| Strong Bad | |
|---|---|
| Homestar Runner character | |
 | |
| First appearance | The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest |
| Created by | Matt and Mike Chapman Craig Zobel |
| Voiced by | Matt Chapman |
| In-universe information | |
| Family |
|
Strong Bad is a fictional character from Homestar Runner, a series of animated Flash videos, who is inspired by "The Strong Bads" from the video game Tag Team Wrestling. He is voiced by Matt Chapman, the principal voice actor and co-creator of the series. Strong Bad enjoys pranking the other characters of the series, along with his ever-diligent lackey pet named "The Cheat" and his older brother Strong Mad.[1] The main segment that Strong Bad is a part of is Strong Bad Email, in which he answers emails sent to him by fans.[2] The Strong Bad Email series grew to be so popular that six DVDs featuring the emails have been released, as well as a podcast where emails could be downloaded to digital media players, since its first episode in 2001.[3]
The character's face resembles a red lucha libre mask, with four laces in the back and a blue diamond centered between his eyes. The diamond has the power to open bottle caps from "Cold Ones" and remove Homestar's hat, though he has only been seen doing this once. His eyes are green and shiny, and apparently turn grey when he is dead. Usually his mouth is a peach-colored rectangle when not speaking, and can form the shape of an "o" when using words with an "o" sound in them. He lacks a shirt (but wears certain ones on occasion), nipples, and a belly button. Strong Bad also has boxing gloves for hands, though mysteriously he can type with them in his Strong Bad Emails. He also wears black pants, along with red shoes with white soles that curve outward.
Strong Bad was originally created to be the main antagonist of the series but, since then, he has become less of a villain and more of an antihero. However, he is still occasionally referred to as an antagonist, due to the pranks that he, Strong Mad, and The Cheat play on the other characters, and his insulting of his brother Strong Sad.[4] He seems to be a character influenced by the American popular culture trends of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, such as heavy metal music and the second and third-generations of video games and video game consoles.[4] Since he is one of the site's most popular characters, merchandise has also spun off of Strong Bad, which includes T-shirts and sweatshirts sold by the website.[4]
Strong Bad has been one of the most popular characters in the series and has been well-received. In 2021, Polygon declared Strong Bad an icon. In a tribute, they note that "Strong Bad Email was far and away the most popular segment on Homestar Runner" and the series and character have "remained a "massive comedic influence" on others.[5] Segments have been spun off of his emails, including "Teen Girl Squad", a comic drawn by Strong Bad about four teenage friends,[6] and "20X6", an anime-style cartoon featuring Japanese versions of the characters, such as Strong Bad's counterpart, "Stinkoman".[7]
- ^ Chapman, Matt; Chapman, Mike. "Strong Bad's Character Video". homestarrunner.com. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ Taylor, Lauren (October 24, 2003). "Homestarrunner's antics provide entertainment for its on-line fans". Red and Black. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ Miller, Aaron (August 23, 2007). "Podcasts". Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ a b c Wood, Peter (August 27, 2003). "Everybody to the Limit". National Review Online. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ "Strong Bad...thank you". Polygon. April 13, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "Strong Bad Email #53, comic". homestarrunner.com. 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ "Strong Bad Email #57, japanese cartoon". homestarrunner.com. 2002. Retrieved September 13, 2016.