Bye, Bye, Nerdie

"Bye Bye Nerdie" is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons. It aired on March 11, 2001.

Plot

On an ordinary day in school, Lisa attempts to make friends with a new girl, Francine, but Francine beats up Lisa severely. Even attempting to share an interest in Malibu Stacy does not work when Francine stole and ruined her Malibu Stacy doll. Lisa goes to the school bullies to beat up Francine, but they do not beat girls in fear that they will fall in love with her. It is up to Lisa to investigate the reason why Francine is beating her. She does scientific research on nerds, and finds out that the odour of the mixture of chemicals, asthma spray, and pencil shavings that attracts bullies like her. Lisa invents an antidote using salad dressing, which she believes is a smell bullies cannot stand, tests it on Drederick Tatum when he visits Springfield Elementary, which causes Nelson to him beat up, then, since Tatum is so stong, begs for his life for Tatum not to kill him. Lisa uses it on Francine at Professor Frink's science contest, the "12th Annual Big Science Thing", which she wins. But at the end, Francine goes on a rampage beating up all the scientists in the room.

Meanwhile, Homer, fearing Maggie could die from touching things unsafe to her when he hears this from a baby-proofing saleswoman, starts his own baby-proofing crusade, selling cheap and safe products and making Springfield safe for children, but it causes the baby injury related industries in Springfield to be in decline.

Cultural references

• The name of the episode is a parody of Bye Bye Birdie. Coincidentally, an episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends uses the name Bye Bye Nerdie as well.
• Marge and Otto race through a dry aqueduct, an action-sequence used in many films, most notably Grease and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. As the race progresses, Milhouse comments that "it's like Speed 2, only with a bus instead of a boat".
• One of the items mentioned by the woman selling baby-protection items is dingo-repellent, a reference to the infamous Azaria Chamberlain disappearance.
• A high school-aged Homer beats up a young Waylon Smithers while singing "Kung-Fu Fighting". Barney accompanies him on the kazoo, although the animation shows a recorder.
• The undercarriage of the school bus looks like the bottom of a skateboard, and it says "World Industries Flameboy". The Flameboy character is also pictured. World Industries is a skateboard, snowboard, and clothing manufacturer in El Segundo, California.
• The nerd on the school bus with the orthodontic headgear is wearing a T-shirt that reads "Frankie Says: Relax." This is a term made popular by music group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, whose biggest hit was the song "Relax." However, the actual shirts read "Frankie Say: Relax"; only counterfeits said "Frankie Says..."
• The car whose tires Homer punctures while trying to save a baby is a Volvo (as indicated by the trademark diagonal bar across the front grille); a car commonly advertised for its safety.
• At her presentation, Lisa shows a slide depicting a bully throwing an apple at Isaac Newton. This a reference to the supposed story of how Newton was inspired to formulate his theory of universal gravitation.
• This Simpsons episode is copied in a very similar episode of Hannah Montana where Miley and her friend gets bullied by the student at their school.
• One of the scientists in the auditorium bears a strong resemblance to C. Everett Koop.