
-
[[File:jan10.jpeg|thumb|Countryside, peasants, thatched-roof cottages even!]]
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[[Image:Minitrogdor.PNG|thumb|Trogdor expresses his displeasure at [[concert|an email]] [[Strong Bad Email By Name of Sender|claiming to be sent by him]].]]
-
According to the email [[myths & legends]], at some point, the CG Dinosaur Channel created a special called "Walking With Trogdor". In the email [[concert]], Strong Bad receives an email purporting to be from "Your Dragon, Trogdor", which he considered to be an impersonation.
+
According to the email [[myths & legends]], at some point, the CG Dinosaur Channel created a special called "Walking With Trogdor". In the email [[concert]], Strong Bad receives an email purporting to be from "Your Dragon, Trogdor", which he considered to be an impersonation. Many (unanswered) emails ask to [[Draw Trogdor Again]].
The toon [[Fan Costumes 2016]] referenced the scene in which Trogdor was first drawn. In the scene, Strong Bad shows the audience how to draw a star, after seeing poorly drawn stars on Homestar costumes. This may have been the inspiration for the "[[Skills of an Artist]]" series, introduced on July 12, 2017. The series takes its title, music, and premise from the Trogdor-drawing scene.
The toon [[Fan Costumes 2016]] referenced the scene in which Trogdor was first drawn. In the scene, Strong Bad shows the audience how to draw a star, after seeing poorly drawn stars on Homestar costumes. This may have been the inspiration for the "[[Skills of an Artist]]" series, introduced on July 12, 2017. The series takes its title, music, and premise from the Trogdor-drawing scene.
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According to the [[Giant Magazine Interview]], the Trogdor shirt sold in the [[store]] was the best-selling item there at the time, even more than the [[strongbad_email.exe]] DVD. The original Trogdor shirt did not include the majestic lines for "majesty", but this was corrected in later prints. In September 2006, the [[store]] began selling a [[Store Baby Clothes|line of baby clothing]] bearing a more child-friendly image of Trogdor that sold out one day later.  
According to the [[Giant Magazine Interview]], the Trogdor shirt sold in the [[store]] was the best-selling item there at the time, even more than the [[strongbad_email.exe]] DVD. The original Trogdor shirt did not include the majestic lines for "majesty", but this was corrected in later prints. In September 2006, the [[store]] began selling a [[Store Baby Clothes|line of baby clothing]] bearing a more child-friendly image of Trogdor that sold out one day later.  
 +
 +
<gallery perrow="5">
 +
File:Trogdor! Black T-Shirt.PNG|<center>Original "Trogdor" black shirt</center>
 +
Image:Homestarrunner 1966 198755.jpeg|<center>[[Trogdor Poster|Trogdor "Blacklight" Poster]]</center>
 +
Image:Baby Trogdor (store).png|<center>Baby Trogdor</center>
 +
Image:SB6DVDSET COVER.png|<center>[[ASCII art]] on the back cover of the [[Strong Bad Emails 1-200 Six Disc Set]] </center>
 +
Image:fg_Trogdor-the-Burninator_shirt.png‎|<center>[[Fangamer]] Trogdor shirt<br>by Nina Matsumoto</center>
 +
</gallery>
== Trogdor's many incarnations ==
== Trogdor's many incarnations ==
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Image:Topiary garden trogdor.PNG|<center>Trogdor bush in the '''[[Topiary Garden]]'''</center>
Image:Topiary garden trogdor.PNG|<center>Trogdor bush in the '''[[Topiary Garden]]'''</center>
Image:Trogdorshadow.png|<center>'''Shadow puppet''' from '''[[theme song]]''' </center>
Image:Trogdorshadow.png|<center>'''Shadow puppet''' from '''[[theme song]]''' </center>
-
Image:Baby Trogdor (store).png|<center>'''Baby Trogdor''' from the [[Store]]</center>
 
-
Image:Minitrogdor.PNG|<center>From '''[[concert]]'''</center>
 
-
Image:Homestarrunner 1966 198755.jpeg|<center>'''[[Trogdor Poster]]''' from the [[Store]]</center>
 
Image:Trogor.png|<center>'''"Trogor"''' from [[Make-O Your Own Stinko]]</center>
Image:Trogor.png|<center>'''"Trogor"''' from [[Make-O Your Own Stinko]]</center>
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Image:Trogdor in window.png|<center>'''In real life?'''<br>from [[Trogday 08]]</center>
 
