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List of couch gags

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Revision as of 11:45, March 11, 2008 by Mr. Blackadder (talk) (Season 18)

The following is a list of couch gags seen on The Simpsons.

Season 1

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
1 December 17, 1989 no gag (Christmas, Pilot episode) "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" 7G08
2 January 14, 1990 The family sits; Bart is squeezed off, up into the air and out of frame, only to crash back down to the floor during the credits shot of the TV. (This is the only time the couch gag visually continues into the closing shot of the TV.) "Bart the Genius" 7G02
3 January 21, 1990 The family sits; the couch falls apart under their weight, leaving them sitting on cushions on the floor. "Homer's Odyssey" 7G03
4 January 28, 1990 The family sits; Homer is squeezed off and lands on the floor with a thud. "There's No Disgrace Like Home" 7G04
5 February 4, 1990 no gag (shortened opening) "Bart the General" 7G05
6 February 11, 1990 The family sits; Maggie is squeezed off, up into the air and out of frame, but Marge catches her as she falls back down. (This couch gag also appears in the arcade game.) "Moaning Lisa" 7G06
7 February 18, 1990 The family sits; nothing else happens. (Meant to be first couch gag; see note above.) "The Call of the Simpsons" 7G09
8 February 25, 1990 repeat of 7G02's gag "The Telltale Head" 7G07
9 March 18, 1990 no gag (shortened opening) "Life on the Fast Lane" 7G11
10 March 25, 1990 repeat of 7G03's gag "Homer's Night Out" 7G10
11 April 15, 1990 repeat of 7G04's gag "The Crepes of Wrath" 7G13
12 April 29, 1990 repeat of 7G06's gag "Krusty Gets Busted" 7G12
13 May 13, 1990 repeat of 7G09's gag "Some Enchanted Evening" 7G01

Season 2

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
14 October 11, 1990 The family sits; the couch falls through the floor with a crash. Homer says "D'oh!" only in this version, all repeats cut it. "Bart Gets an F" 7F03
15 October 18, 1990 The family stands in a line, does a little dance (Egyptian-like moves) and lands on the couch, arms outstretched in a "ta-da!" pose. "Simpson and Delilah" 7F02
16 October 25, 1990 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror" 7F04
17 November 1, 1990 The family sits; the couch pops open into a fold-out bed. "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" 7F01
18 November 8, 1990 The family-minus Maggie sits;then Maggie pokes her head out of Marge's hair. "Dancin' Homer" 7F05
19 November 15, 1990 Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II sit on the couch among the family members. "Dead Putting Society" 7F08
20 November 22, 1990 The family can not sit; the couch is already occupied by Abe Simpson, who is woken up startled. "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" 7F07
21 December 6, 1990 The family sits; Homer's weight tips the couch over sideways, launching the family off-screen, but Maggie lands safely on a cushion on the floor. "Bart the Daredevil" 7F06
22 December 20, 1990 The family runs in to find the couch missing; they look around, puzzled. "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" 7F09
23 January 10, 1991 The family sits; Homer squeezes the others onto the floor one-by-one and takes the couch for himself. "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" 7F10
24 January 24, 1991 The family sits; the couch tips over backwards, and Maggie pops up from behind. "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" 7F11
25 January 31, 1991 repeat of 7F03's gag "The Way We Was" 7F12
26 February 7, 1991 repeat of 7F02's gag "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" 7F13
27 February 14, 1991 repeat of 7F01's gag "Principal Charming" 7F15
28 February 21, 1991 repeat of 7F05's gag "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" 7F16
29 March 7, 1991 repeat of 7F08's gag "Bart's Dog Gets an F" 7F14
30 March 28, 1991 repeat of 7F07's gag "Old Money" 7F17
31 April 11, 1991 repeat of 7F06's gag "Brush with Greatness" 7F18
32 April 25, 1991 repeat of 7F09's gag "Lisa's Substitute" 7F19
33 May 2, 1991 repeat of 7F10's gag "The War of the Simpsons" 7F20
34 May 9, 1991 repeat of 7F11's gag "Three Men and a Comic Book" 7F21
35 July 11, 1991 repeat of 7F03's gag "Blood Feud" 7F22

Season 3

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
36 September 19, 1991 The family sits; the couch tips over backwards, but this time crashes through the back wall. "Stark Raving Dad" 7F24
37 September 26, 1991 The family sits; Homer pulls Santa's Little Helper out from beneath him. "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" 8F01
38 October 3, 1991 repeat of 7F02's gag "When Flanders Failed" 7F23
39 October 10, 1991 The family forms a human pyramid, cheerleader-style, on the couch with Maggie on top. "Bart the Murderer" 8F03
40 October 17, 1991 A space alien on the couch hears the family coming, pulls a hanging cord, and disappears through a trapdoor in the floor. The family enters and sits. "Homer Defined" 8F04
41 October 24, 1991 The family, minus Bart, sits; Bart leaps in from the side and lands outstretched across the others' laps. "Like Father, Like Clown" 8F05
42 October 31, 1991 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror II" 8F02
43 November 7, 1991 Homer arrives first and lies across the couch; the others arrive seconds later and sit on top of him. "Lisa's Pony" 8F06
44 November 14, 1991 The couch lacks cushions; the family sits, but sinks into the hollow couch. "Saturdays of Thunder" 8F07
45 November 21, 1991 Two burglars are in the process of carrying the couch out of the room; the family runs in and sits, but the burglars dump them onto the floor and carry the couch away. "Flaming Moe's" 8F08
46 December 5, 1991 The family cannot sit, as the couch is already occupied by Santa's Little Helper, who growls menacingly; the family backs away cautiously. "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" 8F09
47 December 26, 1991 The family cartwheels into the room and onto the couch; Maggie falls while cartwheeling and hops the rest of the way. "I Married Marge" 8F10
48 January 9, 1992 The family sits; with confused looks on their faces, they bounce around on the couch, passing over and under each other, ending in entirely different positions from where they first sat. "Radio Bart" 8F11
49 January 23, 1992 repeat of 8F01's gag "Lisa the Greek" 8F12
50 February 6, 1992 repeat of 8F03's gag "Homer Alone" 8F14
51 February 13, 1992 repeat of 8F04's gag "Bart the Lover" 8F16
52 February 20, 1992 The family runs in; they all bang their heads together and fall over, unconscious on the floor, except Maggie who sits alone. "Homer at the Bat" 8F13
53 February 27, 1992 repeat of 8F05's gag "Separate Vocations" 8F15
54 March 12, 1992 repeat of 8F06's gag "Dog of Death" 8F17
55 March 26, 1992 repeat of 8F07's gag "Colonel Homer" 8F19
56 April 9, 1992 repeat of 8F08's gag "Black Widower" 8F20
57 April 23, 1992 repeat of 8F09's gag "The Otto Show" 8F21
58 May 7, 1992 repeat of 7F24's gag "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" 8F22
59 August 27, 1992 repeat of 8F10's gag "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" 8F23

