The Cheat (whose name is "The Cheat", with the definite article) is a character in the Homestar Runner animated cartoon series. He's a small, furry, yellow creature who, true to his name, is always looking for a way to cheat, or to help someone else on a scheme. The Cheat is Strong Bad's lackey and primary partner in crime.

His appearance has been described as a cross between a Pikachu, a wedge of cheese, and an anvil. The Cheat has a gold tooth, although it is rarely seen. The Cheat speaks entirely in a language of high-pitched squeaks and growls, which the other characters can apparently understand.

He has been known to carry a fake ID that identifies him as a 43 year-old Scandinavian miner named "Ilko Skevüld". The Cheat is most often seen hanging around Strong Mad, who he claims helps protect him from large predators. Together with Strong Bad, Strong Mad and The Cheat make life difficult for the other residents of Free Country, USA.

Strong Bad claims that he found The Cheat long ago in an oversized egg filled with a lifetime supply of fishsticks.

Tangerine Dreams is The Cheat's iMac-like computer, which he uses to produce his own "Powered by The Cheat" cartoons and music videos. These cartoons are drawn in their own distinctively crude style, which some sources say is the animation style used by The Brothers Chaps before they settled on the current design. In the cartoons, Mike Chapman provides poor imitations of his brother Matt's normal voice work.

In fact, The Cheat's computer appears to be the most powerful computer in the Homestar Runner world. As Strong Bad once commented after attempting to open his email by typing "strongbad_email.exe" over and over, "Your computer has too much computer in it, and not enough typewriter." Despite having a computer in Strong Bad's house, he lives in a surprisingly spacious barbecue grill owned by the King of Town.

The Cheat has also inspired/spawned a series of cartoons called the "Cheat Commandos", a sendup of the 1980s G. I. Joe cartoon series. The Cheat's commando name is "Firebert", a name that Strong Bad constantly puts down as "not a good commando name." Firebert appears in the Cheat Commandos cartoons.

Alternate versions

1936 - The Sneak

Every villain needs a sidekick, and 1936's Sir Strong Bad is no exception. The Cheat appears as The Sneak, an opossum-like creature that communicates by twitching its nose.

20x6

The futuristic anime-style The Cheat has only appeared in a small frame on a menu page, and its exact nature remains undisclosed.

External links

• Character video: The Cheat
• The Cheat at the Homestar Runner Wiki