The Simpsons has made many jokes over the years, from the running gags to the freeze-frame bonuses, many of which have invested fans from around the world. But sometimes, fans notice that they don't always agree on what a certain joke was referring to, leading to debates over what the writers were actually thinking when they came up with it.
Often times, the most obvious joke might have been intended, or it could have been something a little deeper. In the end, however, this has even been an issue with jokes made in some of the most classic episodes of the series.
10 Marge & The Spice Rack
In "El Viaje de Nuestro Jomer," while at the chili cook-off, Marge encounters a spice rack with eight spices. She immediately assumes some of the spices are doubles and is confused as to what oregano is, pronouncing it incorrectly as if to be sounding out a word she is reading for the first time.
Some viewers interpret the joke to be about how suburban Americans usually don't like to add too many spices to their food and like to prepare simple dishes. Some interpret the joke to hint that Marge is actually a lackluster cook. Or that, being a cartoon character, she usually cooks with generic, unidentified spices.
9 Hank Scorpio's Shoe Question
One of the most infamously debated jokes on The Simpsons involves fan-favorite one-shot, Hank Scorpio, the owner of Globex Corporation. When Homer first meets his new boss, he throws a pair of moccasins away and asks Homer if he ever saw someone throw a shoe before. Homer's response was to laugh and say, "Yes, once."
Some fans think Homer is genuinely referring to a previous time when he saw someone throw a shoe. Other people assume Homer, not understanding the question or perhaps making a joke of his own, is referring to the fact he just saw Scorpio throw a pair of shoes.
8 Ralph The Viking
In "Lisa the Vegetarian," Ralph comments that sleep is the place where he is a "Viking," referring to the famed seafaring Scandinavians.
Some fans like to think Ralph means that he becomes a Viking in his dreams while he sleeps. On the other hand, since Vikings have developed a reputation for being strong and dominant, other fans interpret the joke to mean that Ralph is just very good at sleeping— in other words, he's a Viking at sleeping.
7 Lisa's Gazpacho
When Homer throws a BBQ for the neighborhood, Lisa takes it upon herself to become a vegetarian after playing with a lamb at a petting zoo. Disgusted with the idea of people eating meat at her father's party, she prepares gazpacho for all, only to get laughed at, with Barney shouting for her to go back to Russia.
Some fans interpret the joke to mean that Barney mistakenly thinks gazpacho, a traditional Spanish dish, is Russian. Some people think he's being coherent and is criticizing Lisa for trying to change the all-American BBQ, just picking a country typically associated with having animosity towards the US as a place Lisa should "go back to."
6 Homer's Towel
In "Bart Gets Famous," Homer picks up a phone call from work after presumably taking a shower. While talking, he asks for the other line to speak up since he's wearing a towel.
Some fans think the joke is a reference to how people often cover their ears with a towel and that Homer is oblivious to it not being an issue. Some think it's a joke on him wanting to finish the phone call because he's in the middle of getting dressed. And others just think it's a random joke, a typical nonsense one-liner the type of which Homer often says.
5 Michael Jackson's Existence
In "Bart Sells His Soul," Bart claims that he doesn't believe in Michael Jackson. While this could be another classic joke against celebrities, some fans have pointed out Bart might have a good reason not to believe in him.
In the episode, "Stark Raving Dad," Bart encounters a mental patient who believes himself to be Michael Jackson. Given the events of the episode, with the man helping Bart write a song for Lisa and later confessing to be a bricklayer from New Jersey, it's possible the incident caused Bart to think Michael Jackson was a made-up character all along. Added to that, in "The Great Money Caper," Bart meets a Michael Jackson impersonator whose "brothers" are just puppets.
4 Linda Lavin
In "Cape Feare," when someone seems to be targeting Bart, Lisa suspects it could be someone he's been harassing over the phone who now wants revenge. Bart's first guess is American actress Linda Laven, best known for the sitcom, Alice. Lisa clarifies that she actually meant Moe, pointing out he didn't deserve the harassment.
Some fans speculate that the joke was meant as an insult towards Alice while others think that it's just supposed to be non-sequitur and just picked a random celebrity, especially one with a memorable, alliterative name. Others think Linda Lavin must have done something horrible to Bart in the past that even Lisa sides with her brother about.
3 Homer's Age Discrepancy
In "Itchy & Scratchy Land," Marge is enjoying herself at the amusement park until a loudspeaker announces her son, referring to Bart, has been arrested by security. Soon after, the same announcer claims her "older, balder, fatter son" has also been arrested, referring to Homer.
Fans have often debated exactly why Homer was misidentified as a child. As some fans noted, Homer originally tried to enter the park buying tickets for one adult and four children, in what was likely an attempt to save money but could mean he had a child's pass on him. Some think it was a coincidence and the joke is just that Homer lied about his age so the guards would go easy on him.
2 The Cinderella Song
During his brief stint as "Max Power," Homer gets invited to a fancy party where he and Marge even get to meet President Bill Clinton, with the latter even being forced to dance with him. Marge comments upon first seeing him that she feels like Cinderella. Homer agrees and suggests they sing "the Cinderella song."
Since Marge doesn't want to sing at the moment, audiences never hear what song he was thinking of. Since Cinderella has been adapted to music fairly often, it's a little unclear what song he's referring to. The song the mice sing in the Disney cartoon? "In My Own Little Corner" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical? Something from The Slipper and the Rose? Or is the whole thing non-sequitur?
1 Mr. Snrub
In "Marge vs. the Monorail," the town holds a meeting to discuss what to do with a $3 million fine collected from Mr. Burns, a mysterious figure named Mr. Snrub kindly suggests simply returning the money to the power plant, possibly as an act of good faith. Naïve to the feelings of the townspeople, he ends up nearly getting attacked, but is rescued by Waylon Smithers who also supported the idea.
Given that so much focus was placed on a character never to be seen again, some fans suspect Mr. Snrub was a regular character in disguise, but this is never shown on screen. The only clue to his identity is that he claims to be from "someplace far away," leading some fans to suspect he's an alien or some supernatural being. Further complicating matters that this isn't simply a fake-out by Burns is the existence of Guy Incognito from another episode— assumed to be Homer putting on fake voice and wearing a fake mustache but later revealed to in fact be a separate person.
January 02, 2021 at 11:00AM
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The Simpsons: 10 Jokes Fans Have Questioned Over The Years | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources
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