These jokes never get old! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at recurring gags on The Simpsons – excluding simple, if memorable, catchphrases.
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00:00I didn't know what state you lived in.
00:02It's a bit of a mystery, yes, but if you look at the clues, you can figure it out.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at recurring gags on The Simpsons,
00:11excluding simple, if memorable, catchphrases.
00:14I'm looking for a friend of mine.
00:15Last name Jas, first name Hugh.
00:17Ah, hold on, I'll check.
00:18Uh, Hugh Jas!
00:20Oh, somebody check the men's room for a Hugh Jas!
00:24Number 30, The Itchy and Scratchy Show.
00:27One of The Simpsons' boldest hallmarks is a show within a show, within a show.
00:32A recurring animated segment on the Krusty the Clown show depicts the mouse Itchy
00:35concocting elaborate ways to maim or murder the cat Scratchy.
00:44This is a parody of classic slapstick cartoons,
00:47specifically Herman and Catnip, that some considered too violent for children.
00:51Most audiences in real life could only find awkward chuckles over the zany gore.
00:56The real joke is how wholesomely delighted in-universe viewers are by the horror.
01:00The Itchy and Scratchy Show was a big deal in their internal pop culture.
01:11With tighter run times over the years though,
01:13the motif has become rare on The Simpsons.
01:16It still ingeniously cuts into the anti-cartoon crowd, while also seeing their point.
01:22Number 29, Random Explosions.
01:24Who doesn't love a good explosion that defies natural physics?
01:27They're not just for dumb action movies.
01:30The early years of The Simpsons used this phenomenon to especially uproarious effect.
01:46Sight gags based on some object's ruin would often be punctuated by the object
01:50blowing up or bursting into flames.
01:52Even expected eruptions, such as a heavily fueled grill or overshaken beer can,
01:57were awesomely over the top.
01:58Never mind non-explosive things like an inflamed appendix,
02:01Chief Wiggum dressed as a beer stein, or a nun flying into a mountain.
02:09That bizarre aspect of the show's physics may have become more grounded since the 90s,
02:14but it was consistently shocking and explosively fun.
02:17Number 28, Homer's Lifelong Dreams.
02:20Apparently, not all of Homer's crazy schemes are made on the spur of the moment.
02:24You may not even realize how often he's described the most mundane
02:28or strange aspiration as being his dream.
02:30He's even used it in reference to things like becoming the next Thomas Edison,
02:34after considering it for the first time.
02:36In early seasons, Marge would regularly call her husband's attention to just
02:52how many so-called lifelong dreams he's had.
02:54That includes eating the world's biggest hoagie and appearing on The Gong Show.
02:58Homer has had so many dreams that they're basically pointless if they weren't to begin with.
03:03Fans can still rejoice in him stating his ambitions, however long he's had them.
03:21Homer's daydreams get kooky enough.
03:23His disconnect with or obliviousness of reality
03:26lets animators get creative in representing his imagination.
03:34Hey Homer, what'd you do, get a haircut or something?
03:37Look closer, Lenny.
03:40Oh, I know what it is, you're the biggest man in the world now.
03:43And you're covered in gold.
03:45Homer has misremembered events, often surreally and to serve his own ego.
03:49He's made fantastical dream worlds, wherein he is married to himself
03:54or chocolate is half-priced in a land already made of chocolate.
03:57Over time, his fantasies have involved misunderstanding things in adorable ways.
04:02Hearing about the Mayo Clinic has probably given us all brief images of a hospital for mayonnaise.
04:07This place seems even nicer than the Mayo Clinic.
04:10Mayo Clinic, eh?
04:13Should we slice them diagonally or just cut off the crust?
04:16Who cares? It's hopeless.
04:18Of course, Homer accurately picturing a think tank is equally surreal for its irony.
04:23His mind may not be quite right in many ways, but the way it works is endearingly naive.
04:28Number 26.
