Cheat Commandos (toon)
From Homestar Runner Wiki
| Toon Category: Shorts |
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- This article is about the short. For the characters, see Cheat Commandos.
Cheat Commandos
A new toy series from Cheap as Free: Cheat Commandos! Rock, rock on!
Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Homestar Runner, Coach Z, Silent Rip, Blue Laser Commander, Blue Laser minion, Gunhaver, Crackotage, Firebert, Ripberger, Fightgar, Flashfight
Places: The Stick, Blue Laser HQ (either Secret Desert Headquarters or Blue Laser's Nana's Backyard)
Date: May 10, 2004
Running Time: 1:03 official, 2:02 actual
Page Title: Compy 386!!
Contents |
Transcript
{Strong Bad is holding out a toy helicopter and making "dub dub dub" noises, then pulls out the Firebert Cheat Commando Action Figure. On the bottom it says "copyright 1986 Cheap As Free Toys"}
STRONG BAD: {as Firebert} Time to para...troop behind enemy lines!
{Strong Bad drops the action figure to the ground, where Homestar Runner has his own Cheat Commando action figure hiding in some tall grass.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: {as Silent Rip} Surprise, surprise, Firebert!
STRONG BAD: {as Firebert} Silent Rip! You snuck up on me!
HOMESTAR RUNNER: {as Silent Rip} That's what I do best!
STRONG BAD: {as Firebert} Time to take out the enemy radar dish!
{Cut to a bunch of evil The Cheats wearing blue suits and shades (Blue Laser henchmen) in front of the stick, which has a pie tin on top of it.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: {as Silent Rip} We're outnumbered! We need Reinforcements!
{Cut back to Firebert and Silent Rip in the tall grass. Coach Z arrives with his own Cheat Commando. It wears military fatigues and a Justice Rocket Backpack Rocket Rocket (JRBRR).}
COACH Z: {as Reinforcements} Did somebody say my name?
STRONG BAD and HOMESTAR RUNNER: {as Firebert and Silent Rip} Reinforcements!
COACH Z: {as Reinforcements} Justice Rocket Backpack Rocket Rocket fire!
{Coach Z presses a button on the back of Reinforcements' JRBRR and a plastic rocket flies up and hits the tin, knocking it over and smashing the Blue Laser henchmen.}
STRONG BAD: {as Firebert} Mission accomplished! Time for some R&R!
{Cut to the three action figures hanging out with a Barbie-like doll and some Xtra Cold Ones.}
STRONG BAD: Cheat Commandos!
STRONG BAD, HOMESTAR RUNNER, and COACH Z: Rock, rock on!
{The Cheat Commandos logo comes up}
ANNOUNCER: Cheat Commandos, only from Cheap as Free Toys! Collect them all! {As he lists each character, their toy box shows up on screen} Fightgar! Crackotage! Silent Rip! Firebert! Gunhaver! Flashfight! Ripberger! Foxface! Reinforcements! And Reynold! {cut to a bunch of vehicles and playsets in the yard} And don't forget new Cheat Commandos vehicles and playsets! There's the "Troop Carrier," {cut to Troop Carrier} the "Troop Transport," {cut to Troop Transport} and the "Action Figure Storage Truck!" {cut to Action Figure Storage Truck} Then take the action even further with Reynold's Apartment Extreme Playset!
{Strong Bad brings Reynold out to his playset and plays as him.}
STRONG BAD: Oh, I really need to go grocery shopping. I wish my girlfriend didn't leave me.
{Strong Bad tosses Reynold into the playset.}
ANNOUNCER: All new Cheat Commandos from Cheap as Free Toys! Cheat Commandos, rock, rock on! And now, tune in weekdays, for Cheat Commando Adventures, on the inside of your TV!
{Cut to a cartoon with cheesy animation with all of the Cheat Commandos. A G.I. Joe-like song plays in the background. Silent Rip is on.}
SILENT RIP: Those loonies are gonna blow up the ocean!
{Cut to the Blue Laser headquarters. A computer screen in the background reads "OPERATION OCEAN BLOW" and "T-MINUS: GO!!!}
BLUE LASER COMMANDER: WE'LL BLOW UP THE OCEAN!
{Cut to Gunhaver with lasers blasting above his head}
GUNHAVER: Quick, everyone! To the Action Figure Storage Vehicle!
{Cut to a canyon, where a whole mess of trucks and Blue Laser vehicles are firing red and blue lasers, respectively, at each other. Cut to Crackotage, Silent Rip, Firebert, Ripberger, Gunhaver and Fightgar running along and then a shot of Fightgar firing his machine gun in all directions}
SPOKESMAN: Cheat Commandos is an elite fighting force, sworn to protect the world from the evil forces of Blue Laser!
{Cut to Blue Laser HQ. Blue Laser is with a Blue Laser commando. The computer screen now reads, "OPERATION DON'T CRUSH OURSELVES" as well as "T-MINUS: TOTAL".}
BLUE LASER COMMANDER: CRUSH THE CHEAT COMMANDOS!
{Cut to Firebert with a TNT detonator. He pushes down the plunger and we hear a boom. It starts a rockslide which covers two Blue Laser Commandos. Cut to Blue Laser HQ. The computer screen reads "OPERATION DON'T CRUSH OURSELVES" and now "FAILED!!"}
BLUE LASER COMMANDER: I JUST HATE YOU SO MUCH!