Season 4

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
60 September 24, 1992 The family go to sit on the couch, but find it occupied by Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles Flintstone. Fred waves to Homer. "Kamp Krusty" 8F24
61 October 1, 1992 The family sits; the couch morphs into a monster, swallowing the family. "A Streetcar Named Marge" 8F18
62 October 8, 1992 The family sits; the couch rotates into a secret compartment in the wall, leaving an identical empty couch in its place. "Homer the Heretic" 9F01
63 October 15, 1992 Maggie is already seated; the rest of the family runs past the couch and out of frame, into empty white space beyond the edge of the film, before frantically running back into frame. "Lisa the Beauty Queen" 9F02
64 October 29, 1992 The family's skeletons sit. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror III" 9F04
65 November 3, 1992 The family sits; the couch deflates like a balloon. "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" 9F03
66 November 05, 1992 The family sits with mismatched heads; they swap heads back and forth until they are back to normal. "Marge Gets a Job" 9F05
67 November 12, 1992 repeat of 7F03's gag "New Kid on the Block" 9F06
68 November 19, 1992 A wooden chair is in place of the couch; Homer and Marge sit on it, with the kids in their laps "Mr. Plow" 9F07
69 December 3, 1992 As the standard theme music stops, the family forms a chorus line, joined by a line of Rockettes-like women, all high-kicking to a Vegas-like rendition of the main theme melody. The living room walls are lifted to make way for a large production number, featuring hand-standing elephants, magicians, Santa's Little Helper leaping through a ring of fire, and more all set to circus style music. The standard theme music then returns, concluding normally. (This is the first extra-long couch gag, as well as the first to cut into the standard theme with alternate music.) "Lisa's First Word" 9F08
70 December 17, 1992 The family, all tiny-sized, sits on the couch. Maggie needs to be pulled up onto the couch. "Homer's Triple Bypass" 9F09
71 January 14, 1993 The family sits; within seconds, the room fills with other regulars from the cast, totally blocking the family and obscuring their view. "Marge vs. the Monorail" 9F10
72 January 21, 1993 The family is snared in a net trap. "Selma's Choice" 9F11
73 February 04, 1993 repeat of 9F01's gag "Brother From the Same Planet" 9F12
74 February 11, 1993 repeat of 9F08's gag "I Love Lisa" 9F13
75 February 18, 1993 repeat of 9F02's gag "Duffless" 9F14
76 March 11, 1993 repeat of 8F18's gag "Last Exit to Springfield" 9F15
77 April 1, 1993 repeat of 9F05's gag "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" 9F17
78 April 15, 1993 repeat of 9F08's gag "The Front" 9F16
79 April 29, 1993 repeat of 9F07's gag "Whacking Day" 9F18
80 May 6, 1993 repeat of 9F09's gag "Marge in Chains" 9F20
81 May 13, 1993 repeat of 9F11's gag "Krusty Gets Kancelled" 9F19

Season 5

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
82 September 30, 1993 A trio of couch gags: The family runs in, crashes into each other, and shatters into pieces; Santa's Little Helper wanders in and examines the pieces. A voice says "Couch gag, take two." The family sits on the couch, coalescing into a five-headed, ten-eyed, multicolored blob. A voice says "Couch gag, take three." The family runs in, crashes into each other, and explodes; Maggie's pacifier drops out of the air onto the scorched floor (in the syndicated version, the "take one" couch gag where the family smashes like glass as they run to the couch is used) "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" 9F21
83 October 7, 1993 repeat of 9F08's gag "Cape Feare" 9F22
84 October 14, 1993 The family sits; the couch and family are crushed by the cutout foot from the opening of Monty Python's Flying Circus. "Homer Goes to College" 1F02
85 October 21, 1993 The family cannot sit as the couch is already occupied by an identical family. (This scene is frequently recycled in other episodes on syndication.) "Rosebud" 1F01
86 October 28, 1993 A zombie family bursts up through the floor and sits on the couch. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror IV" 1F04
87 November 4, 1993 The family runs in and crashes through the wall, as it turns out the couch and other living room furniture is just a flat backdrop. "Marge on the Lam" 1F03
88 November 11, 1993 The couch is already occupied by a morbidly obese man, who slides over, giving the family little room to sit "Bart's Inner Child" 1F05
89 November 18, 1993 The lights are out as five pairs of eyes enter; the lights turn on revealing only eyes, as the eyeless family rushes in and sits down, reconnecting with their eyes. "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood" 1F06
90 December 9, 1993 The family sits, then realizes the couch is on the set of the Late Show with David Letterman; next to the couch, Dave spins in his chair to face forward at his desk. "The Last Temptation of Homer" 1F07
91 December 16, 1993 repeat of the first of 9F21's three gags "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" 1F08
92 January 06, 1994 repeat of the third of 9F21's three gags "Homer the Vigilante" 1F09
93 February 03, 1994 repeat of the second of 9F21's three gags "Bart Gets Famous" 1F11
94 February 10, 1994 Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa poke their heads out from behind the couch; Maggie pokes out from behind the center cushion "Homer and Apu" 1F10
95 February 17, 1994 repeat of 1F02's gag "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy" 1F12
96 February 24, 1994 repeat of 1F05's gag "Deep Space Homer" 1F13
97 March 17, 1994 There are two identical couches side-by-side; the family members split down the middle vertically, each half-family sitting on a couch. "Homer Loves Flanders" 1F14
98 March 31, 1994 repeat of 1F06's gag "Bart Gets an Elephant" 1F15
99 April 14, 1994 The family bounces into the room in ball form. Everyone lands safely on the couch except Bart, who bounces away; Homer pulls him onto the couch. "Burns' Heir" 1F16
100 April 28, 1994 The family sits as the FOX logo bug appears in the lower-right corner of the screen; Homer tears it off and the family stomps on it then sit back down. "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" 1F18
101 May 5, 1994 repeat of 1F07's gag "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" 1F19
102 May 12, 1994 repeat of the first of 9F21's three gags "Lady Bouvier's Lover" 1F21
103 May 19, 1994 repeat of the third of 9F21's three gags "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" 1F20

Season 6

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
104 September 04, 1994 The Simpsons are sitting in midair as if they're on the couch. The real couch then comes in and assembles itself on top of the family. "Bart of Darkness" 1F22
105 September 11, 1994 The floor is water, the family swims into the room (Bart wearing a scuba mask) and climbs up onto the couch (Homer pokes his right ear to dry it). "Lisa's Rival" 1F17
106 September 25, 1994 repeat of 1F02's gag "Another Simpsons Clip Show" 2F33
107 October 2, 1994 The family is beamed aboard the couch a la Star Trek. "Itchy & Scratchy Land" 2F01
108 October 9, 1994 repeat of 1F06's gag (first airing)/no gag (repeats) "Sideshow Bob Roberts" 2F02
109 October 30, 1994 The family sits with mismatched limbs and heads; they swap body parts, but don't fully correct the mismatches. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror V" 2F03
110 November 06, 1994 repeat of 1F06's gag "Bart's Girlfriend" 2F04
111 November 13, 1994 The family sits, then gets shot up into the ceiling, with only their legs and feet showing. "Lisa on Ice" 2F05
112 November 27, 1994 In a loose parody of the film, Time Bandits, the family runs in and chase after the couch as the back of the room recedes endlessly away from them. "Homer Badman" 2F06
113 December 4, 1994 The family runs in together from the side, with big grins, passing through a repeat pan of the couch and TV (in a parody of how 1950s and 1960s cartoons utilized repeating backgrounds in order to save money.) "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" 2F07
114 December 18, 1994 repeat of 9F08's gag "Fear of Flying" 2F08
115 January 8, 1995 The living room is at the center of an M.C. Escher's Relativity style environment with multiple staircases and conflicting perspectives; the family enters from various directions (and dimensions) and sits. "Homer the Great" 2F09
116 January 22, 1995 In the style of a James Bond film opening, the living room is viewed through a gun barrel. Homer enters from the side, turns to the camera, and fires a gun. The screen "bleeds" red and falls. Music typically heard in a James Bond film plays throughout. "And Maggie Makes Three" 2F10
117 February 5, 1995 The scene is black and white, and the couch, TV, and other living room furniture have an 1930s appearance; the family runs in, wearing Mickey Mouse style white gloves and big smiles, dancing. "Bart's Comet" 2F11
118 February 12, 1995 repeat of 1F22's gag "Homie the Clown" 2F12
119 February 19, 1995 repeat of 1F17's gag "Bart vs. Australia" 2F13
120 February 26, 1995 The family is beamed aboard the couch with the same Star Trek sound as 2F01's gag, but a visual effect closer to Quantum Leap's. "Homer vs. Patty & Selma" 2F14
121 March 05, 1995 The family sits; their sizes are reversed, with Maggie the largest and Homer the tiniest. "A Star Is Burns" 2F31
122 March 19, 1995 repeat of 2F05's gag "Lisa's Wedding" 2F15
123 April 9, 1995 repeat of 2F06's gag "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" 2F18
124 April 16, 1995 repeat of 2F09's gag "The PTA Disbands" 2F19
125 April 30, 1995 repeat of 2F31's gag "'Round Springfield" 2F32
126 May 7, 1995 repeat of 2F10's gag "The Springfield Connection" 2F21
127 May 14, 1995 repeat of 2F11's gag "Lemon of Troy" 2F22
128 May 21, 1995 repeat of 2F07's gag "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" 2F16

