Aich-Star-Arr
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Alternate Universes
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While Homestar and his friends have nearly limitless potential for innovation and originality, it is sometimes enjoyable to stretch in a new direction. One can only assume it was on a flight of whimsy that the Chapman Brothers decided to transport the characters to an entirely different time: to 1936, to be precise. Homestar, and Flash animation, didn't exist in 1936, of course, but the 1936 cartoons provide a charming take on what the results may have looked like if they did exist at that time. The cartoons are dreadfully accurate caricatures, parodying both the plain-faced surrealism of 1930s animation, as well as the blandness of the earliest depictions of Homestar and his co-stars.
The cartoons bear all of the hallmarks of 1930s animation. They are displayed in black and white, and the screen is marked with lines simulating scratches on the film negative. The soundtrack scratches and groans on its ancient sound system. Animation cels shift unsteadily against the background. These features are all cosmetic, however. The true triumph of the 1936 cartoons is their accurate portrayal of the mien of the cartoons of the day.
The 1936 cartoons take place in that romantic late-Depression era that typifies the 1930s in most modern viewers' minds. It is a world of dirt roads, picket fences, carnival tents and antiquated Industrial Revolution-era factories, stretching as far as the eye can see. The plots seem to go nowhere, and the jokes are not, by design, funny. The characters are designed to be simplistic, but at the same time suffer a slight unnerving vulgarity that is difficult to place, but definitely exists nonetheless. Another nice touch is the deliberately poor editing; it is virtually impossible to tell where two characters are in relation to one another unless they are occupying the same frame. The voices, as with the old days, are either so stiffly delivered or so zestfully over-the-top that they can never reconcile with the bland, featureless characters. It would be interesting for future 1936 cartoons to attempt to emulate the fluid, intensely spatial chaos of the Fleischer Brothers cartoons of the period, but bearing in mind the low frame-rate of Flash animation, it seems unlikely. A final link to the past is the banal but nearly sadistic portrayal of violence and death as everyday occurrences. These depictions are far too simple to be gratuitous, of course, but the underlying morbidity is simultaneously unsettling and farcical.
The first 1936 cartoons were a series of two-reelers starring a prototypical Homestar. All of these cartoons are virtually identical, save the last few seconds. Each cartoon ends with a gag that, like the real two-reelers, is not funny in the slightest, except in the fact that it depicts something that cannot be done in the real world. The gags are all incoherent, and while some of them are patently the product of modern minds, many of them come hauntingly close to the low-tech abnormalities in the early Laugh-o-Grams. It is difficult to believe that cartoons were once like this, and the parody merely portrays them for what they are, rather than exploiting them, which makes the humour that much richer. After the two-reelers, the 1936 series moved to full-length "talkies" and has continued in that vein ever since.
The characters, as noted above, are mostly portrayed as throwbacks to their earliest incarnations, with a mix of 1930s sensibilities. The result is a gamut of characters that are recognizable, but only just. The nominal main character is, of course, the Homestar Runner (note that he retains the original "the" preceding his name). His curved lower lip, shapeless body and spindly legs hearken to his earliest designs. Even his star is amateurishly skewed. If the early Homestar was a rather bland and unsympathetic character, his 1936 version is even more so. The Homestar Runner maintains a facial expression so utterly, apathetically vacuous that he barely seems to have any neurological activity whatsoever. His voice is realized with a muted, side-of-the-mouth delivery that lacks any sort of conviction, or even enthusiasm. Whatever he does, the Homestar Runner seems to be merely going through the motions. This, of course, makes it doubly hilarious that the Homestar Runner is the appointed hero of the day, despite the fact that he does absolutely nothing towards any sort of goal. He is the hero for no other reason than the fact that he is written as such.
