Homer vs. Dignity/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season Episode
← 252 "Lisa the Tree Hugger"	"Homer vs. Dignity/References"	"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" 254 →

Cultural references

• The chalkboard gag reads "I am not the Sixth Beatle", a reference to the "Fifth Beatle".
• The episode's plot is similar to the film The Magic Christian:
  • The main character, Sir Guy Grand, is an eccentric billionaire who bribes people to carry out his whims, similar to Mr. Burns' hiring Homer to be his "prank monkey".
  • Grand also plays his pranks to shock people, mocking what they consider to be important, similar to the prank that Burns and Homer play on Comic Book Guy.
• When the Simpsons are pressed into service as a Mariachi band to pay for their meal at The Singing Sirloin, they are heard playing:
  • "La Bamba": Best known for its covers by Ritchie Valens in 1958 and Los Lobos in 1987.
  • "Spanish Eyes": Originally an instrumental titled "Moon Over Naples", it was re-titled to "Spanish Eyes" when lyrics were added.
• Singing Sirloin employee Mary Kay seems to be a reference to the Mary Kay company, judging by her pink makeup and all-pink outfit.
• When Smithers asks Mr. Burns for time off to produce his Malibu Stacy musical, Burns laughs and sarcastically asks, "Why not write a musical about the common cat? Or the King of Siam?", referencing the musicals Cats and The King and I, respectively.
• Just before Homer and Mr. Burns prank him, Comic Book Guy is eating pink marshmallow Peeps.
• Star Trek: Voyager: When Homer says he'd like to buy a mint condition Spider-Man #1 comic, Comic Book Guy sarcastically replies that he'd like an hour on the holodeck with Seven of Nine.
• One of the Thanksgiving parade balloons is of Rusty the Clown, a reference to Rusty Nails:
  • Rusty Nails was a popular TV clown in the 1960s in Portland, Oregon, where Simpsons creator Matt Groening grew up.
  • Krusty the Clown is loosely based on Rusty Nails.
• Other balloons seen in the parade include:
  • A balloon that closely resembles El Chapulin Colorado, the main character of the TV series of the same name, on whom Bumblebee Man is based.
  • Funky Winkerbean, the title character from the comic strip.
  • The Noid, who was an advertising mascot for Domino's Pizza in the 1980s.
• The figure on the parade float "saluting the Native Americans" bears a strong resemblance to Chief Wahoo, the Cleveland Indians' logo.
• When the gulls attack the townspeople (who are covered in the fish guts Burns has thrown on them), it is similar to a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Trivia

• Pluto appears as one of the planets on the chart that Bart inadvertently studies. This is accurate as the episode originally aired in 2000 and Pluto wasn't recategorized as a dwarf planet until 2006.
• The keypad combination for Comic Book Guy's under-the-counter comic book storage container is 007.
• The Posh Lady is seen wearing a pink Chanel suit in the same style as the one that Marge buys (and later alters several times) in "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield".
• Homer's panda name "Sim-Sim" is almost certainly a reference both to his own last name and to his being a fake, or "simulated," panda.
• The "panda rape" scene was very controversial among fans of the show^{[citation needed]}.
• The Thanksgiving parade isn't the first time Homer has dressed up as Santa. See "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
• When Homer is throwing the presents to the children, Ralph doesn't actually catch his; it bounces off his head and flies off into the crowd.

Pranks

Homer plays the following pranks while serving as Mr. Burns' "prank monkey":

• Homer throws a dish of pudding at Lenny (reluctantly, under Burns' persuasion and offer of four dollars).
• When Burns offers another four dollars, Homer eagerly throws a second dish of pudding at Lenny.
• To celebrate his promotion to "Prank Monkey", Homer spontaneously throws a dish of pudding at Carl, but is quickly reprimanded for the deed by Burns.
• Homer buys a mint condition Spider-Man #1 from Comic Book Guy for $20,000 cash, then tears out the pages and eats it right there in the store, while Comic Book Guy gasps and collapses in shock.
• Wearing only a giant diaper, Homer appears in the men's room at Springfield Stadium, acting like a baby needing a diaper change: "Baby made a boom-boom!"
• Homer disguises himself as "Sim-Sim", the new female panda at the Springfield Zoo. The prank backfires when the zoo's trainers zap him with electrical prods and the resident bull panda, Ping-Ping, takes an amorous interest in him.
• When Homer appears as Santa in a float for the Costington's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Burns offers him a million dollars to throw fish guts (instead of presents) to the crowd. Homer refuses and Burns does it himself.

Goofs

• Recycled animation: During their Mariachi performance, the Simpsons are seen playing "La Bamba" (an up-tempo song) and "Spanish Eyes" (a slow song). The movements of them playing their instruments match "La Bamba" but not "Spanish Eyes"; the discrepancy is most obvious with Maggie's trumpet playing.