How I Wet Your Mother/References

References/Trivia

Season 23 Episode References

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501

502
"How I Wet Your Mother"

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Cultural references

The episode's name is a reference to the TV series, How I Met Your Mother.
The episode is a parody of and an homage to the film, Inception, with numerous references to Hans Zimmer's score to the film.
Waylon Smithers, Jr. uses a Portal gun to get past the robots in the storeroom.
The music played while the employees are looting the supply room is from the 3rd movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony.
The closing credits feature audio of the song "Dream Operator" written by David Byrne (with vocals from Byrne and Glenn Close).
One of the dreams references the "Family Therapy" Tracey Ullman short.
Grampa says his and Mona's arguing was actually a TV program, featuring Mitch Miller shouting at "one of his idiot singers". Miller produced for many singers, including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin and Johnny Mathis.
In Homer's dreams, he has Jennifer Aniston's hair from Friends.
In Homer's dream, Robin Williams states that Stanley Kubrick wanted him to star in The Shining, Ronald Reagan states that Casablanca was originally going to star him and John Travolta states that there was a Grease 2 and he wasn't in it.
Mr. Simpson's Wild Ride is a parody of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
The magazine Prof. Jonathan Frink is reading, Scientific Springfieldian, is a parody of Scientific American.

This episode marks the second appearance of B.F. Sherwood. B.F. Sherwood has the longest gap between his first and second appearances of any other recurring character. His second appearance in "How I Wet Your Mother" was 3 shorts and 502 episodes after his first appearance in "Family Therapy".
The signs that the "Mothers for Drunk Driving" are carrying in Homer's dream are:
- Go ahead, have a few!
- Sobriety is boring
- Booze it or lose it
- Always bring a drunkenated driver
- Don't drive under .05
- My other car is wrapped around a tree
After Homer launches himself at the open door to the Supply Closet, he lands short and covers the rest of the distance by "swimming" along the floor using his arms and legs in the breast stroke.

Barney didn't seem to realize he didn't work at the Power Plant, and he was heard in the bathroom there in "The Falcon and the D'ohman".
Homer is also against his brain in the previous episode, "Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart".
Homer also fails to go undercover into a shop in "Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson".
On Mr. Simpson's Wild Ride, several past versions of Homer are seen:
- Fat Homer ("King-Size Homer")
- Pie Man ("Simple Simpson")
- King Homer ("Treehouse of Horror III")
- Homer as Mr. Plow ("Mr. Plow")
- Angry Dad ("I Am Furious (Yellow)" and "Angry Dad: The Movie")
The waste that Homer dumped in Lake Springfield can be seen during the fishing scene. (The Simpsons Movie)

At various points in the dream, characters are seen to read things, but in real life, it is impossible to read in dreams.

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The Falcon and the D'ohman • Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts • Treehouse of Horror XXII • Replaceable You • The Food Wife • The Book Job • The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants • The Ten-Per-Cent Solution • Holidays of Future Passed • Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson • The D'oh-cial Network • Moe Goes from Rags to Riches • The Daughter Also Rises • At Long Last Leave • Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart‎ • How I Wet Your Mother • Them, Robot • Beware My Cheating Bart‎ • A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again • The Spy Who Learned Me • Ned 'n Edna's Blend Agenda • Lisa Goes Gaga