If the Homestar Runner lacks personality, the same cannot be said about 1936's version of Strong Bad (who has also been referred to as "The Strong Bad", "Sir Strong Bad" and "Uncle Strong Bad"). While the Homestar Runner is the "good guy" by default, Strong Bad is a deliciously realized character. He constantly schemes and plots to do away with the Homestar Runner for once and for all, even though, of course, he has no real reason to. Like his modern counterpart, Strong Bad is very dialogue-based. However, while the modern Strong Bad is disreputable in an ill-educated manner, his 1936 version is disreputable in a cultured and sophisticated manner. 1936's Strong Bad is a very educated villain, and his old school accent and cadence remind the audience of the "cad" and "scoundrel" types of the Hollywood pictures of the day. Finishing this image, Strong Bad sports a well-groomed (and oiled) head of centre-parted hair and a handlebar moustache to match. There are some remnants of his old design (specifically, his much smaller gloves and simpler mask design), but the 1936 Strong Bad emerges as his own character more than any other. Villains in the old theatrical cartoons were usually more enjoyable than their heroic foils, and this case is no different.
Both the Homestar Runner and Strong Bad have a set of allies that would have presumably been intended to increase the variety of the cast but in fact do nothing more than swell the ranks. In the Homestar Runner's camp are analogues of Marzipan and Pom Pom. 1936 Marzipan has none of her modern version's characterization; she is merely a vaguely feminine lump who stands around in awe (we presume; these characters do not emote in the slightest) of the Homestar Runner's questionable nobility. Her voice is as light and inconsequential as her personality. Marzipan sports pigtails and a slightly more human form, an echo of early character designs that were long discarded. Her essential sweetness, however, is slightly offset by her protruding upper row of teeth. Pom Pom's apparition is known as Fat Dudley, and looks rather like him, albeit with clothes, shoes, gloves and a hat. While Fat Dudley is nowhere near as intelligent and perceptive as Pom Pom, he at least appears to have a halfway clue regarding the current goings-on, which is much more than anybody could say about the Homestar Runner. It is often after Fat Dudley's prompting that Homestar actually makes the appearance of preparing to do something, anything. Without Fat Dudley, the Homestar Runner would be almost incapable of doing anything. An odd note is that Fat Dudley's voice is not the subtle bubbling sound of Pom Pom's voice, but rather a vocalized "Bub bub bub bub" which sounds curiously like scat.
The Strong Bad counts two villains, Strong Man and The Sneak, as his allies. Strong Man is of course 1936's answer to Strong Mad. While his design is subtly different from Strong Mad's, Strong Man is more of a caricature of Strong Mad than anything else. While Strong Mad is largely defined by his physical presence, Strong Man is nothing but physical presence. He never does anything towards aiding Strong Bad's schemes beyond lurking in the background and growling inarticulately. Comically, even when the plan involves feats of strength or fighting skills, Strong Man still does absolutely nothing but stand around, while Strong Bad does all of the work himself! The utter worthlessness of the character is richly comic, but it is so subtle that most audiences do not initially notice. True to his name, Strong Man dresses in the style of a circus strongman, with an off-the-shoulder leotard and a perpetual barbell in his hand. The final member of the triumvirate of villains is The Sneak. The Sneak retains all of The Cheat's rodent nature and none of his appeal. Instead, he is a grotesque little creature with a drooping snout, upturned fangs, coarse fur, claws and a rat's tail. A subtle touch is that The Sneak crawls around on all fours rather than walking upright, making him look less anthropomorphic (and thus less personable) and more animalistic. Like the Homestar Runner, The Sneak's reputation is far more impressive than anything he does on the screen is. Tales fly of The Sneak's dastardly deeds, villainy the likes of which not even Strong Bad can compare. However, virtually all The Sneak does when the audience actually sees him is stand around blankly, occasionally rushing off for some off-screen thievery at Strong Bad's behest. Strong Bad seems to appreciate The Sneak's presence, but what sort of asset the little rodent could possibly provide remains to be seen. The comedy of the situation of course is that Strong Bad benefits not one whit from the presence of his companions, but they are forcibly inserted into his scenes by the 1936 animators simply because it is felt that it must be that way.
