The Simpsons holds the record for most guest stars; it is also the only non-variety show to have had appearances from three former Beatles (Paul, George and Ringo).
Movie news
Great sites
Quotes
Bart: What a day, eh, Milhouse? The sun is out, birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them - as is my understanding...
Mistakes
When Flanders walks up to the door, there is nothing next to the door, but in the next shot after Homer has thrown garbage onto him, there is an egg box next to the door. See more...
Movie Mistakes blog
Popular blog posts:
10 Twilight mistakes in pictures
The Simpsons (1989) - 145 trivia entries
Directed by Matt Groening, starring Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner, Kelsey Grammer, Nancy Cartwright, Phil Hartman, Yeardley Smith (add more)
Across whole show
The Simpsons holds the record for most guest stars; it is also the only non-variety show to have had appearances from three former Beatles (Paul, George and Ringo).
The only voice artists who regularly perform as only one character are Yeardley Smith as Lisa and Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel. Yeardley has also voiced different versions of Lisa (Lisa Jr. and Lisabella) in at least two other episodes.
Evergreen Terrace, the street the Simpsons live on, is also the street Matt Groening grew up on in Portland, Oregon.
Maggie scans as $847.63 in the supermarket at the beginning (not NRA4EVER, as Troy Maclure asserts in 3F31 "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular), the price it costs to feed and care for the average American baby every month.
Milhouse was named after Richard Milhous Nixon.
Many of the characters in the show are named after streets in Portland, Oregon. These include Flanders, Kearney, Lovejoy, Quimby and Terwilliger (Sideshow Bob).
Bart's anonymous prank calls to Moe the bartender were inspired by tapes of real-life prank calls made to New Jersey bartender Louis "Red" Deutsch (the tapes were widely circulated during the 1980s). Deutsch constantly received calls requesting fictitious bar patrons (Al Coholic, Stu Pitt, etc), and always responded in a hostile manner every time he realized he'd been duped.
The character Professor John Frink is named after a producer of the show and based on Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor. Professor Frink alludes to being charged with copyright infringement in connection with Jerry Lewis at a convention.
The Simpsons continually pokes fun at the Fox network because it is the only show on Fox that does not have to be checked by its executives and edited accordingly. This also means the producers of the show can get away with a lot more on prime time television.
The salesman character Gil, who can't catch a break, is based on Jack Lemmon in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).
Initially, Yeardley Smith auditioned for the voice of Bart and Nancy Cartwright for the voice of Lisa. They play them the other way around.
The Simpsons are named after Matt Groening's own immediate family. His parents are called Margaret and Homer, and he has sisters called Maggie and Lisa. Bart is the only one not named after a Groening, although he takes Matt's place in the Simpson family.
When Matt Groening first designed the show, the characters were colored yellow so people would think the color on their TV set was off, and would attempt to try and correct the problem by changing the color on their set to give the characters a more "human" color. But in reality, they were colored yellow to stop channel surfers from constantly flipping around the channels.
The aliens Kang and Kodos are named for two "Star Trek" characters - Kang was a Klingon warrior, and Kodos was a Hitler-like mass murderer.
Homer's voice is based on the dramatic style Dan Castellaneta's father used when he talked.
When the cast appeared on "Inside the Actors' Studio," Hank Azaria stated that the voice of Moe was based on a bad impression of Al Pacino. Ironically, not only did Azaria and Pacino share a scene together in Michael Mann's Heat (1995), they also share the same birthday.
A running joke throughout the series is that no one knows where Springfield is. The writers are always coming up with ways to keep the audience guessing. Some examples of this are: in 'Sunday, Cruddy Sunday' when Marge phones the egg painting company and gives her address, she says, "742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield Ohi...", then cuts out to say, "Oh hiya Maude!" to Maude Flanders, who suddenly appears in the kitchen. When Homer and Bart are off to the Edison Museum in 'The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace' they drive past a sign with exits to New Jersey, Michigan and Oregon, none of which are close to each other. When Larry Burns spots Mr. Burns on the train, he asks where the train is going. The conductor says, "Springfield." and Burns asks, "Springfield where?", but the conductor's reply is drowned out by the train's engine.
In several episodes, one of Maggie's stuffed toys is a stiff-limbed rabbit. This rabbit starred in a comic strip Matt Groening used to write, about a rabbit and his journey through a troubled life.
