Difference between revisions of "Bart vs. Thanksgiving/References"

Revision as of 17:27, November 2, 2024

Cultural references

• Homer and Bart watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, an annual parade in New York City presented by the store chain Macy's.
  • The helium balloons in the parade are modeled after cartoons Bullwinkle J. Moose and Underdog.
  • The Simpsons is self-referenced when Homer tells Bart that if the parade "turned every flash-in-pan cartoon character into a balloon, it will be a farce", the TV shows a giant balloon of Bart. Not coincidentally, 1990 was the year the Bart Simpson balloon was added to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
  • The "Gridiron March" composed by William Loose is heard during the parade.
• Lisa made a tribute to some of the notable women in US history, including artist Georgia O'Keeffe, women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony and journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
  • Lisa also mentions Marjory Stoneman Douglas' contribution to defending the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development.
• Homer is watching a football game involving the Dallas Cowboys. The players mentioned by the sportscaster, Kogen and Wolodarsky, are not real football players but members of The Simpsons' staff, namely Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, who are big fans of American football.
  • The game is being held at the now closed Silverdome, located in Pontiac, Michigan. The stadium, however, is portrayed as an open-air stadium.
• Patty brought Swedish meatballs to the Simpsons' house, a traditional dish from Sweden.
• The song "Get Dancin'" by Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes is heard in the radio when Homer is driving his car.
• Hooray for Everything, the band performing during the halftime show, is a parody of the organization Up with People which promotes themes such as multiculturalism, racial equality, and positive thinking and that has performed in several Super Bowl halftime shows.
• Bart sings the 20th Century Fox fanfare when he brings the turkey to the table.
• The Burns' Mansion is situated at the corner of "Croesus and Mammon". The joke refers to Mr. Burns greediness and wealth:
  • Croesus was the king of Lydia in the 6th century BC, and was renowned for his wealth.
  • Mammon in the New Testament is commonly thought to mean money, material wealth, or any entity that promises wealth, and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain.
• When Bart is discovered attempting to steal a pie from the window sill, one of the guards at Burns' mansion is reading Les Misérables, in which the main character is imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread after breaking a window.
• The poem Lisa is seen writing in her room is a direct parody of the first lines of Allen Ginsberg's most famous poem, Howl.

Books by Edgar Allan Poe and Allen Ginsberg can be seen in Lisa's room, along with an "End Apartheid Now!" poster with the Pan-African flag in the shape of Africa

• Things seen in Lisa's room include:
  • A poster with the legend "End Apartheid Now!" and a map of Africa with the colors of the Pan-African flag can be seen.
  • A book by poets Edgar Allan Poe and Allen Ginsberg.
  • The novel On the Road by American writer Jack Kerouac.
  • The novel Les Miserables by French writer Victor Hugo.
• Bart's phrase "Viva, skid row!" is a play on Viva Las Vegas and a reference to the impoverished areas in the US denominated skid row and the
• While making his story for Channel 6, Kent Brockman mentions hobo-like characters such as Emmett Kelly, the Charlie Chaplin character the Tramp, and the Red Skelton character Freddie the Freeloader.
• Kent thinks he can win an Emmy Award for his story at the Springfield Rescue Mission.

Trivia

• This is the fourth episode to have Bart's name somewhere in the title.
• Lou has black skin instead of yellow, starting in this episode.
• First appearance of Marge's mom in the present-day. Marge had a flashback dream with her mom in "Moaning Lisa" although her fist name of Jackie was not used until "Selma's Choice" and her full first name of Jacqueline until "Lady Bouvier's Lover".
• First appearance DJs Bill and Marty who had only been voices over the radio until this episode.
• Lefthanded Bart has a bandage on his upper right arm after selling his blood. It generally does not matter which arm is used, but the nondominant arm is often used for the donor's convivence.

Goofs

• When Patty and Selma arrive, Patty's dress is blue in one shot and is magenta again in the next.