The Bob Next Door/References

References/Trivia

Cultural References

The title is based on the song "The Boy Next Door" from "Meet Me In St. Louis".
Harry Potter: Sideshow Bob says that his plan to kill Bart will make it the greatest murder since Snape killed Dumbledore, which happened in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Sideshow Bob also is not insulting the book when he says, "It's a four-year old book." He is actually correct. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was realeased July 2005, about 4 years ago.
The song Bart and Milhouse sing is from the play The Mikado. When Sideshow Bob reveals himself to Bart, he then sings part of a song from the same play.
The episode's plot is based on the movie Face/Off.
The couch gag features Harold from the children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon.
The stuff the cops from New Jersey say after handcuffing Bob is a refernce to The Jersey Shore.
The ending where Ned Flanders cousin arrives and appears to be just like him (including have a bit of simularity in apperance) is likely a reference to the tv series The Patty Duke Show which dealed with two cousins who looked excatly alike.
One of the magazines Bart looks through in Walt's house is called Not MAD Magazine which is a reference to the popular MAD Magazine complete with having the same kind of cover design.

Adding to the fun, mystery, and controversy regarding Springfield's state: The cops who arrest Sideshow Bob at The Five Corners seem to be from New Jersey, judging from their accents and cultural references.
The characters that Marge and Homer list off to Bart as having the same voice as Sideshow Bob are all played by Kelsey Grammer who does the voice of Sideshow Bob in the series.
Bart's graffiti name El Barto appears on the prison wall that Walt/Bob climbs over when escapeing from prison.
The rake joke which started in Cape Feare (then reappeared in Day of the Jackanaps and The Italian Bob) reappears in this episode when Bob tries to kill Bart at Five Corners.
There is a small goof in the episode. When Walt's face is ripped from Bob by the waitress, he holds it back on with a belt. As Walt holds his. But later in the episode they don't have either.