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I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot |
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Cultural References[]
- The episode title is a pun on I, Robot, which is the title of a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov, as well as a 2004 sci-fi movie loosely based on the stories in the book. Reference is also made to the Three Laws of Robotics (see Trivia below).
- References in Robot Rumble:
- The show itself is a reference to the sci-fi films Robot Jox and Crash and Burn.
- The show is also a reference to Royal Rumble, the WWE's annual series of pay-per-view TV specials.
- The show is also a parody of robot combat shows such as Robot Wars and BattleBots.
- The green robot that Chop Screwy takes on and defeats in the trailer for the show slightly resembles Mechadon, a robot that fought on BattleBots.
- The robot names "Ralph-O-Cop" and "Killhammad Aieee" are references to RoboCop and Muhammad Ali, respectively.
- Killhammad Aieee bears a strong resemblance to the ED-209 droid in RoboCop.
- One of the robots Killhammad Aieee dispatches looks similar to the T-800 from the Terminator films.
- When Chief Knock-A-Homer dispatches Buzzkill with his own circular saw, the announcers say that he is "killing him softly with his saw," referencing the 1970s pop tune "Killing Me Softly with His Song."
- The content of this episode refers to the episode Steel from TV series The Twilight Zone.
- The song "Watching Scotty Grow" by Bobby Goldsboro, which is played during Homer's battles, also appears in the episode "Saturdays of Thunder".
- Homer originally wanting to call Lisa BartXena is a reference to Xena: Warrior Princess.
- Chief Knock-A-Homer's name is modeled after Chief Noc-a-homa, which was the original mascot of the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves MLB team; the name itself is a variation to "Knock a homer" (home run).
- It also bears a strong resemblance to Bike Robo from Bandai's Machine Robo franchise (better known in the US as Cy-Kill from Tonka's Gobots).
- The song Watching Scotty Grow is a reference to and parody of the 1973 hit I got a name by the late Jim Croce.
Trivia[]
- The premiere was watched by 16.7 million people in America.
- Professor Frink says that Killhammad Aieee has been programmed with the Three Laws of Robotics, which are as follows:
- A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
- When Skinner points out that pretending like nothing happened is a cheat, Lisa shoots back by calling him by his real name: Armin Tamzarian, referencing the episode "The Principal and the Pauper".
- This is the second episode featuring robots that are programmed to harm other robots but not humans. The first was "Itchy & Scratchy Land".
- The last time someone tried sucking alcohol out of carpenting was in "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses".
- The last time a song played during a montage and later sung weakly by a character occurred in "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons".
- Coltrane's tombstone is made out of cardboard.
- Homer is seen wearing a welder's mask during his ill-fated attempt to build a robot implying that he must have acquired one after nearly burning his eyes out in "The Fat and the Furriest".
Goofs[]
- At Snowball II's funeral, Marge makes an attempt to cheer up Lisa by saying that according to Lisa's religion, Snowball could have been reincarnated. In Buddhism, there is no eternal soul that's reborn in another body. All that remains is a person's karma, which is passed on to a new person upon their birth. While Marge's statement can be overlooked as her lacking knowledge about Buddhism, Lisa doesn't correct her.
- When the crazy cat lady throws Lisa a cat, it has a red collar, then moments later, the collar disappears.
- The announcer says that only men want to see the Robot Rumble but there are women in the audience.
- Ned Flanders says "That is one bitchin bike." But in "Hurricane Neddy", Ned mentions that he doesn't swear (which is a lie, because he yelled "BREATHE THROUGH YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" to Homer on "Homer Loves Flanders"). He did, however, tell Rodd to lighten up for this right after he said such, so it's implied that Ned doesn't swear NORMALLY, but does so every once a while if he gets so impressed or enthused like this. On top of that, the writers did change Flanders' personality a lot ever since Maude died.
Production Notes[]
- The final draft for this episode was published on April 21, 2003.[1]
April 21, 2003