A Brief History of Homestar Runner 

What I love about Homestar is that it always feels modern and fresh, even stuff released in the early 2000's feels new and exciting, their jokes are timeless, they don't reply on modern pop culture references and each of the character's personalities are strong enough to hold up even today

Seeing all these comments like "I have never heard of this," makes me feel SO old. My brother showed me the site when we were both still in high school, back around 2001 or 2002. Homestar Runner is pretty much a part of my soul now. I still catch myself singing some of the songs or doing impressions of certain phrases. (Usually "That sneakity sneak all day loooooong!" or "Coach Z, how come you don't dance no more?" or "The system... is down.")

I remember one night around 2004 (estimated to be, as I forgot the exact year), I wrote an email as a 13-14 year old boy. I wanted to profess my love for the Strongbad emails, but didn't want my mom to know (as we weren't allowed online at that time). With that said, I just mashed my palms against the keyboard in the box where you were supposed to enter your name. I figured it didn't matter, as I thought I would never have my question posted. To this day, the email I sent is saved under the title "i love you". I have bragged about it to friends for 10 years, and will probably never stop. Homestar Runner fans will understand this..

Here's a fun fact: Strong Bad's Cool game for Attractive People is what caught the interest of Robert Kirkman into collaborating with Telltale Games and making the Walking Dead video game.

I spent a good deal of time in college reading Strong Bad's emails. I can't believe there are so many people saying they've never heard of it.... come on fhqwhgads.

"Rejoice everyone, Homestar Runner is back!" Man, those were the days.

Thank you so much for bringing ABH onto the Vlogbrothers channel, Hank! It is genuinely a dream come true :) DFTBA!

I'm 18, so I'm used to my peers not knowing what Homestar Runner is, but it's still so sad to read all these comments about how unimportant HR is just because someone's never heard of it. It seems kind of egocentric and unimaginative to assume that just because you've never heard of something it's unimportant to other individuals or the evolution of online entertainment.

Homestar Runner is the greatest thing the internet has ever produced and is still god damned hilarious well into my 30's.

I'm pretty sure this video has set a new world record for "Most Words Spoken In 4 Minutes."

Burninating the countryside, burninating the peasants. Burninating all the people AND THEIR COTTAGESSSSS.

This is what we killed time with in High School. We still quote it all the time, including spontaneous Cheat inspired light switch raves. This made me so happy, thank you.

HOMESTAR RUNNER WAS MY CHILDHOOD. He was the start of my addiction to the internet & videos. Strong Bad was the absolute best oh my gosh. THE NOSTALGIA

Whoa. A collab with Hank. Congrats, Ryder!

My favourite thing in homestar runner is that one strong bad mail episode where he's like "Y-O-U-R. Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E. They're as different as day and night. Don't you think day and night are different? What's wrong with you?"

I have three thoughts right now: 1) HOMESTAAAAAAAR!!! This makes me so happy. 2) I just want to point out, the last computer that Strong Bad was using when the site went "under" was a Compé. The Compy 386 died a while ago. 3) I have to admit, it's been a while since I last watched a vlogbrothers video and gone so far as to read the comments. I never remember so many Nerdfighters being so entitled and annoying. People are complaining about the free video, brought to them by someone who doesn't do this as a full-time job, that introduces them to learning about things and people they didn't know, which things and people have brought enjoyment and happiness to a lot of people in the past? ...Yes. Let's all complain that Hank chose to do this instead of something else, why don't we. I think I'm going to stop reading comments again.

Hurts to watch this in 2023 knowing that they've hardly made any new content. The hype at the end of this video came to fruition in some other time or place, but not ours.....

THIS IS THE BEST THING EVERRRRR! None of the kids at my work have ever heard if Homestar Runner which is so insane to me, I was only born in 1995 but I was still an early adopter to the site and it seriously shaped my sense of humour and world view and it made my siblings and I closer when they still lived here, we would watch the toons all day and then when we were away from the one computer we would all pick a part and act them out in our best voices word for word. My mum never even watched them and STILL TO THIS DAY uses the word Jorb. The first time I met somebody else that liked Homestar Runner was in grade 9 when my English teacher would draw Trogdor on the board sometimes and oh my god that was the first time I ever realized that other people could be into the same thing as you and you could geek out over it and it made me realize how cool fan communities are. I'm currently playing through Strong Bad's Game for Attractive People and oh my god everything is wonderful in the world of Homestar Runner.

Can't boot up a computer that has a shotgun hole in it, and then got eaten by Strong Mad.