The rest of Free Country's citizens have made their appearances in 1936, but are noticeably less recognizable. Perhaps the most notable is Sickly Sam, the 1936 analogue to Strong Sad. While Strong Sad is routinely mistreated by his fellows, Sickly Sam seems to be hated by the entire universe. Rather than retaining Strong Sad's portly form, Sickly Sam is an emaciated skeleton, a potato sack pitifully wrapped around his midsection. All Sickly Sam desires is a modicum of comfort and nourishment, which his fellows casually, and offhandedly, refuse him. Thus repudiated, Sickly Sam then proceeds to "die", disappearing in a cloud of cadaverous dust. However, he somehow returns in every episode, only to once again be refused and die, trapped for eternity in an endless cycle of pain and rejection. Presumably the 1936 animators expected the audience to find this hilarious.
1936's Bubs has yet to receive a proper name. Bubs' form is recognizably similar, but with a few changed details: his eyes are hidden by dark glasses, his teeth are crooked and rounded, and his hands are contained in gloves with a full number of fingers. However, there are far fewer differences between the two versions of Bubs than between the rest of the characters. Bubs is still a merchant (albeit at a market rather than a concession stand) and still shows all the signs of being generally friendly and helpful. Strengthening the connection, 1936 Bubs even shows proficiency with musical instruments. The main difference is that this version of Bubs sports a wooden leg and is presumably blind, which rather diminishes his ability to be helpful to the endeavours of Homestar and friends. Also, 1936's Bubs forgoes his traditionally loud and rich voice in favour of a hoarse, pitiful whisper. Despite the differences, Bubs plays a part very similar to his regular role, if a rather muted one.
Extremely minor roles are given to the rest of the characters. 1936's Coach Z is depicted as a 1930s style varsity quarterback. While there are changes to his uniform (and his face sports the old-fashion "Coke bottle" eyes), the character's mien and voice are instantly recognizable. However, the character has yet to be given any sort of role in the proceedings. A rather curious character is The Kaiser of Town, presumably a stock villain held over from cartoons produced during the First World War. Like the King of Town, on whom he is based, the Kaiser is little more than a fat buffoon who is the constant target of pranks and misfortune, although the Kaiser has only appeared infrequently. The Kaiser's features are more delicate and refined than the King, and he wears the traditional pointed helmet in the place of a crown, but the resemblance cannot be denied. Whether or not the Kaiser shares the King's other traits, like a flighty nature and deep love of food is impossible to tell from his few brief appearances. It is presumed that a rather different villain took over the Kaiser's role a few years later. One of the Kaiser's appearances saw him loafing rather nonchalantly in the fires of Hell, which was staffed by a devilish version of The Poopsmith. The Poopsmith/Devil is virtually identical to his predecessor, save the obvious additions of horns, a pointed tail, and a pitchfork replacing the customary shovel. The character has only appeared once, leaving the audience to dwell on the symbolism, intended or unintended, of a handler of waste and refuse being incarnated as a handler of the souls of the damned. As it stands, all of the main characters have made at least brief appearances in 1936, except for Homsar.
A few minor characters also boast their own versions of 1936 characters. The Announcer has been incarnated as all three members of DaVinci's Notebook, a singing trio with barbershop-like harmonies. So rudimentary is the Announcer's design that there is virtually no difference between himself and the singers, although they are cultured in a very American way, rather than in a British way like the Announcer.
Marshie's analogue is perhaps the closest there has ever been to an original character in the 1936 oeuvre, for Mr. Shmallow is utterly unlike Marshie in every conceivable way. Unlike Marshie, Mr. Shmallow is a rather dignified marshmallow, and is dressed in a top hat and monocle reminiscent of Mr. Peanut. While Marshie always occupies the manic energy of his commercials and drives himself insane with exuberance, Mr. Shmallow is rather more like the eye of a hurricane, hardly batting an eye at the bizarre and grotesque goings-on in his commercials and speaking in a clipped and refined voice. If Mr. Shmallow indeed has a flaw, it is the unfortunate fact that commercial messages became commonplace in the 1950s, and his huckstering of "Fluffy Puff Air-Puffed Sugar Delights" seem like too much of a distracting anachronism in 1936.