Marge was in labor with Bart for 53 hours.
Check out the doorknocker on the Simpsons' front door. It looks a lot like Mr Burns when he puts his head down, complete with the three liver spots and the pointy nose.
In most of the establishing shots of the Power Plant, there is a crow caw heard.
Ned's real name is Nedward.
If you watch older episodes versus newer ones, Homer's voice changes noticeably. Dan Castellaneta claims that doing the original voice became too taxing on his vocal cords, so he gradually morphed into talking in the voice we now recognize.
Another gag that makes the location of Springfield more ambiguous. In one episode the superintendent of the Springfield school systems says "This school used to be the worst in the state of Missouri." Everyone gives him a shocked look, and then he adds "which was why it was moved brick by brick to its present location."
Bart's voice is the only one that never changes. Confirmed on DVD commentary.
Whenever Homer says he wants to fulfill his life -long dream, Marge tells him that he has already fulfilled it and the dream is a different one every time.
Marge's mother's name is Jacqueline Bouvier, which was Jackie Kennedy's maiden name.
In New Zealand when the show was being shown on the TV2 network, the Itchy & Scratchy cartoons over a period of time were continually edited to try and remove as much violent content from them as possible. However around 2000-2001 the network edited out every single Itchy & Scratchy cartoon making the cartoon almost non-existent in the show despite some of the cartoon's content not being as objectionable as the rest.
Hank Azaria, voice for many of the characters on the Simpsons, said in an interview with Conan O'Brien that most of his voices were just bad celebrity impressions. Moe Syzlak is Al Pacino, Louie the cop is Sylvester Stalone, and Comic Book Guy is someone he went to college with who had a personality much like comic book guys. With other characters who Azaria doesn't do are also celebrity impressions. For example, Mayor Quimby is JFK.
The comic book store guy's real name is Jeff Albertson.
Creator Matt Groening holds the world record for the most DVD commentaries by one person. In total he has done over 100 commentaries over the first five seasons on DVD. The only episodes from seasons 1-5 he has not commented on are "Call of the Simpsons", "The Telltale Head", "The Crepes of Wrath" (all season one), "Homer and Apu" and "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" (both season five).
The Simpsons has a joke that has been run many times in different forms. They make a reference to the movie "Ben Hur", a movie about a Roman Gladiator. It has a famous chariot scene where one of his opponents has a chariot with spikes on the wheels. He uses it to cut up his opponents wheels and make them crash. This joke is frequently used in the show. It can be seen in the episode where they go to New York, where Bart makes a Soap Box racer, and many others.
The show was to have spawned a live-action spinoff, "Krusty the Clown", starring Dan Castellanata. Matt Groening abandoned the project in order to concentrate on "Futurama".
Mayor Quimby is based on John F. Kennedy, who had a habit of having sexual relations with many women whilst in office.
In the episode where the Simpsons go to Japan, Bart puts on a cartoon that causes everyone to have seizures because of flashing eyes. The same kind of thing happened to real children during an episode of Pokemon where a character's flashing eyes caused them to have real seizures.
Otto the bus driver is based on Slash, ex-guitarist of Guns N' Roses and guitarist of Velvet Revolver.
Matt Greoning is a big fan of the band Guns N' Roses. He displays this by often making references, such as playing their music, in episodes.
In Season 18 Episode 18 (Boys of Bummer), the announcers at the ball game are an American from KBBL radio and a Mexican from QUE BBL radio. QUE is pronounced "K" in spanish.
One of the sliest jokes in the series' entire run is the name of talk-show host Opal's boyfriend, Straightman. Steadman Graham, the longtime beau of Oprah Winfrey (on whom Opal is based), is rumored to be gay.
In a recent episode (I saw it when it premiered on 5/17/09) the Odgenvillians move into Springfeild, then are forced out. When Lenny and Carl go on the chair attached to balloons, you can see the house for Pixar's latest film, Up, in the background.
Homer's Night Out (series 1)
When Bart smashes his piggy bank for money, you can see that there are already cracks and tape on it. This is a reference to "Homer's Odyssey" where Homer smashed Bart's piggy bank when he was desperate for beer money.
There's No Disgrace Like Home (series 1)
This is the first episode that Bart says his catch phrase "Don't have a cow."
Lisa's Substitute (series 2)
The substitute teacher is actually voiced by Dustin Hoffman, who is credited under a pseudonym.
