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Don't Fear the Roofer
The Heartbroke Kid
A Star is Torn

Trivia[]

  • Spangler's car is a Volvo V70.
  • This episode originally aired on the same day as the previous episode, "Don't Fear the Roofer", which originally aired before this episode. This is also the first time that two new episodes of the show aired on the same day.

Previous Episode References[]

  • The Way We Weren't and Kamp Krusty: Characters going to a fat camp (Homer/Martin Prince/Bart)
  • Life on the Fast Lane, The Call of the Simpsons, Bart's Inner Child, and You Only Move Twice: Albert Brooks guest stars on an episode of The Simpsons.
  • Treehouse of Horror IX and Behind the Laughter: The opening sequence/couch gag of The Simpsons gets spoofed (The Simpsons die before they get in the house, leaving Freddy Kreuger and Jason Voorhees to give up and watch TV/a cowboy-themed couch gag gets interrupted because Bart was too busy on the phone with his agent to do it/Bart has become so obese that his normal schtick in the opening [the blackboard punishment, skating past Helen Lovejoy, Apu, Moe, Barney, Jacques the French bowler, Bleeding Gums Murphy (who isn't here in the spoof version), Chief Wiggum, and Marge and Maggie in the orange station wagon; skating on Homer's car just as he pulls into the driveway, and joining the family in the couch] is hampered by his weight).
  • Blood Feud: Bart has a food allergy (is allergic to butterscotch and imitation butterscotch/is allergic to cauliflower).
  • Hungry, Hungry Homer and King-Size Homer:
    • A Simpson male (Homer/Bart) gains weight
    • Marge worrying about the health of a Simpson male (Homer/Bart) after he becomes morbidly obese
      • Dog of Death and Hungry Hungry Homer: Homer degrades himself by singing for money/attention (sings "Buffalo Gals" at Moe's for beer money/sings "Dancing Away My Hunger Pangs" to raise awareness about the Springfield Isotopes being moved to Albuquerque/sings "99 Luftballons" [in the original German, not the English translated version] for tips).
  • Girly Edition: Groundskeeper Willie takes Bart's skateboard (confiscates it after Bart crashes into Willie's leaf pile/buys it off Bart so Bart can get vending machine snacks).
  • Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk: Germans ruin the Simpsons' life (the new nuclear plant owners fire Homer for not being efficient, causing The Simpsons to tighten their belts financially/The Simpsons turn their house into a youth hostel and take in young, snooty German backpackers who complain about American society, trash the house, and force Homer to humiliate himself for their pleasure).
  • Krusty Gets Busted, Mr. Plow, and Brother's Little Helper: Krusty nearly dies during a live broadcast (has a heart attack from grilling pork [even though it's later established that he's Jewish and pork is not considered kosher]/gets attacked by three Siberian tigers during his stint on Carnival of the Stars/his associate producer messes up the timing on Krusty's spinning bowtie, which nearly chokes him to death/Krusty's chest zipper gets stuck and he bleeds out).
  • Days of Wine and D'oh'ses: Rainier Wolfcastle has a weight problem from overeating junk food.
  • Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by The Ohio Express can be heard (Homer listens to the song instead of watching the moon landing in 1969/the song plays during Bart's junk food binge).
  • Homer's Triple Bypass:
    • A Simpson male (Homer/Bart) says, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" after having a heart attack.
    • Krusty has a chest zipper/pacemaker scar because of heart problems
  • Gump Roast: Marge becomes a robot ("They'll Never Stop the Simpsons" mentioned this as a future storyline/Homer imagines Marge as a robot).
  • Burns, Baby Burns: A simulation/imagine spot shows Homer getting shot to death (the computer simulation showing how Homer will die while holding Larry Burns hostage/Homer imagines having a Marge robot who blasts him full of holes when he gets home from work).
  • Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?: Homer's half-brother, Herbert Powell, is seen/mentioned.
  • Bye Bye Nerdie: Homer mentioning that childhood injuries include skinning knees and getting suffocated by cats.
  • Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo and Simpson Tide: Homer can fluently speak another language (Japanese/Spanish, Chinese, and penguin/German)
    • Simpson Tide: A character references "Do The Bartman" years after its popularity (Bart sings the song to upstage Milhouse's popularity, only for no one to respond, except for Ralph Wiggum to comment that the song is "so 1991"/Homer urges Bart to "Do The Bartman" to fight his heart attack).
  • Lisa the Vegetarian: Lisa refuses to laugh at an Itchy & Scratchy episode.
  • The Secret War of Lisa Simpson: Bart is forced to go somewhere because of a behavioral issue (military school for his latest destructive prank/fat camp because of his overeating junk food).
  • The War of the Simpsons: Marge makes a platter that spells out a message (a sandwich platter that reads, "Enjoy Our Party Snacks", which Bart turns into "Boy, Our Party Sucks"/a veggie platter that reads, "Get Healthy, Bart", which Bart throws in the trash).
  • Duffless:
    • Bart hiding junk food behind a Krusty the Clown pin-up poster is similar to Homer hiding beer cans in the toilet tank.
    • Homer has a drinking problem.
  • $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling): A Harry Shearer-voiced character (Mr. Burns/Principal Skinner) listens in on terrible pitches for a new addition to something (a casino in Springfield/new vending machines in the school). Both scenes also have The Sea Captain pitching something (a sailing voyage/a gumbo machine) and getting rejected.
  • Homer Loves Flanders: Homer imagines replacing Marge (wears a wig that looks like her hair/gets a robot version of her).
  • Bart of Darkness, Marge Be Not Proud, and On a Clear Day, I Can't See My Sister: The family has fun without Bart.
  • The Front:
    • Someone gets an office supply hurled at their head (the Jon Vitti-esque I&S Studios writer getting a paper ball and a name plaque hurled at him/Gil getting a stapler hurled at him).
    • Krusty talks about his health problems during an episode of his show (the nicotine patches he has to wear to curb his smoking/the chest zipper because of his heart problems).
  • Simpson Safari: reference to supermarket workers going on strike.
  • The medical questionnaire on the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, "Kitty-Kill Condition" has the following previous references:

Goofs[]

  • The distance from Spangler's compound to the Simpson house is inconsistent. Earlier in the episode, it is only an hour drive. Later, as Homer and Tab are out on the highway, Tab wants to stop at a motel overnight.
  • When Dr. Hibbert shows Bart's radiograph, there is a switch under the image, but when Marge points to Bart's liver and says that it looks healthy, the switch is missing from the plate. When Dr. Hibbert tells Homer and Marge that Bart has to follow a program of strict diet and exercise, the switch is back on the plate.
  • Allison Taylor is seen in the episode with miscolored, light brown hair, as well as a red top (instead of light blue) and her skirt is a brighter red color.
  • After Bart destroyed all the Vending Machines in school and took all the money, $5 Bills, $10 Bills, and even pennies were seen pouring out despite the fact that vending machines (at the time of this episode; these days, some vending machines can take $5 to $10 bills while others take payments from credit and debit cards) were still taking change and $1 bills.

Cultural references[]

  • The title of this episode is probably a spoof of the 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid starring Charles Grodin.
  • The song Homer sings for change to the German students on vacation is "99 Luftballons" by Nena (in the original German, not the English translation).
  • The song played during Bart's junk food binge is "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by The Ohio Express.
  • The line "raged against the machine" is a reference to the political rap-rock band Rage Against the Machine.
  • The Shawshank Redemption:
    • Bart uses a poster of Krusty the Clown to conceal the junk food stash in his room. Andy DuFresne puts a poster of Rita Hayworth (later followed by Marilyn Monroe and Raquel Welch) on the wall of his cell to conceal his escape tunnel.
    • Bart opens a package of candy, throws it in the air, and lets it fall down onto and around him, echoing the scene where Andy stands in the rain after his escape.
  • Bart's candy-tossing scene could also be considered a reference to the scene in Pleasantville where David stands in the rain and transforms from black-and-white to color.
  • Homer says (regarding the milkshakes from the festival), "They're melting", in a style reminiscent of The Wicked Witch of the West while dying in The Wizard of Oz.
  • This episode's storyline is likely a satire of the real-world problem of vending machines in schools (which was briefly mentioned in the 2004 Morgan Spurlock film Super Size Me, and by coincidence, an episode from the twenty-sixth season had its title spoofed on that film). In fact, some states have made it illegal for public schools to sell junk food to students during school hours.
  • Marge suggests that the family "give those Germans das boot", a reference to the 1981 German war film Das Boot.
  • When the Simpsons kick out the German students, one of them says they will go to Disneyland to "heap the scorn on Goofy". Homer also mentions the Euro, the official currency of several European Union members.


Season 15 Season 16 References/Trivia Season 17
Treehouse of Horror XVAll's Fair in Oven WarSleeping with the EnemyShe Used to Be My GirlFat Man and Little BoyMidnight RxMommie BeerestHomer and Ned's Hail Mary PassPranksta RapThere's Something About MarryingOn a Clear Day I Can't See My SisterGoo Goo Gai PanMobile HomerThe Seven-Beer SnitchFuture-DramaDon't Fear the RooferThe Heartbroke KidA Star is TornThank God It's DoomsdayHome Away from HomerThe Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star
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