The Heartbroke Kid/References
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Cultural references
- The episode title is a pun on the 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid starring Charles Grodin.
- It may also be a reference to professional wrestler Shawn Michaels, whose ring name during his wrestling career (1998–2010) with the WWE was "The Heartbreak Kid".
- The Marge-bot (from Homer's fantasy) bears a strong resemblance to the Terminator.
- The song played during Bart's junkfood montage is "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by Ohio Express.
- References from The Shawshank Redemption:
- Bart uses a poster of Krusty the Clown to conceal the junk food stash in his room. Andy DuFresne puts a poster of Rita Hayworth (later followed by Marilyn Monroe and Raquel Welch) on the wall of his cell to conceal his escape tunnel.
- Bart opens a package of candy, throws it in the air, and lets it fall down onto and around him, echoing the scene where Andy stands in the rain after his escape.
- Bart's candy-tossing scene could also be considered a reference to the scene in Pleasantville where David stands in the rain and transforms from black-and-white to color.
- Homer says (regarding the milkshakes from the festival), "They're melting", in a style reminiscent of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
- 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.
- The song Homer sings for change to the German students on vacation is "99 Luftballons" by Nena.
- Bart's line "raged against the machine" (when Marge asks him about the money he is carrying after having destroyed the vending machines) is a reference to the political rap-rock band Rage Against the Machine.
- Das Boot: Marge puns the film and the expression "give the boot" (meaning to remove someone from a location) when she tells Homer it's OK to use Bart's stolen vending-machine money to give the German backpackers "das boot".
- The episode's storyline is likely a satire of the real-world problem of vending machines in schools. In fact, some states have made it illegal for public schools to sell junk food to students during school hours.
Trivia
- Spangler's car is a Volvo.
- The "Three Weeks Later" montage near the end of the first act spoofs Bart's shots in the show's opening sequence:
- Instead of writing on the blackboard, a fat Bart is seen putting coins into a vending machine. After he wolfs down his snack, he waddles toward the front door.
- As Bart skateboards through Springfield, his weight gain causes him to crack the sidewalk in front of the school, bend the lamppost that he uses to take a corner, and bump into (and run over) pedestrians instead of weaving his way between them.
- Barney appears in place of the now-deceased Bleeding Gums Murphy, in the same place where Murphy would have appeared.
- When Bart crosses the street, his timing is off, so that Marge's car hits him instead of passing behind him. The impact sends the car spinning off-screen, as Marge screams in dismay.
- When Bart lands on Homer's car in the driveway, he crushes the roof, squeezing Homer out through the driver's side of the car.
- The rest of the family quickly run into the living room, take their seats on the couch, and look at each other in confusion when they realize Bart hasn't yet arrived. A few seconds later, Bart finally makes it to the living room, staggering and out of breath, and collapses in the middle of the floor as he has a heart attack.
- One of the candies that Bart eats is named Cop Killaz.
Continuity
- Bart became morbidly obese in Big Fat Trouble in Little Springfield.*Bart's line "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" was also said by Homer in "Homer's Triple Bypass" following one of several heart attacks. Dr. Hibbert quickly proved that statement to be false.
- Homer has a fantasy about a robotic Marge, a reference to "Gump Roast" where "Marge becomes a robot" is suggested as a future plotline.
- Homer's half-brother Herb Powell is mentioned in this episode, marking his only appearance or even mention since his starring roles in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?."
- In the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, the medical questionnaire that Scratchy fills out asks "Have You Ever Been:" followed by a list of catastrophic events, all of which happened to Scratchy in previous Itchy & Scratchy episodes (see "Kitty-Kill Condition").
Goofs
- How far is Spangler's compound from the Simpson house? Earlier in the episode it's only an hour's drive; later, as Homer and Tab are out on the highway, Tab wants to stop at a motel overnight. -- Judging by the dialogue as they drive in the car, it's possible that Tab is hitting on Homer.