The Way We Was (series 2)
The poem that Homer attempts to read is the weird poem that Steve Martin recites in both "The Man with Two Brains" (1983) and "L.A. Story" (1991) ("Oh pointy birds, oh pointy pointy...").
The Simpson's Halloween Special: Tree House of Horror (series 2)
The cookbook which says 'How to cook for forty Humans' parodies a 'Twilight Zone' episode called 'To Serve Man.'
In the section where the Simpson family is abducted by Kang and Kodos and are being given the tour of the ship, Bart and Lisa make a few wise-cracks, and either Kang or Kodos (Who can tell them apart?) said "Anyone here who has mastered intergalactic travel, raise your hand" and Kang and Kodos raise their hands. This is a joke by the animators, making fun of Alf Clausen, the composer of the music. To end arguments with other people working in the music department he says "Anyone who has composed a Grammy-winning record, raise your hand" and he raises his hand.
During the opening graveyard scene, notice the gravestone which says Paul McCartney. Creator Matt Groening is a big fan of the Beatles, and during the 1960's, a conspiracy theory was being spread that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash and was replaced by a lookalike.
The Otto Show (series 3)
In this episode, Bart attends a Spinal Tap concert. Harry Shearer, who voices a number of characters on the show, played Tap bassist Derek Smalls in the film "This Is Spinal Tap."
Dog of Death (series 3)
When the commercial is on about the lottery, the guy on the right is Lenny, just with a different color of hair.
Lisa's Pony (series 3)
At King Toot's music store, Homer is asked whether Lisa's sax is a tenor or an alto. Actually, it's a baritone.
Tree House of Horror II: A Simpsons Halloween (series 3)
During the opening, the tombstones the camera passes by read 'Bambi's Mom,' 'Jim Morrison,' 'Cajun Cooking,' 'Walt Disney,' and one that says 'Lose Weight Now, Ask Me How.'
In the shot of the house during the opening credits, a group of trick-or-treaters walks past. This is the same group that goes trick-or-treating in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966).
Stark Raving Dad (series 3)
"John Jay Smith," credited as a guest star at the end of the episode, is in fact Michael Jackson, who starred as the man who thought he was Michael Jackson under a pseudonym. Michael is a massive fan of the show and also co-wrote the Simpsons' early hit, "Do the Bartman."
When Michael Jackson did a guest spot on the show he did his speaking lines himself but when it came to singing, a Michael Jackson sound alike or impersonator stepped in and sung the lyrics to the songs. The reason was based upon his record contract, which since he is so famous probably has a lot of stipulations when he lends out his voice.
Krusty Gets Kancelled (series 4)
When this episode aired in Mexico, the name of Luke Perry was translated as - believe it or not - Robert Redford... This was because even though Luke Perry was very popular in that country thanks to 'Beverly Hills 90210', the translator did not know him, and absurdly and stupidly assumed no one else in the country did either, so the name of another 'more popular' celebrity was used.
Marge doesn't speak one line in this episode.
Marge in Chains (series 4)
Marge is accused of shoplifting and hires Lionel Hutz, played by Phil Hartman, as her attorney. In the middle of the trial, Lionel gets an urge for whisky, so he calls his AA sponsor, David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. When Crosby answers the phone he is looking at the CSNY emblem on an album, which Phil Hartman designed himself in the late '70s.
The Front (series 4)
You can see Matt Groening laughing at Itchy & Scratchy in the audience of the Annual Cartoon Awards.
In the episode where Bart and Lisa write Itchy and Scratchy cartoons, the book entitled "How to make millions off of cartoons" is written by James Shwartzwelder. He is the consultant for the Simpsons in real life.
Last Exit to Springfield (series 4)
Mr Burns' reaction - right down to his animation - to the singing of the Union towards the end is a direct spoof of the Grinch (from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) by Dr. Seuss. His characters also spoke in rhyme, which is why some of Mr Burns' lines are nonsense.
Duffless (series 4)
Lisa says she is laughing at a joke from "Herman's Head." Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa, was one of the stars of "Herman's Head" (1991).
I Love Lisa (series 4)
Ralph Wiggum was named after Ralph Kramden on "The Honeymooners" because the character was intended to be a loudmouthed smaller version of Homer. He wasn't established as Chief Wiggum's son until "I Love Lisa."
