Difference between revisions of "A Christmas Carol"

Latest revision as of 15:10, August 22, 2024

A Christmas Carol is a famous 1843 novel by British author Charles Dickens.

The story is of a solitary and misanthropic miser in Victorian London named Ebenezer Scrooge who gets visited by three ghosts on the night before Christmas who warn him through visions of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come to change his ways. Scrooge has a change of heart over the night and by morning becomes a better person, even saving Tiny Tim, the very ill son of his clerk Bob Cratchit. It has been adapted to countless film and television specials over the decades and, inevitably, referenced on The Simpsons too in particular the 1951 film adaptation "Scrooge".

Many of the references are scenes with Mr. Burns parodying Ebenezer Scrooge.

References[edit]

Television episodes[edit]

Season	Episode number	Episode name	Reference
1	1	"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"	Bart tells Homer that betting his money on the dog track "could be the miracle that saves the Simpsons' Christmas. If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas." One of the examples Bart gives is Tiny Tim, a character from "A Christmas Carol", whom Homer apparently never heard of.
5	99	"Burns' Heir"	When Mr. Burns sees Bart outside his window he chooses him as his heir. Full of excitement Burns open his window and shouts at Bart: "You there, young lad. Which day is it today?" To which another child with a British accent says: "Today? Why today, it's Christmas sir?" This is a reference to a similar scene in "A Christmas Carol" where Ebenezer Scrooge asks a little child on the street the same question.
6	123	"Two Dozen and One Greyhounds"	Mr. Burns collapsing to the floor in anguish was referencing to how Ebenezer Scrooge collapsed upon the vision of his grave by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come although Scrooge does not sear to no longer wear any clothing from an animal (that can do an amusing trick), but "to honor Christmas in my heart and keep it there the whole year through."
8	166	"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious"	When Shary Bobbins offers Mr. Burns to fly a kite he dismisses it by saying: "Humbug!", which is famous as Ebenezer Scrooge's catchphrase.
11	235	"Grift of the Magi"	Near the end of the story Mr. Burns brings The Simpsons a turkey for Christmas, while the narrator mentions that this change of heart was inspired by Burns being visited "by three ghosts the night before". This is what makes Ebenezer Scrooge have a change of heart in "A Christmas Carol".
15	320	"'Tis the Fifteenth Season"	Homer watches Mr. McGrew's Christmas Carol, which is a parody of "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol", an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" with the cartoon character Mr. Magoo in the lead role. This holiday special has been shown several times on American television since the 1960s. In the same episode other "Christmas Carol" adaptations are shown on TV too, with a Star Trek and Family Matters episode (starring Ebenezer Urkel)
16	336	"Treehouse of Horror XV"	In the second segment, "Four Beheadings and a Funeral", Mr. Burns is named C. Ebenezer Burns, in reference to Ebenezer Scrooge .
352	"The Heartbroke Kid"	When Tab Spangler and Bart visit the Simpson home and walk through the crowd of German backpackers, Bart asks, "They can't see or hear us, right?" Spangler sarcastically replies, "We're not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Bart", referencing "A Christmas Carol".
18	391	"Springfield Up"	When Declan Desmond offers to show Homer the footage of why his life is blessed Homer begs Declan in a parody of Scrooge begging the Ghost of Christmas Present to spare his life in "A Christmas Carol". .
22	472	"The Fight Before Christmas"	In the third segment Mr. Burns again mentions that he was visited by three ghosts last night.
23	495	"Holidays of Future Passed"	The billboard sign at the start of the episode once again has Mr. Burns wish people: Bah, humbug!.
25	538	"White Christmas Blues"	The billboard sign at the start of the episode advertises Krusty the Clown's version of A Christmas Carol. Krusty is Scrooge, Mr. Teeny Tiny Tim and Sideshow Bob is Bob Hatchet. Later in the episode Ebenezer Scrooge appears in a video game where he is killed by Frosty the Snowman. Later in the same episode a video reads The Three Scrooges, instead of The Three Stooges.
28	606	"The Nightmare After Krustmas"	During the couch gag Homer is dressed as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Marge as Jacob Marley (chains and all), Lisa as Ghost of Christmas Past, Maggie as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and Bart as Tiny Tim. Mr. Burns enters the room dressed as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Comics[edit]

Picture	Comic issue	Story name	Reference
Simpsons Comics
	Simpsons Comics #52	A Springfield Christmas Carol	The story is a direct parody with C. Montgomery Scrooge referencing Ebenezer Scrooge and Homer Cratchit referencing Bob Cratchit.
The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror
	The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror #19	Monster Mash-Up	Ebenezer Scrooge's name can be seen on a grave stone.
Simpsons Winter Wingding
	The Simpsons Winter Wingding #6	Grampa's Christmas Origins: Christmas Cards	This story too is a direct parody of "A Christmas Carol", with Burns this time starring as Burnseneezer Scrooge.
Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book
	Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book #1	The Death of Comic Book Guy! (Part One)	Comic Book Guy refers to Lisa as the "Ghost of Christmas Future".

