1 Fact For Every Simpsons Episode (Seasons 1-10)

Here is one fact about every Simpsons episode, starting from season 1 all the way to season 10.

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (December 1989): The world got The Simpsons, except this Christmas special wasn't supposed to be its grand debut. No, the pilot was actually going to be Some Enchanted Evening, but due to considerable animation issues, they were switched. But the genius, after the animation issues of Some Enchanted Evening, the whole show's fate rested on their genius's shoulders. If the animation was still a mess, the series may have been cancelled, but luckily, the animation was a major upgrade, and so the show got the green light to keep on rolling.

Homer's Odyssey: While working on the script, writer Wallace Wolodarsky mentioned that at this time, Marge's name was actually Juliet, playing homage to the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet. This is before Groening settled on naming her Marge after his own mother, Margaret. "AK a Marge Groening, we called her Juliet. We thought it was like Romeo and Juliet. Well, I knew she was M... well, you just wouldn't tell us."

There's No Disgrace Like Home: During the company picnic, Mr. Burns uses index cards to greet his guests. "And this must be uh... brat. Don't correct the man, brat." Which was heavily inspired by Ronald Reagan, who did the exact same thing at his shindigs. This is a fun note to how Reagan was the original inspiration for this character in its very early stages.

But the general TV censors clashed with The Simpsons over the use of the phrase "Family Jewels." "Remember the Family Jewels, son?" But instead of backing down, the producers decided to just have some fun with it and mock the censors by including this phrase in a scene where Grandpa lists all of the dirty words he never wants to hear on TV ever again. "Family Jewels," Grandpa essentially says that the censors were a bunch of old biddies moaning.

Moaning Lisa: James L. Brooks really wanted to tell a story where Lisa didn't really understand why she was upset. And after writing several comedic episodes, the writers appreciated the opportunity to tell a more emotional story centering around depression. "Would it make any difference at all if I never existed?" Despite being nervous about how it would be received, this episode turned out to be a real hit, especially with female viewers who were really touched by Lisa's journey.

The Call of the Simpsons: During the family's woodland vacation, James L. Brooks pitched a subplot where Homer would be swooped up by an eagle and raised as a giant baby eagle. But this was soon swapped with Maggie being raised by bears and Homer getting mistaken for Bigfoot.

The Telltale Head: So the opening sequence for this episode didn't originally have the mob chasing Homer and Bart. It was a last-minute decision to tell the story via an extended flashback because table reads and animatic screenings started off with big laughs, which then soon fizzled out. No one laughed while the town mourned the missing head, so the structure was reordered to even out the laughs, therefore providing a more compelling hook right from the start.

Life on the Fast Lane: Jack was initially going to be a Swedish tennis instructor named Bjor, with the episode entitled "Bjor to be Wild." But guest Albert Brooks suggested making him French, which turned out to be a whole lot funnier. "What's French? You'd love it. It's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end." Switching Jack to a bowling instructor also upped the stakes for Homer, adding an absurd twist that felt more in line with The Simpsons and a sport that Homer was more in tune with.

Homer's Night Out: For the episode, the staff did some hands-on research by visiting and snapping photos of different strip clubs around Hollywood to get ideas for Springfield club exteriors.

The Crepes of Wrath: Caesar and Ugand spiking their wine with antifreeze is a not-so-real-life scandal from 1985 in Austria and West Germany. The incident made global headlines, led to a short-term collapse of the Austrian wine export, and seriously tarnished the reputation of Austrian and German wine.

Crusty Gets Busted: The original script for Crusty Gets Busted was a whopping 78 pages, so a lot had to be cut to fit it into just one episode. Amongst the cuts was a scene from Putin Selman's vacation slideshow where they got busted for smuggling heroin and their fling with a guy called Pedro.

Some Enchanted Evening: Dr. Marvin Monroe was originally going to be named Marilyn Monroe, with the idea that he became a therapist to deal with his obsession over the comparison to the famous Hollywood icon.

Season Two:

B gets an F: Due to season 1's massive success, Fox moved The Simpsons from its comfy Sunday 8:00 p.m. slot to Thursday night, going head to head with The Cosby Show, aka the top show at the time. The producers were worried though, thinking that it would hurt the show and bump it off its place in the top 10. But despite not quite beating Cosby, this season 2 premiere still pulled a massive 33.6 million viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-watched show in Fox's history and remains to be the highest-rated Simpsons episode ever.

Simpson and Delilah: Homer and Carl shared the first ever animated male-on-male kiss on network TV. "My mother taught me never to kiss a fool."

Treehouse of Horror: Marge's intro to The Simpsons' first ever Halloween special was a clever nod to the 1931 film Frankenstein, where Edward Van Sloan warned viewers about the horrors that they were about to witness.

Two Bad Neighbors: During a 1992 rerun of this episode, the chalkboard gag was changed to "It's potato, not potate," with an "e" at the end of it. This was poking fun at Vice President Dan Quayle's infamous spelling fail on June 15th of that year. What happened? Happened was during a spelling bee, he corrected a student's spelling of "potato" by saying it has an "e" at the end of it. Oh dear, how embarrassing, Dan.

Dancin' Homer: Writer Ken Levine wanted to make an episode about minor league baseball with Homer in the spotlight, but producer Sam Simon was hesitant because Bart was seen as the show's breakout star at the time. But despite the Bart Mania craze, the writers felt that Homer would be far more fun to write for, and so over the next few years, Homer gradually took over as the show's main character.

Dead Putting Society: Despite making brief appearances in season 1, this is the first episode to feature Ned in a more prominent role, while also serving as the main introduction to wife Maude and son Rod, and of course, the first peek inside the Flanders' home.

Bart vs. Thanksgiving: Homer tells Bart that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would become a joke if every cartoon character was turned into a balloon. Meanwhile, unknown to them, a giant balloon of Bart soon popped up on their TV, a scene that became reality when Bart's global fame earned him a spot in the iconic parade, where he was 67 ft high, 34 ft wide, and weighed 750 lb.

The Daredevil: Since this episode was running short, Al Jean and Mike Reiss came up with a filler segment, "Nazis on Tap." In it, Mr. Burns makes bombs for the war effort, while Homer accidentally leaks top-secret information to Hitler. However, this catch was deemed too weird to air, but audio clips and a comic adaptation of it soon later resurfaced.

I Can Remember the Fur Bin Driver: And "Goose step on it" with both Itchy and Scratchy and Marge, because Fox's satellite blew out during the original airing, viewers missed the entire first act of this episode, including Maggie's infamous psycho moment where she attacks Homer with a mallet, which set Marge's entire crusade into motion. But gets hit by a car during the courtroom scenes while Bart is in the witness box. A bar and Jeff from Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strip can be seen in the audience.

One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish: Instead of Homer living life to its fullest by eating pork rinds and watching TV, this episode was supposed to end at Flanders' barbecue, where Homer would face the consequences of his decisions the previous day. But the scene was scrapped for time and replaced with pork rind recycling footage from Moaning Lisa.