Season 7

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
129 September 17, 1995 The couch slides away as a police lineup height chart unfurls from above; the family lines up in front of it. (This episode reveals the answer to the mystery of who shot Mr. Burns). "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" 2F20
130 September 24, 1995 Like a fax machine, the couch ejects a sheet of paper with a picture of the family, which then floats up into the air, before sliding beneath the couch. "Radioactive Man" 2F17
131 October 01, 1995 The screen is split into a 3-by-3 grid of squares, as in the opening to The Brady Bunch, with the living room in the center square, and the five family members, plus Grampa, Santa's Little Helper, and Snowball II each occupying an outer square; they all run out of their individual squares and sit on the couch in the center square, except Grampa who remains asleep in his square. "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" 3F01
132 October 08, 1995 The family drive around the room in go-karts, wearing fezzes; they line up in front of the couch and honk their horns simultaneously. "Bart Sells His Soul" 3F02
133 October 15, 1995 The family sits, colorless; mechanical arms from above then spray-paint their colors onto them. "Lisa the Vegetarian" 3F03
134 October 29, 1995 The family drops down from above, their necks in nooses. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror VI" 3F04
135 November 05, 1995 Malfunctioning, buzzing wind-up doll versions of the family wander around the room, most of them failing to reach the couch. "King-Size Homer" 3F05
136 November 19, 1995 A bowling pin clearing bar scares Snowball II off the couch, then a pinsetter places the family on the couch like bowling pins. "Mother Simpson" 3F06
137 November 26, 1995 The whole room is filled with water, the couch is made of clam shells, and a treasure chest is in place of the TV; sea monkey versions of the family members swim in and sit on the clam couch. "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" 3F08
138 December 03, 1995 A montage of couch gags from 8F18, 9F02, 9F10, 9F09, 8F09, 1F02, 2F31, 2F09, 2F06, 1F17, 2F11, and 9F08. "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" 3F31
139 December 17, 1995 The family sits; Homer notices a drain plug in the floor and removes it, and the family, couch, and everything else in the room is sucked down the drain like a toilet flush. "Marge Be Not Proud" 3F07
140 January 07, 1996 The family sits; the camera then zooms in through a mouse hole, where a small mouse version of the family sits on a couch as well. "Team Homer" 3F10
141 January 14, 1996 Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie's heads are mounted on the back wall like trophies, while Homer is sprawled across the carpet like a bear skin rug; a hunter sits on the couch, puts down his gun, and lights up a pipe. "Two Bad Neighbors" 3F09
142 February 04, 1996 The family sits as the room is illuminated by a fluorescent black light and a guitar riff plays, until Homer turns the light on. "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" 3F11
143 February 11, 1996 repeat of 2F17's gag (but this time, the paper doesn't slide back under the couch) "Bart the Fink" 3F12
144 February 18, 1996 repeat of 3F01's gag "Lisa the Iconoclast" 3F13
145 February 25, 1996 repeat of 3F02's gag "Homer the Smithers" 3F14
146 March 17, 1996 repeat of 3F03's gag "The Day the Violence Died" 3F16
147 March 24, 1996 repeat of 3F05's gag "A Fish Called Selma" 3F15
148 March 31, 1996 repeat of 3F06's gag "Bart on the Road" 3F17
149 April 14, 1996 repeat of 3F08's gag "22 Short Films About Springfield" 3F18
150 April 28, 1996 repeat of 3F07's gag "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"" 3F19
151 May 05, 1996 repeat of 3F09's gag "Much Apu About Nothing" 3F20
152 May 19, 1996 repeat of 3F11's gag "Homerpalooza" 3F21
153 May 19, 1996 repeat of 2F17's gag "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" 3F22

Season 8

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
154 October 27, 1996 The Grim Reaper sits on the couch; the family runs in one at a time, immediately falling over dead in a pile; the Grim Reaper puts his feet up on the pile and relaxes. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror VII" 4F02
155 November 03, 1996 The family descends from above with parachutes on, except Homer, who falls flat on his face from a malfunctioning parachute pack. "You Only Move Twice" 3F23
156 November 10, 1996 The couch sits in the middle of a desert; the family, in western cowboy garb, sits on the couch, which gallops off into the sunset. "The Homer They Fall" 4F03
157 November 17, 1996 Clear blue bubble versions of the family members float into the room, land on the couch, and pop. "Burns, Baby Burns" 4F05
158 November 24, 1996 The whole scene is a parody of the cover of The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, featuring a large crowd of regulars, and the family standing in front of the couch, front and center; Homer, spoofing the back cover of the album, turns to look at the crowded scene behind him. "Bart After Dark" 4F06
159 December 01, 1996 The family sits, but Bart is green; Homer messes with the dials on the TV, turning Bart red; finally, Homer smacks Bart upside the head, correcting Bart's color. "A Milhouse Divided" 4F04
160 December 15, 1996 The whole room is upside-down, with the couch and everything else on what appears to be the ceiling. The family, also upside-down, runs in on the ceiling and sits, before falling down onto the floor "above" them. "Lisa's Date with Density" 4F01
161 December 29, 1996 Homer puts a quarter in a slot marked "Vend-A-Couch". Nothing happens. Homer bangs on the wall a few times and a couch comes down, crushing him. "Hurricane Neddy" 4F07
162 January 5, 1997 repeat of 3F23's gag "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)" 3F24
163 January 12, 1997 The family flies into the room via jet packs; Maggie spirals in last, landing in Marge's lap. "The Springfield Files" 3G01
164 January 19, 1997 The family members intermittently pop up out of five holes in the floor, a la Whack-a-Mole, with a large mallet attempt to whack them; Homer gets whacked and says D'oh!. The circus music from Homie the Clown plays throughout. "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" 4F08
165 February 2, 1997 The family finds Grampa asleep on the couch, which has a folding bed. They fold the bed up, ignoring Grampa's cry of "What?!" and sit down as normal. "Mountain of Madness" 4F10
166 February 07, 1997 The living room is empty. Cut to an outside shot of the family waiting impatiently as Homer struggles with a locked door. he bangs on the door as Fred Flintstone would on his. "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" 3G03
167 February 9, 1997 repeat of 4F06's gag, however, in syndication, this is replaced with the "Simpsons Meet The Flintstones" couch gag from 8F24 "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" 4F12
168 February 16, 1997 The living room appears in an "America Onlink" window, on which a cursor clicks "Load Family," the message "Please wait... loading 1 of 5" is displayed, and a progress bar fills very slowly as the same few seconds of the theme music play in a loop; eventually, the pointer repeatedly clicks the "Exit" button in frustration. "Homer's Phobia" 4F11
169 February 23, 1997 repeat of 4F01's gag "Brother from Another Series" 4F14
170 March 2, 1997 The couch is on the deck of a ship at sea in rough waters, sliding back and forth with the tilt of the ship. The family, dressed in raingear, sits on the couch, before an enormous wave washes them away. "My Sister, My Sitter" 4F13
171 March 16, 1997 repeat of 4F03's gag "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" 4F15
172 April 06, 1997 repeat of 4F05's gag "Grade School Confidential" 4F09
173 April 13, 1997 repeat of 4F10's gag "The Canine Mutiny" 4F16
174 April 20, 1997 repeat of 4F08's gag (Except this time, the sounds of the mallet hitting the family members is more aggressive and the circus music from "Homer the Clown" is sped up) "The Old Man and the Lisa" 4F17
175 April 27, 1997 repeat of 4F07's gag "In Marge We Trust" 4F18
176 May 4, 1997 repeat of 4F04's gag "Homer's Enemy" 4F19
177 May 11, 1997 no gag (special opening) "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" 4F20
178 May 18, 1997 repeat of 4F01's gag "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" 4F21