Image:HedgeTrogdor.png|<center>'''Hedge Trogdor'''<br>from [[Homestar Ruiner]]</center>
Image:HedgeTrogdor.png|<center>'''Hedge Trogdor'''<br>from [[Homestar Ruiner]]</center>
Image:dragon_man.PNG|<center>'''[[Frishy Freshy Dragonman]]!'''<br>from [[imaginary]]</center>
Image:dragon_man.PNG|<center>'''[[Frishy Freshy Dragonman]]!'''<br>from [[imaginary]]</center>
-
Image:InstagramTrogbuildening.png|<center>'''The Trogbuildening'''<br>from [[@strongbadactual (Instagram)]]</center>
 
-
Image:meeples trogdor on.png|<center>'''Trogdor Game Piece'''<br>from [[Trogdor!! The Board Game]]</center>
 
-
Image:meeples trogdor off.png|<center>'''Trogdor Meeple'''<br>from Trogdor!! The Board Game</center>
 
-
Image:PBTCTrogdor.png|<center>'''Powered by The Cheat Trogdor'''<br>from [[Trogdor Was A Man]]</center>
 
Image:Trogdor.png|<center>'''Realistic'''<br>from [[Main Page 27]]</center>
Image:Trogdor.png|<center>'''Realistic'''<br>from [[Main Page 27]]</center>
-
Image:SB6DVDSET COVER.png|<center>'''ASCII''' from [[Strong Bad Emails 1-200 Six Disc Set]] </center>
 
-
Image:fg_Trogdor-the-Burninator_shirt.png‎|<center>'''Trogdor the Burninator T-Shirt'''<br>by Nina Matsumoto for [[Fangamer]]</center>
 
Image:Decemberweenvent Trogdor.png|<center>From '''[[Decemberweenvent Calendar]]'''</center>
Image:Decemberweenvent Trogdor.png|<center>From '''[[Decemberweenvent Calendar]]'''</center>
Image:20TrogdorDrawing.png|<center>'''Shaped like the numbers two and zero'''<br>from [[Happy 20th Trogday!]]</center>
Image:20TrogdorDrawing.png|<center>'''Shaped like the numbers two and zero'''<br>from [[Happy 20th Trogday!]]</center>

Revision as of 21:08, 25 March 2024

Trogdor
"And the Trogdor comes in the NIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!"
Domicile The Trog-Cave
Voiced by Software Automatic Mouth
Debut Email dragon
(January 13, 2003)
Complete Filmography
3D Variation
"Does anybody know how to kill a dragon?"
This article is about the character. For other uses, see Trogdor (disambiguation).

Trogdor the Burninator is an S-shaped wingaling dragon with a beefy arm that originated in the Strong Bad Email dragon. He sprang from the wild imagination of Strong Bad, originally appearing as an illustration and swiftly expanded upon with music and games. Rather than appearing in mainline toons or interacting with the main characters, Trogdor is typically found in the fantasy world of Peasantry wherein he burninates the countryside, peasants, and thatched-roof cottages.

Trogdor quickly became more popular than The Brothers Chaps ever could have imagined, developing into one of the most recognizable figures from the Homestar Runner body of work, both on the internet and in the real world. Fans often dress up as Trogdor for Halloween, and fan art of the dragon has been featured in the Weekly Fanstuff and on @StrongBadActual.

Contents

History

Countryside, peasants, thatched-roof cottages even!

Creation

From a 2007 appearance at Georgia Tech:

MATT CHAPMAN: [The idea for Trogdor] is based on Ed Emberley drawing books. When we were kids, [we read] a series of drawing books that were like "to draw an alligator, you draw a triangle, and you draw a rectangle, and a bunch of triangles on the back for the scales, and two lines," and broke it all down. Originally the email was gonna be mostly about like how to draw crappy drawings, and so it was Strong Bad's version of that doing this dragon.

Trogdor first appeared in the Strong Bad Email dragon, in which Strong Bad was asked to demonstrate his "skills of an artist" by drawing a dragon. After a fumbled first attempt, Strong Bad uses "simple step-by-step instructions" (evocative of Ed Emberley's books) to create a distinctive dragon: a winged serpent with a single muscular arm and an angry expression.

How to draw a dragon (according to Strong Bad)

TROGDOR the BURNiNATOR
  1. Draw an S.
  2. Draw a more different S.
  3. Close it up real good at the top for his head.
  4. Using consummate V's, give him teeth, spinities, and angry eyebrows.
  5. Add smoke or fire.
  6. Maybe add some wings, you know, if he's a wing-a-ling dragon.
  7. Put one of those beefy arms back on him for good measure.
  8. Name him. (Strong Bad named him TROGDOR the BURNiNATOR)
  9. Add majestic lines... for majesty.

Note that the scales on Trogdor's body are not consummate V's; rather, they are "regimented U's" and are a side detail that he did not comment on during his first drawing of Trogdor (see tweets from 28 Dec 2016, 10 Jan 2018, and 6 Dec 2019).