04:29Who gets the last ha-ha?
04:31When characters suffer some humiliation,
04:33the mean-spirited Nelson Muntz often stands by with a ha-ha.
04:38But what was initially one of the show's simplest catchphrases has evolved into complicated gags.
04:43The self-awareness in Nelson's mockery runs deeper than his dedication to punctuating shame,
04:48even when he's not initially in the scene.
04:50It's acknowledged as an extension of his own insecurities about his poverty,
04:54promiscuous mother and absent father.
04:56This may not be funny for real children,
04:58but there's a cathartic comeuppance to Nelson being ridiculed.
05:17His daydreams about a better life also get pretty weird.
05:21Whether you're ha-ha-ing with Nelson or at him,
05:24his fragile ego is a reliable source for the show's cringe comedy.
05:27Number 25.
05:29Biting the hand that feeds.
05:30The Simpsons satire is particularly fearless when turned against its own producers.
05:35Fox Network is regularly called out for its propensity for trash TV.
05:43With the show's mostly liberal bias,
05:46Fox News is especially skewered for its stark conservative bias and general infotainment style.
05:51Rupert Murdoch has even threatened to sue the show that helped build his media empire.
05:55The Simpsons seem to be in the clear after the Disney merger,
05:58but that didn't stop their long-standing tradition of riffing on the world's most powerful media companies.
06:02Supposedly.
06:03The one rule is that Disney-produced episodes cannot spoof Mickey Mouse.
06:16Fans may not appreciate that much censorship
06:19when the show's mutinous jabs are so sharp.
06:22Number 24.
06:23Talking brain.
06:24You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a Simpson.
06:26Especially Homer.
06:28Close-ups of their heads with an internal monologue sometimes give you an idea.
06:31No matter what you tell your child to do,
06:34it will always do the opposite.
06:37Huh?
06:37Don't you get it?
06:38You gotta use reverse psychology.
06:40That sounds too complicated.
06:42Okay, don't use reverse psychology.
06:44All right, I will.
06:45This gag is usually used to illustrate Homer's labored or impulsive thought process.
06:49Especially when he openly converses with his brain.
06:52Over time.
06:53Other characters' brains have spoken up about struggling to understand odd things.
06:57The gag has also evolved to take us all the way into those minds.
07:01There, you can see quirky symbols for clashing personalities and mental functions.
07:05Internal monologues are a classic comedy staple that The Simpsons really pushes.
07:17Much of this family's behavior is so bizarre that audiences may need the extra insight.
07:22Number 23.
07:23Ralphisms.
07:24Most gag-driven Springfielders have catchphrases.
07:27Ralph Wiggum has consistently perfect quotes.
07:30The police chief's son is what Marge might call a special little guy,
07:34whose ineptitude is displayed with a perpetual smile and earnest observations.
07:39No, no, Ralph.
07:40This means you're failing English.
07:42Me fail English?
07:44That's impossible.
07:45From,
07:46Your eyes need diapers.
07:47To,
07:48My cat's breath smells like cat food.
07:50The boy of a few words has many nuggets of non-wisdom.
07:53His complete obliviousness in how to navigate the world is both cute and charmingly tragic.
07:58Some Ralphisms have even indicated that his condition is more antisocial than socially awkward.
08:03Your hair is tall and pretty.
08:06Well, thank you, Ralph.
08:08You're such a fine young gentleman.
08:11Help!
08:11She's touching my special area!
08:14Once said to be Matt Groening's favorite Simpsons character,
08:17Ralph is harder to describe than the things he tries to describe.
08:21It's still endlessly delightful to watch him try.
08:23Number 22.
08:24Grandpa Stories.
08:26Abe Simpson is hardly an example of wisdom coming with age,
08:29but when he speaks, at least the audience is eager to listen.
08:33His stereotypically rambling senile anecdotes are full of bizarre logical holes and tangents.