Season 9

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
179 September 21, 1997 The family comes in, dressed as the Harlem Globetrotters, showing off different basketball tricks to the tune of Sweet Georgia Brown "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" 4F22
180 September 28, 1997 The family sits, dresses up in spacesuits; the couch blasts off like a rocket. "The Principal and the Pauper" 4F23
181 October 19, 1997 Homer runs in and his top half pops off, revealing Marge concealed inside; Marge's top half pops off, revealing Bart inside, and so forth (just like a Russian nesting doll). "Lisa's Sax" 3G02
182 October 26, 1997 The couch becomes a five-seated electric chair that shocks the family (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror VIII" 5F02
183 November 2, 1997 The couch is full of water as the family runs in with their butts on fire; they hop onto the couch as steam emerges from them in relief. "The Cartridge Family" 5F01
184 November 9, 1997 The family sits; an auto-crusher compresses them all into a rectangular block. "Bart Star" 5F03
185 November 16, 1997 Bart runs in and spray-paints the family onto the couch, tagging it with an "El Barto" signature, then runs off. "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" 5F04
186 November 23, 1997 The living room is set up like a sauna. Three old men sit, pouring water on the coals. The family (wearing only towels) comes in, then leave sheepishly. "Lisa the Skeptic" 5F05
187 December 7, 1997 The family sits; Matt Groening's[1] live action hand spins the picture around, smearing the family like spin art. "Realty Bites" 5F06
188 December 21, 1997 The family sits; the living room is revealed to be inside a snow globe, which is shaken, making snow fall in the living room. (Christmas episode for this first usage) "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" 5F07
189 January 04, 1998 The floor is a treadmill; the family runs in place on the treadmill before leaping to the couch, except Homer, who falls, gets dragged around on the treadmill, and shouts "Marge, stop this crazy thing!" a la George Jetson in the original closing credits of The Jetsons. "All Singing, All Dancing" 5F24
190 January 11, 1998 The family goes to sit down, only to have their seat pulled from under them by Nelson Muntz (Nelson then says "ha-ha!") "Bart Carny" 5F08
191 February 8, 1998 The family runs in, tiny-sized, (as in 9F09's gag); this time, each family member lifts the next up onto the couch one-by-one, then a full-sized Santa's Little Helper takes Homer away in his mouth as Homer screams. "The Joy of Sect" 5F23
192 February 15, 1998 The floor is water and the couch is a lilypad; a frog family (Maggie as a tadpole) hops onto the lilypad and frog-Homer turns on the TV with his long tongue. "Das Bus" 5F11
193 February 22, 1998 repeat of 5F01's gag "The Last Temptation of Krust" 5F10
194 March 1, 1998 repeat of 5F03's gag "Dumbbell Indemnity" 5F12
195 March 8, 1998 A vine grows in the middle of the room; each family member's face sprouts from the vine as a fruit or vegetable. "Lisa the Simpson" 4F24
196 March 22, 1998 repeat of 5F04's gag (but this time, Bart peeks from around the TV first to make sure the coast is clear) "This Little Wiggy" 5F13
197 March 29, 1998 A take-off on the opening sequence to Rocky & Bullwinkle, ending with the family popping up from out of the ground in a flower patch; Bart coughs up a clod of dirt. The Rocky & Bullwinkle theme plays throughout. "Simpson Tide" 3G04
198 April 5, 1998 repeat of 5F05's gag "The Trouble with Trillions" 5F14
199 April 19, 1998 repeat of 5F06's gag "Girly Edition" 5F15
200 April 26, 1998 The family runs in, only to end up in Mrs. Krabappel's classroom where Bart is writing "I Will Not Mess With The Opening Credits" on the blackboard. "Trash of the Titans" 5F09
201 May 03, 1998 repeat of 5F07's gag "King of the Hill" 5F16
202 May 10, 1998 repeat of 5F08's gag "Lost Our Lisa" 5F17
203 May 17, 1998 repeat of 5F11's gag "Natural Born Kissers" 5F18

Season 10

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
204 August 23, 1998 repeat of 5F08's gag "Lard of the Dance" 5F20
205 September 20, 1998 Similar to the couch gag in "Marge vs. the Monorail" (9F10), the living room is filled with secondary and tertiary characters from the show. Unlike 9F10, the living room is now a movie theater and the Simpsons are shuffling their way through to find a seat. After they sit down, Homer has some of the Comic Book Guy's popcorn. "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" 5F21
206 September 27, 1998 Two firefighters hold the couch and catch most of the family as they fall from above, but they miss Homer, who crashes through the floor. "Bart the Mother" 5F22
207 October 25, 1998 The family never makes it to the couch; Bart gets run over by Homer. Lisa gets catapulted into the garage roof, and Homer gets run down by Marge as she drives into the garage. Meanwhile, in the living room Freddy Krueger (of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies) and Jason Voorhees (of the Friday the 13th movies) sit on the couch, wondering where the family is. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror IX" AABF01
208 November 08, 1998 Marge enters with a laundry basket and hangs the other family members on a clothesline above the couch. "When You Dish Upon a Star" 5F19
209 November 15, 1998 The family sits; a safety bar lowers over their laps and the couch zooms around the room like a roller coaster. "D'oh-in in the Wind" AABF02
210 November 22, 1998 The family sits; hair dryers descend onto their heads, then lift up, revealing the family members all have swapped hairdos. Homer has Maggie's, Marge has Bart's, Bart has Lisa's, Lisa has Homer's, and Maggie has Marge's (the weight of it causing her to fall off the couch). "Lisa Gets an "A"" AABF03
211 December 06, 1998 repeat of 5F11's gag "Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble"" AABF04
212 December 20, 1998 repeat of 5F03's gag "Mayored to the Mob" AABF05
213 January 10, 1999 repeat of 5F06's gag "Viva Ned Flanders" AABF06
214 January 17, 1999 The family, in cowboy hats, straddles the back of the couch, a large trapdoor opens beneath the couch and they drop; a top-down perspective shows the family riding the falling couch as it drops from high above a city below, in a parody of Slim Pickens' character riding the bomb in Dr. Strangelove. "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" AABF07
215 January 31, 1999 The couch is floating on water as the family sits; the couch hits an iceberg and sinks, taking the family under with it, but Maggie resurfaces shortly on a floating cushion (a la The Titanic). "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" AABF08
216 February 7, 1999 repeat of 5F19's gag "Homer to the Max" AABF09
217 February 14, 1999 repeat of AABF03's gag "I'm With Cupid" AABF11
218 February 21, 1999 repeat of AABF02's gag "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"" AABF10
219 February 28, 1999 repeat of 5F22's gag "Make Room for Lisa" AABF12
220 March 28, 1999 Adult Bart and Lisa, and young Marge and Homer (with a Maggie doll) sit on the couch; young Homer snatches the remote, but mother Lisa slaps his hand and he drops it. "Maximum Homerdrive" AABF13
221 April 4, 1999 The family slips on banana peels on the floor, flipping upside-down in the air, but all land safely on the couch. "Simpsons Bible Stories" AABF14
222 April 11, 1999 repeat of AABF07's gag "Mom and Pop Art" AABF15
223 April 25, 1999 repeat of 5F21's gag "The Old Man and The "C" Student" AABF16
224 May 2, 1999 repeat of 9F08's gag "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" AABF17
225 May 9, 1999 repeat of AABF08's gag "They Saved Lisa's Brain" AABF18
226 May 16, 1999 The family sits, get sucked inside the couch, and come out looking like shredded paper. "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" AABF20