Trogday

"Five-dor" Index Page from Trogday 2008

Trogdor's birthday of January 13 is recognized as "Trogday", occasionally celebrated with new Trogdor media:

Song

See main article: Trogdor (song)
Sing along!

From a 2003 interview on UMFM:

MIKE CHAPMAN: We didn't even think to come up with the song until about 6 pm on Monday. We had pretty much finished the rest of the email, and Matt just started singing that song. And it's like, "oh, well, now we gotta make it," so then we had to write the song, record the guitar and vocals and then do all the new drawings and make the little video that sits at the end.

The dragon email concludes with an over-the-top heavy metal song by Strong Bad about Trogdor and his exploits accompanied by pencil artwork.

This song was expanded with full instrumentation, additional lyrics, and an instrumental bridge for the album Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits. A karaoke version of the song is included on the DVD version. The video game Guitar Hero II included "Trogdor" as a bonus track, as the lead developer was a fan of Homestar Runner.

Games

Video Games

Arcade styles

On March 17, 2003, the TROGDOR! game was released. In Arcade Game, it is shown to be an arcade game found in the Basement of the Brothers Strong. The player controls Trogdor, and the goal of the game is to squish enough peasants required to achieve burnination, which can then be used to destroy the thatched-roof cottages. Trogdor must avoid the Red and Blue Knights and the Siamese archers while doing so. The game swiftly became a fan favorite.

Believing that "the world of Trogdor and peasants and thatched-roof cottages just made sense for an adventure game," the Brothers Chaps and Jonathan Howe centered their large-scale Sierra parody game Peasant's Quest around Trogdor's penchant for burninating peasants and their cottages. In this game, the focus is inverted: players control Rather Dashing as he seeks to kill the Burninator in revenge for Trogdor burninating his thatched-roof cottage.

Trogdor was also the main subject of 8-Bit is Enough, the final chapter of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. In it, the TROGDOR! arcade machine breaks and Trogdor is released into Free Country, USA, and promptly burninates Strong Badia. Driven for revenge, Strong Bad sets out to kill Trogdor by enlisting the help of various other Videlectrix characters. When Strong Bad finally confronts his foe, Trogdor morphs into Ultimate Trogdor, but is still no match for Ultimate Strong Bad.

Trogday Micro Game, a micro platforming adventure through Peasantry in the style of a Game Boy game, was released for Trogday 2022. In addition to being playable in-browser, it is also compatible with a Game Boy emulator. Later that year, Burninate the Barnyard (a farm-themed version of the game) was later released as part of day 23 of the Decemberweenvent Calendar.

TROGDOR!
Peasant's Quest
ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!
Trogday Micro Game

Board Game

See main article: Trogdor!! The Board Game

A board game starring Trogdor, drawing influence from his eponymous song and game, was funded via Kickstarter in 2018. Initially seeking $75,000, this goal was met within three hours; the campaign concluded on August 15 having raised $1,421,903 in pledges. Players act as the Keepers of Trogdor, guiding Trogdor as he burninates the countryside, peasants, and thatched-roof cottages whilst avoiding knights and archers.

The Cheat made a music video for a song from a '70s commercial of the game.

In Spring 2022, the "Magicks and 'Mergencies Expando Deck" was released which added new and revised gameplay elements.

"Trogbuildening" a 3D‑printed model
Trogdor figurine
Kickstarter-exclusive wooden meeple
The board game and its contents

Portrayal

A for-real Trogdor menaces Strong Bad.

Trogdor is typically characterized as a cruel, powerful fire-breathing monster who takes pleasure in destruction, in the manner of European dragons of legend. He is not simply mindless, showing capacity for intelligence and thought, but does not burninate to hoard treasure or for any secondary goal beyond for its own sake.

As he is a drawing made up by Strong Bad, Trogdor is almost exclusively portrayed as a fictional character that only appears in the fantasy world of Peasantry. Any of his rare appearances in Free Country, USA are treated as highly irregular and found to be alarming by Strong Bad and other residents.

Dragon-Man

The "Trogdor" song features Strong Bad initially asserting that "Trogdor was a man", before hesitantly instead suggesting that Trogdor is either also "a dragon-man" or simply "just a dragon". This portion of the song is sung in a halting tone, suggesting Strong Bad is making it up as he goes (as the song was created offhand by Matt Chapman); the conceit of Trogdor being something other than a dragon is almost never brought up. No games featuring Trogdor include man or dragon-man.

The illustrations accompanying the song in dragon portray Trogdor the man as a long-haired medieval knight, clad in a suit of plate armor and wielding a battle-axe. The "dragon-man" humorously swaps everything above the waist for the illustration of Trogdor as a dragon. Whether this is meant to depict Trogdor as a sort of weredragon or simply Strong Bad changing his mind about what the character's story is is left unclear.

