Homestar Runner

Stuck inside with nothing to do? This site is funny enough to turn your boring weeknight of Law and Order reruns into a laughter-rich evening.

It began with a children’s book published in 1996 by the Chapman brothers and has since expanded into a Flash animation world surrounding these 11 characters: Homestar Runner and his girlfriend Marzipan (voice provided by Missy Palmer), The Cheat, three brothers (Strong Mad, Strong Bad and Strong Sad), Pom Pom, Bubs, Coach Z, The Poopsmith and his employer, The King Of Town.

The content is pretty tame – so if you’re easily offended, worry not. The most adult of themes usually revolve around cold ones and the prospects (or lack thereof) of making out with girls. Dozens of cartoons are available for your viewing and giggling pleasure. Personal favourites, found in the ‘Shorts’ section, include Lookin’ at a Thing in a Bag, where the dim-witted Homestar tries to fit in with the “cool guys” (Strong Mad, Strong Bad, and The Cheat) and Everybody to the Limit, a music video directed by The Cheat, based on an e-mail Strong Bad received from one of his adoring fans.

In fact, hundreds of fans (yes, real people) e-mail Strong Bad daily. Each week, Strong Bad selects one of his many received e-mails and responds via his brand-new Compy 386. By far, this is the section of the site where you’ll be left with side cramps and teary eyes from the sheer hilarity of Strong Bad’s responses. Must-see Re:’s include The Property of Ones, Guitar, and Theme Party. What’s most interesting about homestarrunner.com is that despite its huge fan base, it’s still relatively unknown by the general public. This is starting to change rapidly but surprisingly not by advertising. The site has a strict no-ad policy. No pop-ups, no banner-ads and they generally do not favour having their site linked to. Homestar hysteria has spread solely by word-of-mouth and by the looks of it, will continue to grow. In the FAQ section, there’s even talk of a DVD. It could be joke but if it’s not, I’d definitely buy it.