08:38Don't try looking for historical records of nickels with bumblebees on them
08:42or the Kaiser stealing the English word,
08:4420.
08:45Now my story begins in 19-dickety-2.
08:48We had to say dickety,
08:50cause the Kaiser had stolen our word 20.
08:53I chased that rascal to get it back,
08:55but gave up after dickety-6 miles.
08:59At least there's photographic evidence of a horse doing Abe's taxes in 1998.
09:03Mostly, flashbacks only enhance the surrealism of his self-described
09:07loose-brained nonsense by visualizing it.
09:10Grandpa's tedious tall tales let the writers indulge their most random streams of consciousness.
09:15We can't bust heads like we used to,
09:18but we have our ways.
09:20As exhausting as all the twists and inaccuracies are for his family,
09:24they make for captivating comedy.
09:2621.
09:27Homer gets hurt.
09:28Bart the Daredevil ended with Homer falling down Springfield Gorge, twice.
09:36It was one of the show's first ultra-violent moments,
09:39and it was disturbingly hilarious.
09:41Since then, Homer has managed to withstand many forms of violence,
09:44but he's never been able to get away with it.
09:47Since then, Homer has managed to withstand many forms of gruesome slapstick.
09:51Many such gags are referenced in later episodes to confirm the Simpsons' shock value,
09:55if not partly explain Homer's cognitive quirks.
09:58His pain-proneness has also been a key plot point,
10:01like when he became a champion boxer by simply tiring out his opponents,
10:05or was designated uninsurable.
10:09Hey, he's survived everything so far.
10:12Homer has gotten hurt worse since that iconic day at Springfield Gorge,
10:16but it's always a hit to the audience's gut.
10:1820.
10:19Why, you little...
10:21Every viewer knows what happens when Homer says these three little words.
10:29Bart is about to get Homer's hands wrapped around his throat,
10:31and his eyes and tongue are gonna bulge out.
10:41It's happened hundreds of times,
10:43and neatly encapsulates a big part of Homer and Bart's relationship.
10:52Homer can be counted on to be fooled or angered by Bart,
10:54and Bart always finds it irresistible to push Homer's buttons,
10:58no matter if he has to pay for it.
11:0219.
11:03Homer and Marge's shifting history
11:06As a television series runs longer and longer,
11:08there's more opportunity to flesh out characters' backstories,
11:11as has happened with Homer and Marge.
11:14The more flashbacks there are to early days,
11:16the more differences pop up.
11:27Often the changes have to do with changing dates,
11:29like having them meet in 1974 in one episode,
11:32to getting married in 1980 in another.
11:34Well, well, well...
11:36Look who's come crawling back to work for your old man!
11:39But the biggest changes came when they updated the timeline
11:42all the way to the 1990s in That 90s Show,
11:45a move that was later quietly forgotten.
11:4818.
11:49Maggie's tendency toward violence
11:52She may seem like just a sweet little baby,
11:54but on several occasions,
11:55Maggie has revealed her violent side.
11:57We're not talking about the menacing way she looks at her unibrowed baby rival,
12:01but actual violence.
12:04BANG!
12:08As in shooting Mr. Burns with a gun and attempting to shoot him again,
12:12or air-gunning gangsters into submission,
12:15or attacking Homer with a mallet and trying to stab him with a pencil.
12:19We get it though.
12:27She was even ready to take on Mr. Teeny if necessary.
12:29Take out the baby!
12:33The lesson?
12:34Do not mess with the silent but deadly type.
12:3717.
12:39Those in authority have no clue
12:42One of the qualities most associated with The Simpsons is irreverence,
12:45and that quality is readily apparent in the show's depiction of authority figures.
13:00I thought that too, until he said yard trimming.
13:04Gotta learn to listen, Lou.
13:05For the most part,
13:06the authority figures in Springfield are depicted as hopelessly inept and clueless.
13:19Want an example?
