BMW Lighter

From Homestar Runner Wiki

First appearance

The BMW Lighter is Strong Bad's handheld lighter. It prominently displays the logo of German motor company BMW. It is most often used by Strong Bad or The Cheat to vandalize or destroy objects, or for lighting fireworks or similar explosives.

The lighter resembles the Zippo brand of metal lighters, albeit somewhat simplified for animation. Although Zippo has manufactured BMW-branded lighters at various points dating back to at least the 1970s, it was difficult to obtain one by the time the lighter was first introduced in the Homestar Runner body of work (as The Brothers Chaps attested to on the DVD commentary for dragon). Currently, such lighters are more readily available on the secondary market. Interestingly, most Zippo lighters open to the left when the logo is facing the user, while Strong Bad's typically opens to the right.

Various similar lighters include a puppet version with a different body shape, a Saab lighter used by Homestar Runner, and a Duplo lighter used by Lil' Strong Bad. The lighter appears in two episodes of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, sans the BMW logo for copyright purposes.

[edit] Appearances

Debut: Email guitar — Strong Bad holds it up at the end. After some time it scorches The Paper.
Email dragon — Strong Bad uses it to burn Strong Sad's drawing of a dragon.
Email privileges — First it is mentioned on the list of "Medallion Gold Plus Club" privileges, where it is referred to as a "Beamer Lighter." ("Beamer" is used as a general slang term for a BMW.) Then it actually appears in an Easter egg, in which The Cheat uses it to torch Homestar's guitar magazines.
Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon — The Cheat uses it to light a huge bundle of Fthoom-Bang bottle rockets.
Email pom pom — Strong Bad uses the lighter during his attempt to cause Pom Pom's death, to pop him with a pin while he's on fire.
Email other days — Strong Bad uses it to burn up Bubs' letter. Here it is first referred to as his "BMW".
Email long pants — The Cheat uses the lighter to burn Homestar Runner's Daisy Dukes.
Real-Live E-Mails — Strong Bad uses a real one to literally burn his new DVD.
Email pop-up — It appears on the last page of the book as a tab.
Email lady fan — Strong Bad uses it to burn Marzipan's arts and crafts supplies in a fiery inferno of pyrotechnics. Her hair was also burned, and the whole table was covered in ash.
Date Nite — Strong Bad uses it to light the Fthoom-Bang rockets on the USS Flirtini.
Email the paper — Strong Bad uses it to incinerate The Paper after it 'dies'.
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People — In the episodes Strong Badia the Free and Baddest of the Bands, an unbranded lighter is an inventory item.
Where U Goin' 2? — The Cheat uses it to do some flaming lay-up drills.

[edit] Gallery

Improving on Strong Sad's methods	As a part of The Cheat's "privaleges"	Fret no more!	"Okay, hand me the explosives."
"A big, fiery ball that was visible from space."	"Maybe give you a ride in my... BMW‽"	"Glorious pants!"	Pyrotechnics
"Verify our range to target!"	Farewell to The Paper	Flaming lay-up drills