Season 11

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
227 September 26, 1999 The Simpsons family (as they were drawn on The Tracy Ullman Show) is already on the couch. The Simpsons (as they're currently drawn) come in and both families run screaming out the living room. "Beyond Blunderdome" AABF23
228 October 03, 1999 The family comes in, colorless and marked with numbers. A group of Asian painters come in to color the family "Brother's Little Helper" AABF22
229 October 24, 1999 The family comes in. Marge notices Matt Groening's signature at the bottom of the screen and wipes it off. A caricature of Matt Groening (wearing an orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt) comes in and resigns the scene (i.e. the floor) to Marge's horror. "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" AABF21
230 October 31, 1999 The family members (mostly) appear as they have in previous Halloween episodes: Homer is a jack-in-the-box (from 8F02), Bart is a mutant fly (from 5F02), Marge is a witch (also from 5F02), and Maggie is an alien (from AABF01); Lisa, an ax victim (the only one not based on a previous episode), asks what aliens have to do with Halloween, and Maggie demands "Silence!" in a deep voice before disintegrating Lisa with a ray gun. (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror X" BABF01
231 November 7, 1999 The couch is set up like a trendy nightclub (with a disco ball, velvet rope, bouncer, and club hoppers). Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie are let in, while Homer is denied access. "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)" AABF19
232 November 14, 1999 A cement truck pours cement onto the couch; the cement instantly hardens into sculptures of the family, but cement Homer's head cracks and falls to the floor. "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" BABF02
233 November 21, 1999 The family sits; the couch rotates into a secret compartment in the wall (as in 9F01's gag), but instead of an empty couch on the other side, it's Vincent Price as a mad scientist and a scared Ned Flanders shackled upside down and groaning. "Eight Misbehavin'" BABF03
234 November 28, 1999 repeat of AABF20's gag "Take My Wife, Sleaze" BABF05
235 December 19, 1999 The family slides down into the living room from a fire pole and sits, except Homer, who gets stuck in the hole in the ceiling and flails about. "Gift of the Magi" BABF07
236 January 9, 2000 A crash test dummy version of the family sits; the couch slides forward and slams into the TV (simluating a car crash test), then pulls back into place. Crash test dummy Homer's head falls off from the trauma. "Little Big Mom" BABF04
237 January 16, 2000 A psychiatrist (who looks a mix between Sigmund Freud and Milhouse van Houten) is sitting in a chair next to the couch. Homer hops on the couch and yells, "Oh, doctor, I'm crazy!", then sobs as the other family members stare sadly at each other. "Faith Off" BABF06
238 January 23, 2000 repeat of AABF13's gag "The Mansion Family" BABF08
239 February 06, 2000 The family leaps into the room, all dressed in white karate uniforms and black belts, and chops the couch up with karate moves; Homer, remote in hand, does a karate flip and switches on the TV. "Saddlesore Galactica" BABF09
240 February 13, 2000 The family drives bumper cars around the room (Marge and Maggie share a car); they all pin Homer's car against the back wall and slam him repeatedly. "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" BABF10
241 February 20, 2000 The couch is sitting in the Evergreen Terrace subway station, and the family sits; the train arrives and they board, leaving the empty couch behind. "Missionary: Impossible" BABF11
242 February 27, 2000 repeat of AABF21's gag "Pygmoelian" BABF12
243 March 19, 2000 repeat of AABF19's gag "Bart to the Future" BABF13
244 April 9, 2000 repeat of AABF23's gag "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" BABF14
245 April 30, 2000 The family is barefoot and briskly walking over a bed of hot coals. When they reach the couch, they sigh in relief as their feet are black and smoldering. "Kill the Alligator and Run" BABF16
246 May 7, 2000 The family swings into the room on a vine, like Tarzan; Homer fails to release the vine in time and crashes offscreen, like George of the Jungle. "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" BABF15
247 May 14, 2000 repeat of AABF22's gag "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" BABF18
248 May 21, 2000 The couch has a coin slot on the side. The family sits, and Bart puts a coin in it. The couch then vibrates away, taking the family with them. "Behind the Laughter" BABF19

Season 12

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
249 November 1, 2000 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XI" BABF21
250 November 5, 2000 Bart arrives at the couch first and places a whoopee cushion under Homer's spot. When the family sits down, Homer sits on the part of the couch with the whoopee cushion underneath and triggers its farting sound. Homer grins sheepishly at Marge, Lisa, and Maggie (who are frowning) while Bart laughs. "A Tale of Two Springfields" BABF20
251 November 12, 2000 The family runs in and freezes in mid-air; the camera pans around them in bullet-time (a la The Matrix and the Gap Khaki commercials at the time that featured swing dancing), then time resumes normally as they sit. "Insane Clown Poppy" BABF17
252 November 19, 2000 Maggie is already seated (as in 9F02's gag) this time, rest of the family waddle in dressed as the Teletubbies. Maggie claps with delight. Homer is Twinky Winky, Marge is Dipsy, Lisa is Po, and Bart as Laa-Laa. "Lisa the Tree Hugger" CABF01
253 November 26, 2000 The family skateboard off a ramp one by one, landing on the couch, except Homer, who flips upside-down and lands on the floor. Adding insult and injury, Homer's skateboard falls out of the air onto his head. "Homer vs. Dignity" CABF04
254 December 3, 2000 The family runs in to find Santa's Little Helper dancing on his rear legs like Snoopy from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special while the popular theme from the Charlie Brown cartoons plays. Santa's Little Helper notices the family staring at him, slowly stops dancing, and barks. "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" CABF02
255 December 10, 2000 The couch is in a fishbowl; the family swims to the couch in scuba gear. "The Great Money Caper" CABF03
256 December 17, 2000 The family, in football uniforms, pile on top of a football (and on top of each other); Maggie, football in hand, leaps from the pile, spikes the ball, and does a touchdown dance. "Skinner's Sense of Snow" CABF06
257 January 7, 2001 The family is deposited one by one onto the couch via tubes (like those used to travel around New New York City in the future depicted on Matt Groening's other animated sitcom Futurama); one tube briefly deposits Futurama's Fry on the couch in place of Bart, but then sucks Fry back up and leaves Bart in his place. "HOMR" BABF22
258 January 14, 2001 repeat of BABF03's gag "Pokey Mom" CABF05
259 February 4, 2001 The couch is absent, and the Squeaky Voiced Teen stands next to a "valet parking" sign; the family runs in and waits while the valet pushes the couch into frame; the family sits and the valet holds his hand out for a tip, but he doesn't receive one and walks off annoyed. "Worst Episode Ever" CABF08
260 February 11, 2001 The family, wearing winter coats, ice skates around the room before sitting on the couch; Homer's portion of the couch breaks off and falls through the ice. "Tennis the Menace" CABF07
261 February 18, 2001 repeat of BABF06's gag "Day of the Jackanapes" CABF10
262 February 25, 2001 The couch is next to a prison wall as a searchlight pans around the scene; the family, in striped prison uniforms, burrows up from the ground and sits on the couch, where the searchlight spots them. "New Kids on the Blecch" CABF12
263 March 04, 2001 repeat of BABF09's gag "Hungry, Hungry Homer" CABF09
264 March 11, 2001 repeat of BABF10's gag "Bye Bye Nerdie" CABF11
265 April 01, 2001 repeat of 9F08's gag "Simpson Safari" CABF13
266 April 29, 2001 repeat of CABF04's gag "Trilogy of Error" CABF14
267 May 06, 2001 repeat of BABF02's gag "I'm Goin' to Praiseland" CABF15
268 May 13, 2001 repeat of BABF04's gag "Children of a Lesser Clod" CABF16
269 May 20, 2001 repeat of BABF11's gag "Simpsons Tall Tales" CABF17

