Difference between revisions of "Lisa the Beauty Queen/References"

Latest revision as of 19:13, December 26, 2024

Cultural references[edit]

The "three-dollar caricatures" sign includes pictures of American actress Farrah Fawcett, Fonzie from Happy Days, and Darth Vader from Star Wars

• At the Springfield Elementary School carnival:
  • The banner included the phrase "The happiest place on earth", which is the slogan of Disneyland. The Blue-haired lawyer represents Disney and has a suitcase with an image of the ears of Mickey Mouse.
    • Skinner being threatened with a lawsuit from Disneyland for using "The Happiest Place on Earth" for the school carnival references a real-life incident where Disney threatened to sue three daycare centers in 1989 over use of Disney imagery in their centers.
  • Bart is running the confidence game of Three-card monte.
  • Groundskeeper Willie is selling haggis, a savory pudding dish containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs) considered traditionally of Scottish origin.
  • The "three-dollar caricatures" sign includes pictures of American actress Farrah Fawcett, Fonzie from Happy Days, and Darth Vader from Star Wars.
• Homer sings "Blimpy Boy" to the tune of "Georgy Girl" by Jim Dale and Tom Springfield, with parody lyrics by Jeff Martin.
• Marge sings "The Ugly Duckling", a song from the 1952 musical Hans Christian Andersen.
• Lisa compares Amber Dempsey's success to that of Jack Nicklaus, an American retired professional golfer considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time.
• The name of the store Turn Your Head and Coif is a pun on the phrase "turn your head and cough", a request commonly made during male testicular examinations.
  • The stylist is a parody of Beverly Hills's celebrity hair stylist José Eber.
  • One of Lisa's hairstyles is that of Princess Leia from Star Wars.
• When Bart is teaching Lisa how to walk with high heels, he makes Betty Grable's iconic over-the-shoulder pose from 1943.
• At Little Miss Springfield Pageant:
  • Pahasatira Nahasapeemapetilon plays the song "MacArthur Park" by Jimmy Webb on a tabla, a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Krusty complained about the duration of the song, with the real song lasting more than seven minutes.
  • Lisa performs "America the Beautiful", the patriotic American song, which she turns into "Proud Mary", the southern rock hit by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
    • Lisa rips off her dress revealing a leotard underneath, referencing the same act performed by singer Tina Turner when she was performing "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" along with Mick Jagger in the Live Aid benefit concert held at the JFK Stadium in 1985.
• The Danish furniture chain Shøp is a pun on the Swedish IKEA and the American former chain STØR.

The way the Duff Blimp crashes parodies the Hindenburg disaster. Kent Brockman shouts "Oh, the humanity!", a phrase said by journalist Herbert Morrison when reporting the disaster

• The way the Duff Blimp crashes parodies the Hindenburg disaster.
  • Kent Brockman shouts "Oh, the humanity!", parodying exactly the same famous phrase by Herbert Morrison, the American radio journalist who recorded for broadcast his dramatic report of the disaster.
• The way Lisa is announced as Little Miss Springfield is a parody of the iconic first inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson that took place on board the Air Force One on Friday, November 22, 1963 following the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy.
  • Marge is standing beside Lisa with a somber look on her face and wearing a pink Chanel dress and a pillbox hat, referencing Jacqueline Kennedy.
  • Homer is parodying American politician Albert Thomas, who was also wearing a bow tie on the plane.
• According to the man in the Springfield Wax Museum, Lisa's sculpture torso belonged to Dr. Ruth, a German and American sex therapist and talk show host.
  • The head of Dr. Ruth, along with the heads of Mr. T and Ronald Reagan are exhibited in the "chamber of horrors".
• At Springfield Elementary School, one of the kids describes the way Lisa walks as "chewing gum walk". Ralph adds "very Wrigley", referring to the Wrigley Company, a chewing gum producer.
• At Fort Springfield:
  • Bob Hope's performance parodies those the comedian made for USO.
  • When Bob Hope walks onto the stage, his signature song "Thanks for the Memory" is heard.
  • In one of his jokes, Hope mentions American Olympic diver Greg Louganis.
  • One of the soldiers complains that Tony Randall cancelled his performance.
  • The rioting soldiers who are angered at seeing Little Miss Springfield instead of Miss Springfield as they were expecting, storm the stage, causing Lisa and Bob Hope to escape via helicopter. This resembles the "Playmates with the boys" scene in Apocalypse Now.
• The Laramie mascot, Menthol Moose, is a parody of Joe Camel, the mascot of the cigarette brand Camel.
• Kent Brockman interviewed Pope John Paul II.

Trivia[edit]

• This episode has been used in England by the Anglican Church to give kids lessons in self-esteem, as well as pointing out Homer's sale of the Duff beer ticket, marking a sacrifice on his part as Lisa's self-worth has more value to him than his pleasure.
• To date, this episode marks the last time that actress Jo Ann Harris provided her voice on the show.
• The man Bob Hope talks to before going on stage is the Rebel Yell Records man from "Colonel Homer".

Goofs[edit]

• At the pageant, after Amber wins, there is nobody on the stands. However, when Lisa turns to leave, the contestants are on the stands.
• When Krusty the Clown arrives at the beauty pageant, his tie is done up. When he goes on stage, it is undone.
• When Lisa waves to the crowd from the parade float, Bleeding Gums Murphy can be seen in the background with yellow skin.
• Krusty's nose turns white during the opening number for the winner of the Little Miss Springfield pageant.
• When Lisa is sworn in as Little Miss Springfield, Marge's dress turns from green in the long shot to pink in the close up.