And while we never do get the answer to the age-old question of how Strong Bad types with those boxing gloves on, it’s not surprising to learn that Homestar Runner’s operations were exactly as ramshackle as the cartoon’s old Flash site would lead you to think, full of all-nighters, endlessly repeated family in-jokes, and constant struggles to figure out how to live off of running one of the internet’s most beloved destinations.
“We might’ve taken our punk rock status too far,” Matt Chapman notes, referring to his and his brother’s resistance to putting ads—even for their own merchandise, which was the primary way the site was funded—into Strong Bad’s mouth. Still, the overarching emotion is one of youthful exuberance, as the brothers’ shared efforts to learn Flash turned into a cultural phenomenon that even ended up on the head of Rush’s Geddy Lee. “We have no idea if he knew what Strong Bad was,” Matt notes, “But our dumb animal character was on his head while he probably shredded ‘Working Man,’ so I’ll take it!”
The two brothers also reflect on their happiness with what they’ve achieved, as well as the pleasures of continuing to work exactly the same way on Two More Eggs. (A 3-D-printed figurine filled with beef stroganoff is mentioned as part of their creative process.) Per Matt:
We’ve felt so many times over the years that we are super fortunate, that it can’t get any better, that no matter what else we do, we did this one little thing that mattered to some people for a while. Is that a good epitaph, “He did this one little thing that mattered to some people for a while?” We always say that we could get jobs making donuts at a grocery store bakery and be totally happy for the rest of our lives since we got to do Homestar. And now we’ve been saying that for over a decade.
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