Nintendo

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Revision as of 21:40, 31 July 2006

"The Adventures of Lolo? You better have saved the receipt!"

Nintendo is one of the biggest video game companies today, known for its impact on the video game industry and influential games. The Brothers Chaps have praised Nintendo in many interviews and have made many Nintendo references on the Homestar Runner site.

The probable reason for the prevalance of Nintendo allusions throughout Matt and Mike's work is the central part the Nintendo Entertainment System played in their upbringing. Along with cartoons and breakfast cereal, the NES was an important part of their Saturday mornings as children. As one of their motivations in creating Homestar Runner has been to recreate this lost cultural experience, it is not surprising that they have infused their work liberally with references to Nintendo.

Appearances by system

The obscure origin of Strong Bad

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

• The Best Decemberween Ever — When Homestar Runner is looking through Bubs' stuff for a Decemberween present for Strong Bad, the first thing he pulls out is a Tag Team Wrestling cartridge. This NES game featured a team called "The Strong Bads" which is the source of Strong Bad's name.
• The House That Gave Sucky Treats — When the pumpkin is placed in The Poopsmith's mouth to reveal an Easter egg featuring Homsar, the "secret" music from The Legend of Zelda plays.
• Pumpkin Carve-nival — The King of Town dresses as Mario, and says "Sorry, King, but our princess is in another castle..." At the end there is an Easter egg that features the beginning of Stage 1.1 of Super Mario Bros., complete with a Goomba.
• Email invisibility — Before dying, the Tandy 400 reveals the famous Metroid password "Justin Bailey ****** ******" (in which the lower-case letters should be replaced by upper-case letters and the asterisks should be replaced by hyphens).
• Email japanese cartoon — In an Easter egg, you can click on one of Homestar Runner's tapes labeled NES endings to can view the endings from various NES games.
• Email pom pom — When Pom Pom beats up Strong Bad, you can hear sound effects from Super Mario Bros. When he scores a 1-up after hitting Strong Bad several times, that's another SMB reference.
• Email Videro Games — The controller Strong Sad is holding in the instruction manual is very similar an NES controller.
• Email montage — An Easter egg features a modified clip from the NES game Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!.
• Email bedtime story — The Cheat and Moses Malone play the NES games The Adventures of Lolo and The Adventures of Bayou Billy in "The Ch8t's Cheatventures in Moses MaloneLand".
• FAQ — The page title includes the words "Ouch. What do you do?" In The Goonies II, enemies would respond with this Engrish phrase when attacked.
• Population: Tire game — The Engrish page title "I FEEL ASLEEP!" quotes the game Metal Gear for the NES.
• Secret Collect and 50K Racewalker games — These games are apparently playable on the FunMachine, a parody of the NES.
• Stinkoman 20X6 game — The entire game is an allusion to the Mega Man series and contains a plethora of NES references.
• Sbemail 150?!? — Homestar wears the mask of a Snifit from Super Mario Bros. 2.
• Email keep cool — Strong Bad advises swimmers who have recently eaten to "press UP, A and START before reentering the pool." In Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, and Zelda II:The Adventure of Link, the game's progress can be saved by pausing (pressing "START") on the first controller and simultaneously pressing "UP" and "A" on the second controller.

The Game Boy in a Blender

Game Boy

• Email 2 emails — Homestar claims to have built a time machine out of Strong Bad's blender and Game Boy.
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 10 — Tompkins plays the original 1989 Game Boy and claims to have Bowser "on the ropes". Shortly afterwards The Ugly One mentions Diddy Kong.
• Email alternate universe — The Cheat purchases an alternate universe portal made from a Game Boy in a blender.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

• Super NES and Strong Bad is a Bad Guy — Both of these toons were made using Mario Paint.
• Emails morning routine, cheatday, other days; The Li'l Brudder Show, Sbemail 150?!? — Strong Bad often mumbles the names of SNES games while half-asleep on the couch.
• RhinoFeeder game — This game is apparently playable on the Super FunMachine, a parody of the SNES.
• Email modeling — An advertisement for foot cream includes the phrase "GOT STINKFOOT?". In the SNES game Parodius, gaining a power-up will sometimes result in the main character saying "GOT A STINKFOOT?!" out of a megaphone.
• Sample of Style Too: Some Outtakes — The Brothers Chaps can be seen playing an SNES.

Nintendo 64

• Halloween Potion-ma-jig — Homsar is costumed as Tingle from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Homestar Runner borrows a phrase from the bank teller in Majora's Mask: "THAT'S A LOT! A LOT! A LOT! A LOT!"

Nintendo GameCube

• Email the facts — Homestar sings a song to the melody of the theme song from Pac-Man Vs. in an Easter egg.

The Brothers Chaps' personal gaming lounge?

Miscellaneous

• Bug In Mouth Disease — When Strong Bad removes his head from the TV, a room with an NES2, an SNES, a black GameCube, and some Nintendo 64 game cartridges is visible.
• Halloween Potion-ma-jig — The Cheat dresses as Toad from the Super Mario Bros. series. An Easter egg shows a Mario-ish explosion that sends The Cheat flying.

See Also

• Atari 2600
• Sega Tapes