Homestar Runner

Homestar Runner is a Flash-animated Internet cartoon series created by Mike and Matt Chapman, also known as The Brothers Chaps.

The horrible, reality-shredding experiment theory

The Gist of It

All the residents are mutants resulting from failed experiments that attempted to create super-warriors.

Full Summary

The military attempted to create a team of superior beings for use in warfare, but all were either failures (Strong Sad, Bubs and Coach Z have no superhuman abilities that we've seen), not geared toward combat (either physically like Marzipan or mentally like Homestar himself), or simply too powerful to be controlled (as demonstrated by the reality-warping powers of Homsar and, to an extent, Strong Bad). They were sealed in a specially constructed underground dome, but the government knew that even that could not stop them if they wanted to break free. They created an entire community for the beings, keeping them happy so they would not attempt an assault on human society, supplying Strong Bad with infinite e-mails to focus his near-omnipotence on and airing propaganda cartoons such as the Cheat Commandos to attempt to make the Homestar Runner-ers see things our way (they probably see the cartoons as being as ridiculous as we do).

This results in the strange looks and bizarre abilities of its residents. This is evidenced by minor character Crack Stuntman, a perfectly normal (well, physically) human, being shown to live in the same universe as the more bizarre, physics-defying, and physiologically improbable main cast.

Evidence

1. Consider how horrifying most of the cast would look if their bodies were subject to the laws of nature. Even if you ignore the several missing limbs, Bubs has flippers, Marzipan is implied to have some kind of sluglike foot in place of legs, Strong Bad's face is at least partially removable, and Coach Z has a face in only the loosest definition of the word. The oldest cast member, the King of Town, could possibly be just a cartoonish human under that Santaman cape thingy, and the youngest, presumably Strong Sad, is both the most grounded in reality and most realistic in his appearance. He has a complete head (unlike the otherwise humanoid Strong Mad), arms with actual fingers (while half the cast are still working on the whole "arms" business), and feet with toes (animal feet, but it's something). This variation in mutations implies that whatever warped Free Country's reality started off slowly, came into full force at around the time of Homestar and Marzipan's births (living flesh broomstick?!), and waned slowly since. Homsar, with his vague age and origin, is some kind of anomaly, it's possible that he's the cause of all the chaos in the first place. Or, as stated below, he is a god.
   • Strong Sad, being the smartest and least mutated of the cast, is depressed (and used to dream of his own death) because unlike his companions, he's aware of how horribly, nightmarishly wrong their existence is.
   • Alternatively, the experiment affected Homsar so badly that reality itself actually distorts in his presence. He's not an anomaly, he's their greatest success.
   • This is somewhat supported by the fact that most other forms of life in Free Country, USA have apparently died. Except for a few points in the series, we never see or hear the ambiance of wildlife, even mundane background noises like birds singing. Stunted grass seems to be the only widespread plant life around, with bushes and / or trees restricted to the fringes of the area in the background. The Stick, which seems to be a sapling, is likely all that remains of Free Country's trees.
2. The name "Free Country, USA" implies extreme patriotism to the point of potential propaganda, meaning that the US government might be responsible for whatever it is that's going on down there. Will we be seeing amputee telepaths and wrestlemen deployed in Iraq? _Discussion
3. If we take this further, it's possible that Salad Fingers exists in the same universe as Homestar Runner. Salad Fingers, however, is set in an area where the experiments had a rather more unpleasant effect.
   • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixjnnPweYXY
4. This theory could also explain why Marzipan is the only girl. As we've learned from Jurassic Park, a creature bearing two X chromosomes is easier to create than one with both an X and Y. As two X's create a female, whoever was doing this experiment would have had the means to create many females. However the ease of programming a female also leaves room to screw up, so I'm betting before Marzipans mutation/creation, other females were made but rejected *Cough Cough*concept art*Cough Cough*. After all, Marzipan seems to be an almost ideal mutant. Think about it: Almost normal looking, pretty (ish), not hindered by any bad mutations, has either telepathy or invisible limbs (something the person doing the experiment seems to have been striving for). If you've made a good one, why go any further?

Counter-Evidence

1. Bubs DOES have superhuman abilities. Not only as the Thnikkaman, but he used to have the ability to hover. Of course, then he lost it by saying sbu, but still....
2. Strong Sad also appears to have the power of il-l-l-l-lusion according to the sbemail "magic trick."
3. What about Strong Mad? Super strong, too dumb to disobey orders, pretty much invincible? If beings like that existed, I can imagine quite a few governments willing to strap a helmet on them (somehow...) and point them at their enemies. _Discussion

Sub-theory: Free Country USA is the product of Homsar's deranged imagination.