The Way We Were: When Homer drives to school, "Close to You" by The Carpenters soon comes on the radio, but he instantly changes the station, only for the song to then play in his head when he sees Marge for the very first time. Throughout the show, this song would become a prominent part of Homer and Marge's relationship, reappearing in many future episodes as well as The Simpsons Movie. "Why is it playing over again? Who cares. No one could ever get sick of this song suddenly appearing."

Homer vs. Lisa and the Eighth Commandment: This is the first appearance of washed-up actor Troy McClure. "Hello, I'm Troy McClure."

Principal Charming: Dan Castellaneta didn't know which voice to use for Groundskeeper Willie's first ever appearance, and so was encouraged to try an accent. Spanish was deemed too cliché, and Swedish was also rejected, but this was before settling on making Willie the wiry, angrish Scotsman he is. "You can take it from here. Adios, dude. You'll be back. You haven't seen the last of Willie."

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?: Homer's awful car may have ruined Herb's company, but on June 29th, 2013, the Homer made its real-life debut, complete with a bought license plate.

Dog Gets an F: While Santa's Little Helper is surfing through the television channels, Ken Brockman is seen reporting on the manhunt for Lil Botowski, thus revealing that the babysitter bandit is still at large after her tango with The Simpsons all the way back in Some Enchanted Evening in season 1.

Old Money: This is the only episode to date where the end credits list which actors performed as what characters.

Brush with Greatness: Homer's embarrassing incident at Mount Splashmore features in the virtual Bart video game, while dodging various hazards and Springfield food items and water slides or wrong turns sends Bart straight into Homer's backside.

Lisa's Substitute: Like many guest stars during this time, Dustin Hoffman wasn't sure if he wanted to be credited on the show, so he used the pseudonym "Stic," referring to how both Hoffman and Mr. Bergstrom are Jewish. Like, you know, Sam. Etic. Stic. Anyway, regardless of this, Hoffman's voice is instantly recognizable, especially during this little parody skit from his iconic film The Graduate. "Mrs. Kople, you're trying to seduce me?"

The War of the Simpsons: Originally, the marriage counseling retreat contained four more couples, including Mr. Burns and his mail-order bride and Edna trying to reconcile her estranged relationship with husband Ken Kepple. But the characters were cut because the tone wasn't right, because Mr. Burns's wife came off as a prostitute and Ken Kepple sounded like a Southern hick.

Three Men and a Comic Book: Auto's comic about a bus driver who fights vampires in a post-apocalyptic war zone was so cool that it became an actual Simpsons comic. This was in 1994 and was titled The Gnarly Adventures of B.S. Man, showing up how Auto transported passengers to Garlic Ville.

With a Little Help from My Friends: Mr. Burns's gift of a giant Al He head found its way into the Simpsons' basement and can be seen as a background prop in many future episodes. It also appeared in the comics where a man lived inside of the head as part of his sacred duty to his God.

Season Three:

Stark Raving Dad: Leon Kompowsky was supposed to return in a sequel where he would adopt a new identity of Prince and encouraged the Springfieldians to live their lives far more freely. However, plans were scrapped when Prince disapproved of the script worked on by Conan O'Brien. Later on, after the singer's passing, Al Jean posted screenshots of the unproduced script online.

Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington: This episode sees the first ever appearance of George H.W. Bush. And shortly after airing, during his re-election campaign, Bush criticized The Simpsons, "Hoping to make American families a lot more like The Waltons and a lot less like The Simpsons." "Hey, we're just like The Waltons, we're praying for an end to the depression too." From this point, Bush's future appearances became a lot more negative, ultimately feuding with Bart and Homer.

When Flanders Failed: Homer rallying the town's people to save the Leftorium is based on the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life, complete with a singalong, black dress, and Homer toasting to Ned's newfound wealth.

But the Murderer: This is the first appearance of my favorite character, Fat Tony, voiced by Godfather Part III star Joe Mantegna. "The kiss of death. That's all I need." And something super meta that I never picked on before until now is that during the TV movie Blood on the Blackboard, the B-Simpson story, Joe Mantegna plays Fat Tony. Joe Mantegna is Fat Tony.

Homer Defined: Homer narrowly prevents a nuclear meltdown with seven seconds to spare, parodying this scene in Goldfinger where James Bond stops a bomb with, yes, seven seconds left on the clock.

Like Father, Like Clown: Rabbi Krustofsky disowned his son when Krusty decided to become a clown. He was voiced by guest star Jackie Mason, who was, in real life, an ordained rabbi who resigned to become a comedian. "I love you too, Daddy."

Treehouse of Horror II: B's nightmare is a parody of The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life." And weirdly, when the story was remade as part of the 1983 Twilight Zone movie, it actually featured Bart's voice actor, Nancy Cartwright, in her feature film debut.

Lisa's Pony: Al Jean and Mike Reiss wrote this episode while juggling the responsibilities of being showrunners at the time, so they wrote Lisa's Pony between 10 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. every single night after finishing their regular 12-to-14-hour workday.

Saturdays of Thunder: Nelson whipping Bart during their race is a reference to the chariot race in Ben-Hur and the 1973 Soapbox Derby scandal where the 14-year-old champion got busted for cheating.

Flaming Moe's: When Catherine O'Hara's voice was deemed unsuitable for Moe's new bartender, Sherry, she was replaced by regular voice actor Joe Anne Harris. "You're hired! You'll regret this!" She decided to approach the role by doing an impression of Diane from Cheers, which producer Sam Simon worked on, and so was able to contribute to a lot of Colette's dialogue.

Burns, Baby Burns: Homer's daydreaming about the land of chocolate was so popular that it was included in the 2007 Simpsons game, where Homer pursues the white chocolate rabbit through Fudgetown.

I Married Marge: In this episode, the Simpsons staff were worried because the characters looked a bit stoned as their pupils were far larger than usual. This is because their South Korean animators had begun stenciling the characters' eyes with a template that made them look unusually big and perfectly round.

Radio Bart: This episode was partly inspired by the 1987 story about Jessica McClure, an 18-month-year-old girl who fell into a well in her aunt's backyard in Midland, Texas. The story gained worldwide attention, and a rescue team had to drill a shaft underground, very similar to the one the Springfieldians had to make to save Bart.

Lisa the Greek: Lisa Simpson correctly predicted who would win Super Bowl XXVI, with the episode airing shortly before the big game. The Washington Redskins won Super Bowl XXVI. For reruns, the staff redubbed the dialogue to reflect the teams playing that year, and every single year through to Super Bowl XXIX, Lisa continued to predict the winning team every time.

Homer Alone: Marge's nervous breakdown originally saw her visit a distressed mothers' institute, but a poor table read resulted in heavy rewrites to include the Rancho Relaxo bar instead. But the lover, the subplot of Homer trying to clean up his language was sparked by complaints about the show swearing. And later on, Homer suffers a bunch of mishaps, making him curse, but it always cuts just before you hear the words. "You dirty B..." Dan Castellaneta was actually directed to include all of the swearing while recording, and just by chance, a bunch of 8-year-olds were on a studio tour that day and they heard everything. "Damn it! Go to hell with this!"