Marge vs. the Monorail (series 4)
The entire premise of this episode, where a man in turn-of-the-century garb sings and charms his way into the townspeople's hearts as part of an elaborate con, is a takeoff of the musical, "The Music Man" (1962). Even the tunes of the songs they sing are similar.
Lisa's First Word (series 4)
The line "If you should die before you wake," uttered by the clown bed is a copy of a scene from the film 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'.
Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie (series 4)
Lisa refers to Dustin Hoffman and Michael Jackson voicing guest characters in the "Itchy & Scratchy" movie. She says "They didn't use their real names, but you could tell it was them." This is a sly reference to Hoffman and Jackson's pseudonymous appearances in The Simpsons, in Seasons 2 and 4, respectively.
Kamp Krusty (series 4)
At the end of the show, the person singing 'South of the Border' is actually creator Matt Groening. Confirmed on DVD Commentary.
James L. Brooks, the executive producer, was so enthusiastic about the episode's premise that he wanted to make it the official Simpsons movie. This idea was abandoned because the writers had problems getting the story to 23 minutes, let alone 90 minutes.
Bart Gets an Elephant (series 5)
When Chief Wiggum is taking all the calls about the elephant and doesn't believe them, at the end of the last one he says 'Yeah right. And I'm Edward G Robinson'. Hank Azaria originally based Wiggum's voice off a bad impression of Edward G Robinson.
$pringfield (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) (series 5)
Towards the end, Mr. Burns starts becoming insane, growing long hair and long, claw-like fingernails and toenails, and becoming obsessed with germs. This just what happened to Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire who died in 1976. Burns also has a plane called the "Spruce Moose." Hughes' plane was the "Spruce Goose," currently displayed in Long Beach, California.
Tree House of Horror IV: The Simpson's Halloween Special IV (series 5)
When Marge asks Bart to explain how scary the episode is, she mentions the "War of the Worlds" broadcast on NPR. Narrated by Orson Welles, that radio serial was so chilling, a number of listeners actually believed Earth was under attack.
Homer Goes to College (series 5)
The 'nerd' with the thick glasses is based on the show's creator, Matt Groening.
When homer lights his high school diploma on fire and starts singing the "I am so smart" song, when homer misspells smart, that was an actual mistake by Dan Castellaneta, who spelled it s-m-r-t instead of s-m-a-r-t, and then corrected himself.
Homer's Barbershop Quartet (series 5)
During the episode, Skinner reveals that his POW number was 24601. This is the same as Sideshow Bob's inmate number and takes after the prisoner number of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. That same prisoner number was also Hank Jennings' in "Twin Peaks".
The reason the name 'The B Sharps' is so funny (at least to a musician) is that in music, there is nothing that is actually referred to as B sharp. There is a natural half step from B to C.
Some Beatles references in this Beatle mirroring episode: more obviously the rooftop concert, Abbey Road-esque second album cover, the Japanese Artist (Yoko) and the song Number 8 sounding like a dumbed down version of Revolution Nine. Probably less obviously is the closing line, 'I Hope We passed the audition' is the end of the rooftop concert and "Let It Be" album. On the back of the Be Sharps album is the four members in similar poses (hand positions and with Homer with his back to camera) to the inner sleeve of "Sgt. Pepper". The greeting at the JFK airport, their managers 'Boys, you've just recorded your first number one', mimicking George Martin on hearing "Please, Please Me", the cries of "Wiggum forever, Barney Never" echo the "Pete Best Forever, Ringo Never". The list goes on.and on.and on.
Who Shot Mr. Burns? (1) (series 6)
Mr. Burns says "You all talk big, but which of you has the guts to stop me?" at the meeting, and everyone looks away. Only Maggie keeps staring at him.
Bart's Comet (series 6)
In the first shot inside the bomb shelter after the whole town has crammed in, you can see Waldo from the "Where's Waldo?" books at the top of the screen.
Homer the Great (series 6)
In the scene where Homer finds out that the seat at his workplace is sleazy, he draws out a hate list to include "Econosave" office furniture on it. Items on Homer's hate list are:
Bill of Rights
Grampa
Fat Free Lard
Gravity
The Emmys
Darwin
H2Whoa!
Billy Crystal
God
Soloflex
The Boy
Stern Lecture Plumbing
EconoSave
Fear of Flying (series 6)
Most of the main cast of 'Cheers' has been on the Simpsons, including Kelsey Grammer as Bart's returning nemesis, Sideshow Bob. When Homer is kicked out of Moe's Tavern, he looks for a new bar and ends up in Cheers, where the other Cheers cast members voice their old characters. However, Grammer's character of Frasier does not speak.