Season 13

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
270 November 06, 2001 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XII" CABF19
271 November 11, 2001 The family stands on a simplistically-drawn sailboat and leaps into the water; when the splash subsides, the family is sitting on the couch, dripping wet, having leapt out of the crooked sailboat painting on the rear wall. "The Parent Rap" CABF22
272 November 18, 2001 repeat of CABF06's gag "Homer the Moe" CABF20
273 December 2, 2001 repeat of CABF12's gag "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love" CABF18
274 December 9, 2001 repeat of BABF17's gag "The Blunder Years" CABF21
275 December 16, 2001 A giant slot machine sits in place of the couch; the five tumblers each come up bearing the faces of the family, except for the final tumbler which comes up "7" instead of Maggie and the machine dispenses gold coins with Maggie's face on them. "She of Little Faith" DABF02
276 January 6, 2002 A hedge is in place of the couch; a gardener quickly trims the hedge into the shape of the family. "Brawl in the Family" DABF01
277 January 20, 2002 The family sits; a claw arm (as found in coin-op prize machines) grabs Homer's head and lifts him up as he screams, "Ow, my brain!" "Sweets and Sour Marge" DABF03
278 January 27, 2002 Homer, dressed as Charlie Chaplin's "The Tramp" character, waddles in, twitches his nose, and sits down. The other family members, dressed as archetypical silent film characters, join Homer. "Jaws Wired Shut" DABF05
279 February 10, 2002 The family arrives to find two repo men carrying the couch away. As Homer cries over this, the rest of the family sits on the floor to watch TV. "Half-Decent Proposal" DABF04
280 February 17, 2002 repeat of 9F08's gag "The Bart Wants What It Wants" DABF06
281 February 24, 2002 The family catch The Squeaky Voice Teen making out with a teenage girl on the couch. "The Lastest Gun in the West" DABF07
282 March 10, 2002 The family runs in to find the Blue Man Group performing on drums in front of the couch. Homer murmurs "What the-?!" (in reruns and repeats of this couch gag in other episodes, The Blue Man Group plays more aggressively and Homer's "What the--?!" is muted out) "The Old Man and the Key" DABF09
283 March 17, 2002 Drawn in pencil, the family sits in a flipbook flipped by live-action hands. "Tales from the Public Domain" DABF08
284 March 31, 2002 The family are marionettes who get caught in each other's strings. The camera pans up to reveal Matt Groening as the puppet master, who throws the puppets down and sighs in frustration. "Blame it on Lisa" DABF10
285 April 07, 2002 repeat of DABF01's gag "Weekend at Burnsie's" DABF11
286 April 21, 2002 repeat of DABF02's gag "Gump Roast" DABF12
287 April 28, 2002 repeat of DABF03's gag "I Am Furious Yellow" DABF13
288 May 05, 2002 repeat of DABF04's gag "The Sweetest Apu" DABF14
289 May 12, 2002 repeat of DABF07's gag "Little Girl in the Big Ten" DABF15
290 May 19, 2002 repeat of DABF05's gag "The Frying Game" DABF16
291 May 22, 2002 repeat of DABF09's gag (but with different audio: the group plays more loudly/aggressively and Homer stays silent) "Papa's Got a Brand New Badge" DABF17

Season 14

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
292 November 03, 2002 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XIII" DABF19
293 November 10, 2002 Homer is on water skis, with the others on him, as he ski-jumps over sharks; everybody lands on the couch, but Homer is without his legs, which are in the sharks' mouths (a reference to the term "jumped the shark", describing a TV show that has reached its peak and is now declining in quality or has done something to cause it to decline prematurely). "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" DABF22
294 November 17, 2002 Spoofing the Get Smart opening, Homer walks through a series of futuristic doors, falls through the bottom of a phone booth, and lands on the couch (where the others are already sitting). "Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade" DABF20
295 November 24, 2002 The couch is drawn on a "Etch A Sketch" (called a "Sketch-A-Etch" in the couch gag) and Homer yells, "Whoo-hoo!" when the picture is completed. "Large Marge" DABF18
296 December 1, 2002 In a parody of the Macintosh paint program, Kid Pix, a mouse cursor drags Homer from the left side of the couch to the right, changes the wall color to green, and replaces the boat painting with the Mona Lisa. "Helter Shelter" DABF21
297 December 15, 2002 The family sits on the couch. Homer clicks on the remote control and sends the family to the Stone Age, clicks it again to send them to the Roman Empire where they watch a gladiator match, and clicks it a final time to return them to the present. "The Great Louse Detective" EABF01
298 January 05, 2003 Everybody is deep-fried in a fast-food fryer, then emptied onto the couch and salted. "Special Edna" EABF02
299 January 12, 2003 In black and white, everyone is wearing early-20th-century clothing and is watching the TV from a girder at a construction site. (Done in the style of Charles C. Ebbets' photograph "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper.") "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" EABF03
300 February 02, 2003 Everybody sticks their head through a cutout of the couch and have their pictures taken. "Strong Arms of The Ma" EABF04
301 February 09, 2003 A giant baby picks up doll versions of the Simpson family and plays with them. "Pray Anything" EABF06
302 February 16, 2003 Everybody and everything is made of gingerbread; Homer takes a bite out of Bart's head. "Barting Over" EABF05
303 February 16, 2003 repeat of DABF18's gag "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" EABF07
304 March 02, 2003 repeat of DABF10's gag "A Star Is Born-Again" EABF08
305 March 09, 2003 repeat of EABF01's gag "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" EABF09
306 March 16, 2003 repeat of DABF08's gag "C.E. D'oh" EABF10
307 March 30, 2003 repeat of DABF22's gag "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky" EABF11
308 April 13, 2003 repeat of EABF02's gag "Three Gays of the Condo" EABF12
309 April 27, 2003 Everybody is a mime, walking against the wind and then sitting on a non-existent couch. "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" EABF13
310 May 04, 2003 repeat of EABF03's gag "Old Yeller Belly" EABF14
311 May 11, 2003 repeat of EABF04's gag "Brake My Wife, Please" EABF15
312 May 18, 2003 repeat of EABF06's gag "Bart of War" EABF16
313 May 18, 2003 repeat of EABF05's gag "Moe Baby Blues" EABF17

Season 15

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
314 November 02, 2003 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XIV" EABF21
315 November 09, 2003 The family runs to the couch as normal, only to decay and turn to piles of dust. "My Mother the Carjacker" EABF18
316 November 16, 2003 A Polaroid photo ejects onto the couch; it develops into a photo of the family. "The President Wore Pearls" EABF20
317 November 23, 2003 There is a Play-Doh press on the back wall; it presses Play-Doh versions of everybody out onto the couch. "The Regina Monologues" EABF22
318 November 30, 2003 repeat of DABF20's gag "The Fat and the Furriest" EABF19
319 December 07, 2003 Everybody slides down separate poles and end up on the couch, in Batman-style costumes, in the Batcave. "Today I Am a Clown" FABF01
320 December 14, 2003 The couch is a street bench in Japan, and everyone is a famous anime character: Homer is Ultraman, Marge is Jun from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Lisa is Usagi Tsukino, the protagonist from Sailor Moon, Bart is Astro Boy and Maggie is Pikachu from Pokémon. "'Tis the Fifteenth Season" FABF02
321 January 04, 2004 Somebody offscreen throws knives at the wall while everyone is seated on the couch, but when Homer reaches for a bowl of chips, a knife nearly hits him. "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays" FABF03
322 January 11, 2004 Everybody is squeezed like frosting out of a pastry bag onto the top of a cake. "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" FABF04
323 January 25, 2004 Everybody's head pops out of a giant piece of apple pie. Homer takes a bite from the pie. "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife" FABF05
324 February 08, 2004 A tray is placed into a microwave, and the family rises as the tray is cooked. (The is the third food-based couch gag in a row) "Margical History Tour" FABF06
325 February 15, 2004 A woman throws some seeds into a plot of dirt where the couch usually is, and waters them; everybody sprouts up like plants. "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" FABF07
326 February 22, 2004 Everybody is a bag on a moving dry-cleaning rack, which stops over the couch. "Smart and Smarter" FABF09
327 March 14, 2004 In a parody of Powers of Ten, the couch scene pans out until it reaches outer space, where the galaxies are replaced with atoms, which pan out until they reach Homer's head and then the couch scene again. Homer: Wooowwww. (reairings and repeats of the couch gag in other episodes redub "Wooowww" with "Cool!" and have Kang and Kodos laughing instead of staying silent) "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" FABF08
328 March 21, 2004 repeat of EABF18's gag "Co-Dependent's Day" FABF10
329 March 28, 2004 repeat of EABF20's gag "The Wandering Juvie" FABF11
330 April 18, 2004 repeat of EABF22's gag "My Big Fat Geek Wedding" FABF12
331 April 25, 2004 repeat of FABF04's gag "Catch 'em If You Can" FABF14
332 May 02, 2004 repeat of FABF01's gag "Simple Simpson" FABF15
333 May 09, 2004 repeat of FABF03's gag "The Way We Weren't" FABF13
334 May 16, 2004 repeat of FABF06's gag "Bart-Mangled Banner" FABF17
335 May 23, 2004 repeat of FABF02's gag "Fraudcast News" FABF18