While animation in America and Europe have been in constant circulation with each other, Japanese-style animation, or "anime", developed in relative isolation, and as a result, developed its own style quite different from anything seen by the rest of the world. It has only been in recent years that Japanese animation has developed a considerable fan following in the rest of the world, from the more "mainstream" anime to the culturally unique products that could only be spawned in Japan. While Japanese animation comes in styles as numerous and diverse as any other type of animation, the general impression of anime is minimalist motion and degree of expression in favour of highly naturalistic settings and high concept. Anime tends to be less kinetic than its American contemporaries, and much more ponderous; anime often forsakes episodic conflict for long, sweeping storylines of mythic proportions. Given the status that Japanese animation holds in our modern culture, it was somewhat inevitable that Homestar Runner and friends would eventually attempt to parody it in some way.
Prompted by an E-mail from "James F.", Strong Bad postulated how different he and his world would be if he were in a Japanese cartoon. Despite admitting to limited exposure to the genre, Strong Bad proved proficient in remembering all of the clichés and conventions normally associated with Japanese animation. In his own words:
"First of all, my head would have to be... a little bean. With real, real big eyes. Get rid of my thumbs, make me all shiny... My boots would be a whole lot cooler. Like, robot boots. And for some reason, I got blue hair. You gotta have blue hair! Then there's my mouth: real tiny when it's closed, ridiculously huge when it's open."
As Strong Bad speaks, we see a picture of him change and distort to match his description. It is notable that while the only real changes to the character are that of scale and proportion (excluding the blue hair), it doesn't take long for the character to be completely unrecognizable as Strong Bad. True, there are some other reasons, including the loss of colour blending and outlines becoming thicker and more pronounced, but there is also something intangible lost between Strong Bad's regular form and this new creation. Perhaps the very essence of a character can be lost in translation?
What follows is a whirlwind montage of various scenes that could be considered definitive of generic anime. The parody is simultaneously gently affectionate and brutally honest. What the Chapman Brothers seem to be recognizing here is the fact that what is normal in one culture can be and often is almost unbearably bizarre in another, and that Homestar and friends' regular look may well be similarly unusual in Japan. Differences between cultures can be used for comedic purposes just as much as they are used as excuses for violence and prejudice.
The universe in which the Japanese Strong Bad and his companions exist is entitled Stinkoman K: 20X6. The "20X6" of the title is an obvious play on the introductions to several poorly-translated video games, in which a chaotic future takes place in the year "199X" (which was meaningful until the year 1999). Interestingly, 20X6 does not take place in the majestic, unblinking world of modern anime, forsaking realistic backgrounds and iconic characters for a more cartoonish approach. In this respect, 20X6 resembles the quaint look of the work of Osamu Tezuka, considered by many to have invented the modern anime genre. (Incidentally, Tezuka based much of his design off of leading American animators of the day; art begets art indeed!) Another factor is the music, its beeping, repetitive refrain (stolen from the Nintendo Entertainment System game Rad Racer) much more reminiscent of anime from the 1970s, as opposed to the more eclectic "J-Pop" of modern days. 20X6 is a place of grassy meadows clashing with an immaculate futuristic cityscape, the vastness of space reduced to a few colourful locales. It is also the host to a bizarre collective of characters.
