Trogdor

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{| border=0 align=right cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=250 class="toccolours" style="float: right; clear: both; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 90%; text-align:left"
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|+<big>'''Trogdor'''</big>
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|-
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| align=center colspan=2 | [[Image:A dragon.PNG|200px|"And the Trogdor comes in the NIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!"]]
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|- valign=top
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! Domicile
 +
| The [[Trog-Cave]]
 +
|- valign=top
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! Voiced&nbsp;by
 +
| {{w|Software Automatic Mouth}}
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|- valign=top
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! Debut
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| Email [[dragon]]<br/><small>(January 13, 2003)</small>
 +
|-
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| align=center colspan=2 | [[:Category:Trogdor Filmography|Complete Filmography]]
 +
|-
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| align=center colspan=2 style="background:#ccccff" | '''3D Variation'''
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|-
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|align=center colspan=2 |[[File:SBCG4APBurninator.png|120px|"Does anybody know how to kill a dragon?"]]
 +
|}
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{{aboutcharacter}} {{for-nothe|other uses|Trogdor (disambiguation)}}
{{aboutcharacter}} {{for-nothe|other uses|Trogdor (disambiguation)}}
-
[[Image:A dragon.PNG|thumb|200px|"And the Trogdor comes in the NIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!"]]
+
'''Trogdor the Burninator''' is an S-shaped wingaling [[Dragons|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 [[Songs|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 [[Glossary#B|burninates]] the countryside, [[peasants]], and [[thatched-roof cottage]]s.
-
'''Trogdor the Burninator''' is an S-shaped wingaling [[Dragons|dragon]] with a [[beefy arm]] that originated in the [[Strong Bad Email]] [[dragon]]. Trogdor [[Glossary#B|burninates]] the countryside, [[peasants]], and [[thatched-roof cottage]]s of [[Peasantry]]. He sprang from the wild imagination of [[Strong Bad]] when he was asked to show his "skills of an artist".
+
-
==History and rise to popularity==
+
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)|Homestar Runner]] body of work, both on the internet and in the real world. Fans often [[Fan Costumes|dress up as Trogdor for]] [[Halloween]], and fan art of the dragon has been featured in the [[Weekly Fanstuff]] and on [[@StrongBadActual]].
-
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)|Homestar Runner]] body of work, both on the Internet and in the real world. 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. Fans even dress up as the character as seen in [[Fan Costumes]] toons, and have created some [[Weekly Fanstuff|fanstuff]].
+
-
[[File:jan10.jpeg|thumb|Countryside, peasants, thatched-roof cottages even!]]
+
-
In his debut email, there is a heavy metal song about Trogdor with a music video drawn in pencil sketches. According to [[dragon#Commentary Transcript|dragon's 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 [[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]].
+
-
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.
+
==History==
 +
===Creation===
 +
[[Image:sbemail58picture2a.PNG|thumb|TROGDOR the [[Lowercase i's|BURNiNATOR]]]]
 +
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.
-
A [[20X6]] version of Trogdor, called [[Trogador]], was revealed at the [[NYU Talk - 1 Mar 2005|NYU Talk]], but did not appear in the Homestar Runner canon until [[Happy Trogday]] was released on the third anniversary of Trogdor's debut. 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.
+
==== How to draw a dragon (according to Strong Bad) ====
-
 
+
-
Five of Trogdor's birthdays have been celebrated with new content. In 2006, [[Happy Trogday]] commemorated his third birthday with a fanstuff montage. However, [[Trogday 08|two years later]], Strong Bad decided to sing 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]] instead. He claimed that Internet users had ruined Trogdor, along with zombies, pirates, ninjas and himself. In 2018, an HTML version of the [[TROGDOR!]] game was released. In 2021, the Trogdor-themed [[Main Page 27]] was released. In 2022, the [[Trogday Micro Game]] was released. In 2023, for Trogdor's 20th Birthday, the trailer for a 30 year old [[Happy 20th Trogday!|VGA enhanced version of Peasant's Quest]] was released.
+
-
 
+
-
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]].
+
-
 
+
-
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.
+
-
 
+
-
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.
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-
 
+
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*'''Domicile:''' The [[Trog-Cave]]
+
-
*'''Debut:''' Email [[dragon]]
+
-
*[[:Category:Trogdor Filmography|Complete Filmography]]
+
-
 