Homer at the Bat: In this episode, Don Mattingly gets kicked off the softball team by Mr. Burns because he won't shave off his sideburns. And funny enough, in real life, Mattingly went through a very similar situation when he was benched for not cutting his hair while playing for the Yankees. "I thought I told you to trim those sideburns. Go home, you're off the team for good. Fine."

Separate Vocations: Lisa's response to Principal Skinner questioning her new, fan-rebellious attitude is a direct nod to Marlon Brando's biker Johnny Strabler in The Wild One. "Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against? What have you got?"

Dog of Death: While running from the hounds at Mr. Burns's mansion, Ned is wearing his assassin sneakers, that's an envious Homer aboard and were swiftly destroyed all the way back in Bart's dog gets an F.

Colonel Homer: As surprising as it sounds, this is the only episode where creator Matt Groening received a sole writing credit, although he also co-wrote The Telltale Head and Some Enchanted Evening, and 22 Short Films About Springfield.

Black Widower: This episode kicks off with the family watching a parody of Dinosaurs and talking about how the characters' lives are a lot like theirs. "They have a baby too. It's like they saw our lives and put it right up on screen." The Simpsons writers thought Dinosaurs was a ripoff of their show, including a joke where the baby hits the dad with a frying pan, just like when Maggie whacks Homer over the head with a mallet. The also show, when Marge says that she hopes that Spinal Tap doesn't play too loud, her next line is inaudible due to Homer's tinnitus. "I hear you. Come on, boy." Now, the writers worked very hard on this line and thought it was funny, but it took 31 whole years for a dedicated fan to finally unearth Marge's audio, which was now all right. "Make sure they don't pick up any of the B's attitudes toward women." "I hear you."

Bart's Friend Falls in Love: Here, the producers had to contact Steven Spielberg so they could clear the rights to use John Williams' iconic score for their recreation of the Raiders of the Lost Ark opening sequence.

Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?: Barney was originally going to win his fight with former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, but Frazier's son stepped in and asked them to change it, "Admin that a world champion does not get knocked out." "Oh, all right."

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Season Four:

Camp Crusty: James L. Brooks screened the completed episode and suggested that the Camp Crusty plot should instead be used for a feature film. However, the episode was already planned as the season 4 premiere and was running short, so the camp song had to be extended just to fill the minimum run time. "Coronation. All right." This left Al Jean convincing Brooks that if they couldn't fill 18 minutes, then they certainly couldn't fill 80.

A Streetcar Named Marge: Jeff Martin initially came up with the idea of Homer being cast in the production of 1776, but then James L. Brooks had an even better idea. "How about Marge starring in A Streetcar Named Desire?" He saw some very similar parallels between Marge, Homer, and Blanche and Stanley. "Hey, man." The Tennessee Williams estate wouldn't let them use big chunks from the actual play, but they were cool with them writing original songs based on the play, therefore they went all out on the music.

Homer the Heretic: The chalkboard gag, saying "I will not defame New Orleans," was a reference to the previous episode, A Streetcar Named Marge, which sparked controversy due to its unflattering portrayal of The Big Easy.

Lisa the Beauty Queen: When Lisa is sworn in as Little Miss Springfield, Marge wears a pink suit very similar to Jackie Kennedy's in a shot that closely resembles the one of Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn in as president after the JFK assassination.

Treehouse of Horror III: Patty says that seeing Homer run through the kitchen naked was the moment that she gave up on men. However, it wouldn't be until the...

Episode: There's something about marrying that she officially came out as a lesbian. Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie. The animator is jokingly called "Steamboat Itchy," a Steamboat lawsuit because it was such an obvious parody of Disney's Steamboat Willie. And to this day, producer David Silverman wonders why they never got sued, since the scene included a direct shot from the Mickey Mouse classic.

Marge Gets a Job: An animation error during Smithers' dream about Mr. Burns caused issues with the sensors because they thought a lump in his bed was an erection, but it was just his knee. Sure, Jan. New kid on the blog. The original plan for this episode was going to see Homer laughing way too much at a Don Rickles joke at a comedy show, and therefore Rickles would roast Homer, leading to a fight and then a court case. The team did think that Rickles would be cool with it, but he said no because he didn't want to be seen as a mean guy.

Mr. Plow: The original identity of the Plow King was going to be Lenny Leonard. However, the writers wisely decided to switch with Barney because they couldn't see Lenny as being a natural fit as Homer's rival.

Lisa's First Word: The disastrous Crusty Burger Olympic promotion parodies a real-life event that happened to McDonald's when the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 LA Olympics. McDonald's "U.S. wins, U Win" campaign cost them millions and millions of dollars. I personally am going to spit in every 50th burger. I like those odds.

Homie the Clown: Triple Bypass. This episode was supposed to end with Homer eating a pizza in his hospital post-surgery, with Marge then asking the nurse where the hell the pizza came from. This was, of course, a call back to this earlier flashback. How'd he get that? But the pizza was cut because the writers felt that it was making light of Homer's unhealthy lifestyle.

Marge vs. the Monorail: Although this episode is now held as one of the show's greatest, the critical reaction at the time wasn't so positive. Even Lisa's voice actor, Yardley Smith, said that the cast didn't really enjoy making the episode and considered it to be one of their worst. This is because the story was far more absurd than the more grounded situations that they had acted before.

Selma's Choice: Dove Gardens is a parody of Busch Gardens, whose theme parks were originally developed as advertising vehicles for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.

Brother from the Same Planet: The role of Tom was written with Tom Cruise in mind, but after Cruise repeatedly turned the guest spot down, the role instead went to Phil Hartman.

His Father, the Drunken Gambler: That's right. And who might you be? I love Lisa. This plot is based on a story from Al Jean's childhood where he was in third grade and a girl gave him a Valentine's Day card that said, "I chw-choose you." It said, "says chw-chew chew me," and there's a picture of a train. Years later, he wondered if she actually liked him, and then Mike Reiss thought this story would be perfect for a plot where Ralph misunderstands a sweet gesture and ends up falling for Lisa.

Deathless Homer: Homer and Marge's romantic bike ride as they sing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" references Paul Newman and Katherine Ross in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Last Exit to Springfield: The role of Dr. Wolf was originally offered to Anthony Hopkins and Clint Eastwood, who both turned it down. Anthony Perkins then agreed to voice the part, but unfortunately passed away just before recording his dialogue; therefore, the role ultimately went to Hank Azaria.

Why Must You Turn My Office into a House of Lies? So it's come to this: a Simpsons clip show. The team was feeling the pressure from the studio to make more episodes, and clip shows were far cheaper and easier to produce. Therefore, Fox ended up asking for four clip shows per season, but the writers and producers were against it, though, arguing that they didn't want to risk upsetting the fans.

The Front: The Adventures of Ned Flanders was a last-minute filler segment. This was after several failed attempts to extend the episode's runtime, such as an extra-long couch gag. So the writers instead decided to try something brand new with Ned.