Rather than some reality-bending accident, everything we see are the delusions of Homsar, who is really an incurably insane human locked in a madhouse somewhere. It would explain why everything seems to defy space, time, and logic, as well as the bizarre appearances of all the characters and places. Adding to that, this insane world could very well be the collective unconscious of several inmates, such as the manically depressed Coach Z, or the emotionally unstable Strong Sad.

See also

• So they're all human?
• This.

Discussion page

The Experimental Psychiatric Hospital Theory

The concept is since the people there are so maladjusted to real life, they create a fantasy world through advanced holographic technology in hopes of teaching the inmates how to cope with real-world situations without any of the danger. The inmates give themselves new names, new appearances but their personalities and disorders remain the same. There are only two people aware of this, Bubs (Who is one of the wards running the place, this also explains how he can control the entire token economy) and Strong Bad, who managed to find a way to contact the outside world via e-mail. (The wards allowed him to have his little e-mail show, provided he never tries to meet any of the e-mail senders in person. They think this is conducive to his ongoing therapy. They tried to let Homestar have an e-mail show as well, but it didn't work out.) This has worked for some inmates (Strong Sad and Coach Z have stopped suicide attempts, And Marzipan can be persuaded to eat food once in a while) But there are others it hasn't. (Senor Cardgage mostly) Yet each of the inmates is still too unstable to be released into the real world again, hence, they stay in Free Country Psychiatric ward.

The scrapped fact about the King of Town being Marzipan's father is true.

...sort of. The KoT simple thinks Marzy is his daughter. Originally, he just started saying that to be cool and stuff. Then he forgot his reason and just thinks it anyways. Marzipan replies by mooching him off and getting trust funds. And remember, it was stated the the King of Town is Marzipan's father, but not vice-versa.

In Bone, Fone Bone went back to Thorn after the epilogue. Homestar and Homsar are their children

• Let this be a warning to all fans of Interspecies Romance stories.

The 1980s Strawberry Shortcake and Homestar Runner are the same universes and the characters both have relatives

So The 1980s Strawberry Shortcake characters and Homestar Runner characters are relatives because they are similar to them. Here is why...

• Strawberry Shortcake is Marzipan's Niece because she is nice like her
• Orange Blossom is Coach Z's Niece because he called Bubs "Orange Coach Z" In the Sbemail Road Trip
• Lemon Meringue is Bubs' Niece because she has an unamed mother while Bubs have a first wife and his sister and his dead relatives
• Blueberry Muffin is Pom Pom's Cousin because she is Huckleberry Pie's friend while Pom Pom has many Girlfriends. They are both best friends of Homestar and Strawberry
• Plum Puddin' is The Poopsmith's Niece/Nephew because they both have jobs. Plum Puddin' did great at classes (Like mathematics in the first Strawberry Shortcake special) while The Poopsmith works with The King of Town
• Huckleberry Pie is Homestar Runner's Nephew because he is related to Strawberry Shortcake and Blueberry Muffin while Homestar is related to Marzipan. he is friends with Strawberry and Blueberry while Marzipan is Homestar's girlfriend
• Raspberry Tart is Strong Bad's Niece because they both act like eachother
• The Cheat is Apple Dumplin's Secondary Pet she lived with Raspberry Tart while The Cheat lives with the Brothers Strong
• Lime Chiffon is The King of Town's Granddaughter because she....should've been one of the King's Servants as "The Ballet Dancer"
• Apricot is Homsar's Cousin because they are both young and she was friends with Orange Blossom and he was Homestar's Little Brother (Is what I think about Homsar and Homestar's Relationship)
• Angel Cake is Strong Sad's Niece because of the events of "Pets on Parade" before she got a Pet
• Peach Blush is Strong Mad's Niece because they both have the same hair color (Maybe when Strong Mad was a Teen and was hitting Puberty in the Sbemail "Imaginary")
• Almond Tea and Cafe Ole are Mr. Bland and Señor's Nieces because the girls are both silent. I can still hear Mr. Bland and Señor's voices in Strongest Man in the World Remake
• The Purple Pieman is Senor Cardgage's Cousin because he is related to Sour Grapes and her Niece Raisin Cane while Senor Cardgage is Strong Bad's Dad (Is what I think about Senor Cardgage and Strong Bad's Relationship)
• T.N. Honey is Homeschool Winner's Niece because they are both Smart like Plum Puddin'
• Banana Twirl is Champeen's Niece because they are both athletic like Homestar
• Cherry Cuddler is The Hurricane's Niece because they both have the same hair color

Free Country, USA has a girl and Strawberryland has boys. So the 1980s Strawberry Shortcake and Homestar Runner are the same Universe.

