If you’ve never seen a Homestar Runner cartoon, you’re missing out on one of the greatest things to come out of the internet in its short lifespan. But if you’re one of the web series’ existing fans who’s poured over every cartoon and found every secret link, you’ll love this video that breaks down the history of the animated series as much you loved the news that the Brothers Chaps are bringing back the series. (Yay!)
Did you know that the Homestar Runner world actually started life as a children’s book intended to parody other series like the Berenstein Bears? The first characters introduced were Homestar Runner himself, Strong Bad, and the Cheat, but when the stories moved online as a series of flash-animated shorts, the rest of Strong Badia was flushed out with the addition of other now-beloved characters like Coach Z and the Poopsmith.
Despite a huge fanbase that the Brothers Chaps weren’t actually able to quantify because they never bothered installing analytics software on their site, the pair decided to take a break in late 2009 which left the site with minimal new content until April 1 of this year when the first full toon was posted again after almost five years. It was the beginning of what will hopefully be the triumphant return of the Brothers Chaps, Homestar Runner and, yes, the Poopsmith.