Homer Badman (series 6)
The programme "Rock Bottom" scrolls a really quick list of apologies, one of which is meant to show Homer as innocent. The list reads: 1. "Peoples' Choice Award" is America's greatest honor. 2. Styrofoam is not made from kittens. 3. The U.F.O. was a paper plate. 4. The nerds on the internet are not geeks. 5. The word "cheese" is not funny in and of itself. 6. The older Flanders boy is Todd, not Rod. 7. Lyndon Johnson did not provide the voice of Yosemite Sam. 8. If you are reading this you have no life. 9. Roy Rogers was not buried inside his horse. 10. The other U.F.O. was an upside-down salad spinner. 11. Our universities are not "hotbeds" of anything. 12. Mr. Dershowitz did not literally have four eyes. 13. Our viewers are not pathetic, sexless food tubes. 14. Audrey Hepburn never weighed 400 pounds. 15. The "Cheers" gang is not a real gang. 16. Salt water does not "chase the thirsties away" 17. Licking an electrical outlet will not turn you into a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. 18. Cats do not eventually turn into dogs. 19. Bullets do not bounce off of fat guys. 20. Recycling does not deplete the ozone. 21. Everything is 10% fruit juice. 22. The flesh-eating virus does not hide in ice cream. 23. Janet Reno is evil. 24. V8 juice is not 1/8 gasoline. 25. Ted Koppel is a robot. 26. Women aren't from Venus, and men aren't from Mars. 27. Fleiss does floss. 28. Quayle is familiar with common bathroom procedure. 29. Bart is bad to the bone. 30. Godfry Jones' wife is cheating on him. (NB: Jones was the host of "Rock Bottom") 31. The Beatles haven't reunited to enter kick boxing contests. 32. The "Bug" on your TV screen can see into your home. 33. Everyone on TV is better than you. 34. The people who are writing this have no life.
Lisa on Ice (series 6)
After Skinner tells the students to report to the "Butthead Auditorium", he says to himself that they "shouldn't have let the students name that." This is a reference to a School from Maryland about 10 years ago that let the students rename their school. Their top pick, "Springfield Elementary", was rejected because of the negative influence of Bart and the show itself.
Lisa's Rival (series 6)
When Homer's sugar melts, he says 'Melting. Melting, oh what a world.' This is exactly what the Wicked Witch of the West says when she melts in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Bart of Darkness (series 6)
Once Bart witnesses Flanders' "murder" the show becomes a takeoff of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954). Bart is spying on the neighbors while his leg is in a cast, just as Jimmy Stewart does in the film. He even sees an older man with his leg in a cast looking back at him. The man calls for "Grace" to come see the sinister kid. Grace Kelly played Lisa, Stewart's girlfriend in the film. Stewart watches as Lisa goes snooping through the neighbor's house just as Bart watches Lisa Simpson. And when the neighbors come home, they both call for "Lisa" to get out of there.
Much Apu About Nothing (series 7)
Apu enrolls in Springfield Heights Institute of Technology. Anyone else find those initials amusing?
A Fish Called Selma (series 7)
Troy McClure's strange house that looks like a UFO on a pole is based on an actual house in the Hollywood Hills that looks just like that. It can be seen in Brian De Palma's film, "Body Double" (1984).
Lisa the Iconoclast (series 7)
Lisa makes a visit to the Jebediah Springfield Museum. When she's talking to the curator, there is a picture in the background of Otto riding on a cart, with school kids aboard. There is also a picture of a woman with Marge-style hair.
In this episode Donald Sutherland plays the museum curator. In the 1975 film "The Day of the Locust" he plays a character called "Homer Simpson".
Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming (series 7)
When we are first introduced to Sideshow Bob, he is building a ship out of sticks. Look at his name tag. It says A-113 on it. A-113 is the classroom number used by character animation students at CalArts, frequently used as an inside joke by graduates, right the way up to Pixar movies.
Tree House of Horror VI (series 7)
In the story where Homer get transported to the 3rd dimension there is a string of hexadecimal numbers floating in space. The string reads: %46%72%69%6E%6B%20%72%75%6C%65%73%21. If you paste these into your browser address bar you can see that these convert to say 'Frink rules.'
