Love is a Many Strangled Thing/References

Episode	References	Gags	Appearances	Gallery	Quotes	Credits

◄ A Midsummer's Nice Dream

Love is a Many Strangled Thing

The Great Simpsina ►

Cultural references

• The episode title is a pun on the song "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" based on the 1955 hilarious Oscar Award-winning film.

• Homer has a nightmare with three pop culture references to parental abuse in the media, but Homer is the abused victim and Bart is the abuser:

1. Homer is a young Michael Jackson in the Jackson Five. And Bart is Joe Jackson, Michael's father. .
2. A scene from the 1979 feature-length film The Great Santini which directed by Lewis John Carlino, where Bart is Wilbur Meechum and Homer is Ben.
3. A parody of the 2009 film Precious, which is also based on the Sapphire novel Push, with Bart as Mary and Homer as Precious.

When the dream finishes Homer exclaims "No, no Star Wars parodies!", a nod to the parodies of the Star Wars films done by the Simpsons's fellow FOX animation Family Guy.

• Beginning with this episode, the Springfield Atoms Stadium is modeled after Cowboys Stadium, featuring a retractable roof and large video board mounted above the field.
• A Green Bay Packers fan and a Minnesota Vikings fan are seen coming out of the "Museum of Tolerance"; the two teams are rivals in the NFL's NFC North division.
• The following animals in the "Mascot Zoo" represent the following teams:
  • Raven - Baltimore Ravens
  • Panther - Carolina Panthers
  • Bear - Chicago Bears
  • Tiger - Cincinnati Bengals
  • Horse - Denver Broncos
  • Lion - Detroit Lions
  • Dolphin - Miami Dolphins
  • Eagle - Philadelphia Eagles
  • Ram - St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (the Rams were in St. Louis when this episode first aired; team was in Los Angeles prior to 1995 and returned to L.A. in 2016)

• When Homer tries to shoot Mr. Burns, he makes reference to the rituals performed by Private Jackson from Saving Private Ryan before he takes a shot.

• The Alice Cooper song "No More, Mr. Nice Guy" is playing as Homer first starts to get strangled.

• After Bart pees himself when the screen shows the words, "Got urine?", it makes a reference to "got milk?"

Trivia

• This is the first episode where a Mercedes-Benz GLK can be seen. It can be seen when Mr. Burns's hot air balloon lands.