Nick Carter is doing a tour, there's a new Pokemon game just released, a Star Wars movie is coming out next year and Homestar Runner has new content... WHAT YEAR IS THIS?!!!

the system is down. the system is down. THE SYSTEM IS DOWN THE SYSTEM IS DOWN

Homestar Runner always makes me nostalgic. When the Homestar Runner site launched and grew popular, I was in high school. I'm about to turn 30. Things on the Internet that actually stick around this long are an incredibly rare species. Things that go dead for years and then return to a dramatically transformed Internet that still welcomes them wholeheartedly are an even more rare species. Homestar Runner defies the odds.

In a collaborative video ***** and Ryder introduce you (or re-familiarize you) with the majesty of Homestar Runner. In a lot of ways it was the very first broadly successful online video project. Pretty much everything we do here on RU-vid is in some way based on trails The Brothers Chaps blazed. Our history, people! It is here!

Excuse you! He doesn't use the Compy anymore. I'm gonna get really Homestar pedantic here, but he started off with the Tandy 400 until that got trashed (though he continued to use it for a little while), and when he came back from "vacation" he started using the Compy 386. He used it for a very long time until it got a virus and Bubs took care of it with a shotgun. He then got the Lappy 486 that worked until it couldn't handle Homestar pouring Mountain Dew over it anymore (I actually can't remember how it went out), and he is now using the Compé.

You didn't mention Homsar. I mean, I love you guys, and you're very smart, and everything, and this was a good video, but you missed the greatest character ever.

The lateness of this video is a lesson in why you should stream on twitch more often.

It's in a weird place where nobody knows how popular it was but *everyone* old enough knows about it. I learned my first cuss words off this site, it was great!

Love homestar, but found the fast talking slightly off putting. Also genuinely surprised how many people who claim to be poking around the internet during the early 2000's have never heard of homestar runner. If you have never watched homestar or strong bad then you need to because aside from being absolutely hilarious it is also definitely a price of internet history.

how come i've never heard of homestar runner before late 2019?! when i watched one toon, i was in love with it

Homestar Runner video? Heck yes. I love it! Unfortunately, you didn't get this uploaded before 12 am eastern, so I believe it's punishment time. :D

I love Footofaferret! I got so confused at first when I saw the thumbnail on your channel., but then I read the description before the video loaded and realized it was a collaboration. Yay!

I'm cuddling my Kick The Cheat doll and smiling really goofy right now, and I'm a 31-year-old woman.

It's the greatest Internet series ever. And weekly updates again would be beyond awesome.

AHH! I was so confused and then immediately psyched when I saw this video on my subscription feed! Congrats Ryder!! DFTBA

I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS BACK MAN HOMESTAR WAS MY CHILDHOOD

Man, talk about nostalgia. Homestarrunner was "viral video" before anyone had ever uttered the word. And now I feel old for having been on the Internet in 2003.

That was exhausting. Sometimes I find myself speeding up video essays by 25%, but holy crap but I really wanted to slow this down.

Homestar Runner was seriously the beginning of quality entertaining content on the internet, and I am so happy they're trying to find a way to bring it back and keep it relevant in today's over-saturated internet media culture. I remember the days when those flash videos filled almost my whole web browser screen -- but that's when 800x600 was standard computer screen resolution, haha.

I will never ever ever write a song about the sibbie

As a lover of Homestar Runner from my early years, i am overjoyed to see so much recognition as of late. Hank was actually the first youtuber i ever watched who knew what Homestar Runner was, and i'm so glad that this video can introduce people to the amazing website!

I have never heard of homestar. None of those characters look familiar. Who are you people.

It's so interesting to read the comments that split between "Hell yes Homestar Runner is back!" and "Who the hell is this and why should we care?" I fall into the former camp, but I also recognize that the whole flash video phenomenon is kind of specific to those of us who came of age on the internet in the early-mid 2000s. I remember watching these and trying to learn to do basic flash animation on my middle school's computers because I thought it was so great, but I can also see how someone who wasn't online or engaged in internet culture at the time could find is boring or strange.

Finally! Something on Homestar Runner! Man I used to go on that site all the time!

This is seriously exciting! Homestar Runner was my first real introduction and, for the most part, my first memories of the internet. For a long time I would check up on the website and see if there was new activity, so this news brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Matt Chapman also worked as a writer/director on The Aquabats Super Show! He even played a ghost/hardcore punk vocalist in one ep.