Senor Cardgage is a sexual predator, and possibly made Strong Bad one of his victims in the past.

First of all, Strong Bad idolizes him with an almost puppy-like devotion, while his brothers seem to be afraid of him ("He was really sketchy and gave me nightmares!"). Secondly, we have Papa Cardgage's Pudding Patch. Thirdly, he eerily treats male characters as if they were female. Suddenly, "Say hello to my tacklebox" and "I hope you get all my particles" evoke a whole new meaning...

Senor Cardgage is entirely harmless.

• The reason Strong Sad is afraid of him is because he's an unwitting Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant. Just look at the old kook's idea of a daycare!

Alternatively, Senor Cardgage...

Is simply a sufferer of dementia. Harmless, but kind of depressing when you think about it this way.

• To go further on this and the theory Cardgage might be Strong Bad's crazy uncle, Strong Bad viewed him as a role model. After all, why else would Strong Bad know how to keep Cardgage from dying? He's charged himself with making sure the old geezer he admires doesn't hurt himself on his frequent bouts of dementia-induced wandering.

Senor Cardgage is a visitor from another dimension who never left.

There's been some confusion over who he really is, why he's apparently Creepy Combover Story Strong Bad AND Senor Cardgage at the same time, and why, if he's the former, has he ceased to be a figment of Strong Bad's imagination and become a real character. The answer became obvious last night: He existed in an alternate dimension in which Strong Bad was "a different kind of cool," directly inspired by his own childhood memories of Senor Cardgage. He took that name, as well, because he admired him just that much. Strong Bad then brought him to Free Country USA from that dimension in "alternate universe", and he just never left. The only times he was ever been interacting with the other characters between those two Emails were in Easter eggs and "Senorial Day," and all of those could easily have been flash-forwards. It was only afterwards that we've seen him interacting with the characters in the Emails proper. As for why he's gradually turning into more and more of a Homsar-esque Cloud Cuckoolander? Side effect of interdimensional travel, of course!

Senor Cardgage is not crazy, or at least not as crazy as he seems

He's just speaking the same language as Homsar.

Homsar's parents are divorced

The reasoning is simple. When we get a picture of them, it says "Homsar's parents" on the bottom, meaning the Coffee that raised him was married to the Chipwich. However, he says "I was raised by coffee", not "I was raised by coffee and a chipwich". Meaning, the chipwich walked out on the coffee at some point.

• It naturally follows that Homsar's odder tendancies stem from the stress that this event placed on him when he was young.
• Except Homsar never said he was raised by a cup of coffee. That was Strong Bad's imagination.
• he did say that in one of the Halloween episodes. I forgot which one.

The Brothers Strong are Japanese.

Why else would they put their surname first? Also, Strong Sad seems to have an affinity for Japanese things such as haiku and anime. Strong Bad claims that he doesn't know or care what a "hai-oo-koo" is, yet he recites one in one of his sbemails. Strong Bad is probably rejecting his heritage, while Strong Sad embraces it.

• So maybe Strong Bad is making fun of Japanese culture with Japanese Culture Greg, instead of the Brothers Chaps.
• Having their surname first can also make them Hungarian. The Japanese aren't the only ones who have their names in that order, you know.

Mama Strong works in and/or is making a killing gambling in Las Vegas

She sends her sons money and makes regular visits, but otherwise she's either too busy or simply making too much money to come home full-time.

Yowane Haku and Akita Neru are the Cousins of Strong Sad and Strong Bad.

Yowane Haku and Akita Neru is one of the Popular fanloids who are famous for Gochagocha Uruse! (Stop Naggin' Me!) and Ievan Polkka. Strong Sad is a Goth Like character who write Poems and like Dark things and Strong Bad is a Masked character who does Emails. Yowane Haku and Strong Sad both sound the same while Akita Neru and Strong Bad have the Same personalities. Yowane Haku and Akita Neru are Friends and Strong Bad and Strong Sad are both Brothers. They are Miku Hatsune and Kasane Teto's Friends while Homestar tries to befriend Strong Bad and is Strong Sad's Friend.

• just because some characters are similar doesn't mean they are related.