Brother's Little Helper/References
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"Brother's Little Helper"
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Cultural references[edit]
- The title is a reference to The Rolling Stones 1966 single "Mother's Little Helper" (a song about pill abuse), and also to Santa's Little Helper.
- Marge standing in front of the tank is a reference to Tank Man.
- The Fire Safety Day slogan, "Learn, Baby, Learn", is a spoof of the song "Disco Inferno", which contains the lyrics "burn, baby, burn".
- Homer remarks that Bart has gone from Goofus to Gallant, a reference to the Highlights for Children comic, Goofus & Gallant.
- When on his rampage, in a tank, Bart sings "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac.
- Bart expresses a preference for the allergy decongestant Claritin D over regular Claritin.
- Sherri reads aloud to the class the poem The Daffodils by William Wordsworth.
- The book that Bart gives to Homer, Chicken Soup for the Loser, is a spoof of the book Chicken Soup for the Soul.
- On their date, Marge and Homer see the movie Showgirls.
- The t-shirt in the army barracks, which reads "I went to the Persian Gulf and all I got was this lousy syndrome", is a reference to Gulf War Syndrome.
- Bart's Ritalin song at the end is a parody of the theme song sung at the conclusion of the Popeye animated shorts.
- Nelson's reaction when he thinks about violence or a girl while wearing the shock necklace may be a reference to A Clockwork Orange.
- When Bart managed to appear outside of Skinner's office in a Cheerleader outfit that he managed to steal from the Pep Closet, Homer jokingly states that it's more likely that Bart is coming out of the pep closet, referring to the phrase "coming out of the closet" meaning that someone is deciding to become open about their non-straight orientation.
- When trying to introduce the schoolchildren to the Fire Safety skit, Skinner briefly mentioned that one of the helpful things that fire can do is "raining fire on Charlie" which is referring to firing napalm shells on the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
- This is the first episode where Marcia Mitzman Gaven voices Maude Flanders, due to the departure of Maggie Roswell from the series. Gaven would voice the character until her death in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily", after which Roswell would return to voice the character in numerous flashbacks and other scenes.
- Bart at school said that to pork is a verb.
- When the family gets in Bart's room to find him wrapped in tin foil and with a garbage can lid on his head, a door slam is heard after Bart says to close it. When the camera angle changes, though, the door is clearly open.
- In the couch gag, the animators forget to outline the eyes of Marge and Homer.
- For one scene at the site where the crowd gathers to see the fallen satellite, Bernice Hibbert can be seen with yellow skin briefly.
- The car that Krusty and the other clowns are inside is decorated with orange stars and pink spots during most shots. However, in the shot when Krusty is shown from behind, the stars are purple and there do not appear to be any spots.
- While the police car chases Bart in the tank, the road lines are missing.
Continuity[edit]
- Bart's ADD was touched upon in "Lisa's Substitute": At the end, Homer says to Bart, "I always knew you had personality; the doctor said it was hyperactivity, but I knew better!"
