Trogdor the Burninator

2003

Date: 13 January 2003 (Strong Bad Email 58) · Place: homestarrunner.com, sbemail 58 (dragon) · Figures: Strong Bad, voiced by Matt Chapman · Mike Chapman, animator · Tags: Strong Bad, Singalong 01. Strong Bad Draws a Dragon Strong Bad Email 58, dated 13 January 2003, has Strong Bad answer a viewer who asks how to draw a dragon. He doodles an S-shape, adds spines, a beefy arm, and Trogdor the Burninator is born. The cartoon ends with a NES-style fake game (Trogdor!) and a power-metal singalong about Trogdor burninating the countryside, the peasants, the thatched-roof cottages. The song is in caps. The song is sung at music camps. The song is sung in dorm rooms for a decade. 02. A Web Dragon Becomes a Real Game Trogdor playable in browser becomes the Brothers Chaps' most downloaded asset. Guitar Hero II (2006) ships with Trogdor as a bonus track. Trogdor!! The Board Game (Kickstarter, 2018) raises $1.4 million. Trogdor is the case study for a meme escaping its parent cartoon entirely. People who have never seen Homestar Runner know the dragon. The burninating outlives the website. Sources • homestarrunner.com, sbemail 58 • Guitar Hero II track list (Activision, 2006) • KnowYourMeme, Trogdor