Do Do Whacking Day: Barry White wanted to appear on the show, so he was written into the plot and sang "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe." Especially for this episode: Larry White. Barry White? No, it says here Larry White. I know my own name.

Marge in Chains: When Lionel Hutz starts craving alcohol, he calls up musician David Crosby, who advises him to take it one day at a time. Crosby actually went through the 12-step program himself and stayed sober for 14 years.

Crusty Gets Cancelled: This episode was packed with celebrity guest stars, but it almost never happened because the producers were having a really hard time locking anyone down. Then, just a day before the deadline, Bette Midler stepped in, followed by a few others. This is why they brought back Barry White and Elizabeth Taylor because they'd worked with them and knew they could really count on them.

I've Got to Fire That Agent: Season five, so we're at the halfway point now, guys. And first off, well done. But if you want to make it known and confuse the hell out of everyone else, then let's put a snail emoji down in the comments below.

Homer's Barbershop Quartet: The singing voices for the Be Sharps were provided by Disneyland's actual Dapper Dans.

This is arguably one of the best Simpsons episodes of all time, but millions of Germans didn't get to see it for the longest time because it was banned for six years in Germany. This is because it showed an SS uniform during the McBain movie, which was imagery that wasn't allowed to be shown on German TVs outside of educational context. No one who speaks German can be an evil man.

Homer Goes to College: This was the final sole writing credit for Conan O'Brien, who left the show for The Late Show. He still had a year left on his Simpsons contract, though, but was able to get out of it because NBC paid Fox half the value of Conan's salary that year, and Conan just had to pay off the other half.

Rosebud: The rock band R.E.M. appear in this episode, and they were apparently obsessive fans of The Simpsons, so much so to the point that even when they did the episode, they still called into the show to ask super nerdy questions just to get inside information.

Have the Rolling Stones Killed, Sir? Those aren't two, they're three.

Treehouse of Horror IV: This was the last Halloween special to be told via a story by one of the characters. The writers dropped that framing device afterward, which I assume was to save time and get straight to the segments.

Marge on the Lam: When Homer pleads to Marge through a bullhorn, Dan Castellaneta actually used a bullhorn to record his lines. In the DVD commentary, they said it was the only way to get that kind of sound quality. I'm sorry I haven't been a better husband. I'm sorry about the time I tried to make gravy in the bathtub.

Bart's Inner Child: Brad Goodman is voiced by Albert Brooks, and David Mirkin said he's one of his favorite actors to work with. Why? Well, because Brooks brings his own material. Every take is different because he's constantly ad-libbing and making things up on the fly. I couldn't have put it better myself. I do what I feel like, and personally speaking, I love Albert Brooks, and if you haven't seen any of his movies, then I really do recommend them, especially Lost in America.

Boy Scouts in the Hood: Ernest Borgnine agreed to guest star as himself because his grandchildren were big fans of the show. He even brought his own guitar with him and apologized because he felt that he was not able to sing very well, but Nancy Cartwright disagreed, thinking that his voice added to the authenticity of his character. [Music] There.

The Last Temptation of Homer: Mindy was perfectly played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who was told not to sound too flirty and just act herself and to make the drooling sound while she eats the donut. Pfeiffer decided to put water and broccoli in her mouth.

Double, Double, Boil and Trouble: Springfield or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling. This episode marks the first ever appearance of the Rich Texan, although here he is just referred to as Senator.

Homer the Vigilante: The cab burglar here was played by Sam Neill, who was a big Simpsons fan. He described it as one of the high points in his career, and seeing as he starred in Jurassic Park, then that is really, really high praise. Let me assure you that your dear town has stolen my heart.

B Bart Gets Famous: So remember when I mentioned how Conan O'Brien broke his Simpsons contract so he could host The Late Show? Well, the writers asked him to then come back and voice himself as the host, and he did, but he didn't have much confidence in his hosting slot, believing he was going to be fired by NBC before the episode even got to air.

Homer and Apu: Actor Michael Caine was originally supposed to appear in the episode, but when he rejected the role, James Woods stepped in to replace him. Did you believe that? I mean, the way I gave you the change, that I sound like a real Kwik-E-Mart, you know, kind of guy. Woods, who was already a fan of the show, ad-libbed some lines, and the team really loved working with him, so maybe it was fate.

Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy: The plot of this episode was inspired by the controversy surrounding the 1992 Teen Talk Barbie. Don't ask me; I'm just a girl. Her phrases caused outrage amongst many, many people for being perceived as sexist. Such catchphrases included, "Will we ever have enough clothes?" "I love shopping," and "Math class is tough." If you'd like to know more about the development of this episode, I did an entire video about it, and I've linked it down in the description below.

Deep Space Homer: This episode was heavily inspired by the Teacher in Space Project, a NASA program that aimed to send everyday civilians, like teachers, into space so they could share their experiences with students. Unfortunately, though, the project was scrapped after its first participant, Christa McAuliffe, tragically died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Homer Loves Flanders: Fox's network censors had a lot of issues with this episode, such as the line, "Come on, man, move this thing! I can't; it's a goo." The censors were concerned that it would cause the car company to pull out of sponsorships, but showrunner David Mirkin decided to keep it in. They also wanted to remove the scene of Marge getting high, but Mirkin argued that she wasn't doing it on purpose.

Bart Gets an Elephant: Seeing as I already told you that this episode was based on a real story, I'll give you another fact: This was the first appearance of Cletus Spuckler. Heh, look at that pointy-haired little girl.

Hell Burns's Air in a Car Scene: Mr. Burns tries to get rid of Homer by unleashing a robotic Richard Simmons. Simmons was actually asked to appear, but he said no when he found out that he'd be voicing a robot. The scene didn't get a great reaction during table reads and seemed to mess with the story, so it got chopped. But don't worry, because it eventually made its way into the season seven clip show.

The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular: Sweet Seymour Skinner's Ballad. This episode had the first appearance of Luigi Risotto. Guess who's here? Mr. and some real ugly kid. Director Bob Anderson found the character so funny that during the table read, he frightened Julie Kavner because he was laughing so hard.

The Boy Who Knew Too Much: As I mentioned in my "Every Fact for Every Character" video, Quimby's character was a mix of JFK and Senator Ted Kennedy, and in turn, Quimby's nephew was inspired by Ted's real nephew, William Kennedy Smith. Sh dear, sh dear. It's chow. The plot of this episode was loosely based on William's 1991 trial.

Lady Bouvier's Lover: This episode was particularly tough on Marge's voice actress, Julie Kavner, because she had to voice both her sisters and her mother's gravelly voice for long sentences. Mom, you can't marry Mr. Burns; he's an evil man. Evil schemer.

Marge, Monty Can Provide for Me: Secrets of a Successful Marriage. This is the second episode written by Greg Daniels, who will later go on to develop the U.S. version of The Office. So if you've ever wondered why there's a random Homer Simpson doll laying around, then it's a nod to Greg Daniels' history on The Simpsons.