+
-
== How to draw a dragon (according to Strong Bad) ==
+
#Draw an S.
#Draw an S.
#Draw a more different S.
#Draw a more different S.
#Close it up real good at the top for his head.
#Close it up real good at the top for his head.
#Using [[consummate V's]], give him teeth, spinities, and angry eyebrows.
#Using [[consummate V's]], give him teeth, spinities, and angry eyebrows.
-
#You can add smoke or [[fire]].
+
#Add smoke or [[fire]].
-
#And maybe add some wings, you know, if he's a wing-a-ling dragon.
+
#Maybe add some wings, you know, if he's a wing-a-ling dragon.
#Put one of those [[beefy arms]] back on him for good measure.
#Put one of those [[beefy arms]] back on him for good measure.
#Name him. (Strong Bad named him ''TROGDOR the BURNiNATOR'')
#Name him. (Strong Bad named him ''TROGDOR the BURNiNATOR'')
#Add majestic lines... for majesty.
#Add majestic lines... for majesty.
-
=== Trivia ===
+
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 [[@StrongBadActual Tweets 2016#814176957856411649|28 Dec 2016]], [[@StrongBadActual Tweets 2018#951232322526949376|10 Jan 2018]], and [[@StrongBadActual Tweets 2019#1202968564963172358|6 Dec 2019]]).
-
Contrary to popular belief, the scales on Trogdor's body are ''not'' consummate V's. As Strong Bad has explained multiple times on [[@StrongBadActual|Twitter]], the scales are "regimented U's" and are a side detail that he did not comment on during his first drawing of Trogdor (see Tweets from [[@StrongBadActual Tweets 2016#814176957856411649|28 Dec 2016]], [[@StrongBadActual Tweets 2018#951232322526949376|10 Jan 2018]], and [[@StrongBadActual Tweets 2019#1202968564963172358|6 Dec 2019]]).
+
===Trogday===
 +
[[Image:Trogdor Intro.png|thumb|"Five-dor" [[Index Page]] from Trogday 2008]]
 +
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.
 +
* '''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).
 +
* '''2018''' {{--}} An {{w|HTML5}} version of the [[TROGDOR!]] game was released
 +
* '''2021''' {{--}} The Trogdor-themed [[Main Page 27]] was released.
 +
* '''2022''' {{--}} The [[Trogday Micro Game]] was released.
 +
* '''2023''' {{--}} For Trogdor's 20th Birthday, a faux trailer for a [[Happy 20th Trogday!|VGA enhanced version of Peasant's Quest]] was released.
 +
 
 +
== Song ==
 +
{{seemain|Trogdor (song)}}
 +
[[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.
 +
 
 +
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 [[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]].
 +
 
 +
== Games ==
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
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]].
 +
 
 +
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.
-
== Trogdor's many incarnations ==
 
<gallery>
<gallery>
-
Image:sbemail58picture2a.PNG|<center>TROGDOR the BURN[[Lowercase i's|i]]NATOR</center>
 
-
Image:A man.PNG|<center>''Trogdor was a man!''</center>
 
-
Image:A dragonman.PNG|<center>''I mean, he was a dragon-man!''</center>
 
-
Image:A dragon.PNG|<center>''Er, maybe he was just a dragon.''</center>
 
Image:trogdorgame.png|<center>''But he was still'' '''[[TROGDOR!]]'''</center>
Image:trogdorgame.png|<center>''But he was still'' '''[[TROGDOR!]]'''</center>
Image:Trogdor from the game.PNG|<center>Trogdor game sprite</center>
Image:Trogdor from the game.PNG|<center>Trogdor game sprite</center>
-
Image:Bowels of Trogdor.PNG|<center>[[Strong Bad's Mount RidesPlace! USA|Bowels of Trogdor]] from '''[[theme park]]'''</center>
 
Image:PQTrogdor.png|<center>From '''[[Peasant's Quest]]'''</center>
Image:PQTrogdor.png|<center>From '''[[Peasant's Quest]]'''</center>
 +
Image:Ultimate Trogdor.PNG|<center>'''[[ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!]]'''<br>from [[8-Bit is Enough]]</center>
 +
Image:trogday-micro sprite.png|<center>From '''[[Trogday Micro Game]]'''</center>
 +
</gallery>
 +
== Portrayal==
 +
{{inprogress|Bleu Ninja}}
 +
 +
=== Dragon-Man ===
 +
<gallery perrow="3">
 +
Image:A man.PNG|<center>''A man!''</center>
 +
Image:A dragonman.PNG|<center>''A dragon-man!''</center>
 +
Image:A dragon.PNG|<center>''Just a dragon...!''</center>
 +
</gallery>
 +
==== Powered by The Cheat ====
 +
As seen in [[Trogdor Was A Man]].
 +
<gallery perrow="3">
 +
Image:PBTCTrogdorMan.png|<center>''Man''</center>
 +
Image:PBTCTrogdorDragonMan.png|<center>''Dragon-man''<br>from Trogdor Was A Man</center>
 +
Image:PBTCTrogdor2.png|<center>''Trogdor''</center>
 +
</gallery>
 +
=== Speech ===
 +
 +
=== Size ===
 +
 +
=== Variations ===
 +
 +
A [[20X6]] version of Trogdor, called [[Trogador]], was revealed at the [[NYU Talk - 1 Mar 2005|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 ==
 +
[[File:jan10.jpeg|thumb|Countryside, peasants, thatched-roof cottages even!]]
 +
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.
 +
 +
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 [[Store Baby Clothes|line of baby clothing]] bearing a more child-friendly image of Trogdor that sold out one day later.
 +
 +
== Trogdor's many incarnations ==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Image:Bowels of Trogdor.PNG|<center>[[Strong Bad's Mount RidesPlace! USA|Bowels of Trogdor]] from '''[[theme park]]'''</center>
Image:Movie trailer trogdor.JPG|<center>From the '''[[Peasant's Quest Movie Trailer|movie trailer]]'''</center>
Image:Movie trailer trogdor.JPG|<center>From the '''[[Peasant's Quest Movie Trailer|movie trailer]]'''</center>
Image:Trogdor mario paint.jpg|<center>''[[Strong Bad is a Bad Guy|Trogdor is a bad, bad guy!]]''</center>
Image:Trogdor mario paint.jpg|<center>''[[Strong Bad is a Bad Guy|Trogdor is a bad, bad guy!]]''</center>
Line 59: Line 125:
Image:Homestarrunner 1966 198755.jpeg|<center>'''[[Trogdor Poster]]''' from the [[Store]]</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>
-
Image:Trogdor Intro.png|<center>'''"5-dor"''' from an [[Index Page]]</center>
 
