Memes and idioms

A meme is something that spreads rapidly, becoming well known, usually around the Internet. The Simpsons has spawned a couple of memes over the years. An idiom is something that originated from something like a TV show, book, movie etc. but has became commonly used.

"That's a paddlin'"


"That's a paddlin'" was a quote used by Jasper Beardsley in the season 6 episode "The PTA Disbands". The quote has achieved meme status, being used by numerous Simpsons fans on the Internet.

Dead Bart
Dead Bart is a that has become well known over the Internet. Many fans have been led to believe that it is real, although it is not.

The goggles do nothing!
Originating from the quote by Rainier Wolfcastle "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!" from the season 7 episode "Radioactive Man", the quote has been shortened to simply "the goggles do nothing". It is now a popular catchphrase used for conveying the horror of having seen something unwanted.

"Milhouse is Not a Meme"
The phrase "Milhouse is Not a Meme" a paradoxical statement and a well-known debate on about what makes an Internet meme and what doesn’t, using The Simpsons character Milhouse Van Houten as an example. Since the birth of the debate on 4chan in 2005, the phrase has been typically used to initiate a chain post of recursive nature. Due to its recurrence over time, "Milhouse is not a meme" is often referred to as a forced meme.

X Y is X
X Y is X (replacing "X" with a word and "Y" with another word) originated from the season 11 episode "Grift of the Magi". In the episode, Ralph said the phrase "fun toys are fun". This formula, also called "Redundant Adjective is Redundant", became some sort of a meme.

"You, sir, are and idiot"
"You, sir, are and idiot" is a slight corruption of the phrase "You, sir, are an idiot" said by Krusty the Clown in the season 9 episode "The Last Temptation of Krust". The "d" was added to the end of "an" by a 4chan poster to add an additional layer of irony.

"I must go, my people need me"
Taken from a line that Poochie (voiced by Roger Meyers, Jr.) said in the season 8 episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", "I must go, my people need me" has achieved meme status. The quote came when, to write Poochie out of the show, they made Poochie an alien and said that he had to go back to his home planet. The frame then went upwards, simulating Poochie flying and then it was stated that Poochie died on his way to his home planet.

The misquote of "I must go, my people need me" as well as the "planet" variation are often edited onto pictures of someone in the air, looking like they are heading upwards into space.

Steamed Hams
A meme originating from the season 7 episode "22 Short Films About Springfield". The meme focuses on the segment of Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers having a luncheon all the while Skinner tries to cover up suspicious things with lies. People have made parodies of the scene on websites such as YouTube.

Am I Disabled?
Am I Disabled? is a reaction image originating from season 7's "King-Size Homer", where Homer was reading a pamphlet titled Am I Disabled?. Homer wanted to get a disability so he could skip the job's daily exercise so he read the pamphlet to see what he could do to get legally disabled.

Megaphone test
A meme originating from the season 8 episode "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" where Bart attached many megaphones and said, "Testing!", causing various mishaps around Springfield.

Chair VS. Homer
A meme originating from the season 8 episode "A Milhouse Divided" where Bart hits Homer with a chair.

Hippo abuse
A meme originating from the season 19 episode "Mona Leaves-a" where toy hippos that Bart recorded his voice on mocked Homer with various insults such as, “Homer has a lard butt” and “cheese wang”. Going berserk, Homer tore several of the toys up and stabbed one with a unicorn doll.

Cheese-eating surrender monkeys
Originally said by Willie in the episode "'Round Springfield", this phrase has been used in other media, most notably by after France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

"Cromulent"
"Cromulent", originally said by Lisa in the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast" entered the.

"Kwyjibo"
Kwyjibo, a made-up word used by Bart in "Bart the Genius", has been used as one of the names of the, along with "Simpsons" and "Kwejeebo".

Meh
While not originating from The Simpsons, meh has been thought to be popularized by the show.

D'oh
D'oh has been added into the. It is commonly used by people both over the Internet and in real life.

"I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords"
Used by Kent Brockman in "Deep Space Homer", the phrase has now become used to express submission mockingly. It was also used in  magazine.