Dancin' Homer

"S-P-R-I-N-G-F-E-E-L-D!"

- Crowd at the Springfield War Memorial Stadium

"Dancin' Homer" is the fifth episode of Season 2. It aired on November 8, 1990. The episode was written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs and was directed by Mark Kirkland.

Synopsis

 * "Homer becomes a baseball mascot for a local team, thanks to his butt-swinging dance to The Baby Elephant Walk. The team's subsequent high scores bring him to the attention of the major league head hunters and big commercial sponsors. But will success spoil Homer?"

Plot
One night at Moe's, Homer's drinking buddies ask, "What happened in Capital City?" Through a series of flashbacks, he recounts his recent adventures, beginning with the Nuclear Plant Employee, Spouses, and No More Than Three Children Night at the local minor league baseball stadium. Homer's hope of letting loose at the ballpark are ruined when Mr. Burns and Smithers sit next to him, but to his surprise, Mr. Burns buys him several rounds of beer to show good company relations, and they are soon enjoying the game together. With the Springfield Isotopes down by three runs, an inebriated Homer excites the crowd with an impromptu dance that rallies the team to victory.

The owner of the Isotopes offers Homer a job as team mascot, and the team goes on a winning streak. Before long, Homer receives a big league job offer with the Capital City Capitals. After some initial resistance, the family warms to the idea of the move to the big city. The Simpsons say their farewells, sell their belongings and move. Homer fills in for the Capitals' mascot, the Capital City Goofball, but his small-town routine flops in front of the jaded crowd. Homer is fired that night, and Marge and the kids do their best to cheer him up. Homer remembers fondly how his family stood by him but glumly notes how little that helped. Back in Springfield, the patrons of Moe's Tavern do not care about Homer's failure, only about his adventure. Homer takes solace in having gotten a good story out of it.

In other languages
Das Maskottchen Dancin' Homer