StickDeath.com

Forgotten Internet · 1998–2012

Published 28 August 2026

StickDeath.com was an early web-entertainment destination credited to Rob Lewis. Its deliberately simple stick figures appeared in violent cartoons, interactive games and recurring features including *S.W.A.T.*, *Stick Wrestling*, *Survivor* and *Crack House Cleanup*. The site emerged in 1998 and remained part of Flash-era internet culture into the 2000s before disappearing from the live web. Enthusiasts have since recovered numerous original SWF files and reconstructed parts of the collection, but some animations, games 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 with friends—often from school or home computers.

Its fragmented survival also demonstrates the difficulty of preserving Flash-era culture. Recovering an animation is valuable, but without the original menus, navigation and surrounding pages, part of the experience is still 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 English-language.

Timeline

- “Stairway to Heaven” is catalogued as a 2000 English-language Flash animation developed by Rob Lewis.
- A preserved homepage captured on 24 December 2009 retains the notice “©2004 Rob Lewis.”
- The 1998 origin remains probable rather than firmly established.

Preservation Context

- Arquivo.pt preserves a homepage capture, while Flash Museum catalogues selected works.
- The StickDeath Archive collects original SWF files and identifies missing or partial holdings.
- Original SWFs do not retain the full site context of HTML navigation, menus and linked works.

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

Primary Records

- **StickDeath Archived Homepage — Arquivo.pt**
- **StickDeath Archive — Preserved Classic Site**
- **Adobe Flash Player End-of-Life Information**

Image Sources

- **Image 1**
- **Image 2**
- **Image 3**
- **Image 4**
- **Image 5**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference.

Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Source

Credit

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

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. 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.