Bart the Lover/References

Cultural references

 * Chef Lonely Hearts' Soup, which Mrs. Krabappel buys at the Kwik-E-Mart, is a pun on . The soup can has a picture of the chef with a tear running down his cheek.
 * The 'world without zinc' movie is a parody of the 1940 educational movie 'A Case of Spring Fever'. A frustrated protagonist wishes for a world without springs, his wish being granted by a 'spring sprite' causing his car and telephone to no longer work.
 * The movie Ernest Needs a Kidney, which Bart watches as he stands up Mrs. Krabappel, is a parody of the comedy film series, starring Jim Varney in the title role.

Trivia

 * The postcard Homer sent Marge from Duff Brewery in Capital City in 1978 says, "See the World's Biggest Pull-Tab."
 * Ned Flanders' list of possible bad influences on his son Todd:
 * Bumper stickers
 * Comic books
 * Grandma
 * Television
 * His brother
 * Mrs. Krabappel reads an article in Springfield Magazine titled "We Talk With ". It's extremely unlikely that such an article would be published in real life, since the  author was a recluse up until his death in 2010.
 * According to this episode, the Simpsons live at 94 Evergreen Terrace.
 * List of instances where Homer had to use the Swear Jar:
 * Giving a $20 bill to the donation basket at church by mistake. (Homer is implied to have used "damn!")
 * Missing a strike at Barney's Bowlarama by a very close margin. (Implied to have used "Son of a Bitch!")
 * Getting irritated at Ned Flanders, when his shaving his mustache led to his getting a role in a cookie commercial. Homer swears at Ned when Ned shows him one of his paychecks. (Implied to have used "Bastard!")
 * Realizing that he forgot to insert the door to the doghouse. (Profanity not specified, but implied to have been a doozy.)
 * Getting stung by multiple bees after a bees' nest fell on him while he was napping outside. (No part of the swear word was actually heard, but the fact that Homer put change in the Swear Jar implied that he did swear.)
 * During the closing credits:
 * Gordie Howe's photo appears at the beginning, with his hockey career playing statistics superimposed over it.
 * The theme music is an up-tempo version played on organ, such as might be heard at a hockey arena. (Also heard in "Lisa on Ice".)
 * Some of the names on the students papers are Jamie and Lafond and since the names of most of the boys in Bart's class have been revealed, these names could belong to the Boy with shades, the Buck-toothed boy or the Lewis look-alike.
 * Ned makes an unusual appearance without his moustache.

Continuity

 * Homer's Swear Jar, first seen in this episode, later made a cameo appearance in "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington". When the first wave of low-flying air traffic passes over the Simpson home, the Swear Jar is seen falling off the refrigerator (due to the vibrations from the airplanes) and smashing apart.
 * Ned mentions pulling a . ("Homer Defined")
 * Some of the kids in the school auditorium include:
 * Ian, Tanya and Cecile Shapiro from "Bart the Genius".
 * Brittany from "Krusty Gets Busted".

Goofs

 * The very first time Bart looks at the picture of Edna Krabappel, Edna has her eyes open. Later in the episode when the whole family sees the picture, her eyes are shut.
 * The menus on the table during Edna and Jasper's date have a pink border around them, and part of the border is missing from one of the menus.
 * Edna sends a letter to 'Woodrow', of "94 Evergreen Terrace". 'Woodrow' ' s actual address is 742 Evergreen Terrace.

Production Notes

 * The subplot about the swear jar was added as a response to the criticism about the bad language on the show.
 * The voice of "Woodrow" was provided by Harry Shearer, doing an impression of.
 * The writers originally wanted to use a picture of instead of Gordie Howe, but they were unable to obtain the rights to use Unitas's image for free.