In the Club

I discovered Homestar Runner back in 2004. It is a comedy site full of strange cartoon characters and surreal humor. I thought the games, toons, and Strong Bad emails were hilarious, but I'll freely admit the humor isn't for everyone. The site is family-friendly unless you are offended by the words "butt" and "crap".

Homestar Runner doesn't have any commercials, but you can buy their merchandise. I gave Charlotte a Trogdor onesie when she was a few months old. I whispered, "You don't know it, but some day you are going to loooove Trogdor. He's the burninator."

The site went dormant about the same time Char was born. Turns out the creators of the site, Matt and Mike Chapman, had started their own families and needed time off. They kept the site running, but we were pretty busy with our baby. I stopped checking for updates after awhile.

I still wear my Homestar t-shirts, though.

It's surprising how many people approach me when they recognize the image on my shirt. We were at a restaurant last weekend, and a stranger walked over and said, "Hey, I like your shirt. Back in high school and college, Homestar was all we did." I thanked him, and we talked a bit about the site. He told me his cousin was really good at doing imitations, and could do all the voices. That might seem really random, but I liked his story. He shook my hand before he left.

"I've never met a Homestar fan that I didn't like." - Will Rogers 

I've also worn the shirts while running road races. During the Des Moines Marathon a spectator yelled at me, "Everyone loves the Homestar Runner! He's a terrific athlete!" While running the Dam to Dam, another runner kept quoting Strong Bad and then looking over at me for approval,"Check me out!" "I don't have a tape leg!" "Seal da deal!" He did this five or six times until his embarrassed buddy punched him in the shoulder. I didn't mind.

"No, seriously. Check me out!"

Being a Homestar Runner fan is like being in a club, but you don't know any of the the members.

For years Charlotte has been asking me, "Dad, why doesn't the guy on your shirt have arms?"

I usually answered, "I'm not sure honey. That's just the way he was drawn." Back then Char wasn't mature enough to understand Homestar's unusual humor. She might even think some of the characters were scary. She also wouldn't understand that she shouldn't say the world "crap" although Strong Bad sometimes does.

Char asked me the arms question again a few weeks ago. I said, "When we get home, I'll show you." And I did.

 We fired up the laptop, found the website, and clicked on the "First Time Here?" button.

I had no idea how Charlotte would react.

Her brow knitted at first, then a tiny smile crossed her lips, and by the time Homestar had messed up his lines for the fifth time, Char's eye began to sparkle. When the introduction clip was over, my daughter turned to me and quoted, "It's dot commmmm!" and then she laughed.

Yea! She gets it! Charlotte is in the club!

We watched all of the character profiles, a few of my favorite Strong Bad emails, and we finished with some "Teen Girl Squad" cartoons. Honestly, I had forgotten how funny it all is. We watched a few more 'toons before bedtime.

I surprised Char the next morning with a Homestar key chain that I had fastened to her backpack. She was pumped, B\but before we got to school, I had to explain something to her.

I've written about this before. Charlotte really likes the Hayao Miyazaki's movies My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.

She has this Totoro print on her wall.

She also has fan shirts.

Char understands that not many kids around here know these movies, and she can't use them as a point of reference. "Remember that time when Kiki flew down the street..." But every once in a while someone, usually a teenage girl with blue hair, will walk up to Charlotte and say, "I really like your Totoro shirt."

I told her that Homestar is going to be like that. "You can't show someone that keychain and say, 'Look! It's Homestar!' because they probably won't know him. Does that make sense?"

She nodded her head, "It's a daddy-daughter thing." Exactly.

I've been digging around in my basement and at school to see how big my Homestar stockpile is. I found a music CD, the DVD set, and a few drink coasters. The best discovery was a poster from 2004. I had it on my classroom wall for a year or two, but it hasn't seen the light of day in over a decade. I'm surprised the poster didn't get crushed by falling books in the English department storage closet, but it was safely stored in this box.

The edges are a bit beat up with tiny tears, partial tape strips, and pinholes. A poster frame neatly hides those imperfections. I was saving this as a Christmas gift, but it's already on her wall. 

I'll admit it. I couldn't wait to see Char's reaction when she saw this. I wasn't disappointed. After a 20 second smile and some fist pumps into the air, Char asked me to lean the poster against the couch. She plopped onto the carpet and starting pointing out characters, "There's Bubs! That's Strongbad. Homestar! Trogdoooor!" "Dad, can we hang it up in my room?" 

"Of course we can. I told you. This is for you." 

*Huge Hug* 

I am so glad I saved this poster.

It is very cool when your kid genuinely enjoys something you also enjoy. I know Homestar isn't educational, and it promotes unneeded screen time, but sometimes you should do stuff that is just for fun. Even if you think these cartoons are junk, they are harmless junk.

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