{Cut to Gunhaver.}
GUNHAVER: Cheat Commandos... {zooms out to show him on a pedestal reading, "ROCK, ROCK ON" and some of the commandos surrounding him} rock rock on!
{The theme music plays.}
SINGERS: Cheat Commandos, maybe fighting for freedom, and each is sold separately. Cheat Commandos, probably battling evil, buy all our playsets and toys!
SPOKESMAN: {in a nasal voice} Weekdays at 4:30.
Easter Eggs
- Click on "Rock, Rock On" on the final screen to see all the toys again. Click on each toy to see it alone.
Fun Facts
Trivia
- This commercial serves to introduce all of the Cheat Commandos with the exception of Firebert. He was previously introduced in the Strong Bad email army.
- All of the Cheat Commandos action figures are designed for "Ages 3–5" and cost $11.01.
Remarks
- This cartoon is loaded with exceptions to the once-solid rule of only mentioning "Cheat" with "The" in front of it. The fact that all the Cheat Commando characters except Firebert can speak normally implies that the writers paid no regard to the source material, as is the case with many cartoons based on toys, comics or video games.
- When the Cheat Commandos are marching in the TV show, some of them walk by twice.
- At the end, Flashfight doesn't have his arm lifted in salute, possibly because he is the commander.
- Although Blue Laser action figures appear in this cartoon, they don't appear packaged in the Easter egg at the end.
- The Blue Laser Minion has angry eyes underneath his visor.
Goofs
- Gunhaver calls the "Action Figure Storage Truck" by the wrong name. He says "vehicle" instead of "truck".
- The page title is "Compy 386!!!", yet this is not an Email. This is because The Brothers Chaps used the source html code from an email and forgot to change the title.
Inside References
- When the commandos are at "R&R", they are next to "Xtra cold ones", a new variation on a Cold One.
- The Cheat Commando action figure packages are the same design as in the emails "action figure" and "army".
- The helicopter sound in the beginning is just like the The Cheat Skycam Traffic helicopter sounds from the Strong Bad email local news.
- The words 'Cool Glasses' on Gunhaver's package is a reference to The theme from DANGERESQUE II: This time, it's not Dangeresque I on Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits
- On the toy packages the word "commandos" is colored with the colors on the Strong Badia flag.
- Ripberger is the name of the magistrate in Thy Dungeonman II.
- Ripberger is also the name of the character voiced by Mark Hamill in the Lucas Arts game "Full Throttle" (although his name is spelled 'Ripburger').
- On Crackotage's package, it says "Museum Quality". This is a reference to the packaged version of Strong Bad's peanut action figure from the Strong Bad Email action figure.
- The caption "Yellow Dog!!" on Firebert's action figure package is a reference to what Homestar calls The Cheat in army.
- Firebert's box looks exactly the same as in the Easter egg in army.
Real-World References
- Foxface, the only female commando, is obviously modeled after the GI Joe character, Scarlett, whose mantra is "I'm not just one of the 'guys'; I'm better.", according to the GI Joe website. According to Foxface's packaging, she is "Not One of The Guys!!"
- Blue Laser's plan to blow up the ocean might be a reference to an actual GI Joe episode. In "There's No Place Like Springfield," Cobra had invented a chemical compound which could convert any body of water—even oceans—into a powerful explosive.
- The fact that the base of all Cheat Commandos are the same (in terms of size, appearance, expression, etc), with only costumes setting them apart, alludes to countless toys in the 80s that were the same way to facilitate mass-production.
- The Blue Laser Commando saying, "We'll blow up the ocean," shortly after Silent Rip said, "Those loonies are gonna blow up the ocean!" could be a reference to "The Superfriends," in which the announcer would say something then a character would say something similar.
Fast Forward
- In the Strong Bad email virus, the shot of Fightgar firing his machine gun in all directions is replayed in an Easter egg where the machine gun is replaced with Homestar's leg.
The Cheat Commandos (and their package captions)
- Gunhaver
- Stylin' Coat
- Cool Glasses!
- Has a Gun!
- Probably from Texas!
- Firebert
- Yellow Dog!!
- Black Hat!
- Not A Good Commando Name!!
- That One Little Guy!!
- Silent Rip
- But Deadly!!
- Two(2) Pockets!
- Communicates Via That Microphone Attached to His Helmet!
- Same Size As The Rest!!
- Crackotage
- Action!!
- Museum Quality!
- Master Locksmith, Perhaps!
- Listens To Jazz!!
- Fightgar
- Not the Most Popular!!
- Red Cloth!
- Probably Has A Raspy Voice!!
- Needs To Shave!!
- Reynold
- Civilian Contractor!!
- Fake Tie!
- Favorite Drink: Milk!!
- Not A Blackbelt!!
- Reinforcements
- The One That Coach Z Bought!!
- Sweet Camos!
- Justice Rocket Backpack!!
- Hard to See!!
- Foxface
- Lady Type!
- Natural haircolor!
- Totally Has It Together!
- Not One of The Guys!!
- Ripberger
- Stealthy!!
- Black "Gloves!"
- He's Not Wearing Pajamas!
- This One Wears Red!
- Flashfight
- In Charge of Stuff!!
- Three Medals!
- Almost Sounds Like "Flashlight"
- Five Buttons!
External Links
- watch "Cheat Commandos"
- view the Flash file for "Cheat Commandos"
- forum thread re: "Cheat Commandos"