In the segment Homer3, you can see at one point in the background of the 3-D world a tea kettle. This is a reference by the animators to the first object ever digitally animated into 3-D, a kettle. You can also see the number 733, which if you look on a normal phone it spells out PDF, the software they used to make the sequence. There's a special on these on the 7th season DVD's.
Lisa the Vegetarian (series 7)
Paul McCartney agreed to guest star on the condition that Lisa's conversion to vegetarianism remain permanent. This is one of the few points of continuity that has been strictly adhered to.
Bart Sells His Soul (series 7)
In church, Mrs. Glick plays "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on the organ. As time passes, a caption appears that reads "Seventeen minutes later." That song actually does run seventeen minutes long.
Bart changes the lyrics to Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to "In the Garden of Eden." This was in fact the original title of the song, but because Ron Bushy had difficulty listening through a headset, he misinterpreted the title. It was not due to Doug Ingle being drunk while singing, as the popular rumor has it.
The Old Man and the Lisa (series 8)
Guest star Bret Hart is missing the four hearts that are usually on his right thigh.
Brother From Another Series (series 8)
Sideshow Bob is voiced by Kelsey Grammer, who plays the title role in the hit comedy series Frasier. The voice of Bob's brother Cecil (hence the title of the episode) is provided by David Hyde Pierce, who is Frasier's brother Niles in the show. There are many in-jokes included in the episode - the white type caption on the black background bridges scenes in Frasier, and "Maris" is Niles' wife, never seen but always talked of, for example.
The Twisted World of Marge Simpson (series 8)
Cletus and Brandine's children are called Tiffany, Heather, Cody, Dylan, Dermott, Jordan, Taylor, Brittany, Wesley, Rumer, Scout, Cassidy, Zoe, Chloe, Max, Hunter, Kendal, Kaitlin, Noah, Sasha, Morgan, Kira, Ian, Lauren, Q-bert, and Phil.
El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Homer (a.k.a. The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer) (series 8)
When Homer starts tripping on the chili pepper, he sees a distorted vision of Ms. Crabapple and she makes "wah-wah-wah" noises when she talks. These are the same noises teachers are always making in Charlie Brown cartoons.
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons (series 9)
Homer takes Apu to get his hair cut at "Hairy Shearers." Harry Shearer, of course, provides many voices for "The Simpsons."
Bart Star (series 9)
In the scene where Homer is now the coach of the football team (after Flanders gives him the job). Flanders sons' football numbers are Rod (66) Tod (6), and as you know they are always standing next to each other.
Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo (series 10)
During the flight to Japan, Marge reminds Homer that he had seen the Japanese movie "Rashomon" and had liked it, to which he responds something like "I don't remember it like that". This is a reference to that very movie, in which a number of people witnessed a murder and each gave a very different version of the events after what each "remembered".
Homer to the Max (series 10)
When Homer says to Lisa "How could they change my character from cool to stupid?" and Lisa replies "creators love to tinker with shows, they drop characters, change some and push others into the background", in the background walking past the window you can see Mr. Largo, The Capitol City Goofball and a few other long since backgrounded characters.
Mayored to the Mob (series 10)
When all the nerds walk past and say Hi to Lisa, Ute walks past wearing a Futurama t-shirt.
When Willie punches Professor Frink, look at the picture of Chewbacca on his shirt. If you look carefully the eyes on it move.
D'oh-in' in the Wind (series 10)
Jimi Hendrix's version of Star Spangled Banner is a recurring song in the episode. He is playing it at Woodstock and Homer kazooes it past the school.
At the end of the episode, when Uptown Girl has finished playing, you can hear Homer mutter under the song, 'I buried Flanders'. This is a Beatles reference as in one song John Lennon sang Cranberry Sauce and many fans misconstrued it as 'I buried Paul', as there was a rumour at the time that Paul McCartney was dead and had been replaced by a look-a-like. It's a very slick reference.
Comedian George Carlin appears in the episode as a former hippie. In a previous episode, Krusty is told he's being sued by Carlin for stealing Carlin's "Seven Words You Can't Say on TV" material.
Bart the Mother (series 10)
This is the last episode to feature the voice of Phil Hartman, aired September 27, 1998. In it, he voices Troy McClure in a nature video about birds. Phil had been killed by his wife in a murder-suicide that May, and Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz were never replaced.