External links[edit]

A Christmas Carol at Wikipedia

Cultural references

view • talk • edit • past Television
The A-Team • All in the Family • Alvin and the Chipmunks • America's Funniest Home Videos • Animaniacs • Barney & Friends • Battlestar Galactica • Baywatch • Beauty and the Beast • Bewitched • The Big Bang Theory • Black Mirror • Bob's Burgers • The Brady Bunch • Breaking Bad • Charlie's Angels • Cheers • The Critic • CSI • Dallas • Davey and Goliath • DC Comics • Dennis the Menace • Dilbert • Disenchantment • Doctor Who • The Dukes of Hazzard • Family Guy • The Flintstones • Frasier • Futurama • Game of Thrones • Garfield • Gilligan's Island • Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. • Happy Days • The Honeymooners • Gunsmoke • I Dream of Jeannie • I Love Lucy • The Jetsons • King of the Hill • Late Show with David Letterman • Law & Order • The Lone Ranger • Looney Tunes • Lost • Lost in Space • Married... with Children • Marvel • MAS*H • Matlock • Monty Python's Flying Circus • Mork & Mindy • The Munsters • The Muppets • My Little Pony • MythBusters • The Odd Couple • Orange Is the New Black • Peanuts • Pokémon • Popeye • The Powerpuff Girls • The Ren & Stimpy Show • Rick and Morty • The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show • Sailor Moon • Scooby-Doo • Sesame Street • Seinfeld • The Smurfs • The Sopranos • South Park • SpongeBob SquarePants • Stargate • Starsky & Hutch • Star Trek • Stranger Things • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • Teletubbies • That '70s Show • Thriller • The Tracey Ullman Show • Transformers • The Twilight Zone • The Walking Dead • When Animals Attack! • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? • The Wonder Years • The X-Files

view • talk • edit • past Films
2001: A Space Odyssey • Alice in Wonderland • Alien • Alvin and the Chipmunks • Apocalypse Now • Avatar • Back to the Future • Beauty and the Beast • Ben-Hur • Das Boot • C.H.U.D. • Charlie's Angels • Casablanca • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory • A Christmas Carol • Citizen Kane • A Clockwork Orange • Close Encounters of the Third Kind • DC Comics • Dial M for Murder • Die Hard • Dracula • The Dukes of Hazzard • The Exorcist • Fantasia • The Fly • Frozen • Garfield • Ghostbusters • The Godfather • Godzilla • Gone with the Wind • Harry Potter • Home Alone • The Hunger Games • Indiana Jones • It's a Wonderful Life • James Bond • Jaws • Jurassic Park • King Kong • Laurel & Hardy • The Lion King • The Little Mermaid • The Little Rascals • The Lone Ranger • Looney Tunes • The Lord of the Rings • MAS*H • Mad Max • Marvel • The Marx Brothers • The Matrix • The Odd Couple • Pirates of the Caribbean • Planet of the Apes • Pokémon • Popeye • Psycho • Pulp Fiction • RoboCop • Saw • Scooby-Doo • The Shawshank Redemption • The Shining • The Silence of the Lambs • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • The Sound of Music • Soylent Green • SpongeBob SquarePants • Star Trek • Star Wars • A Streetcar Named Desire • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • Terminator • Thelma & Louise • They Saved Hitler's Brain • The Three Stooges • Thriller • Titanic • Toy Story • Transformers • When Harry Met Sally... • The Wizard of Oz

view • talk • edit • past Video games
Angry Birds • Candy Crush Saga • Donkey Kong • Grand Theft Auto • The Legend of Zelda • Mario • Minecraft • Pokémon

view • talk • edit • past Magazines
Cracked • MAD • The New Yorker • Playboy • Rolling Stone

view • talk • edit • past Books
Alice in Wonderland • Beauty and the Beast • Ben-Hur • The Catcher in the Rye • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory • A Christmas Carol • A Clockwork Orange • Dial M for Murder • Dracula • The Exorcist • Fahrenheit 451 • The Fly • Game of Thrones • The Godfather • Gone with the Wind • Goosebumps • Harry Potter • The Hunger Games • James Bond • Jaws • Jurassic Park • The Little Mermaid • The Lord of the Rings • Moby-Dick • The Old Man and the Sea • Planet of the Apes • Psycho • The Silence of the Lambs • The Shining • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • A Streetcar Named Desire • The Wizard of Oz

view • talk • edit • past Comics
DC Comics • Dennis the Menace • Dilbert • Garfield • Life in Hell • Marvel • Mary Worth • My Little Pony • Peanuts • Popeye • Sailor Moon • The Smurfs • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • Tintin • The Walking Dead

view • talk • edit • past Other
Art references • Gilbert and Sullivan • Hindenburg disaster • References in other media