13:20We give you Clancy Wiggum,
13:22easily the worst police chief in television history,
13:26and his deputies aren't much better.
13:29Hey, I'm the chief here.
13:31Bake them away, toys.
13:33What'd you say, chief?
13:34Do what the kid says.
13:35Then there's the eternally corrupt Mayor Quimby,
13:38the monumentally incompetent lawyer Lionel Hutz,
13:40and the well-intentioned but easily outfoxed Principal Skinner.
13:48Cool, I broke his brain.
13:50Jeez, no wonder Bart has no respect for those in power.
13:5316.
13:54Nuclear negligence
13:56In the real world,
13:58Springfield would have been blown sky-high numerous times,
14:01and would have probably taken the rest of the country with it.
14:04Clearly, Homer is the man most responsible for this gross negligence.
14:18He's supposedly the safety inspector,
14:20but the man has no idea what he's supposed to do,
14:23and would be too lazy and incompetent to do it even if he did know.
14:38And while they may not be quite as bad as Homer,
14:41knowing that the rest of the crew is of the caliber of Lenny and Carl
14:44doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence.
14:46That's the man who's in charge of our safety.
14:49It boggles the mind.
14:50It's best not to think about it.
14:55The annual Halloween episode has become a big fan favorite,
14:58with viewers anxious to see what strange situations
15:01the characters will be placed in time after time.
15:03It's also an opportunity for the creative crew
15:06to let their imaginations run wild
15:07when it comes to the credit sequences at the beginning and end of the episode.
15:11Each name is changed in some way to make it seasonally appropriate,
15:14which is why names like Bat Groening or Drooley Kavner flash across the screen.
15:23Most of the Springfield men have bodies that are best described as,
15:26say, lumpy, and then there's Ned.
15:29As has been revealed on several occasions,
15:31Flanders clearly spends a lot of time at the gym,
15:35and to good effect.
15:36That suit's a little revealing, isn't it?
15:38Well, it allows for maximum mobility.
15:41Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all.
15:44There are also suggestions that he packs a pretty big little Ned.
15:47Oh, that's it, baby.
15:49That's the money shot.
15:50Yeah, the camera loves you.
15:52Oh, you tease you.
15:54All of which is more humorous because of the character's modesty
15:57and hesitancy to promote himself above others.
16:00One of the few Simpsons characters with a reason to be conceited
16:03instead values his humility.
16:05Oh, I would date Ned in a second if I was a woman or gay.
16:09He looks like a cuddler, that Ned.
16:11I like that.
16:12I like to be held.
16:13I like to be pampered.
16:18Poor Lenny.
16:19He doesn't get a lot of screen time,
16:21and often when he does, it's concerned with a particular running gag.
16:25One where some bizarre object or other gets stuck in his eye.
16:27My eye, I'm not supposed to get pudding in it.
16:31Sure, sometimes it's relatively harmless.
16:33A little soap in the eye, big deal.
16:35Hey, thanks.
16:36Oh, my eye.
16:38Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.
16:40But other times it's more serious.
16:42Garbage, pudding, jigsaw puzzle pieces.
16:48Ow, my eye.
16:49I'm not supposed to get jigs in it.
16:51A coiled spring.
16:52Sorry, Lenny.
16:53We know it's painful, but we can't help laughing at your misfortune.
16:56I'm all right, folks.
16:57Thanks to my Omnigogs.
17:01A little late for Lenny.
17:06Throughout the show's run,
17:07there have been times when Mr. Burns has laid eyes on Homer and asked Smithers who he was.
17:12Who is that bookworm, Smithers?
17:13Homer Simpson, sir.
17:14Simpson, eh?
17:15How very strange.
17:17Every time, Burns replies as if this is the first time he has ever heard the name.
17:22Despite the fact that he has had countless memorable interactions with Homer
17:26and or various members of his family.
17:28Oh, that's Homer Simpson, sir.