Season Six: Bart of Darkness. The scene where Otto pulls up in the P-mobile was based on a real, shared memory of David Mirkin, where a truck with a spinning Ferris wheel ride on the back would often come around his neighborhood.

Lisa's Rival: This episode was supposed to air in season five, but it got delayed because the building where the writing and the animation staff worked was damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Another Simpsons Clip Show: In this clip show episode, it said that it's written by Pennywise. And no, Tim Curry didn't come in to write this episode, but it was rather John Vitti who used the pseudonym because he didn't want to be credited for writing a clip show.

Itchy & Scratchy Land: In 1994, the U.S. government passed much stricter censorship laws, whereby the network told the writers that they couldn't do Itchy & Scratchy anymore. So how did the writers respond? Well, they got together and wrote the most violent Itchy & Scratchy episode ever. I wonder if this kind of violence really does desensitize.

Sideshow Bob Roberts: The scene where Quimby and Bob have their televised debate was inspired by Nixon and JFK in 1960, when Nixon looked particularly sweaty.

Treehouse of Horror V: It's here where David Mirkin set out to make the most disturbing Halloween show ever. After Congress complained about the amount of violence in the show, usually the blood gets off at the second floor.

B's Girlfriend: Jessica Lovejoy was, of course, voiced by Meryl Streep, who Nancy Cartwright was a big fan of. So Nancy was super surprised when Streep requested that they record their lines together, which ended up with Meryl asking for Nancy's autograph. Streep said that her kids were huge fans of the show and she'd be in big, big trouble if she didn't get it.

Lisa on Ice: Writer Mike Scully is a total hockey fanatic and poured all of his love for the game into the script. But director Bob Anderson, however, was more of a casual fan, so to catch up, he binged-watched a bunch of VHS highlight tapes, caught his first ever NHL playoff games, and even went to a bunch of youth hockey matches. He got so into it that he took the entire crew out for a long lunch break to hit the ice and experience what skating felt like for real.

Homer Badman: The original idea for this episode was a Lisa story where she clashes with her dad over feminist ideals, but then it morphed into a satire of sensational media, more specifically poking fun at the tabloid TV show Hard Copy.

Grandpa vs. Sexual Inadequacy: To spice up their sex life, Homer and Marge spent a night at the Aphrodite Inn, a place which was heavily inspired by the Madonna Inn in California, where each room has its own unique theme and it looks awesome.

Fear of Flying: While it wasn't the first one to use it, this episode opens with the circus line couch gag, an extra-long couch gag that was used whenever an episode ever came up short.

Homr of the Great: The song "We Do" is one of the best musical numbers ever in Simpsons history, but it wasn't included in the original script. Matt Groening suggested the idea, and the writer's room wrote the song by including all the things that annoyed them.

Maggie Makes Three: The final scene of Maggie's photos in Homer's station is one of the most emotional moments ever, and writer George Meyer came up with the idea after being inspired by Mad Magazine fold-in features.

But, Comet: When Kent Brockman announces that Springfield was going to be destroyed by a comet, he exposes a list of everyone who is gay. These are the names of the show's production staff, who even had to sign a legal agreement to say that they wouldn't sue the show.

Turn It Off, Just a Second: Homie the Clown. Homer and Krusty the Clown looking so alike isn't an accident because Groening originally planned for them to be the same character until it was decided that they wouldn't. It wasn't until Incredibles director Brad Bird stepped in that Krusty got a brand new makeover, which was a few extra lines under his eyes and a new beard shape, but it made him stand out enough.

I'm Seeing Double Here: Four Krustys.

Bart vs. Australia: In the episode, Tobias's dad calls Australian dollars "dollar doos," $900 doos Tobias, which sparked a petition on Change.org to officially rename Australia's currency. The petition argued that the name could give the Aussie economy a boost, and it did quite well, racking up over 69,000 signatures. Cy mate, that's the LA of signatures, or should that be signatur doos? No, no, it shouldn't.

Homer vs. Patty and Selma: Susan Sarandon voiced Patty and Selma's ballet teacher because her kids were huge fans of The Simpsons. And like many guest stars at the time, she received a custom varsity jacket with character patches. And even now, decades later, Sarandon still rocks her jacket. And if you want to learn a bit more about these awesome jackets, check out my book, Collecting The Simpsons. It's available on Amazon, and the link is in the description.

A Star Is Burns: Matt Groening wasn't a big fan of this episode, feeling it was more of a commercial for the critic rather than a proper Simpsons story, so he had his name taken off the credits, which might just be the only episode where the creator isn't credited. And if you ever want to visit my show—nah, we're not going to be doing that.

Lisa's Wedding: The reason why the sky is a bit more reddish here is because the producers believe that the world would be far more polluted in the year 2010.

Two Dozen and One Greyhounds: Mike Reiss and Al Jean came up with the idea for this episode after watching 101 Dalmatians, and Matt Groening loved it because the Disney film was one of his main inspirations for getting into animation.

The PTA Disbands: Speaking of Disney, there's a joke in this episode that the corporation owns the Civil War site for Springfield. This is a reference to Disney's America, which was a planned project where they started buying up historical sites and turning them into theme parks.

King-Size Homer: Bleeding Gums Murphy dies in this episode, which was the first ever time that the show killed off a recurring character.

The Springfield Connection: The idea for this episode came from executive producer Mike Reiss's wife, who at one point wanted to become a police officer. I'm interested in becoming a police officer.

Lemon of Troy: The original reason why Shelbyville broke away from Springfield to form his own town was because he wanted to marry his cousins. And then it's revealed that Milhouse's mom, Luann, is from Shelbyville, which is a fact that makes a whole lot of sense when it's later revealed that Lenny and Kirk are, in fact, cousins.

Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One: This season finale, of course, ended on a cliffhanger, so Fox ran a contest where you could call an 800 number to solve the mystery. The winner who guessed correctly would get the chance to be animated into a future episode, but since no one figured it out, a winner was picked at random. That winner, Faile Gibson, didn't actually watch the show, so she opted for the cash prize instead.

Season Seven: Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two. At the end, it revealed that Maggie Simpson was the culprit, but the original choice was going to be Barney, but the writers felt it would change the dynamic of the show.

Radioactive Man: This episode was the first ever to be colored digitally, but they wouldn't use this method again until season 12's "Tennis the Menace."

Home Sweet Home-D'oh: This episode is where Cletus finally gets his name: I love you, Paul. I love you, Cletus. And as for his voice sounding a bit off here, well, it's because Hank Azaria forgot what Cletus was supposed to sound like, but he sells his soul to get inspiration for the look and design of Moe's family feedback.

Director Wes Archer took his team of animators to Chili's. It's giv—

Michael Jackson's Lisa the Vegetarian: Beatle star Paul McCartney and his wife Linda agreed to guest star in this episode on the condition that Lisa was made a vegetarian for the rest of the series, and here we are, 28 years later, and Lisa still doesn't eat meat.

Treehouse of Horror VI: The producers reached out to then-Vice President Al Gore to present this episode, but he ignored the invitation, even though he would go on to voice himself in another Groening show. Future armor! I have ridden the mighty Moon Worm!

