StickDeath.com

The Violent Flash Site That Disappeared

Forgotten Internet · 1998–2012

Archived on

Associated With

Rob Lewis - creator and site author

Defining Feature

Violent stick-figure animations, Flash games and recurring features presented through one website

Status

Defunct - the original site is offline, with surviving material only partially preserved

Overview

StickDeath.com used simple stick figures in violent Flash cartoons, games and recurring web series.

Credited to Rob Lewis, the site combined browser-delivered animations, interactive games and serial material, including S.W.A.T., Stick Wrestling, Survivor and Crack House Cleanup.

It probably emerged in 1998 and remained part of Flash-era internet culture into the 2000s before disappearing from the live web. Numerous original SWF files have since been recovered, but some works and surrounding site material remain missing.

Why It Mattered

StickDeath represented a period when an independently created website could become an entertainment destination in its own right. Visitors explored menus, followed recurring characters and shared individual animations and games.

Its fragmented survival also demonstrates the difficulty of preserving Flash-era culture. Recovered animations retain the individual works, but missing menus, navigation and surrounding pages leave part of the original experience lost.

Site Format and Scope

  • The site combined Flash animations, interactive games, serial material and annual or branded pieces.
  • Catalogued titles include Crack House Cleanup, Stickzilla, S.W.A.T. Mission #1, StickDeath Survivor, Stick Wrestling and Stairway to Heaven.
  • The material was browser-delivered and in English.

Dating the Site

  • Stairway to Heaven is catalogued as a 2000 English-language Flash animation developed by Rob Lewis.
  • A homepage captured on 24 December 2009 retains a 2004 copyright notice for Rob Lewis.
  • The site’s 1998 origin remains probable rather than firmly established.

Preserving StickDeath

  • Arquivo.pt retains a homepage capture, while Flash Museum catalogues selected works.
  • The StickDeath Archive collects original SWF files and identifies missing or partial holdings.
  • Original SWF files do not retain the full context of the site’s HTML navigation, menus and linked works.
Sources & Records

Gallery

Cartoon scene of a red sports car outside dark buildings, with a blue stick figure in the driver’s seat and a green stick figure lying on the road. The top of the image shows an “SD” logo and the text “www.StickDeath.com.”
Source
Credit

Rob Lewis / StickDeath.com; image preserved by StickDeath Archive

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

StickDeath's crude figures and violent visual jokes belonged to an early web-animation culture built for quick viewing and repeat visits.

Stylized illustration on a black background of a green stick figure at a gray DJ-style console with a microphone, flanked by two large speakers under a white spotlight; “www.StickDeath.com” appears at upper right.
Source
Credit

Rob Lewis / StickDeath; animation preserved by Flash Museum

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Disco!! turns simple stick figures into a nightclub sketch, an example of the short Flash animations that circulated through StickDeath.

A dark cartoon scene shows brightly colored stick figures dancing on a gray floor beneath a white disco ball, with thin beams of light and the text “www.StickDeath.com” at upper right.
Source
Credit

Rob Lewis / StickDeath; animation preserved by Flash Museum

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The dance floor in Disco!! uses minimal characters and sound-driven action, illustrating how early Flash humour could work with very little visual detail.

Blue stick figure stands beside a pool containing two photographed dolphins. A speech bubble says, “These are our 2 bottle nose dolphins...” and an orange arrow inside a black circle points right.
Source
Credit

Rob Lewis / StickDeath; animation preserved by Flash Museum

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Dolphin Show combines photographed animals with stick-figure animation, preserving the deliberately rough visual mixture of an early web cartoon.

Gray webpage headed “S.D. Games,” listing linked game titles including “Wheel Of Justice,” “SBOX,” “Bagarag,” “CrackHouse Cleanup,” “S.W.A.T. Special Edition,” “New Game demo 4,” “S.W.A.T.,” and “Escape From Greenville.” A “Return to main page” link and “www.STICKDEATH.com” appear near the bottom.
Source
Credit

Rob Lewis / StickDeath.com; page preserved by StickDeath Archive

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The S.D. Games page records how a visitor moved between interactive pieces before video feeds and app stores became the dominant ways to browse online entertainment.