Squiggy

Squiggy is a character from the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley. He appeared with the Simpson family in the reality show The 1895 Challenge.

History
When the producers of The 1895 Challenge realized the show's ratings were declining after the Simpsons settled into living a 19th-century lifestyle, they sent Squiggy in to shake things up and boost ratings. Squiggy's appearance was at first good for some (literal) shock value, as he zapped Homer with a stun gun as soon as he met the family. However, he didn't deliver the desired ratings boost.

After realizing that Squiggy's presence wasn't helping the ratings, the producers decided to shake things up even further and send the house into a river. It went over a waterfall and fell apart, apparently killing Squiggy.

Behind the Laughter

 * Squiggy's being sent in to boost the ratings of The 1895 Challenge is a reference to the common TV show practice of adding new characters in an attempt to rekindle audience interest and save the show from being cancelled. These additions often have disastrous results, such as with Cousin Oliver on ', Seven on ', and Smitty ('s character) on .
 * Guest voice actor David Lander played Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley and reprised the character for the episode "Helter Shelter".