King-Size Homer: In the episode, Homer bunks off work to watch the movie Honk if You're Horny, starring F. Murray Abraham and Polly Shannon. The reason for this gag was because Abraham previously refused to guest star in the show, and the writers just wanted some revenge.

Mother Simpson: One of the...

Main inspirations for Mona Simpson were Bernardine Dohrn, the leader of the radical group Weather Underground. She also became a fugitive and was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted lists for several years.

Sideshow Bob's last gleaming, a character modeled after Fox network owner Rupert Murdoch, briefly appears in a scene set in jail. Although, Centus said that Murdoch couldn't be shown, Murdoch himself gave the approval, with his apparent response being, "I'd be honored to be in jail in The Simpsons."

The Simpsons' 138th episode, "Spectacular," as previously mentioned, John Vitti didn't want to be credited for writing a clip show, just like David Silverman, who decided to go by the pseudonym "Pound Foolish."

Marge Be Not Proud: writer Mike Scully drew on his own childhood shoplifting experience in order to craft this episode ("Forefinger Discount" dude team Homer). Speaking of Mike Scully, he fondly remembers this episode because he and his team got custom yellow bowling balls with the Simpsons logo printed on them as a gift.

Two Bad Neighbors: Bill Oakley came up with the idea of this episode, inspired by the big between President George Bush and The Simpsons. He thought that enough time had passed and it would be hilarious to have Bush finally meet Homer. Scenes from the class struggle in Springfield. This is the first time a Simpsons episode had both been written and directed by women. But the thing after Crusty goes bankrupt, he fakes his own death in a plane crash. This was inspired by the rumors that comedian Andy Kaufman also faked his own death.

Lisa the Iconoclast: this episode was inspired by the real-life story of President Zachary Taylor's exhumation. In the 1980s, college professor Clara Rising theorized that Taylor might have been poisoned, so she convinced Taylor's estate to dig up his body for testing. After checking his hair and fingernails, they put him back in the ground with the conclusion being, "Nah, nah, he wasn't poisoned."

Home of the Smithers: when Mr. Burns answers the phone for the first time, he says, "Oho." This was because Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, suggested "Hoi-hoi" as the standard greeting when answering a telephone.

The Day the Violence Died: Chester J. Lampwick is voiced by Kirk Douglas. According to Nancy Cartwright's book, *My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy*, she reveals that Douglas didn't want to wear his headphones because they hurt his ears. This meant he couldn't hear the director, so she ended up directing him, which was extremely difficult because Douglas insisted on doing no more than two takes per line.

Want to Go Celebrate?: I feel like livering onions. A Fish Called Selma: when this episode overran, the producers had to bring Jeff Goldblum back in to re-record his lines at a faster pace.

Troy McClure: Ever hear of Planet of the Apes, uh, the movie or the planet? And I imagine that's because his original recording was probably chock-full of gobbledygook.

Bart on the Road: originally, the boys' road trip was heading for Fort Lauderdale, but the writers thought it would be way funnier if they ended up somewhere a bit more unexpected, so they switched the destination to Knoxville, Tennessee.

22 Short Films About Springfield: despite the title, there aren't actually 22 short films in this episode, but there might have been if many scenes weren't cut, like Lionel Hutz's bit and a fantasy segment featuring Marge. There's just not enough time to hear them all.

Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish": Jonathan Coulton was inspired after hearing a story about lost art being found. But one that wasn't shown in the episode was Raphael's portrait of a young man, which is still missing after being stolen by the Nazis in World War II.

Much Apu About Nothing: when Apu takes his citizen test, he's asked what caused the American Civil War, only for the interviewer to say, "Just... just say slavery. Slavery it is, sir." Writer David X. Cohen included this scene as the exact same thing happened to his friend during her citizenship test.

Hompaloopa: while researching the script, Brent Forrester actually went to Hompaloopa and had a god-awful time, so he decided to include all of his bad experiences, like when he got called a narc. "Yeah, nice try, N... where's the N-word? Who's a fat Jamaican guy?"

Summer of 4' 2": the Flanders family beach house was based on showrunner Josh Weinstein's parents' house in New Hampshire. The writers had visited this house a few times before and played ball games there, which is why they include The Simpsons family playing the mystery date board game.

"Hey, he looks just like you."

Poter Season 8: Treehouse of Horror VII: this "Citizen Kang" segment is all about the 1996 election between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. The writer said it broke every rule they had because it's so tied to a specific time period, which is something they usually try to avoid, but they made the exception because, hey, it's a Halloween special.

You Only Move Twice: so I explained earlier that Albert Brooks ad-libs a lot of his own material, and that's exactly what happened again when they invited him to voice supervillain Hank Scorpio. In fact, the writers didn't even perfect his lines because they knew Brooks would come up with something on the fly anyway. For example, this hammock speech was all Brooks: "Homer, there's four places. There's the Hammock Hut, that's on Third. Uh-huh. There's Hammock R Us, that's on Third, too." All in all, his entire recording was over 2 hours long, and man, that's a lot of editing.

The Home of the They Fall: boxing promoter Don King was asked to voice Lucius Sweet, but he turned it down. Instead, he was voiced by Paul Winfield, who played Don King in the 1995 HBO film *Tyson*.

Burns Baby Burns: when Homer tries to put together a Snoopy puzzle, the piece featuring his nose is missing. This was done to avoid copyright infringements.

But after dark in the b-cas: you can spot a character modeled after John Swartzwelder, aka the show's most secretive and reclusive writer. He refused to do any of The Simpsons DVD commentaries, which is where I got most of these facts from. Disney+ really needs to put these up on the platform because they're absolutely gold, but luckily I still have my DVDs to listen to them. And if you're curious about the history of The Simpsons home media, then check out my book, *Collecting The Simpsons*. Yeah, alright, last plug, I promise.

A House Divided: the writers really wanted to do an episode about divorce, and Kirk and Luann Van Houten were chosen because they were one of the most developed couples in the show.

Lisa's Date with Density: this episode was written by Mike Scully, and his daughters helped him write Nelson's song, "Joy to the World."

The Teacher's Dead: Hurricane Neddy: in this episode, Jay Sherman appears yet again, but at the mental health hospital, which was about one year after Fox canceled *The Critic*.

Yes, Mr. Sherman, Everything Stinks.

The Mysterious Voyage of Homer: David Silverman, who has been involved in the show since the *Tracey Ullman Show* shorts, took charge of animating most of the hallucination sequence. He didn't want the chance to send off to South Korea because he had a clear vision for how exactly he wanted it to look. Silverman even crafted the background himself to give the scene a soft, mystical vibe.

The Springfield Files: Al Jean described this as the most illegal shot in the history of The Simpsons because they didn't get permission to use any of these characters at all, besides Kang, of course.

The Twisted World of Marge Simpson: the bit where the baseball fans go absolutely nuts and start hurling pretzels after Mr. Burns wins a new car is loosely inspired by a true story. On August 10th, 1995, during a Dodgers game, the crowd was so mad about a bad call that they started chucking promotional baseballs onto the field, forcing the Dodgers to forfeit the game.