The 20X6 Strong Bad, as can be inferred, is named Stinkoman (the name comes from Homestar's affectionate nickname for Strong Bad from a previous e-mail). A good idea of Stinkoman's physiology can be gleaned by reading Strong Bad's monologue reproduced above. In physical terms, Stinkoman's proportions are closer to that of a real person than Strong Bad's (which isn't saying much). His extended arms, legs and torso, combined with the smaller size of his head, give him a rather more adult look, as well as the impression of a more muscular physique. Appropriately, Stinkoman's personality can also be seen as a throwback to Strong Bad's earliest incarnations. Challenges and fighting are what drives Stinkoman; he is never content with his current level of strength and always ready to further his personal growth. The ironic futility of such an existence is subtly shown; the viewer instinctively knows that, as with all monomaniacs, Stinkoman will never be satisfied with himself, but is fortunately too thick-headed to realize it. As with the prototypical Strong Bad, thus is Stinkoman; he is a blustering incarnation of id, sporting all of the threats, boasts and childish self-obsession but none of the wit, charm, and vulnerability that make the current Strong Bad such a figure of fun. There is nothing sympathetic or appealing about Stinkoman, as he is too much of a two-dimensional cipher to provoke anything aside from scornful laughter, at both his unwavering ignorance of anything that does not accord to his myopic lifestyle, as well as his barely-concealed effeminate side. Perhaps this is a play on how characters from Japan tend to be "dumbed-down" when translated for American audiences, with complex motivations reduced to basic cues. Another product of poor transition between cultures is Stinkoman's marvelously realized voice. It shares many traits with Strong Bad's regular voice - it is gruff, hoarse and sports an indeterminate accent, for instance, but Stinkoman's stilted speech patterns, combined with his ludicrous dialogue and the poor synching of his words to his mouth movements, give the voice a hollow, artificial quality. It is almost as though Matt Chapman had to unlearn everything he had put into Strong Bad's voice to give it its down-to-earth and naturalistic quality, but the effort paid off. Stinkoman's voice sounds just as flat and uninspired as his personality.
A few characters have received the 20X6 treatment beyond Strong Bad, but only Stinkoman has made anything more than a very brief appearance. 20X6's Homestar Runner (who has never been named) is portrayed in an extremely iconic anime style, which fits his physique better than Stinkoman's pseudo-realistic design would. His head is large and proportioned like a child's, and his boots are given a more striking design, in accordance with Stinkoman's "robot boots". Gone are the lunk-jaw and blank stare, replaced with a cherubic visage with a constant expression of rapt excitement. This version of Homestar is portrayed as Stinkoman's loyal admirer, and his enthusiastic toadying is constantly quashed by his ideal's indifference. Homestar, however, continues his unquestioning hero worship. While sounding childlike, it is interesting to note that his voice is not much different from Homestar's regular voice, save the lack of speech impediment.
Very brief roles have been played by the other characters, seen only at a distance. 20X6's Marzipan, rather daringly, has been portrayed as what seems to be most anime's idea of a "typical young girl". Tall and slender, fully figured and proportioned, complemented with arms and legs, 20X6's Marzipan is so intensely human and blatantly feminine that it is only upon close inspection of her hair (though substantially longer) and dress (though substantially shorter) that one realizes that it is indeed her. Virtually the only thing unchanged about Marzipan is her smile, which looks odd coupled with her china-doll face and wide, innocent eyes. Pom Pom's analogue, Pan Pan, has virtually nothing in common with his predecessor aside from his physique. Pan Pan is not intelligent, romantic or loyal. He is not even a Pom. Instead, he is portrayed as a grotesque, obese panda with a perpetually vacant facial expression. Pan Pan's sole purpose seems to be for crude physical slapstick.
Stinkoman has proved to be relatively popular, and has occasionally broken out of 20X6's restraints to make brief cameos in "reality". However, he is largely confined to his original world, and it is unknown as to whether 20X6 will produce more adventures and characters. Only time will tell.
Cartoons within cartoons. Whenever some sort of entertainment media references its own medium, it is usually for purposes of parody. While the parody is usually directed at the creators' peers in the medium, the parody can just as effectively be directed at itself. In the case of Homestar Runner, the low-grade Flash animations bearing the title "Powered By The Cheat" are definitely in the latter category.
