Homestar Runner

the regulars featured in Homestar Runner animations

I recently saw an ad were everything was 50% off at the Homestar Runner store. That name took me down memory lane . . . care to walk with me?

Launched in 2000, Homestar Runner is an online animated web comedy series featuring a zany cast of characters. Per its Wikipedia entry, "it uses a blend of surreal humour, self-parody, and references to popular culture, in particular video games, classic television, and popular music." The 'main' toons featured Homestar Runner and his friends as they did random things, but the site soon branched out and had several 'side' series.  You can view the entire toons catalog or go directly to selected sections (number produced in parentheses following):

- Main Toons (21)

- Shorts (~100) 

- Holiday features (74)

- Strong Bad Emails (209), where the show's snarky bully answered fan email

- Teen Girl Squad (15), a poorly-animated show about four teen girls drawn and voiced-over by Strong Bad

As indicated by quantities, the most popular section was the Emails. 

Some toons were great; some were meh. (Ultimately, this is one of those series you need to be in the mood for, like Monty Pyton.) I generally enjoyed it for its randomness and parody of pop culture. But the very best thing about this was who I was watching it with.

I shared a townhome with two friends from 2003-2005, and watching Homestar was a recurring group activity. I think Strong Bad emails came out every Tuesday, and we would huddle around the computer in delightful anticipation as it loaded. We'd then explore the other sections for new videos. It was a great time. Here were some of our favorites:

- Marshie the Marshmallow, a talking marshmallow trying to sell you the product in normal times or on special occasions like Malloween commercial

- Cheat Commandos, a GI Joe parody

- Trogdor, the one-armed dragon who would eventually get his own board game (in real life)

- Limozeen, the heavy metal band who would eventually get their own TV show . . . in space

I moved out in 2005 when I got married; Homestar isn't my wife's brand of humor, and so I fell away from it. So did the creators- they took a long break (with no warning or news) for years, only coming back recently (and then, only occasionally). Though its glory days are in the past, I remember it fondly for what it was and the fellowship it enabled.