Mountain of Madness: the forest rangers' design here was inspired by Al Gore. And seriously, what is the writers' obsession with Al Gore? And on that note, why were animated shows in general obsessed with Al Gore? He became a semi-recurring character in *South Park*, and he was parodied in *Animaniacs*.

Simpsons' Color-Fragilistic-Expialidocious: Sherbobbins was an obvious parody of Mary Poppins, and Julie Andrews was very close to playing the role. The writer sent her the script, but she was too busy on Broadway at the time, so series regular Maggie Roswell voiced her instead. "Hello, I'm Sherbobbins. Did you say Mary Poppins? No, I definitely did not."

Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show: the inspiration behind this episode came when a Fox executive suggested introducing a new character to the show who had lived with the Simpsons. So as a joke, the writers introduced Roy. "Yo yo, how's the hangin', everybody? Morning, Roy. Yeah, hi, Roy."

Homophobia: Oakley revealed that Fox's censors never wanted this episode to air normally. Scripts come back with a few tweaks that are normally ignored, but this time they had two pages worth of notes. The censors freaked out over the word "gay" and any mention of homosexuality, calling the episode completely unacceptable. However, by the time the episode came back from animation, Fox had a new president and new censors, and their verdict? Well, just one note: "Acceptable for broadcast."

Brother from Another Series: Sideshow Bob's brother, Cecil, was played by his *Frasier* co-star, David Hyde Pierce. In the original script, there was also going to be a reference to Maris, who was Niles' unseen wife, but the producers of *Frasier* asked them to remove it.

My Sister, My Sitter: when Bart and Marge visit the waterfront, they find Planet Hype, a parody of Planet Hollywood. The writers originally planned an entire episode around Planet Hollywood after being told that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone all wanted to be on The Simpsons if they mentioned the restaurant. They wrote the script, but as it turns out, the actors had absolutely no idea; it was all made up by a Planet Hollywood publicist as an idea for a PR campaign.

Homr vs. the Eighteenth Amendment: the scene where a British fish and chip shop is blown up was removed in Britain and Ireland, but luckily it's now uncensored on Disney+.

Grade School Confidential: the scene where Wiggum blasts loud music to get Bart and his teachers out of school is based on a real-life U.S. Army tactic. When Panama's ruler, Manuel Noriega, hid in a diplomatic mission building, the U.S. military played loud rock music all day and all night until he surrendered.

The K9 Mutiny: Hank Azaria, who voices Wiggum and Lou, totally improvised the end scene when they sing along to "Jam."

The Old Man and the Lisa: wrestling legends Bret "The Hitman" Hart guest-starred in this episode and insisted that his character wore his iconic pink outfit.

"Why would I want a picture of a pitiful, petul neck geek?"

Marge We Trust: to get the Mr. Sparkle commercial just right, the writers binged-watched a load of Japanese adverts.

"Oh no, your best Homer is enemy."

Old Yeller-Belly: Old Grimmy's appearance was inspired by Michael Douglas's character in the movie *Falling Down*.

"I don't want to be your buddy, Rick. I just want a little breakfast."

The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase: although the spin-offs in this episode were only parodies, there were plans for a few actual Simpsons spin-offs, and there were even plans for a series titled *Tales from Springfield*.

The Secret War of Lisa Simpson: the scene where a robot hippie is eating a baby sandwich was based on the urban legend that a real-life hippie put her baby in a microwave. This was spread around to warn against the dangers of smoking dope.

Season 9: The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson: after the September 11th attacks, this episode was pulled from syndication completely in some areas, and in other parts, were completely edited out, like this scene. "Sorry about that, guy. They're all jerks in power. One, that's it. I'm coming over there. Yeah, why don't you come?" Also, an animation cell from this episode was given to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in 2019.

The Principal and the Pauper: this is often regarded as the worst Simpsons episode ever by fans, and the moment where the show completely jumped the shark. Even Matt Groening and voice actor Harry Shearer weren't fans of it, and it was so disliked that many fans believed that it marks the end of the show's Golden Age.

Lisa the Vegetarian: this is Doris Growdon's last episode voicing Lunch Lady Doris, airing nearly 2 years after her death. "Now I'd like to introduce you to Lunch Lady Doris, who will serve you healthy, nutritious meals. Yeah, right." The character doesn't speak again until Season 18's "The Chef, the Wife, and her Homer," where she is now voiced by Tress MacNeille.

Treehouse of Horror VIII: this episode opens with a censor literally being stabbed. Originally, he was going to be stabbed by a dagger, but the censors thought it was far too violent, so they changed it to a cutlass.

The Cartridge Family: in this episode, you'll catch plenty of pro-gun lines. This is because the team wanted to keep it balanced concerning the pro-gun and anti-gun debate. They experienced this firsthand because some crew members, like John Swartzwelder, are all for guns, while others, like Matt Groening, are firmly against them.

B-Sharps: Hank Hill appears briefly in this episode.

We Drove 2,000 Miles for This: this is because *King of the Hill* aired right after The Simpsons at this time, and this scene was added as cross-promotion.

The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons: in this episode, Apu gets married to Manjula. For research, director Steven Dean Moore dove deep into Hindu ceremonies. He wanted to get everything right, from the clothes to the bride and groom walking around the fire.

Lisa the Skeptic: this episode took a lot of inspiration from real-life events, like the 1869 Cardiff Giant hoax, where a 10-foot-tall petrified man was uncovered in New York. It was created by a man called George Hull, who wanted to prove just how easy it was to fool people with a fake giant.

Realty Bites: Mike Scully said that the scene where Cletus gets his arm sliced off by a wire got the biggest laugh ever from the writers' room. They found it so hilarious that they were literally choking with laughter.

Miracle on Evergreen Terrace: in Marge's dream sequence, the spectators are modeled after some of the show's animators.

All Singing, All Dancing: this is one of very few Simpsons episodes to have a G-rating, which is impressive considering in one scene Snake points his gun at a baby.

The B-Carney: the carnival in this episode is a nod to the Big E. As a kid, Mike Scully used to go all the time and dream of running away to become a carney. And another fun fact: the Big E is actually in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Springfield: the Joy of Sect: the Movementarians weren't based on various religions and cults like the Rajneesh movement, also Heaven's Gate, and especially Scientology, which is very ironic seeing as Bart's voice actor is a Scientologist and has donated millions to it.

DB Cooper: this frog couch gag was suggested by Dan Castellaneta's niece.

The Last Temptation of Krusty: the Canyonero song was sung by country singer Hank Williams Jr. and was inspired by Ford commercials. The producers loved it so much that they decided to play it before the end credits.

Dumbbell Indemnity: Moe's girlfriend, Renee, was voiced by actress Helen Hunt, who was Hank Azaria's real-life girlfriend at the time.

"Guess you could have a lot of weird scars or a fake ass or something. You don't talk to a lot of women, do you?"