The premise of Cheattoons (as they have come to be called by the fans) is simple. From time to time, The Cheat uses his computer to create Flash animations for his friends to view and, presumably, for his own aesthetic satisfaction. The humour lies in the fact that The Cheat's skills as an artist, animator and writer leave much to be desired. Like the 1936 cartoons, these works are funny because they fail to be what they were intended to be. Strong Bad is brutally honest about The Cheat's competence, but it never seems to discourage The Cheat from creating more works periodically. Artistically, Cheattoons have three benefits. First, they are often employed as a way to poke fun at the poor animation and lackluster scripting of the earliest Homestar Runner cartoons (the self-parody angle). Second, the cartoons could serve as a response to overzealous fans who attempt to create their own Homestar Runner cartoons. Third, and perhaps most attractive to the creators, they allow for easy laughs without the necessity of being "good".
The Cheat's animation style, as can be inferred, leaves much to be desired. The outlines are thick and uneven, the colours are flat and static, and the characters are animated in a jerky, off-model fashion. Errors in animation, continuity, and audio are simply ignored rather than fixed, as though the entire cartoon was edited in one take. There is seldom any music to speak of, and all sound effects are provided by vocalization. The character voices are hilariously stilted, with no effort towards proper inflection and intonation. To facilitate the poor vocal quality further, all voice work (aside from The Cheat) is provided by Mike Chapman, rather than Matt.
All of these flaws, however, would be excused if the plots were well written and the characters true to themselves. Needless to say, they are not. The Cheat's storylines are half-formed, lose their focus by the end, and are riddled with dialogue that contains mechanical wit but lacks the proficiency to be effective. The curious issue is that The Cheat seems genuinely trying to emulate the natural flow of language and humour, but does not understand the mental and emotional processes behind them. Therefore, the characters slog their way through situations without any real motivation, and random humour designed to be curious instead comes across as surreal and bizarre. The cartoon truly looks like the product of a mind not only less than developed, but also less than human; that the animator is the childlike, animalistic The Cheat was a wise decision indeed.
The Cheat is not nearly as creative as Strong Bad; all of his cartoons take place in Free Country and deal with the same characters. While The Cheat is never the main character of his animations, very few of his cartoons end without his appearance. Tellingly, as soon as The Cheat shows up, all of the other characters stop whatever they are doing to praise The Cheat on general principle, and the rest of the plot (such as it is) is entirely forgotten. The Cheat is also drawn and animated in the best style and provides his own voice work. This treatment is not afforded to the rest of his friends. Homestar Runner is drawn in a lopsided fashion with very little room for smooth movement; it is notable that we never see him walking. Homestar's voice is interpreted as nasal, whiny and sickeningly weak. Homestar's role in the cartoon is generally to be pummeled by Strong Bad, although whether this reflects The Cheat's personal feelings or if it is an attempt to appeal to Strong Bad is unknown. Strong Bad himself suffers from an oversized cranium and a disjointed, guttural voice. Strong Bad generally takes the lead in most of the cartoons, and generally does anything without bothering to explain why. In the cartoons, Strong Bad is always the first to recognize the greatness of The Cheat. Coach Z is an oddity in the sense that he is coloured an eye-stinging shade of magenta rather than his traditional green. Presumably this is to keep him from blending in with the monochrome backgrounds. Since Coach Z has a very simplistic design, The Cheat does not make any major mistakes animating him, although his head is known to accidentally separate from his shoulders from time to time. Still, Coach Z's voice sounds even more bizarre than usual matched with the chaotic speech patterns.