17:29He's one of your boobs from Sector 7G.
17:31Simpson, eh?
17:32In addition to being a good gag,
17:33it also demonstrates both Burns' apparent senility
17:36as well as the fact that he is so rich and self-centered,
17:39he can't be bothered to remember other people.
17:41That's Homer Simpson, sir.
17:43Simpson, eh?
17:44New man.
17:45Actually, sir, he thwarted your campaign for governor.
17:48You ran over his son.
17:49He saved the plant from meltdown.
17:51His wife painted you in the nude.
17:54Doesn't ring a bell.
17:55Number 11.
17:57Troy McClure's films and TV shows.
18:00Troy McClure's typical entrance includes references to at least two of his past masterworks,
18:04all of which are bizarrely titled.
18:07I'm Troy McClure.
18:08You might remember me from such films as Today We Kill,
18:11Tomorrow We Die and Gladys the Groovy Mule.
18:14Hollywood has-been McClure was a multimedia master,
18:17appearing in big screen pictures,
18:19TV movies,
18:20television series,
18:21plays,
18:22self-help videos,
18:23nature films,
18:24computer travel guides,
18:25film strips,
18:26you name it.
18:27You may remember me from such educational films as Two Minus Three Equals Negative Fun
18:32and Firecrackers the Silent Killer.
18:35But with titles like Gladys the Groovy Mule and Locker Room Towel Fight,
18:39The Blinding of Larry Driscoll,
18:41it's no wonder McClure's career took a turn south.
18:43Hi, I'm Troy McClure.
18:45You may remember me from such films as The Greatest Story Ever Hoolid
18:48and They Came to Burgle Carnegie Hall.
18:50Oh, I'm afraid not. License, please?
18:54Number 10.
18:55Moe's illegal activities.
18:57Moe's tavern is Homer's preferred hangout,
19:00his home away from home.
19:01And that by itself should indicate it can't be a success.
19:05Okay, it's over. Get him out of here.
19:10Which must be why Moe finds very creative ways to supplement his income.
19:14Right there on to us. Get him back to SeaWorld.
19:17Very creative.
19:21Including supplying illegal guns and grenades to help in a revolutionary struggle.
19:25One grenade each.
19:27Or transforming into a law-breaking speakeasy.
19:29All right, but I don't know what you expect to find in a simple neighborhood pet shop.
19:39But come on, Moe. Smuggling pandas?
19:41Stealing Shamu from SeaWorld?
19:44She's at the fence.
19:47Be a little more chill.
19:49Number 9.
19:50Smithers' attraction to Mr. Burns.
19:53One of the most frequent running gags in the whole Simpsons canon
19:56is the fact that Waylon Smithers has an inexplicable crush on Montgomery Burns.
20:00And Burns is somehow oblivious to it.
20:03They won't get what I really want.
20:04No one does.
20:07Happy birthday, Mr. Smithers.
20:12Why Smithers has these feelings will never be understood.
20:16Love can be opaque after all.
20:24But it helps explain why Smithers remains steadfastly loyal to Burns.
20:28When any other assistant would have long ago thrown in the towel.
20:42Number 8.
20:43Reminders of Mr. Burns' age.
20:46Speaking of dear old Mr. Burns' age.
20:48Well, he's old.
20:49Insanely so.
20:51Creepily so.
20:52Impossibly so.
21:04And the writers take advantage of that fact to pop jokes at his ancientness every chance they get.
21:12Not, not, not, not, not, not, not, too.
21:17Damn, Roosevelt.
21:18Sometimes these take the form of references to people or events far in the past
21:21which seem to Burns to be totally current.
21:24It's this strange sensation in my chest.
21:27I think your heart's beating again.
21:28Oh, that takes me back.
21:30Other times they refer more directly to his elderly state.
21:33Especially how thin and physically slight he's become.
21:36Ooh, try this arm.
21:38I saw some blood in there the other day.
