Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Credits

Quotes

	Season 1 Episode References
← Short 48 "TV Simpsons"	001 "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"	"Bart the Genius" 002 →

Cultural references

• The episode features a similar storyline to the "Christmas Day at the Bunkers" episode of All in the Family.
• The title is a reference to the line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" from "The Christmas Song".
• Bart refers to A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Bart refers to The Smurfs Christmas Special
• Skinner mentions the book A Christmas Carol and Bart refers to Tiny Tim.
• Bart sings "Jingle Bells" with alternative "Batman Smells" lyrics.
• Bart makes a disrespectful remark to a mall Santa, like in Miracle on 34th Street.
• The race-dog Dog o' War is a reference to racehorse Man o' War.
• The family sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at the end.
• Bart is strapped to a table with a laser moving towards him, in a reference to Goldfinger.
• Part of the plot is similar to The Gift of the Magi: Homer doesn't get his Christmas bonus and says to himself "Oh well, thank goodness for the big jar" and Marge used her money to remove Bart's tattoo and says to herself "Oh well, thank goodness for Homer's Christmas bonus", similar to how in this short story by O'Henry, a man sells his watch to buy his wife an expensive set of combs and his wife has her hair cut, selling the remainder to a wigmaker, in order to buy a gold chain for her husband's watch.
• German for "Merry Christmas" is "Fröhliche Weihnachten" or "Frohe Weihnachten".
• There is no Japanese word for "Merry Christmas." It is said as an English word with Japanese pronunciation: "Merii Kurisumasu". It is written メリークリスマス.

Trivia

• This is the only full-length episode to air in 1989, and in the 1980s in general.
• Marge leaves her car door open when she gets to school for the performance.
• This is the first episode that does not start with any kind of show opening. The title is shown and then the episode begins.
• This episode was nominated for, but did not win, a Primetime Emmy Award in the categories of "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less)" and "Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special".
• DVD commentary revealed that the creators got letters of praise for heightening the awareness of the abandonment of racing dogs, who are often thrown out onto the streets when their owners decide the dogs are no longer profitable, even though they did not know it was a serious problem when they created the episode.
• When Lisa is doing the tribal dance, many people were curious as to why she isn't wearing anything from the waist down. Years later, the DVD commentary for this episode revealed that Lisa is actually wearing a leotard, and is in fact not naked.
• Matt Groening said that he was inspired to do the "Christmas of Many Lands" sketch by an oral report he gave when he was in the second grade. Groening, whose grandmother is from Russia, gave a report on how Russian children are greeted by "Grandfather Winter" and given gifts from him, and how due to differences in the Julian and Gregorian calenders the Russians celebrate their Christmas in January.

The man that looks like Lou, talking to his son.

• This episode was re-aired April 22, 2012, as part of Fox's 25th anniversary, 17 years and just over 4 months since the episode's last airing. After one page of the ending credits in that repeat, this appeared.
• During the original broadcast, "The Simpsons Christmas Special" bumpers were seen at the end of ad-breaks, before the next part of the episode aired.
• A man with a child is at the dog tracks. He appears to have the same character design as Lou, but has yellow skin, and a similar voice, but is a bit higher.
• The little boy in the play at the beginning appears to be Ralph Wiggum, but his voice is completely different.

Continuity

• Marge comments that Bart sings like an angel. In "New Kids on the Blecch", Marge says he's not much of a singer

Signs and other things to read

• The Springfield Elementary School Christmas show receives 3 1/2 () stars from The Springfield Shopper in a recent review advertised in front of the building.
• Two doors down from the tattoo parlor is Dr. Zitsofsky Dermatology Clinic. A sign in the window reads, "Tattoos removed by laser".
• Homer receives a $13 check: He grossed $120 less social security, less unemployment insurance, less Santa training, less costume purchase, less beard rental, less Christmas club.

Background jokes

• One tattoo in The Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor features a knife piercing a heart.
• Marge pulls her car into parking area "ZZ" at the Springfield Mall.
• The "slightly irregular" Christmas trees cost $45.
• Santa's Little Helper was number 8 in the greyhound race.

Counting scenes

• There are 28 children in Bart's 4th Grade class on stage during the Christmas concert, including Bart himself.

Bart's class in the episode.

• Lisa requests a pony six times on her Christmas wish list.
• Maggie fell 5 times:
  • While Bart and Lisa were writing their letters to Santa (twice)
  • Again off-screen shortly
  • Homer asks for the extension cord
  • Outside admiring Ned's Christmas lights

Characters

• The mechanical rabbit seen at the racetrack is called Screwy, as said by the announcer.
• Dogs in the race against Santa's Little Helper:
  • Quadruped
  • Whirlwind
  • Fido
  • Dog O' War
  • Chew My Shoe

Differences from the promotional image and the scene from the episode

The promo image.

The scene from the episode.