Season 16

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
336 November 07, 2004 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XV" FABF23
337 November 14, 2004 The couch is outside, mounted on the end of a catapult. The family sits on the couch, and then get launched skyward. "All's Fair in Oven War" FABF20
338 November 21, 2004 The family runs into the room to find the couch missing, only to have the couch fall from the sky and crush them. "Sleeping with the Enemy" FABF19
339 December 05, 2004 All of the family members sit down as normal. The twist: The Simpsons now look like Moe Szyslak. "She Used to Be My Girl" FABF22
340 December 12, 2004 After the family takes their usual places on the couch, the couch rises into the air and is actually part of the tendril of an anglerfish (which bears a striking resemblance to the one from Finding Nemo), which eats the family. "Fat Man and Little Boy" FABF21
341 January 16, 2005 The family runs into the room and take their usual places on the couch. Nothing happens. Lisa then says directly to the viewers "What, can't we sit on the couch without something happening?" Homer then gets impaled by a spear and yells, "D'oh!" "Midnight Rx" FABF16
342 January 30, 2005 The living room is a desert with all of the furniture and fixtures made of sand. The family crawls to the couch, but get buried by the sand underneath the desert sun. "Mommie Beerest" GABF01
343 February 06, 2005 The family enters the living room and in front of the couch they climb on top of the other like a totem pole. "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" GABF02
344 February 13, 2005 The family hops to the living room dressed as chess pieces: Homer is the king, Marge is the queen, Bart is a rook, Lisa is a knight and Maggie is a pawn. "Pranksta Rap" GABF03
345 February 20, 2005 The family, dressed as hockey players, with cuts and scrapes, skate into the living room and skate around the couch. Homer is carrying the Stanley Cup with Maggie sitting in the bowl. "There's Something About Marrying" GABF04
346 March 06, 2005 repeat of FABF08's gag (but this time, Kang and Kodos are heard laughing and Homer says "cooool" at the end) "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" GABF05
347 March 13, 2005 The family comes into the darkened living room. The lights go up; the living room is set up with balloons and streamers and a group of recurring characters yell out "Surprise!". Homer then has a heart attack and collapses. "Goo Goo Gai Pan" GABF06
348 March 20, 2005 The family enters the living room and sits on the couch like normal. Homer then pulls off his face, revealing himself to be Sideshow Bob. Bob pulls out a knife and chases after Bart. "Mobile Homer" GABF07
349 April 03, 2005 The family sits on the couch, only to have a spit comes through the wall and the floor open up to reveal fire down below. The couch and family begin rotating over the fire. Marge's hair catches fire. "The Seven-Beer Snitch" GABF08
350 April 17, 2005 Several toy forms of transportation come into the living room, only to change Transformers-style into the family. Homer is Optimus Prime, Marge is Skyfire, Lisa is Hound, Maggie is Bumblebee, and Bart appears to be Jazz. "Future-Drama" GABF12
351 May 01, 2005 The living room is an almost fully assembled jigsaw puzzle, with only the pieces with the family members' heads needing to be placed. The person completing the puzzle places all the heads on correctly except for Homer and Maggie, after which the former fixes them. "Don't Fear the Roofer" GABF10
352 May 01, 2005 repeat of FABF20's gag "The Heartbroke Kid" GABF11
353 May 08, 2005 repeat of DABF20's gag "A Star Is Torn" GABF13
354 May 08, 2005 repeat of FABF22's gag "Thank God It's Doomsday" GABF14
355 May 15, 2005 repeat of FABF21's gag "Home Away from Homer" GABF15
356 May 15, 2005 The family floats into the living room as balloons and Snowball II pops the one that looks like Homer. "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guest Star" GABF09

Season 17

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
357 September 11, 2005 The family enters the living room through a metal detector, except for Homer, who sets it off. After four failed attempts, Homer (who is now stripped down to his briefs) is detained by a security guard who is inspecting Homer with a handheld scanning wand. "Bonfire of the Manatees" GABF18
358 September 18, 2005 The living room is made of clay. Six balls roll to the couch and form into Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, Bart--and Gumby. (filmed in claymation) "The Girl Who Slept Too Little" GABF16
359 September 25, 2005 The family enters the living room and takes their places on the couch, then an on-screen TiVo style menu pops up asking if the viewer would like to delete or save this recording. "Delete this recording now" is selected and the screen goes blank. "Milhouse of Sand and Fog" GABF19
360 November 06, 2005 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XVI" GABF17
361 November 13, 2005 The family runs in to sit on the couch, but it turns into a monster and chases them out of the house. Everyone's couches come to life and start attacking and swallowing the people sitting on them; Professor Frink is attacked by a futuristic flying couch with laser weaponry; Moe is attacked by the booths in his bar, but fights quite well with his shotgun; Homer takes refuge in a store called "Couch World", where he is piled upon by dozens of couches. (An unusually long couch gag, it runs for exactly 40 seconds.) "Marge's Son Poisoning" GABF20
362 November 20, 2005 The family enters the living room and take their usual places on the couch, only the camera pulls back and we find that the living room and the family are part of an alien zoo exhibit on Rigel IV. "See Homer Run" GABF21
363 November 27, 2005 The couch is replaced with a bird's nest and the family members take their usual places; then a large bird enters and feeds Homer a giant worm. "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas" GABF22
364 December 11, 2005 A pair of animated hands deals five cards on the couch: the jack of diamonds (Bart), the queen of diamonds (Marge), the king of diamonds (Homer), the ace of diamonds (Lisa), and a joker (Maggie). "The Italian Bob" HABF02
365 December 18, 2005 A copy of "The Springfield Shopper" spins into frame, with the headline, "COUCH GAG THRILLS NATION" and a black and white photo of The Simpsons already seated. "Simpsons Christmas Stories" HABF01
366 January 8, 2006 The Simpsons sit on the couch as normal and a camera flashes, setting off a series of family portraits. In the 2006 and 2007 portraits, they all look the same. In 2008, Homer is missing and the family is wearing black. In 2009, Lenny has taken Homer's place and Bart and Lisa both begin puberty. In 2010, Carl has taken Marge's place and Lenny is still there. In 2011, Marge is back, but Lenny is gone and replaced by Jimbo Jones. In 2012, Homer is back, but is now a robot. In 2013, every member of the Simpson family is a robot. "Homer's Paternity Coot" HABF03
367 January 29, 2006 In a parody of the Bonanza opening, a map of Springfield burns away to reveal the family on horseback in the countryside. The couch is nowhere to be found. Bonanza-like music continues over the closing shot of the TV. "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" HABF04
368 February 26, 2006 repeat of GABF16's gag "My Fair Laddy" HABF05
369 March 12, 2006 The couch moves down an automated assembly line; Homer is added by a mechanical arm. "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story" HABF06
370 March 19, 2006 The family enters the living room only to find their access to the couch has been blocked by laser beams. They work their way through the laser beams and sit down. Then the beams shut off and Homer's head drops to the floor. "Bart Has Two Mommies" HABF07
371 March 26, 2006 The family (played by live action actors and actresses) sit on the couch just as the animated Simpsons opening comes on. (Subsequent airings had a repeat of the "Simpsons Roasting on a Barbecue" couch gag from GABF08). "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" HABF08
372 April 2, 2006 repeat of GABF19's gag "Million Dollar Abie" HABF09
373 April 9, 2006 repeat of HABF02's gag (but this time Homer shouts "Whoo-hoo!" after the cards are dealt, since this can be a Royal Flush) "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore" HABF10
374 April 23, 2006 repeat of GABF10's gag (but this time, Homer says D'oh! when the heads are mixed up and laughs when they are fixed) "The Wettest Stories Ever Told" HABF11
375 April 30, 2006 repeat of GABF06's gag "Girls Just Want To Have Sums" HABF12
376 May 07, 2006 repeat of GABF12's gag "Regarding Margie" HABF13
377 May 14, 2006 repeat of HABF03's gag "The Monkey Suit" HABF14
378 May 21, 2006 repeat of GABF20's gag "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play" HABF16