Behind the Laughter (series 11)
In this episode the Simpsons are labeled finally as a "northern Kentucky family"; this was quickly enough dismissed as a red herring for various reasons. To further mystify, however, if you turn on the English subtitles on the episode, they say "southern Missouri family".
Kill the Alligator and Run (series 11)
On spring break there's a veejay named "Sepulveda" who is replaced when she gets too old by another one named "Cienega." Sepulveda and La Cienega are both the names of major streets in Los Angeles.
Missionary: Impossible (series 11)
At the end of the episode when Betty White is asking for donations, you can see characters from many other Fox shows manning the phone lines: Bender the robot from Futurama, Hank Hill from King of the Hill, Thurgood Stubbs from The PJ's, Mulder from X-Files, and Luke Perry from Beverly Hills 90210. The owner of Fox, Rupert Murdoch,is also answering phones. The logo from Family Guy is also on the TV Betty White turns off.
Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder (series 11)
When Homer asks Lenny and Carl, "Are poo and ass taken?" Jacque, Marge's ex-boyfriend along with Homer's ex, Lurleen Lumpkin, pass by together in the background.
Tree House of Horror X (series 11)
The people on the rocket to the sun are: Tom Arnold, Pauly Shore, Ross Perot, Dr. Laura, Spike Lee, Dan Quayle, Courtney Love, Tania Harding, Al Sharpton and Rosie O'Donnell.
People in line for the Exodus to Mars are: Bill Gates, Ron Howard, Jimmy Carter, Stephen Hawking, Mel Gibson, Paul McCartney, Michael Jordan, Stephen Jay Gould, Michelle Kwan, Mark McGwire and Professor Frink.
When the Collector places Lucy Lawless inside the plastic bag, you can see Dr Who and Matt Groening (The Simpsons' creator) in plastic bags among others. (Matt's the man with the beard and glasses.).
Beyond Blunderdome (series 11)
When Homer plays the 'Mr. Smith' movie at fast speed one of the politicians says 'OK, I'm corrupt'.
The cars in the Hollywood Car museum are the Munster Mobile, The Monkee Mobile, The Bat Mobile, The Flinstones' car, Herbie the Love Bug, The Dukes of Hazzard car, and The Road Warrior from Mad Max.
The couch gag in this episode shows the family in the style that Matt Groening drew them on the Simpsons on the Tracy Ullman Show.
Trilogy of Error (series 12)
The techno music that plays when Lisa runs is lifted straight from arty-German film 'Run Lola Run', which this episode directly mimics, in which we follow a race against time in the life of Lola, with three different versions of the day, with subtle differences leading to massive consequences. The music is played while Franka Potente (Lola) runs, as Lisa does.
Hungry Hungry Homer (series 12)
A fictional team when the episode aired, the Albuquerque Isotopes became a real baseball team in 2003, as a minor league affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
Worst Episode Ever (series 12)
The comic book seller bans Bart and Milhouse for life. When he places their picture on the wall, there are other persons banned. The other persons are: Sideshow Bob, Nelson, and Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons.
Skinner's Sense of Snow (series 12)
The episode is based on an event that happened to writer Tim Long in elementary school. He was trapped in Exeter Public School, in Exeter, Ontario, Canada.
The Computer Wore Menace Shoes (series 12)
In this episode, Homer has made a very popular website. You can actually visit the site at this URL: http://www.thesimpsons.com/mrx/
Although Homer claims not to have a computer, he used one in the episode "King-Size Homer" when he was assigned to work at home due to his hyper-obesity. However, this was installed by (and likely remained the property of) Mr. Burns. In "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer", the "Space Coyote" instructed him to get more possessions, and reminded him that he did not even own a computer. On the other hand, during the meteor shower in "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky", Marge makes a reference to a screensaver, implying that they do own a computer ("This is even better than our screensaver. And I love our screensaver.").
A Tale of Two Springfields (series 12)
Springfield is split into two area codes, 636 and 939. This would put half of Springfield in Missouri and the other half in Puerto Rico.
Who guitarist Pete Townshend was unavailable for voice work, so his likeness was voiced by his brother, Paul.
When Lisa is using the laptop computer, she says she is looking at a website called www.whatbadgerseat.com. In fact this is actually a real website. Check it out.
