Nintendo

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

The probable reason for the prevalence of Nintendo allusions throughout Matt and Mike's work is the central part the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) played in their upbringing^[1]. 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^[2], it is not surprising that they have infused their work liberally with references to Nintendo.

Contents 1 Appearances by system 1.1 Game and Watch 1.2 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) 1.3 Game Boy (GB) 1.4 Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) 1.5 Virtual Boy (VB) 1.6 Nintendo 64 (N64) 1.7 Nintendo GameCube (GCN) 1.8 Nintendo DS (NDS) 1.9 Nintendo Wii 1.10 Miscellaneous 2 Sources 3 See Also

Appearances by system

Game and Watch

• Pigs on Head LCD Version — This game is specifically designed after the generic look of the Game & Watch series of LCD games produced by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

• Email japanese cartoon — In an Easter egg, you can click on one of Homestar Runner's tapes labeled NES endings to view the endings from various NES games.
• Email mascot — An NES is among the old electronics that The Cheat pummels with a golf club.
• Under Construction — The credits include references to Nintendo employees Hiroshi Yamauchi, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Takashi Tezuka.
• Email Videro Games — The controller Strong Sad is holding in the instruction manual is very similar to an NES controller.
• Stinkoman 20X6 — The game contains a couple of NES references.
• Email bedtime story — The Cheat and Moses Malone are shown holding NES controllers as they play The Adventures of Lolo and The Adventures of Bayou Billy in "The Ch8t's Cheatventures in Moses MaloneLand".
• Email highschool — Baby Strong Bad is holding an NES controller. and says he's pretending he's playing better video games.

Game Boy (GB)

• Thy Dungeonman II — When you try to give away something you do not have, the game states: "Just like ye to giveth away something thou doesn't have. And ye STILL has my 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.
• Email alternate universe — The Cheat purchases an alternate universe portal made from a Game Boy in a blender.
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 13 — Tompkins is again seen playing his Game Boy, this time with a virtual pet.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

• Super NES — The title is the name of the system.
• Sample of Style Too: Some Outtakes — The Brothers Chaps can be seen playing an SNES.
• Let us give TANKS! — In an Easter egg, the "next generation Gamepad" seen with Reynold's brother's action figure resembles that of an SNES.
• RhinoFeeder game — This game is apparently playable on the Super FunMachine, a parody of the SNES.
• SBCG4AP Advertisement — Strong Bad states the game was made with the Super FX chip, which refers to the Super FX enhancement chip installed in some SNES games, such as Star Fox, allowing the system to render Polygons.

Virtual Boy (VB)

• StrongBadZone game and Vector Strong Bad — The 3D vector graphics mimic those of the ill-fated Virtual Boy.

Nintendo 64 (N64)

• Thy Dungeonman 3 — One of the possible presents that the hag might have gotten is a Nintendo 64 Controller (called an N64 Paddle in this game).
• SBCG4AP Advertisement — Strong Bad states the game was made with "that red thing you stuck in the N64", referring to the Expansion Pak.

Nintendo GameCube (GCN)

• Why Come Only One Girl? — In the commentary, Mike and Matt mention The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The game mentions that The Hurricane was possibly canceled due to a new Legend of Zelda game being released.
• Weekly Fanstuff — One of the entries was a stop-motion video featuring a Pikmin.

Nintendo DS (NDS)

• Weekly Fanstuff — The May 24, 2007 entry was a Nintendo DS port of Population: Tire.

Nintendo Wii

• Viidelectrix — This section of Videlectrix's website, named after the Wii, includes versions of classic games available for play through the Wii's internet channel.
• Weekly Fanstuff:
  • The entry for February 22, 2007 depicted Mii versions of the Teen Girl Squad characters.
  • The entry for March 13, 2008 depicted a custom Super Smash Bros. Brawl level that was shaped like Trogdor.
  • The entry for September 4, 2008 depicted cover art for a Wii Guitar Hero game starring Limozeen on the cover and The Cheatar as the controller.
• Limozeen Live! — There is a Wii in the background.
• Strong Bad Gameways — The entire short is a parody of the Wii's ubiquitous safety warnings, done in the style of an airline safety film.
• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People — WiiWare game series developed by Telltale Games and Videlectrix. The corresponding advertisement and gameplay trailer both feature the Wii.
• Workin' on the Game — In preparation for the SBCG4AP game, one of the Videlectrix Guys attempts to use a Wii remote on an old-fashioned computer.
• Several Homestar videos have played on the Nintendo Channel.
• Baddest of the Bands — The King of Town eats a Wii remote.

Miscellaneous

• 2003 Pulse interview — Matt says, in Bubs's voice, "There was this one time when I hooked up my lawnmower to my Nintendo. And after that, I got the high score every time!"
• Email lackey — In a DVD Easter egg, Strong Bad says that he is "already playing Nintendo in the other room" by the time that Strong Sad finishes reading the Strong Lib.
• Bug In Mouth Disease:
  • When Strong Bad removes his head from the TV, a room with an NES 2, an SNES, a black GameCube, and some Nintendo 64 game cartridges are visible.
  • The game in the NES 2 is Kirby's Adventure.
• Scrolling Shooter Games Menu — The text in this game menu makes reference to the Mega Man and Star Fox series.
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 10 — The Ugly One asks her party guests to "get it on like Diddy Kong".
• Why Come Only One Girl?:
  • Ganondorf, the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series is mentioned.
  • Homestar Runner catches Marzipan in a bottle in the same way fairies can be caught in bottles in the series.
• Fan Costumes '06:
  • Two people are shown dressed as Homestar and Mario.
  • Upon noticing the face of the person in the Homestar costume, Strong Bad asks Homestar if he ate Luigi.
  • Homestar then comments that Luigi tasted like mushrooms.
• Email the chair:
  • A hidden picture reads "nice try dodongo!"
  • Dodongos are unintelligent dinosaur-like monsters in The Legend of Zelda series.
• Hallrunner game — When talking to mother, she calls Nintendo "intendro".
• Duck Guardian game:
  • The falling robot heads resemble the original thwomp.
  • The eggs falling resemble those of Yoshi.
• Most in the Graveyard — Strong Mad is dressed as a Thwomp.
• Several of the video game titles in the floppy disk container have been released for the NES or the SNES.

Sources

1. ^  The Boston Globe Interview - 9 Aug 2003
2. ^  All Things Considered Interview - 8 May 2005

See Also

• Video Games (allusions)
• Atari 2600
• Donkey Kong
• Mario
• Mario Paint Character Variations
• Pikachu
• Retro Gaming Character Variations
• Sega Tapes
• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
• The Legend of Zelda
• Sega