The other characters have only appeared in minor roles. Marzipan looks more or less like she usually does, but suffers from a pronounced overbite and a shrill voice. Her guitar is erroneously named "Carl". Bubs has only been seen (and animated) from the waist up, and makes no motion other than rocking from side to side. His voice, needless to say, has little of its usual strength. Strong Sad has been briefly seen, curiously gifted with the ability of flight. The Poopsmith has popped up briefly, sweeping up after a parade (in The Cheat's honour, of course) in a witty reference to Jay Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle. The only real flaw in his design is the fact that his upper lip is as large and pronounced as his lower lip. Strong Mad has also briefly appeared, if only as a punching arm, the rest of his body hidden offscreen. It is unknown, although very likely, whether or not the rest of the gang will be seen in The Cheat's unique animation style. Outside of the original characters, Eh! Steve has also made a cameo in a Cheattoon.
The first Cheattoons were music videos which, while far from phenomenal, at least benefited from prerecorded music and characters providing their own voice work. However, once The Cheat more or less abandoned music videos in favour of cartoon shorts, the quality went downhill quickly. The character designs became cruder, the visual effects became less ambitious, and the work degraded to being a self-addressed valentine to The Cheat. However, these works were designed to be comedic rather than impressive, a respect in which they succeed brilliantly. Although most of the comedy is the hit-or-miss variety, it is very likely that The Cheat will continue his works whenever the animators feel the need to stretch.
Always looking for innovation, the Chapman Brothers have devised many clever ways to showcase the same characters in different fashions. With all of these variations, it was only a matter of time before the characters broke out of the restraints of animation itself. From that perspective, it became clear that aside from animation, the medium that could depict the characters with the most accuracy was puppetry.
Puppets come in many styles, but the Homestar Runner puppet owes most of its design to Jim Henson's Muppets; it is hollow, allowing the entire arm of the puppeteer inside to move the head and mouth. Under normal circumstances, the puppeteer's other arm operates a wire to manipulate one of the puppet's arms, but Homestar's physiology makes this feature unnecessary. The full-arm approach allows the puppet to be manipulated with a great degree of subtlety if properly operated, and the puppet version of Homestar is handled appropriately. The movement of the puppet's head shows small nuances over broad movement, and the mouth movement synchs to the dialogue even better than the cartoon version does.
Of course, this technical expertise is not at the forefront while one watches the puppet sequences. What the audience sees is the exact same character from the animated shorts, only in a slightly different presentation. Homestar's personality, identity and voice carry over into the puppet perfectly. Granted, there are a few differences, such as the fact that Homestar's upper and lower lips now meet (to better facilitate mouth movement) and that he is now only seen from the waist up, but what could be called Homestar's spirit transcends the medium in which he is portrayed.
It is also charming that Homestar's entire world also survives the transition from cartoon to puppet intact. Various props and locations have been recreated to accommodate the puppet, providing a delightful take on what Free Country would look like in the "real world". Moreover, the difficulties in turning a two-dimensional world into a three-dimensional one are used for comical effect rather than avoided. The best example is probably the fact that Homestar's eyes both appear to be on the side of his head. Rather than limiting the number of viewpoints from which Homestar can be seen, he is calmly depicted as turning around and walking away, regardless of the position of his eyes.
In addition to Homestar, only The Cheat has also made the transition to the puppet world. This is appropriate, as a character like, say, Strong Bad would be far too difficult to successfully turn into a puppet. The Cheat's puppet requires no articulation, but still benefits from the increased subtlety afforded to the puppets. Even more than Homestar, The Cheat is only recognizable from very few angles, and therefore looks even odder when he casually turns towards an unflattering angle. Aside from The Cheat, Homestar has also costarred with Doregarde, Strong Bad's puppet fashioned from a cantaloupe and a pencil, which is translated faithfully into reality. There is a subtle gag at work, as Doregarde is only brought to life by Strong Bad. Therefore, when Homestar and Doregarde converse, the implication is that Doregarde is controlled by Strong Bad while Homestar is controlled by a puppeteer!
A final note is the fact that the Homestar puppet's debut short was not powered by Flash, but Macromedia RealPlayer. This meant that several visitors to the site were unable to view the short. Fortunately, all future puppet shorts have been embedded in the Flash, and even the debut short has been modified, so that all audiences may now view them.
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