Postcards from the Wedge/References
Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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"Postcards from the Wedge"
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Cultural references
- The episode title:
- The film Springfield of Tomorrow (shown at the beginning) contains some classic cartoon sound effects, such as the "pbpbpbpbpbpbpbpb" motors from The Jetsons and the trombone talking of the teachers in the Peanuts television specials.
- The kids at the school have to build a Hopi Indian pueblo for homework.
- Mrs. Krabappel says that Bart ruined every ideal she had about teaching since she saw the movie To Sir, with Love as a little girl.
- The anime cartoon that Bart watches is a parody of Pokémon. Additionally this episode also aired on the same day that Pokémon HeartGold version and SoulSilver version, the remakes of the Game Boy Color games Pokémon Gold version and Silver version were released on the Nintendo DS in the United States.
- Lisa reads a "kids' edition" of The Atlantic Monthly, the real-world political science magazine.
- The face of Barack Obama is in the cover while a Funtendo Zii add (parody of Nintendo Wii) is on the back of the magazine.
- The topics discussed are meant to be read by children:
- "Sasha & Malia On The Allowance Deficit". Sasha and Malia are the daughters of former president Barack Obama.
- "Global Warming: Why You'll Be Dead Before College". A reference to the negative effects of global warming.
- "Sitting In The Ball Pit with Paul Krugman". Paul Krugman is an American economist.
- "Recess Goes Green". A reference to environmentalism.
- The Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, "Mouse, M.D.", is a parody of House M.D..
- At the Food Court, the store's name "Crouching Tiger Hidden Eggroll" is a parody of the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
- Patty eats a bar of Hershey's chocolate.
- Moe's Express is a parody of Panda Express.
- When Bart and Milhouse find an empty train at the Old Springfield Subway, Bart mentions it was like Thomas the Tank Engine from the The Railway Series, and Milhouse makes a reference to famous character Sir Topham Hat from that series.
- When the ground shakes and the Kwik-E-Mart's two Squishee machines begin to fall apart, Apu says, "Which flavor do I save?, the Radical Red or the Blueberry Blast? Oh, curse this Squishee's Choice". This is a reference to the 1982 drama film Sophie's Choice.
- When the letters on the "Emergency Earthquake Response Meeting" sign fall apart, the remainder letters are "Emergency Quaker Meeting". Then, many Quakers approach the Springfield Town Hall to attend the meeting.
- Homer orders Bart to constantly tweet him the things he is up to.
- The music being played in the film strip and during the credits is George Gershwin's "An American in Paris".
Trivia
- In this episode, the flag pole is as tall as the school.
- This episode features the show's first ever true grounding, and the first to stand for the rest of the episode. Prior to this episode, Bart and other children would be sent to their rooms, or punished in other ways. This episode is the culmination of the increase in groundings that started in season 20, with more groundings being used in seasons 20-21 than the previous 19 seasons put together.
Continuity
- The term "wedge issue" is also punned in the title of the comic story Wedgie Issue.
Goofs
- About 8 minutes into the episode, Lisa's pearls briefly appear red like Marge's, a goof commonly seen in episodes. In this episode, it's during the scene where Lisa explains fractions to Bart.
- When Lisa was explaining her example fraction equation's answer, it is incorrect. 1/2 + 1/3 does not equal 3/anything. It equals 5/6 minimum. However, she could've meant 3/6 + 2/6 instead.
- Although the subway system is abandoned, it is still used in various couch gags.
- Strangly, Fallout Boy appears on the cover of the Radioactive Man 8 comic book. But according to "Three Men and a Comic Book", Fallout Boy didn't appear until the next issue, Radioactive Man 9.