Lisa the Simpson: all of the male Simpson relatives were voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He asked the director to keep recording the tape for 20 minutes long just so he could try out different variations of the characters. He wanted them to sound different but still quite like Homer.

"I beg celebrities for money. I'm a prison snitch. Jug band manager. My legs hurt."

This Little Wiggy: at the beginning of this episode, a robot comes into the room and talks to the kids. This was inspired by something that happened to writer Dan Greaney. In the DVD commentary, he said that while he was at a baseball game, a robot from USA Today tried to lead the crowd in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," but people hated it and started pelting stuff at it. And because of how close he was, the poor guy operating the robot got as much hate, just like in this episode.

Simpson Tide: when Bart sings "Do the Bartman," Ralph says, "That is so 1991!" This song was actually released in 1991 and was a huge hit across the world. It even received a nomination at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards.

The Trouble with Trillions: originally, this story was going to be vastly different. At first, Homer was going to find out that he's Native American and tries to use it as a loophole to avoid paying taxes, but the idea fell apart when the staff realized that Native Americans do have to pay taxes, and so they ditched it.

Girly Edition: the Mojo subplot was inspired by the movie *Monkey Shines*, so showrunner Mike Scully told the team to check out the film for reference. The animators also watched tons and tons of monkey videos to study just how they move and interact with humans.

Pray or Mojo: Clash of the Titans: usually, The Simpsons contact celebrities for guest spots, but U2 actually contacted them and asked to appear in the show.

King of the Hill: for the scenes where the Sherpas are talking, the show's team went all out to get accurate translations. So they first contacted the producers of the movie adaptation *Into Thin Air* for help. The movie producers were surprised at how much effort The Simpsons team were putting into it but admitted that they themselves just made up the translations, but the Simpsons staff didn't stop, ending up calling several experts just to get it right.

Lost Our Lisa: writer Mike Scully got this plot idea from his own childhood, growing up in West Springfield, Massachusetts. He always asked his parents if he could take the bus to Springfield, and one day they finally said yes.

Natural Born Kissers: Homer and Marge spent a large portion of this episode completely naked, so of course, Fox censors were up in arms about it. The censors also had a huge problem with this word: "If somebody's in here, you're in for some serious ass-forking." They tried to get it changed, but the producers fought back, eventually leading to The Simpsons winning, and so nothing was changed.

Season 10: Lard of the Dance: the plot of Homer and Bart stealing grease came about when staff member Jace Richdale read about a grease business in a newspaper.

My Retirement: grease? No.

The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace: one of the only good inventions that Homer came up with was the untippable chair, which was an idea that Dan Greaney thought of when one day he fell back on his chair.

But the Mother: this was the final speaking appearance of Troy McClure after actor Phil Hartman was horrifically murdered in May 1998, 4 months before this episode aired.

Treehouse of Horror IX: Freddy Krueger and Jason make a surprise appearance in this couch gag, with Robert Englund jumping back into his iconic Freddy role.

"I don't get it. They should be here by now. Ah, what are you going to do?"

When You Dish Upon a Star: in the opening sequence, B originally wrote "butt.com" on the chalkboard, but they changed it to "butb," seeing as butt.com is an actual website.

Do the Bartman: the writer spent three whole days trying to decide what Homer's middle initial J stood for before finally deciding on J. Simpson.

"It's so beautiful."

Lisa Gets an A: the ending scene where Homer eats his beloved Pinchy was ad-libbed by Dan Castellaneta.

"I wish Pinchy were here to enjoy this."

Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble: the ship of souls sequence was the very last part of the episode to get animated, and they completed it within a week. The Simpsons team was split on whether or not to include it, with Groening especially being very hesitant. In the DVD commentary, he said, "I was really worried about it when I saw it in the script." But Mike Scully called it very inspired.

Mayored to the Mop: Mark Hamill only agreed to come on and voice himself if he could also do the voice of an original character, and so he also voiced bodyguard trainer Lel.

"Remember your 'no' is what gets you your next job."

Hamill is such an amazing actor because I had literally no idea this was even a thing before I started this video.

Viva Ned Flanders: the morning after drinking heavily, Homer and Ned are found sleeping fully clothed in a Jacuzzi. Now, the staff debated if they should wake up clothed or naked, and Matt Groening actually preferred if they woke up naked because it would raise some questions.

Wild Barts Can't Be Broken: Dan Castellaneta ad-libbed this song: "Hitler is a jerk! Muslin Sunday! Cruddy Sunday!"

So remember how Fox executives tried to stop The Simpsons from spoofing Rupert Murdoch? Well, guess what? The media mogul himself voiced his own character in this episode. How's that for a sense of humor?

"I'm Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire tyrant, and this is my skybox."

Homer to the Max: in this episode, Homer legally changes his name to the cool and flashy Max Power. This idea came from producer Ron Hauge, who suggested "Max Power" to a friend who was...

Thinking of changing their name, and even though his friend didn't go for it, Homer loved it. I'm with Cupid. Alene found Elton John to be incredibly nice, and the musician was very accommodating about recording the song multiple times. And this one's from App Marge Simpson in screaming yellow.

Honkers. Fox's executives weren't thrilled about the shout-outs to NBC, so the writers wrote some extra dialogue to go over the end credits. But Homer is forced to read a statement at gunpoint, trashing NBC but praising Fox. So, in summary: NBC bad, Fox good, CBS great. Make room for Lisa.

Marge's dropping on phone calls was inspired by former showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, who used to listen in on phone calls on a scanner. They once overheard contract talks between an actor and a studio for a major TV role. Maximum Hom Drive. The title of this episode is a reference to Steven King's only directional effort, 1986's Maximum Overdrive. And Lisa Simpson herself, Yardley Smith, appears in that movie.

Simpsons' Bible stories. Director Nancy Cruz said the animators had no issues with this episode except for the scene with Jesus in the courtroom, so she had to find other animators in order to do that part. Mom and pop art in the episode, painted on the garage door, is started tomorrow, 7/1/1795, which is the wedding anniversary date of Simpsons writers Mike Scully and Julie Thacker. The Old Man and the Sea. Speaking of Julie Thacker, this is her first Simpsons writing credit, and later on, she and Scully would go on to make Duncan V for Fox.

Monty Can't Buy Me Love. When Loch Ness is emptied, they find a purple Nessie. Now, this was a coloring mistake because she was supposed to be green. The staff couldn't fix it because sending it back overseas to the animation team in South Korea would be far too expensive. They saved Lisa's brain. In the episode, Homer comes up with a theory of a donut-shaped universe. "Your theory of a donut-shaped universe is intriguing, Homer. I may have to steal it." Well, it turns out Homer isn't as stupid as he appears because the idea of a torus-shaped universe is very probable, according to some scientists.

30 Minutes Over Tokyo. This was banned in Japan due to Homer throwing the emperor into a dustbin of dirty Sumo thongs. Oh, Emperor Club DOR. So there we have it; that's one fact for every episode. If you have any extra facts about any other Simpsons episodes, then do let us know down in the comments. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.