A man!
A dragon-man!
Just a dragon...!

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Trogdor Was A Man, a '70s-themed cover of "Trogdor", similarly features the "man" and "dragon-man" versions of Trogdor. A visual gag in the video features the dragon-man leaping out of the armored legs, revealing his whole body to be that of a dragon.

Man
Dragon-man
Trogdor

Speech

Though Trogdor is often heard simply roaring, in a manner befitting his monstrous appearance, he has been shown to be capable of complex and intelligent speech. Trogdor was first heard speaking in Peasant's Quest, with his voice provided by the early, crude speech synthesizer Software Automatic Mouth. Despite the rough and artificial sound of S.A.M., Trogdor is portrayed as speaking in a calm, relaxed manner (using the slang words "sup" and "kinda"). Trogdor has continued to be voiced by S.A.M., such as in Snowglobe or 8-Bit is Enough.

Size

Trogdor is always portrayed to be large in scale, though his exact size has constantly and dramatically shifted. In TROGDOR!, he is approximately twice as tall as a peasant; in Peasant's Quest, he is over a dozen times larger than Rather Dashing. His size continues to vary widely between portrayals.

Variations

A 20X6 version of Trogdor, called Trogador, was revealed at the NYU Talk, but did not appear in the Homestar Runner canon until Happy Trogday was released on the third anniversary of Trogdor's debut.

Popularity

Trogdor expresses his displeasure at an email claiming to be sent by him.

According to the email myths & legends, at some point, the CG Dinosaur Channel created a special called "Walking With Trogdor". In the email concert, Strong Bad receives an email purporting to be from "Your Dragon, Trogdor", which he considered to be an impersonation. Many (unanswered) emails ask to Draw Trogdor Again.

The toon Fan Costumes 2016 referenced the scene in which Trogdor was first drawn. In the scene, Strong Bad shows the audience how to draw a star, after seeing poorly drawn stars on Homestar costumes. This may have been the inspiration for the "Skills of an Artist" series, introduced on July 12, 2017. The series takes its title, music, and premise from the Trogdor-drawing scene.

Merchandise

According to the Giant Magazine Interview, the Trogdor shirt sold in the store was the best-selling item there at the time, even more than the strongbad_email.exe DVD. The original Trogdor shirt did not include the majestic lines for "majesty", but this was corrected in later prints. In September 2006, the store began selling a line of baby clothing bearing a more child-friendly image of Trogdor that sold out one day later.

Original "Trogdor" black shirt
Trogdor "Blacklight" Poster
Baby Trogdor
ASCII art on the back cover of the Strong Bad Emails 1-200 Six Disc Set
Fangamer Trogdor shirt
by Nina Matsumoto

Trogdor's many incarnations

Bowels of Trogdor from theme park
From the movie trailer
Trogdor is a bad, bad guy!
Trogador
Trogdor bush in the Topiary Garden
Shadow puppet from theme song
"Trogor" from Make-O Your Own Stinko
Hedge Trogdor
from Homestar Ruiner
Frishy Freshy Dragonman!
from imaginary
Realistic
from Main Page 27
From Decemberweenvent Calendar
Shaped like the numbers two and zero
from Happy 20th Trogday!

See Also


Trogdor
Toons dragon | Arcade Game | Snowglobe | Happy Trogday | Trogday 08 | Trogdor Was A Man | Happy 20th Trogday!
Games TROGDOR! | 8-Bit is Enough (Trogdor's 3D-Ungeon) | Trogday Micro Game (Burninate the Barnyard) | Trogdor: Let's Burninate Phonics
Peasant's Quest Walkthrough | Items | Responses | Preview | Proposed Sequels | Theme Song
Movie Trailer | Animatic | Outtakes | Your Hair is Messed Up | Here's How We Made It
Trogdor!! The Board Game Items | Meeples | Website | Rulebook EP | Kickstarter Videos | Six-Sadded, Die
Characters Rather Dashing | Peasants | Kerrek | Jhonka | Poor Gary | The Red and Blue Knights | Troghammer | The Keepers of Trogdor | Baby Lady & Her Baby
Mendelev and Dongolev | Naked Ned | Old Man | King of Peasantry | Ron Cumberdale | Pterodactyl | Munchox | Sluushfuund
Places Peasantry | Trog-Cave | Scalding Lake | Thatched-Roof Cottages
Dragons The S is for Sucks Dragon | Wormdingler | Other dragons
Variations Trogador | Mecha-Trogador | ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!! | Frishy Freshy Dragonman
Other "Trogdor" song (karaoke, tablature) | TROGDOR! Arcade Machine | Consummate V's | Main Page 27 | Museum of Trogdor
Trogday | Trogdor Poster | Draw Trogdor Again | Stinkoman 20X6 Level 10 (Trailer)
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