Homestar Runner is such a special show. I really hope a new generation can appreciate it now that the Chaps are back at it. Elated!

It's weird. I used to go to a physical store and rent DVDs of Strongbad Emails

I have had four kids since 2014 and it just occurred to me that I can watch some of the best Homestarrunner shorts with them. They LOOOVE it!

You got the munch The crisp and the crunch! Livin' in the gutter with grandma. When Coach puts you in you gotta go for the win! Y2K turned out alriiiiiiight Sblounskched! You can do it! Sblounskched! Crispy chew it! Who's got the moneeeeeeeey?? You got Sblounskched.

I was introduced to Homestar Runner back in 2004 thanks to my old computer science teacher, who showed the "Techno" Sbemail in class as an example of web animations done in Flash. Since then I kept up with the site all the way up until the hiatus began, after which I just waited and hoped one day maybe a topic would pop up on forums I frequent saying something like "omg new homestar runner at long last!", but after a few years of no updates and learning one of the brothers was now working on stuff like Gravity Falls, I felt like the series was probably just sadly going to stay a "relic" of the previous decade. Lo and behold the April 1, 2014 animation is uploaded and at long last I knew the series would be finally returning.

I was at the stream. It was interesting... by the way it was cool seeing nerd fighter history. Also the chat was in an uproar for a long time. It was the best. I was 1/76 people or so who got to see you fail.

i love this so much ahhh i cant believe you reintroduced this to the world guys thanks so much for honoring that honor that is homestarrrrr runnnerrrrrr!

The bros chaps inspired me to pursue animation.. A decade and a half later, Im about to try again

I was introduced to Homestar Runner one Friday afternoon in forth grade (which was back in 2005) and have been a loyal fan ever since. Homestar has probably done the most to influence my sense of humor. Its amazing how the series still manages to make me laugh after all these years, and how my brother and I can still bond over it. Every new upload is like an early Christmas present....oops, I mean Decemberween. Also, Experimental Film was the first song I ever loved.

I just discovered a brief history last night!!

Homestar runner played a significant role in my child hood

And now I'll have Strong Bad's techno in my head the rest of the night.

This was my childhood! My dad and I used to watch these together all the time when I was little, and now that I'm about to graduate high school, it's great to start that tradition again! I'm so happy they came back!

This got me into Homestar Runner. THANK YOU!

This is what I love about the website. It used "stupid humor" before it even became a thing, and in a way, I felt that it was what started it. It will never be forgotten.

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE HOMESTAR RUNNER. My favorite are the videos of Strongbad...

Homestar Runner was a huge part of several years of my adolescent life. Thanks for the update!

Homestarrunner.net. It's doooot coooom.

I watched homestar in middle school with my older sisters and I still will reference it without even thinking and almost no one gets it. But when you do find that one gem of a person who knows "wiggidy whack?" "no, just regular kind" it's a sweet victory. Also my blood hurts!

I said come on fhqwhgads. I said come on fhqwhgads. Everybody to the limit! Everybody to the limit! Everybody come on fhqwhgads!

Glad to see A Brief History getting a bit of deserved attention. I like the idea of VB doing more of these collabs to highlight up and coming RU-vidrs.

I'm fascinated by and curious about the part of me that expected (and maybe even hoped) your video would be about Eric Garner/Michael Brown/the protests/this particular moment in our culture. I guess I'm finding the whole situation so painful/difficult to process, and while I'm eager to be in conversation about it w/thoughtful people, I'm having trouble finding the words. Maybe that's why I was hoping you might have some or might have created a space to hang out in this weird space/time together. But then why is that your job/duty/whatever? It isn't. (I really really believe that.) So I will carve out a little space right here, nestled amongst all the deserved Homestar Runner love, to just be here, right where and how I am, fascinated by and curious about my impulse to project onto you the responsibility for doing the things I really need to do for myself (dwell in, process, feel, articulate, express, discuss, take action, etc). So thank you. You created the space for me to realize that.

I was obsessed with homestar when i was younger and still sport a trogdor shirt every now and then but when i found the website it has already gone on hiatus and i didnt hear about the whole reboot i think im going to go weep from joy now and spread the word

TROGDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRR! TROGDOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRR!

I love this. People need to take a breather from demanding every piece of content is "me-relevant" or even "social-justice-relevant" and realise what is being said (very rapidly) here. This flash site was the fore(homestar)runner to a huge world of internet entertainment and I'd like to say a huge thanks to Hank and Ryder for giving the brothers Chaps the props they deserve.

