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Grift of the Magi |
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Cultural references[]
- Milhouse and Bart sing "Sisters are doin' it for themselves!", a song by Aretha Franklin and the Eurythmics.
- The toy, Funzo, is a parody of the popular Furby dolls (although the Furby dolls were mentioned in the story line as an example of a popular toy).
- Gary Coleman once worked as a security guard in real life. Coleman spoofed Arnold's (Coleman's character in Diff'rent Strokes) catchphrase, "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", three times.
- At the end, the narrator says Mr. Burns was visited by three ghosts in the night which showed him the error of his ways, a homage to A Christmas Carol. Gary Coleman also spoofs Tiny Tim in the same sequence after learning that Moe hit his Jeep in the driveway.
- The narrator also says that Moe, in his annual suicide attempt, was shown what the world would be like without him after sticking his head in his oven. This is a reference to the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life.
- When Bart and Lisa discovers that Funzo is programmed to destroy other toys to eliminate competition, Bart commented, "You mean, like Microsoft?", which is a reference to the corporate takeovers conducted by Microsoft in the 1990s to eliminate competition.
- This episode's title is a pun on O. Henry's short story The Gift of the Magi.
- Funzo's metallic frame maybe a reference to the endoskeleton of The Terminator.
- The part where Homer steals the Funzos is a reference to How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
- Ralph as Dr. Stupid could be a reference to Stimpy's moronic scientist alter ego from The Ren & Stimpy Show.
- Chief Wiggum jokingly called Lisa Simpson "mop top", and did an Ed Sullivan impression. Mop-top haircuts are what The Beatles are known for, and The Beatles first performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964.
Trivia[]
- This was the last episode of the show to premiere in the 1990s. With 234 episodes, The 1990s saw the premiere of more Simpsons episodes than any other decade: the 2000s had 214, the 2010s had 223, and the 1980s only had one (not counting the Tracey Ullman shorts).
- Krusty wishes his audience "a Merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a 'kwazy' Kwanzaa, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified Ramadan" on his Christmas special. Because Islam runs on a lunar calendar, it is possible for Ramadan to coincide with the other December holidays (though Tet is celebrated in either January or February, depending on the year), and it actually did in 1999 when this episode aired.
Goofs[]
Maggie with a red bow
- Maggie is shown with a red ribbon on her head, but after Dr. Hibbert touches Bart, her red ribbon becomes blue.
- When announcing Springfield Elementary's new wheelchair ramps, Seymour Skinner mentions the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1975". The real Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came out in 1990. But it's possible Skinner mixed it up with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 (IDEA), as both acts do require public schools to have wheelchair-accessible ramps.