21:40In either case, these gags are simply excellent.
21:44Mr. Burns, I'm afraid you are the sickest man in the United States. You have everything.
21:49Number 7. They keep offing Hans Moleman.
21:53This character resembles nothing so much as a poor, shriveled-up peanut.
21:57And he gets about as much respect as one.
21:59The writers have arranged for Hans to die several times over the course of the series.
22:06We're not counting things like his apparent marriage to Selma Bouvier,
22:09which some would say is a fate worse than death.
22:11No, we're talking real death.
22:13By an exploding AMC Gremlin.
22:16By execution without a last meal.
22:18Buried alive.
22:20Drilled in the head.
22:21Oh no, my brains.
22:24Burnt by magnifying eyeglasses.
22:26Hans, thank you for making death so entertaining.
22:29For us, at least.
22:31Number 6. Springfield Elementary's awfulness.
22:34The school's staff isn't explicitly horrible.
22:37They simply don't care.
22:39And that attitude is apparent in everything that happens in the school.
22:50It's why you hire someone like Otto to drive a school bus that barely holds together.
23:02And why the surly lunch lady casually serves malk and mystery meat.
23:08And doesn't care about unloading food on the floor.
23:11The teachers pretty much just do what they have to in order to get by.
23:14And Skinner has his hands full just trying to keep Bart in line.
23:23Is it any wonder Lisa and Martin are about the only decent students the school has?
23:27Number 5. Billboard gags.
23:30The Simpsons has always been notable for the amusing names of its businesses and restaurants.
23:35From the Frying Dutchman and Municipal House of Pancakes,
23:38to the barbershop Harry Shearer's and Lionel Hutz's I Can't Believe It's a Law Firm.
23:43When a weekly Billboard gag was added to the credits,
23:46businesses like McBain Capital and the Squidport joined the crew.
23:49But the Billboard gags go far beyond funny names to include great standalone gags.
23:54This year give her English muffins.
23:56Whatever you say Mr. Billboard!
24:02Number 4. Springfield State.
24:05Just what state is Springfield actually in?
24:08Maybe it's one of the 34 states with an actual Springfield, maybe it's not.
24:13See the four states that border Springfield, Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky.
24:19But the intentionally misleading clues the writers drop,
24:22like saying it borders Ohio, Kentucky, Maine and Nevada do not help.
24:26Whatever state it is in, it seems to have geographical features that can change at whim.
24:30Often when viewers look through the window of the Simpsons kitchen,
24:33they see something totally different than they saw before.
24:40Number 3. Bart's prank calls.
24:43Obnoxious prank phone calls are probably the most harmless thing Bart does.
24:47So harmless that even Lisa likes to engage in them.
24:53But the object of those calls, most often our hapless friend Mo,
24:59does not find them so funny. At all.
25:10The calls work so well because they emphasize Mo's unchangeable gullibility
25:14and his inability to learn from his mistakes.
25:22And because, hey, they may be juvenile, but they are still funny.
25:38The chalkboard gags have been a major part of the Simpsons' appeal from day one.
25:42Coming almost at the top of the opening credits,
25:44they immediately paint Bart as a troublemaker and a rascal.
25:48And one with quite a mouth on him.
25:49But they also give the creators plenty of latitude to come up with brilliant standalone gags
25:54and, when necessary, trenchant commentary.
25:56At their best, the chalkboard gags are simply unbeatable.
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26:16Number one, the couch gags.
26:19Well, what else could be at number one?
26:21Not every opening credits sequence includes one, but the vast majority do.
26:25And they're one of the gags most strongly identified with the Simpsons.
26:35They started out pretty tame as just a way to make the credits more interesting.
26:39But through the years, there have been some pretty elaborate variations.
26:46As well as references to other TV shows.
26:48Who knew sitting on a couch could be so much fun?
27:06What's your favorite Simpsons running gag?
27:08Let us know in the comments.
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