Twitch was there to save you Hank.... But what time zone are we going by? Let's say Eastern so... PUNISHMENT!

My dad used to play this on the computer with me and my brother. I think I was like 6. He would draw the characters and everything, haha we were all sooo into it. I have so many great memories of Homestar Runner but this is the first time in 8 years that I've heard anything about it. Thanks for the vid guys.

Glad you got it up in time :-D

Homestar Runner was the bane of my elementary teachers'/librarian's existence. Our 5th grade teacher showed it to us, and from then on we spent every free moment watching them in school. Eventually the school installed a blocker for the website but it didn't stop us from quoting it all the time.

OH. MAN. POM-POM

Man, I used to love Homestar Runner, it was all I ever went on before I discovered RU-vid and social media. I didn't know it was so big, though! I'm glad to see that other people enjoyed it just as much as I did!

Watching this at .75 speed makes it easier to understand.

Homestar Runner is the only thing on the Internet, nay, in the entire world, that never EVER ceases to make me laugh.

While you're busy talking about homestar runner I was burning THACHED ROOF COTTAGES!!!! Because I'm TROGDOOOOOOOOOORRRRRR! !!

Homestar Runner is what got me into watching flash, and playing online games, and eventually watching videos on this website. Man, it's crazy how things go.

This is exactly why we should alway be on twitch so the videos get uploaded later XD

HOMESTAR RUNNER IS BACK! I didn't even know before I saw this. THANK YOU VLOGBROTHERS. brb watching all the new homestar content.

Compy 386 died. It's the Compé, and you cant stop me.

Homestarrunner is the basis for 90% of my jokes or quotes. Every time a light flickers I burst into "The Cheat is GROUNDED. We had this light switch installed so you could turn your lights /on/ and /off/. NOT so you could throw LIGHTSWITCH RAVES." Also my computer is named Lappy 486.

I was one of the 76 people on the GamesWithHank stream! :D

Aww, Ryder I'm so proud of you. This is awesome, and not just because I love Harry Potter and the vlogbrothers. This is really good for you and as always it was excellently produced.

And now it's been referenced in Deltarune: Chapter 2.

Strong Bad and Teen Girl Squad are my middle/high school. Absolutely amazing. Thank you Hank Green. You are as always, made of awesome.

Great jeaorb Hank and Ryder!

I was fairly young in HR's heyday (mid 2000's) so some of the jokes and references made in the cartoons went over my head, but I always found the kooky, random style of humor insanely entertaining, as did so many others who now make content of their own; I'd wager the vast majority of comedy RU-vidrs have taken at least some influence from The Brothers Chaps. HR is no longer a top priority for Mike and Matt (understandably so, since they have families now), but I'll always look back on the site's most active days with fondness and appreciation.

HOOOOOOMESTAAAAR RUN RUN ..uhm... Everybody Everybody! ... Everybody! La-Dee-Da-Dee-Doh Thats all I got

I know I'm late to the party here since the video is a fortnight old, but this was one of the greatest videos I've seen ever. Greens + Homestar = WIN! Thanks for the rundown. I was a fan from the start of the Homestar Runner buzz and followed it religiously until it disappeared. That it's coming back makes the ... not-so-child in me *sigh, old* so, so happy!

Teen Girl Squad was my entire childhood!!!

There's finally new content on Homestar Runner?! That just made my day! sbemails and TGS are still staples in our house, probably quoted at least once a day in some context. I'm so glad the Brothers Chap are back :D

I said consummate V's! CONSUMMATE!

Thank you for this video! I knew, vaguely, what Homestar Runner was but I didn't know all that! I love learning new things from you, Hank! You make learning so entertaining!!

Aaand after a brief episode of back-ness....silence, once again.

My dad showed me homestar runner when I was maybe 7?? I love this so much.

I don't know if anyone else had this feeling but I felt really "distant" while watching this video. I had never heard of Homestar Runner before so I didn't really know why I should care. I had never watched a "Brief History" video before so the format was completely new and strange to me. And on top of that, most of the people in the comments seem really excited about this and clearly know much more about this corner of the internet than I do. I managed to fight the urge to press pause and watched the video from beginning to end because, hey, this is a Vlogbrothers video after all. It was well made, clearly a lot of time was invested in making it and it seems that most of the viewers enjoyed it, but I don't think I personally got a lot out of it, unfortunately. Maybe it was too much information too quickly too early in the morning, or maybe I just need to accept the fact that I don't need to love everything that happens on this channel.

Glad you were able to upload it not too late. :)