Helter Shelter/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 14 Episode References
← 295 "Large Marge"	296 "Helter Shelter"	"The Great Louse Detective" 297 →

Cultural references

• The title is a play on The Beatles song "Helter Skelter", a famous song which, it was claimed by prosecutors, was indirectly connected to the murders carried out by Charles Manson and his "family". "Helter Shelter" had earlier been the name of the shelter in the episode "Homer Loves Flanders".
• Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific Arena is named for a shampoo brand which was popular in the USA in the 1970s and 1980s.
• The scene where the Simpsons are waiting for time to fly by mirrors the opening sequence of King of the Hill. Also, the show's theme music is played during the scene.
• "Squiggy" being sent to boost their ratings is a reference to a lot of television shows sending in newer characters to save the show from being cancelled (often with disastrous results), such as Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, Seven on Married... with Children, and Smitty (Adam Sandler's character) on The Cosby Show
• A member of the crew says 'I can't eat any more kangaroo testicles'. This is a reference to I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!
• Not for the first time, this episode of The Simpsons contains a reference to the 1990s TV character Steve Urkel from the show Family Matters. When Marge attempts to buy groceries from the Kwik-E-Mart, Apu informs her that he is under instructions from the producers of the reality show to veto her purchases for items that were not available in 1895. As such, he deems the breakfast cereal Urkel-O's "delicious, but forbidden."
  • Marge also attempts to buy a box of Oreo cookies, which Apu refuses to sell her as they were invented in 1886. In reality, however, Oreos were introduced in 1912.
• When Bart prank-calls Moe with Morse code, Moe sends back, "I'm gonna stick my golden spike in your Central and Union Pacific!" Moe is referring to the ceremonial golden spike which marked the 1869 completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad and connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads.
• Law & Order: Elevator Inspectors Unit is a reference to the TV show Law & Order and its various spin-offs.
• One of the figurines sitting on Comic Book Guy's shelf is a model of the Planet Express Ship from Futurama.

• In the house of Comic Book Guy you can also see other objects related to fantasy TV series or films:
  • Star Wars: a Sandtrooper, a dewback ridden, a Landspeeder in his box, Boba Fett, R2-D2, a Tusken, a TIE fighter, the Death Star;
  • Star Trek:the Starship Enterprise;
  • Battlestar Galactica: the Cylon mothership and a colonial Viper;
  • Stargate:the pyramid-shaped spaceship;
  • Alien: the Alien monster;
  • Godzilla: the Godzilla monster
  • Space 1999: an Eagle Transporter;
  • Futurama: Bender
• Even the aliens of the "meeting of the Galactic U.N." are characters from the Star Wars universe: a Bith, a Gamorrean, a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard, a Gran.
• The 1895 Challenge is an obvious reference to The 1900 House.
• The paintings that Lenny has at home are a composition by Mondrian a part of van Dyke's "portrait of Charles I on the hunt", one of Juan Gris' guitars.

• The comic series Mutt and Jeff was published in the United States of America from 1908 to 1983, for which it was produced after the reference year of the reality show (1895), therefore, despite being old production (and an early comic production), it's not good enough and Bart shouldn't have had it.
• The theme of the film "the sting" is heard in three different moments of the episode:
  • when Bart sits at the table for the first time in the new house;
  • when Marge puts on the corset;
  • when the Simpson family prepares the Peaches jars:
• The end of the episode with the sprinkler game is a quote from the silent movie "L'arroseur arrosé" by Louis Lumière (1896).

Trivia

• This is the last episode to be traditionally inked and painted; for the episodes after it would be animated via digital ink and paint.
• This is the third time Bill Cosby has been parodied on The Simpsons. There is an extra gag in that the Cosby family are losing ratings on their reality show, so the producers decide on the Simpsons; in the early years, The Cosby Show was a ratings rival with The Simpsons.
• When the family realizes that they are seeing a hockey game, the are discouraged and disappointed, yet in "Lisa on Ice", the family seems to have an interest in the game.
• When Kozlov hands Lisa his hockey stick, it says "КОЗЛОВ" - the real Russian spelling of Kozlov.
• The Russian hockey player seems to be Atlanta Thrashers' Vyacheslav Kozlov.
• Kozlov's hockey stick has a crossed hammer and hockey stick on it, an obvious reference to the Soviet symbol of the hammer and sickle.

Continuity

• In this episode, Homer is upset that 1895 is too late to save Lincoln and too early to save Kennedy, and in "Today I Am a Clown", he again fantasizes about doing both.
• Homer's line "Where's that kid with my latte?" was used earlier in "Beyond Blunderdome".

Goofs

• At one point when Bart is in the video confessional booth, he complains of boredom and says "Mutt & Jeff Comics are not funny! They're gay, I get it!" However Mutt & Jeff was first published in 1907, 12 years after the show's 1895 setting.
• Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" plays in one scene, despite the fact that it was released in 1902.

← Season 13 Season 14 References Season 15 →

Treehouse of Horror XIII • How I Spent My Strummer Vacation • Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade • Large Marge • Helter Shelter • The Great Louse Detective • Special Edna • The Dad Who Knew Too Little • The Strong Arms of the Ma • Pray Anything • Barting Over • I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can • A Star Is Born Again • Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington • C.E. D'oh • 'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky • Three Gays of the Condo • Dude, Where's My Ranch? • Old Yeller-Belly • Brake My Wife, Please • The Bart of War • Moe Baby Blues