Whacking Day/References

References/Trivia

Season 4 Episode References

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078

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"Whacking Day"

080

Debut Appearances

Apu announces that there is a snake hidden in the store. The first person to find it wins a free Squishee.
The Springfield Christian School sign reads "We Put the Fun in Fundamentalist Dogma".
At the episode's end, Nelson and Jimbo get emotional in the civic defense shelter, where they and their two bully buddies have been the whole show. LOOK CLOSELY at Kearney's face; you can see stubble around his mouth. This is one of many gags throughout the series that he is much older than a typical (or any) elementary school student should be.
Bob Woodward is the author of The Truth About Whacking Day. One piece of information he reveals is that Richard Nixon once participated in Whacking Day. Ironically, Woodward and his partner Carl Bernstein were the investigative reporters responsible for breaking the story on the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to Nixon's resignation from the Presidency.
Matt Groening once said that he feels they crossed the line by having Lovejoy make up quotes out of the Bible.
Whacking Day is on May 10.
Twice in this episode Homer is seen coming home in his car, forgetting about Marge homeschooling Bart in the garage. Both times, he manages to stop the car just inches away from Bart.
The Itchy and Scratchy cartoon in this episode is a parody of Jack Ruby shooting JFK's alleged killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, with Scratchy being arrested before being shot by Itchy. The episode's guest director is Oliver Stone.