Homer's Phobia/References
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Cultural references[edit]
- The episode title is a pun on the word "homophobia".
- During the episode's couch gag, "America Onlink" is a parody of America Online, the online service provider nowadays known as AOL.
A TV Guide owned by Jackie O is sold at $8,500. The cover includes a reference to the late 70s sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
- The store Cockamamie's is packed with pop-culture and sci-fi references, as well as retro toys. These include:
- The campaign buttons Skinner describes as partisans:
- That's My Johnson, referencing Lyndon B. Johnson.
- Harrison, Grand Whig Convention, referencing the 1839 Whig National Convention where the then senator William Henry Harrison was nominated for president.
- I Fell For Dole, referencing the Bob Dole 1996 presidential campaign.
- Imbeciles For Ford, referencing Gerald Ford.
- A button of Jimmy Carter.
- Quayle Can't Fayle, referencing Dan Quayle and the George H. W. Bush 1988 presidential campaign.
- I Still Like Ike and I Like Ike, referencing Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower.
- Click With Dick, referencing Richard Nixon.
- McGovern, referencing George McGovern and the 1972 United States presidential election.
- The Velvet Underground's album The Velvet Underground & Nico is on the wall right above a Kit-Cat Klock.
- A Pickelhaube is seen next to the cashier.
- Toys seen on the shelves behind Skinner include a UFO, two troll dolls, a Godzilla doll, and a Jolly Chimp.
- A U.S. Route 66 sign is above the entrance.
- The Clank, Clank, You're Dead! film poster parodies that of the 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet.
- The robot from the film is a parody of the Robot from the TV series Lost in Space.
- A poster of Marilyn Monroe's iconic image from The Seven Year Itch is on the wall.
- A poster of candlepin bowling, a variation of bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces and the New England region of the United States, is also seen.
- Marge sees a copy of TV Guide that was owned by Jackie O. The cover features the sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
- John says, "You should see the crossword puzzle. She thought that Mindy lived with Mark", a reference to Mork & Mindy, a spin-off created after a highly successful episode of Happy Days, "My Favorite Orkan".
- Homer makes an allusion to John F. Kennedy, Jackie O's husband.
- John's design was largely based on John Waters' own appearance, but he was animated with thicker hair and a "wavy" mustache instead of his trademark pencil mustache.
- When John is introduced, there is a plastic pink flamingo lying in the background, a reference to John Waters's film Pink Flamingos.
- John describes the bottle as a "Johnny Reb bottle, early 1970s. One of the J&R Whiskey Liquor Lads". J&R is a parody of Justerini & Brooks (J&B), the British whiskey company.
- When Homer first talks with John, a box of Hot Tires, a parody of Hot Wheels, is seen.
- Later in the episode, a Newton's cradle device and toys of Mr. Potato Head and The Three Stooges are seen.
- The 1981 fixed shooter video game Astro Blaster is also at the store.
- The campaign buttons Skinner describes as partisans:
- Albums Homer owns include:
- Ramblin' Featuring Green, Green by The New Christy Minstrels.
- The Ballad of the Green Berets by staff sergeant Barry Sadler.
- The Wedding of Lynda Bird Johnson, a reference to Lynda Bird Johnson's wedding.
- The song that John picks out and he and Homer dance to is "I Love the Nightlife" by Alicia Bridges.
- John's car is a parody of Tony Montana's 1963 Cadillac from Scarface.
- When John pulls up in front of the Simpson home to take the family for a drive, his car horn plays "Over the Rainbow", the opening song from The Wizard of Oz.
- During John's Hollywood-like tour, he points at the plumbing store where Mexican actress Lupe Vélez bought the toilet she drowned in. This is a reference to one of the many theories and urban legends surrounding Vélez's death. More specifically, it is a reference to the rumor started by writer Kenneth Anger in his book Hollywood Babylon, in which he describes that Vélez stumbled to the bathroom to vomit, slipped on the bathroom floor tile, and fell headfirst into the toilet, where she subsequently drowned. In reality, Lupe Vélez committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills in her bedroom.
Sha-Boom Ka-Boom! Cafe is based on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They sell products such as Fat Man and Little Boy, the names of the two atomic bombs, and a photo of the crew of the Enola Gay can be seen inside the restaurant.
- At the Sha-Boom Ka-Boom! Cafe:
- The restaurant's design is that of a mushroom cloud.
- The products on the sign include "Little Boy - $3.95" and "Fat Man - $12.95", a reference to Fat Man and Little Boy, the atomic bombs detonated over Nagasaki and Hiroshima, respectively.
- A picture of the crew of the Enola Gay is behind Bart and Lisa.
- The song that Bart dances to is "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" by Betty Everett.
- Bart dances while wearing a wig, parodying the dance a young Christina Ricci does in the 1990 film Mermaids. Cher's version of the song is part of the film's soundtrack.
- Homer wanted to turn Bart into a "regular" Burt Reynolds.
- The song "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" by C+C Music Factory is played as the Ajax Steel Mill transforms into a disco.
- The song is heard again over the closing credits.
- Moe mentions MTV.
- Moe blames Warren Christopher for not having wars. Warren Christopher was the US Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, and was known for having an extremely calm and diplomatic reputation.
- John gives Homer the hat American actor Yale Summers wore in the American family drama series Daktari.
- Homer's asking Bart to shoot enclosed deer references the scene in the 1971 American action drama Billy Jack, where the father tells his son to shoot fenced-in wild horses.
- According to John, the state park was converted to AstroTurf, an American company that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports.
- Homer refers to one of the reindeer as Blitzen, one of Santa Claus's reindeer.
- The Japanese Santa Claus robot includes an instrumental version of "Jingle Bells".
- John considers Ultrasuede a "miracle".
Continuity[edit]
- Homer's Pin Pals shirt, last seen in "Team Homer", is worn by John.
- This episode is notable as featuring the first direct reference to Lisa being a vegetarian, and the first to refer to Moe's suicidal tendencies.
Goofs[edit]
- In the opening shot, Bart's head is far bigger proportionally than the other kids'.
- When Homer enters the kitchen, there are four brown donuts on a plate on the counter. When he walks back from the coffeepot, there are only three donuts: one brown, one pink, and one yellow. Homer then grabs a chocolate donut, and the same three donuts are shown on the plate.
- John mentions Helen Lovejoy looking blonde, but she actually has gray-brown hair.
- Marge, Bart, and Lisa say "Ooooh" when John shows them the plumbing supply shop. However, the "Ooooh" continues after they have closed their mouths.
- When Homer confronts John in the kitchen, the clock jumps back from 9:05 to 8:00.
