The ‘crapful’ characters of Homestarrunner.com

Homestar Runner

This speech-impaired athlete is the good-natured, all around nice guy of the group. He has an obsession with marshmallows and doesn’t mind being kicked around by his overbearing, vegan girlfriend Marzipan. Homestar is supposed to be the star of the site, and though he isn’t always aware of what he is doing, he always manages to come out on top — much to the chagrin of his nemesis, Strong Bad. For typical Homestar action, check out “The Interview” in the “Shorts” section.

Strong Bad

As one of the site’s creators, Matt Chapman says, “Everyone loves the bad guy,” and what isn’t there to love about a trash-talking, party-crashing jerk?

Strong Bad is the troublemaker of the group. He always has something sarcastic to say about, well, everything. He, along with his buddy The Cheat, is always trying to make Homestar’s plans go awry. However, his plans are always foiled, often by Homestar’s smarter friends, such as Pom Pom. One of the site’s more popular and updated features is Strong Bad’s e-mails of which he answers one per week. Recommended e-mails are “techno,” “guitar,” and “invisibility.”

Pom Pom

No one here at The Oracle has any clue what Pom Pom is. The creators couldn’t really tell us what it is either, not could they really explain the other characters, for that matter. Pom Pom can absorb seemingly everything and is Homestar’s buddy. It doesn’t speak, however. All Pom Pom does is sort of bubble. “Many viewers think he is bong. He is not a bong,” said Matt.

No matter what Pom Pom is, he usually foils Strong Bad’s plans for embarrassing Homestar. Check out “A Jumping Jack Contest” to see Pom Pom in action.

The Cheat

This little yellow guy is one of the strangest characters, if only for his size and ability to mess with everyone’s heads. As Strong Bad’s sidekick, The Cheat is the essence of cool. He has light switches installed specifically so he can reach them, creates music videos and loves making trouble. He doesn’t say much, but he often is the one behind Strong Bad’s plots. Check out “The Cheat Theme Song,” an MP3 file made by the Tennessee-based Skate Party in homage to the yellow dude, to see just what The Cheat is all about.

Marzipan

The only girl in the group, Marzipan is Homestar’s girlfriend. She is often absent-minded and bosses Homestar around constantly. However, she truly is a nice girl and is often overlooked in many of the cartoons. She has a quiet sense of humor and helps Strong Bad with his baking. She runs a gamut of identities, but perhaps her character is best revealed in “The Luau,” though her “answering machine” also gives a glimpse into how the other characters view her.