The Telltale Head/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 1 Episode References
← 007 "The Call of the Simpsons"	008 "The Telltale Head"	"Life on the Fast Lane" 009 →

Debut Appearances

• Apu
• Jimbo Jones
• Kearney
• Dolph Starbeam
• Reverend Lovejoy
• Sideshow Bob
• Jebidiah Springfield
• Ms. Albright

Cultural references

• The episode title is a reference to the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. In addition, Bart actually hears the head talking when he is overcome with guilt, similar to Poe's character's hearing the still-beating heart of the man he murdered in the story.
• The Bridge over the River Kwai - referenced when Bart quotes the line "What have I done?" just after he cuts the head off the statue.
• When Bart awakens to find the head of Jebediah Springfield in bed next to him, it is reminiscent of the scene from The Godfather where Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) "persuades" Woltz to cast Fontane in the movie by leaving the head of the producer's prize racehorse in his bed.

Trivia

• Marge pulls a Radioactive Man comic book from inside Bart's jacket before leaving the house for church.
• Homer has an 8-track tape deck in his car.
• A member of the angry mob carries a sign with the likeness of Jebediah Springfield's head bearing the words, "Have You Seen Me?"
• The football announcer on Homer's car radio says, "This could be the most remarkable comeback since Lazarus rose from the dead."
• Announcer: "Wolodarsky takes it at the 5... oh my, he fumbles," a reference to show writer-producer Wallace Wolodarsky.
• A sign inside church where Rev. Lovejoy has just given a sermon on the evils of gambling reads, "Bingo---Tuesday Night. Monte Carlo Night---Wednesday. Reno Retreat Saturday."
• The movie marquee reads, "Space Mutants IV: The Trilogy Continues."
• Among the items Jimbo , Dolph, and Kearney steal from the Kwik-E-Mart is a copy of Playdude magazine.
• Kearney stands on the lawn and leans on a sign that reads "Keep off the Grass."
• Sideshow Bob's hair evolves from a huge red afro.
• When Bart asks Dolph, Kearney and Jimbo how they got the stolen merchandise from the Kwik-E-Mart, Jimbo replies "Five finger discount, man." even though characters in The Simpsons only have four fingers.
• Sideshow Bob appears with an afro, then later in the episode he appears with his spiky hair.
• First full appearance of Krusty the Clown.
• First appearance of the First Church of Springfield, Bart's and Lisa's Sunday school, the Kwik-E-Mart and the Aztec Theater.
• Barney now has his more familiar look of brown hair and orange t-shirt but would be seen with his old look one more time in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" even though that episode was produced before this one.
• According to the producers, this episode marked the first hint towards Smithers' sexuality (When Mr. Burns says that he loves Smithers, Smithers replies that "the feeling is more than mutual, sir.")
• When Barney asks how long Bart's story will take, Bart says, "23 minutes and 5 seconds", meaning the length of the episode.

Goofs

• When Bart enters the Kwik-E-Mart, the doors need to be pushed open to get through. When Bart leaves, the door slides open.
• Ms. Botz was identified to have been in the mob chasing Homer and Bart in "Simpsons World The Ultimate Episode Guide Seasons 1-20".
• Bart skateboards into a blue street light. However, when he gets up, the street light has turned grey.