Lisa's complaint on how Bart manages to do the writing every week for detention is a referenece to the Chalkboard gag Bart does in nearly every title sequence.
Lisa's gets her first love in this episode, even though in "Lisa's Wedding", the fortune teller said Hugh Parkman would be her first love.
Lines from this episode have been used as a teaser for many scavenger hunts.
We learn that Kearney Zzyzwicz drives a car, yet he's sometimes seen riding on the school bus.
Cultural references
The episode title is both a reference to the phrase "Date with Destiny" and a reference to the 1985 film Back to the Future, where George McFly mixes up the words "destiny" and "density."
Homer's doughnut "sprinkles" are made up of 13 M&M's (5 brown, 4 light orange, and 4 yellow), 3 Jolly Ranchers, a Twizzler, and a Mounds bar.
When Nelson is playing the guitar, he does a move similar to Angus Young's (and Chuck Berry's) "Duck Walk." He also mimics Pete Townshend's "Windmill."
At one point, Lisa says that Milhouse likes "Vaseline on toast," a possible reference to the song "She Don't Use Jelly" by the psychedelic alt-rock band The Flaming Lips - "She'll make ya toast/she don't use butter/she don't use cheese/she don't use jelly/or any of these/she uses Vaseline."
In Lisa's music class, there is a wide shot of the entire class. Ćter sits next to Milhouse Van Houten in this shot. However, in the next shot, its Ralph Wiggum. In a following shot of the entire class, it's Ćter again. They both replace each other in the same seat (i.e. Ralph is nowhere to be found in the shots with Ćter and vice versa.)
The hole in Nelson's locker appears to increase in size.
After discovering the missing "H", Skinner refers to Nelson as Bart when telling him to return the items he stole.
Homer's "Happy Dude" Scam
The initial message that Homer made for the Auto-Dialer is as such:
"Greetings, friend. Do you wish to look as happy as me? Well, you've got the power inside you right now. So use it. And send $1 to Happy Dude, 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield. Don't delay; eternal happiness is just $1 away!"
After he is caught and tried, Homer replaces the above message with the following.
"Greetings friend, this is Homer Simpson, aka, Happy Dude. The courts have ordered me to call everyone, and apologize for my telemarketing scam...I'm sorry. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, send $1 to Sorry Dude, 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield. You have the power!"