Tree House of Horror XI (series 12)
There is a scene from Kent Brockman's report on the dolphins that was cut out in syndication. After the dolphins warn him not to mention their attacks, he "corrects" himself with him saying "Killer Dolphins" and says "Killer Italians" (and features a photo of Luigi the chef).
The Lastest Gun in the West (series 13)
The weapons that Snake and his gang use in the bank robbery are the M41A pulse rifles from Aliens.
Hunka Hunka Burns in Love (series 13)
Gloria's name is never mentioned until Snake recognizes her at the bowling alley.
Tree House of Horror XII (series 13)
In "House of Whacks", the murderous house is disengaged when its British charm unit is removed; Pierce Brosnan, the personality whom the family had chosen for the house, is actually Irish.
Moe Baby Blues (series 14)
When Fat Tony and his gang are outside of the Simpson house, he says "Tonight, I want you boys to take out the Castellaneta family". Dan Castellaneta provides the voice of Homer on the show.
C.E. D'oh! (series 14)
At the end of this episode, Homer has a barbecue with a banner that reads "Homer's 305th 'Everything is Back To Normal' Barbecue", even though this is the 306th episode. This is because everything was not back to normal at the end of Who Shot Mr Burns? Part 1, the only Simpsons cliffhanger.
Barting Over (series 14)
In this episode, Lisa mentions that it's the 300th time that Homer has gotten into trouble, and Marge says 'I could have sworn it was 302'. This is a reference to the fact that this episode, the one heavily publicised as the 300th episode to air on TV, was actually the 302nd due to scheduling problems. "The Strong Arms of the Ma" was the actual 300th.
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation (series 14)
At the Rolling Stones' fantasy camp, Mick Jagger's diploma from the London School of Economics is on the wall in his office.
Treehouse of Horror XIII (series 14)
In the sketch where Homer clones himself, when he leaves the clones out in a cornfield and they learn to clone themselves, the camera pans right and amongst all the clones we see Peter Griffin, a character on the animated show Family Guy.
One of the Homer clones in "Send in the Clones" is the Homer from the early Tracey Ullman shorts.
When Homer is threatened by the house, lots of devices come out of the walls and move towards him. One of them is the mechanical hammer that Homer himself invented in 'The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace', when Homer visits the Edison Museum.
The Wandering Juvie (series 15)
In the warden's office, there is a sign that says "His judgement cometh, and that right soon." This sign also hangs in the office of Warden Norton in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption."
The Ziff Who Came to Dinner (series 15)
I don't remember all the films presented at the cinema, but there was Eating Nemo, The Fashion of the Christ and A Matrix Christmas. At the opening credits of Cosmic Wars, it's written FOX, a division of Orange Julius.
The couch gag in this episode is bizarrely familiar to a science video shown in school where it shows the universe gradually panning out from two people lying in a field and then rapidly zooming in to show the cells inside the human body.
Today, I am a Klown (series 15)
Near the beginning of the episode, Lisa looks at a book and says that Santa's Little Helper was fixed. The book is an actual book that tells about Simpsons episodes, entitled "The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family."
Home Away From Homer (series 16)
When everybody is outside Ned Flanders' house, when Ned says something about soggy bread, you can see Krusty, but without his make-up.
Mommie Beerest (series 16)
When Homer sees Moe as the little bird in the cuckoo clock, it keeps repeating "cuckold" instead of its customary cuckoo call. Homer then asks, "Whats a cuckold?" The term is generally applied to a husband whose wife is sleeping with other men. Perhaps fitting, as Homer suspects her of having an affair. (Source).
All's Fair in Oven War (series 16)
The purple dressing gown and bubble pipe that Bart has in his Playdude treehouse are the same ones that he has when he visits Hugh Hefner at the actual Playboy Mansion in "Krusty Gets Kancelled" (series 4).
The Mook, the Chef, the Wife, and Her Homer (series 18)
When Martin Prince talks to Otto complaining that Kearney has stolen his instrument, the two pens in his shirt pocket look like "SS"-Runes.
You may also like: Friends | Family Guy | Titanic | Twilight | X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Message boards
No discussions yet
Register as a member to post a message
The message boards are meant for discussing things with other users, rather than making submissions/corrections. By all means feel free to post what you like here, but for anything to be looked at properly and entered into the "official" section please use the "submit something" link in the navigation bar. Any members who post offensive content will have their accounts blocked. This is also not the place to contact Jon (who runs the site (although the members who help him check are a BIG help)) - for that, please use the contact form.