Homer vs. Dignity/References

References/Trivia

Season Episode

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252

"Homer vs. Dignity/References"

254

Cultural References

The chalkboard gag reads "I am not the Sixth Beatle", a reference to the "Fifth Beatle".
One of the Thanksgiving parade balloons is of Rusty the Clown, a reference to Rusty Nails:
- Rusty Nails was a popular TV clown in the 1960s in Portland, Oregon, where Simpsons creator Matt Groening grew up.
- Krusty the Clown is loosely based on Rusty Nails.
Another of the Thanksgiving parade balloons closely resembles El Chapulin Colorado, the main character of the TV series of the same name, on whom Bumblebee Man is based.
When the Simpsons are pressed into service as a Mariachi band to pay for their meal at The Singing Sirloin, they are heard playing:
- "La Bamba": Best known for its covers by Ritchie Valens in 1958 and Los Lobos in 1987.
- "Spanish Eyes": Originally an instrumental titled "Moon Over Naples", it was re-titled to "Spanish Eyes" when lyrics were added.

When Homer is throwing the presents to the children, Ralph doesn't actually catch his; it bounces off his head and flies off into the crowd.
The Thanksgiving parade isn't the first time Homer has dressed up as Santa. See "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
Homer's panda name "Sim-Sim" is almost certainly a reference both to his own last name and to his being a fake, or "simulated," panda.
The "panda rape" scene was very controversial among fans of the show^{[citation needed]}.

Homer plays the following pranks while serving as Mr. Burns' "prank monkey":

Homer throws a dish of pudding at Lenny (reluctantly, under Burns' persuasion).
Homer throws a dish of pudding at Carl (spontaneously, and Burns quickly reprimands him for it).
Homer buys a mint condition Spider-Man #1 from Comic Book Guy for $20,000 cash, then tears out the pages and eats it right there in the store, while Comic Book Guy gasps and collapses in shock.
Wearing only a giant diaper, Homer appears in the men's room at Springfield Stadium, acting like a baby needing a diaper change: "Baby made a boom-boom!"
Homer disguises himself as "Sim-Sim," the new female panda at the Springfield Zoo. The prank backfires when the zoo's trainers zap him with electrical prods and the resident bull panda, Ping-Ping, takes an amorous interest in him.
Burns offers Homer a million dollars to throw fish guts (instead of presents) to the crowd at the Thanksgiving Day parade. Homer refuses and Burns does it himself.

Recycled animation: During their Mariachi performance, the Simpsons are seen playing "La Bamba" (an up-tempo song) and "Spanish Eyes" (a slow song). The movements of them playing their instruments match "La Bamba" but not "Spanish Eyes"; the discrepancy is most obvious with Maggie's trumpet playing.