Season 18

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
379 September 10, 2006 The couch is replaced by four wooden stools. An instrumental of Pop Goes the Weasel plays as the family plays musical chairs. When the music stops, everyone, except for Homer, sits down. Homer groans in disappointment. "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" HABF15
380 September 17, 2006 Everyone but Homer sits on the couch. King Homer, from Treehouse of Horror III, grabs Marge through a window and drags her to the top of the Empire State Building, where he is attacked by biplanes. "Jazzy and the Pussycats" HABF18
381 September 24, 2006 A vending machine filled with every castmember (including The Simpson family) from the show appears instead of the couch. Ralph Wiggum comes in, selects a Homer figurine, and bites the head off before leaving. "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em..." HABF20
382 November 5, 2006 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XVII" HABF17
383 November 12, 2006 The family sits down and gets moved across the floor in a car wash, where they get sprayed with water, squirted with hot wax, and scrubbed with brushes. Marge's hair turns puffy, Maggie's pacifier turns up missing, and everyone looks sad as three men wipe them dry and puts a new pacifier in Maggie's mouth. "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)" HABF21
384 November 19, 2006 In a computer window, everyone is drag-and-dropped onto the couch, which is then drag-and-dropped onto a wastebasket; a computer menu item "empty trash" is then selected. "Moe'N'a Lisa" HABF19
385 November 26, 2006 All of the family members have the bodies of cockroaches; they all scuttle off after the lights are turned on. "Ice Cream of Margie (With the Light Blue Hair)" HABF22
386 December 10, 2006 A pair of cartoon hands cuts a piece of paper into the shape of Homer. The hands then pull out the paper to reveal a chain shaped like the rest of the Simpsons family members. Homer can be heard yelling, "Whoo-hoo!" "The Haw-Hawed Couple" JABF02
387 December 17, 2006 The family (in Christmas attire) sits on the couch, and the camera pulls out to reveal they are in a Christmas decoration which is on a Christmas tree, and Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II rest nearby. "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" JABF01
388 January 7, 2007 The family on the couch is pinned up, one by one, onto a bulletin board. "The Wife Aquatic" JABF03
389 January 28, 2007 The family, as infants in diapers, crawls into the living and up onto to their usual place on the couch. They begin to age into their current appearance. "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times" JABF05
390 February 11, 2007 The family are paper dolls, and are each dressed into their regular clothes. "Little Big Girl" JABF04
391 February 18, 2007 repeat of HABF22's gag1 "Springfield Up" JABF07
392 March 4, 2007 repeat of HABF20's gag "Yokel Chords" JABF09
393 March 11, 2007 repeat of HABF04's gag "Rome-old and Juli-eh" JABF08
394 March 25, 2007 Homer evolves from a single-celled organism which continuously divides to a more complex organism--first as a jellyfish, then a common fish that nearly escapes the clutches of an octopus that looks like Mr. Burns. Getting out of the ocean, Homer evolves into a prehistoric lizard that extends his tongue to snack on an insect that resembles his power plant coworker, Lenny. Homer then evolves into a slightly larger lizard with a scale on his back that sees a pterodactyl resembling Principal Skinner's mother, Agnes, flying overhead. Homer then evolves into a rat that gets chased by a tyrannosaurus rex resembling Bart, who then gets into a battle with a stegosaurus resembling Lisa. Homer hides in a hole just before a large asteroid crashes on Earth, wiping out all dinosaur life. Homer comes out of the hole, passing the skeletal remains of T-Rex Bart, before changing into a sloth, then a monkey as he approaches a jungle, becoming more apelike upon swinging through the trees. Leaving the jungle, a brief Ice Age occurs as he evolves from a Neanderthal, to a Cro-Magnon, to an upright walking caveman. Caveman Homer passes by Moe (who is also a caveman), who then devolves into a rat creature. As Homer continues walking, he evolves into men from different historical eras (a nomad from the Middle Ages, a Spanish explorer, a Pilgrim, and a 19th century intellectual) until he finally evolves into his modern self and enters the house, stepping over Santa's Little Helper. With the rest of the family sitting on the sofa, Marge asks him "What took you so long?" Homer can only give an exhausted sigh of relief. (This is the longest couch gag to date.) "Homerazzi" JABF06
395 April 22, 2007 repeat of HABF01's gag "Marge Gamer" JABF10
396 April 29, 2007 repeat of HABF15's gag "The Boys of Bummer" JABF11
397 May 6, 2007 repeat of HABF21's gag "Crook and Ladder" JABF13
398 May 13, 2007 The family comes in and sits on the couch. A second family comes and also sits on the couch. Then hundreds of multiple families come in, and the second story windows and chimney overflow with them. Homer shouts, "Hey, don't shove!" "Stop, or My Dog Will Shoot!" JABF12
399 May 20, 2007 no gag (special opening/24-themed) "24 Minutes" JABF14
400 May 20, 2007 no gag (the Tracy Ullman Show-era Simpsons episode "Family Portrait" (where Homer tries to get the family to pose for a family photo) is shown with a caption that reads, "20 Years Ago...") "You Kent Always Say What You Want" JABF15

Season 19

# Airdate Gag Episode Code
401 September 23, 2007 The entire opening sequence is changed to show a ruined Springfield being rebuilt in the aftermath of The Simpsons Movie. As construction work goes on around them, The Simpsons join Plopper the pig on the couch to the tune of the "Spider Pig" theme. Homer holds him and says "My summer love". "He Loves to Fly and He D'oh's" JABF20
402 September 30, 2007 repeat of JABF06's gag (but this time, Marge's line after Homer enters the living room is "Did you bring the milk?") "The Homer of Seville" JABF18
403 October 7, 2007 The living room is made of Lego bricks and the family members are built one by one out of Legos. Homer can be heard shouting, "Woo-hoo!" when a long black Lego brick (representing a full head of hair) is put on his head, and "D'oh!" when a small black Lego brick (representing his two strands) is placed on his head instead. "Midnight Towboy" JABF21
404 October 14, 2007 The family sits down as normal, except Maggie is missing. Homer looks to the empty space where Maggie is, then gets lifted by a giant Maggie as the camera pulls out to reveal the living room being part of a dollhouse and the family as the dolls that live within. Maggie puts the miniature Homer in her mouth and sucks it like a pacifier. "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" JABF19
405 November 4, 2007 no gag (Halloween episode) "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" JABF16
406 November 11, 2007 The family (already seated on the couch) appears on the cover of Modern Couch Gag magazine. "Little Orphan Millie" JABF22
407 November 18, 2007 A pair of hands open up a book called "The Simpsons" and reveals a pop-up centerfold of the family sitting on the couch. "Husbands and Knives" JABF17
408 November 25, 2007 A magician walks into the living room and uses his cape to make the couch and family members appear. "Funeral for a Fiend" KABF01
409 December 17, 2007 repeat of GABF05's gag (but this time Homer says "weird" at the end) "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" KABF02
410 January 6, 2008 A medieval tapestry shows the Flanders stealing the Simpsons's couch. The Simpsons then take it back and kill the Flanders. "E Pluribus Wiggum" KABF03
411 January 27, 2008 The family is sitting on the couch. The screen zooms out to show them as a painting in a museum. "That 90's Show" KABF04

Couch gags within episodes

Sometimes there is a couch gag during the episode itself, usually during a spoof of the opening sequence.

Airdate Gag Episode Code
October 7, 1993 During the "Thompsons" introduction, the family sits on the couch and a pile of fish falls from above. "Cape Feare" 9F22
December 21, 1997 After everybody of Springfield has taken all the stuff from them, The Simpsons walk to the place where the couch gags take place. "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" 5F07
May 21, 2000 In an "aborted" couch gag, the family sits wearing Western outfits; the director cuts the scene as Bart is busy on the phone agreeing to do Teen Wolf 3. Lisa complains that she wants to go to bed, asking if there are child labor laws. Homer asks if Marge told her about the laws, and Marge tells him to poop in his hat. Kang and Kodos then show up with useless ballet tickets, asking if they needed them that night. "Behind the Laughter" BABF19
May 1, 2005 Instead of saying "The Simpsons", the announcer says "Three weeks later". Everyone except Bart sits; the overweight Bart arrives late and suffers a heart attack. "The Heartbroke Kid" GABF11
  1. Season 10 DVD audio commentary "Viva Ned Flanders"