During the production of this episode, Late Night with Conan O'Brien had not begun filming and Conan O'Brien (who wrote "Marge vs. the Monorail") had only auditioned for the job, but a scene involving a version of The Conan O'Brien Show was written into the episode anyway. At the point of recording the dialog, O'Brien had got the part as presenter of the talk show, but believed it would have been cancelled by the time that the Simpsons episode would air.
All school buses looking identical to Springfield's might also be a reference of how American school buses have barely changed their appearance.
The design of the insides of the box factory featured in this episode was discussed at great lengths by Director Susie Dietter and Executive Creative Consultant Brad Bird. Bird wanted the design to be more lively but Dietter wanted it to be more boring to go with the story. Dietter's design was used in the finished episode.
During the field trip Bart is wearing his lucky red cap that previously died Homers shirts pink in the wash during Stark Raving Dad. That episode stared an un-credited Michael Jackson and who's appearance in the show is parodied in this very episode by MC Hammer.
Bumblebee man is revealed to have an English accent in his normal speaking voice.
Bumblebee man foreshadows the plot of the episode by complaining about his show repeating the same tired gag.
When the little girl calls the Bart hotline there is a poster for the Corey hotline in the background.
Matchgame 2034 is a future version of the ABC game show Match Game which has had a number of different incarnations over six decades. The series stared celebrity guest panelists helping contestants answer trivia. This is similar to Celebrity Squares and Hollywood Squares.
During Matchgame 2034 the head of Kitty Carlise appears persevered in a jar full of liquid. Matt Groening would re-use the idea of celebrity heads preserved in jars in Futurama.
Deleted scenes from this episode include Bart sorting Krusty's mail (by either death threats, paternity suits and both) and Homer questioning Krusty on the money Bart is making.
This episode reveals that Sideshow Mel is lactose intolerant.
Citations[]
This episode satirizes the unexpected popularity of Bart Simpson and the Simpsons in general. The catchphrase 'I didn't do it' is a play on Bart's other catchphrases 'Don't have a cow man' and 'Ay, caramba' that had appeared on Simpsons merchandise and by the airing of this episode was considered old news. The 'I didn't do it' dancers and MC Hammer references Michael Jackson's un-credited appearance in Stark Raving Dad, and his writing the lyrics for 'Do the Bartman'. While Bart being discovered on the Krusty the Clown Show is a play on how the Simpsons started on the Tracy Ulman show. Krusty's show is a variety show like Tracy Ulman's and even includes cartoon shorts in the form of Itchy and Scratchy.
Krusty alludes to the popular board game Clue when he calls Bart and tells him that he needs his fingerprints on a candlestick and to meet him in the conservatory.
One of Lisa's imagined future achievements, in addition to curing all disease and ending war, is a reunion of the entire cast of long-running sitcom The Facts of Life, "including longtime holdout, Tootie."
Bart records an "I Didn't Do It" rap with the backing track from MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This". The backwards jeans on the album cover reference the then-popular hip-hop group Kris Kross, who famously wore their clothes backwards.
The chalkboard gag "My homework was not stolen by a one armed man" refers to 1993 film The Fugitive, where the lead role is framed for murder by a one-armed man.
The song young Homer is singing as a one-man band is "Tighten Up", a number one hit in 1968 for Archie Bell & the Drells.
When Lisa complains that Bart's biography was rush-released and "not even about him", this may refer to Vanilla Ice's largely inaccurate, also rush-released biography.
Krusty's white nose
Goofs[]
The incompletely-drawn drum
When Krusty gives Bart his large handkerchief, Krusty's nose briefly turns white like his skin instead of red.
Part of the white pants (on the left hand side) is colored green
When Homer is attacked in his flashback, the right side of Homer's drum disappears for a frame.
After the crowd laughs at Bart's initial "I didn't do it," there is an audience member with white pats. A part of his pants repeatedly is instead colored green like his shirt.
When the class cheers at Bart's catchphrase, Nelson is initially missing his vest and Martin has long sleeves. After they put their hands in the air, both characters' outfits switch into their regular forms.