Image:Trogdor in window.png|<center>'''In real life?'''<br>from [[Trogday 08]]</center>
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:SBCG4APBurninator.png|<center>'''3D Trogdor'''<br>from [[8-Bit is Enough]]</center>
 
-
Image:Ultimate Trogdor.PNG|<center>'''[[ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!]]'''<br>from [[8-Bit is Enough]]</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:InstagramTrogbuildening.png|<center>'''The Trogbuildening'''<br>from [[@strongbadactual (Instagram)]]</center>
Line 69: Line 132:
Image:meeples trogdor off.png|<center>'''Trogdor Meeple'''<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:PBTCTrogdor.png|<center>'''Powered by The Cheat Trogdor'''<br>from [[Trogdor Was A Man]]</center>
-
Image:PBTCTrogdorMan.png|<center>'''Powered by The Cheat Trogdor Man'''<br>from Trogdor Was A Man</center>
 
-
Image:PBTCTrogdorDragonMan.png|<center>'''Powered by The Cheat Trogdor Dragon Man'''<br>from Trogdor Was A Man</center>
 
-
Image:PBTCTrogdor2.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: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:fg_Trogdor-the-Burninator_shirt.png‎|<center>'''Trogdor the Burninator T-Shirt'''<br>by Nina Matsumoto for [[Fangamer]]</center>
-
Image:trogday-micro sprite.png|<center>From '''[[Trogday Micro Game]]'''</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 18:30, 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

Creation

TROGDOR the BURNiNATOR

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)

  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:

  • 2006 — Happy Trogday commemorates his third birthday with a fanstuff montage.
  • 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, pirates, ninjas, and himself).
  • 2018 — An HTML5 version of the TROGDOR! game was released
  • 2021 — The Trogdor-themed Main Page 27 was released.
  • 2022 — The Trogday Micro Game was released.
  • 2023 — For Trogdor's 20th Birthday, a faux trailer for a VGA enhanced version of Peasant's Quest was released.

Song

See main article: Trogdor (song)
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.

As mentioned in 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 Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits contains an extended version of the song. The song is also featured in KaraokeFun on the 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 II.

Games

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, 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 Software Automatic Mouth, or S.A.M.

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.

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 music video for a song from a '70s commercial of said board game.

But he was still TROGDOR!
Trogdor game sprite
From Peasant's Quest
ULTIMATE TROGDOR!!!
from 8-Bit is Enough
From Trogday Micro Game

Portrayal

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Dragon-Man

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

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As seen in Trogdor Was A Man.

Man
Dragon-man
from Trogdor Was A Man
Trogdor

Speech

Size

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

Countryside, peasants, thatched-roof cottages even!

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.

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.

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
Baby Trogdor from the Store
From concert
Trogdor Poster from the Store
"Trogor" from Make-O Your Own Stinko
In real life?
from Trogday 08
Hedge Trogdor
from Homestar Ruiner
Frishy Freshy Dragonman!
from imaginary
The Trogbuildening
from @strongbadactual (Instagram)
Trogdor Game Piece
from Trogdor!! The Board Game
Trogdor Meeple
from Trogdor!! The Board Game
Powered by The Cheat Trogdor
from Trogdor Was A Man
Realistic
from Main Page 27
ASCII from Strong Bad Emails 1-200 Six Disc Set
Trogdor the Burninator T-Shirt
by Nina Matsumoto for Fangamer
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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