• In the episode scene:
  • The Christmas tree doesn't have any lights on it, but a bird house instead. There are also no presents next to the tree.
  • Patty and Selma can be seen singing.
  • The piano Grampa is playing is purple, not brown.
  • Grampa is wearing a purple sweater, not a green one.
  • There appear to be cushions on the window sill in the promo, but there aren't in the episode scene.
  • It is darker outside.
  • Homer's Santa suit is slightly different.
  • Bart is wearing a blue hoodie, but in the promo he just has a t-shirt on.
  • The stool Grampa is sitting on is different.
  • There is a red carpet on the floor.

Note: It is very likely that FOX wanted to avoid spoilers so a similar image was used as the promo image.

Goofs

The difference between these two frames are a few seconds. As you can see, the phone wire disappears as Marge puts her hand down.

Lewis' coloring error.

The upside-down scene.

The 1990 copyright.

• Sherri and Terri have brown hair and yellow skin in this episode.
• The girl with a ponytail appears in this episode; however, she is seen in the Fourth Grade and not the second.
• Lewis Clark changes from black to yellow when Milhouse dares Bart to pull Santa's beard off. Also, his hair changes.
• After Homer brings Santa's Little Helper home, Homer and Marge hug, and if you look behind them, the background is upside down. There is a picture of Bart hanging upside down, and there is a lamp which seems to be hanging from the ceiling. Then in the next shot, the background is normal.
• When Homer walks out off Circus of Values with his purchases, he bumps into Flanders, and all the presents scatter everywhere. Watch out for a red present with a green bow that goes flying near the left hand side of the screen. As soon as it hits the ground, it turns into a pink box with a white bow wrapped around it, with no shot changes. Other presents move around and change colors, too.
• While having breakfast, all of the Simpsons' glasses of orange juice keep disappearing and reappearing throughout the scene.
• Bart yanks Homer's beard off in the mall, Homer then takes Bart into Santa's workshop. When they are inside Santa's workshop, Homer's beard is back on, despite the fact that he didn't put it back on, he let it fall to the ground when Bart pulled it off.
• When Marge is speaking on the phone to her sisters, Marge puts down the phone wire that she was curling round her finger. Half way through putting it down, the whole phone wire disappears. This is quite hard to see as it changes to the next scene quite quickly.
• Marge comes through the door and you see that she has come from a room with a piano in it. It has a musical book on it. But when the shot changes so we see Marge turn the jar upside down, the book of musical notes has disappeared.
• When Homer finds out that he has no Christmas bonus, the background behind Marge is the kitchen, but then it cuts to Homer and the background behind him is the kitchen, too.
• When Homer has been informed about the Christmas money being spent on Bart getting his tattoo surgically removed, he leaves the house. When he opens and closes the door to leave, the wreath on the door is white with a red bow. When Homer then turns to look at his Christmas decorations, the wreath is now green.
• When Mr. Burns comes on the P.A. system, Homer started eating a donut. He takes a bite and after that the donut stays the same size even though he takes 2 more bites. Additionally, when Mr. Burns says that there will be no Christmas bonuses, some people's donuts disappear.
• When Homer is putting Christmas lights around the outside of the house, he falls from the roof. You can then hear Lisa and Bart sarcastically clap. But you can see they both have their hands by their side, and no one is clapping.
• When Milhouse, Bart and Lewis are talking about the fake Santa, Milhouse's eyebrows go from blue to black to blue again.
• When Homer walks up the front drive you can see the road and there are no markings on it. But when he turns to look at his house, there are orange lines running down the road.
• When Marge reveals the Christmas money from her hair, her necklace changes from red to white.
• When Homer says that he isn't getting a bonus from the Power Plant he is facing the kitchen but in the next shot Marge is behind Homer who is behind the kitchen.
• When Homer goes into the kitchen before leaving, he turns left, and apparently goes out the front door.
• Wendell is yellow in this episode.
• When Homer hands Marge the phone, it appears that the phone base is on the floor infront of her, as the phone wire isn't stretched from across the room.
• When Homer puts the pork chop chew toy in the trolley, it stays perched in one position on the screen, not falling to the bottom of the trolley.
• During Homer's drive to get a Christmas tree, his car changes from pink to blue to pink to black.
• When Lisa talks to Patty, some of the lines that make the spikes in Lisa's hair disappear.
• When Lisa is touching Bart's bandage of his tattoo, he says "Ow. Quit it". When he says, "Ow", his mouth moves for the "O" bit, but not the "w" bit.
• This episode's credits have a 1990 copyright, despite airing in 1989.
  • This may be a typo.
  • A more likely explanation is because this episode was originally intended to air half way through season 1, meaning it would have aired in 1990.

← Shorts Season 3 Season 1 References Season 2 →
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire • Bart the Genius • Homer's Odyssey • There's No Disgrace Like Home • Bart the General • Moaning Lisa • The Call of the Simpsons • The Telltale Head • Life on the Fast Lane • Homer's Night Out • The Crepes of Wrath • Krusty Gets Busted • Some Enchanted Evening