The Principal and the Pauper/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 9 Episode References
← 179 "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"	180 "The Principal and the Pauper"	"Lisa's Sax" 181 →

Cultural references

• The title of the episode is a reference to the title of the book The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.
• The song "They Call Him Skinner" is sung to the tune of the theme of the 1964 TV series Flipper.
• Seymour Skinner did slave labor in Wuhan, China.
• Armin Tamzarian resemblances James Dean's character Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause.
  • The song "Night Surfer" by Richard Gilks is heard when Armin is riding his motorcycle in Capitol City.

The explosions sequence when Armin Tamzarian is in Vietnam War parodies the flashing explosions in "The Bridge" scene in Apocalypse Now

• The sequence where Armin accepts going to war parodies "The Bridge" scene with flashing explosions in Apocalypse Now.
• The things Armin gives Sargeant Skinner include:
  • A membership card from the RadioShack Battery Club. RadioShack is an American electronics retailer.
  • Ten Canadian dollars from Armin's visit to Upstate New York.
• Sargeant Skinner wanted Bart to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
• The Ritz-Carlton Hotel for Transients is a parody of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, the luxury hotel chain.
• Armin Tamzarian has an issue of Swank, an adult magazine.
• The American march "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is heard when Sargeant Skinner is leaving the town tied up in a train.

Trivia

• Although it is widely believed that the episode is based on the case of Martin Guerre, it is actually based on the Tichborne Heir case of the mid-1800s.
• "Armin Tamzarian" or "Armen Tamzarian" is an Armenian name, which is also the name of the Real Estate agent of the writer of the show, who later went on to become a lawyer for Fox.
• This episode is considered by many The Simpsons fans as one of the worst episodes ever. The show has even mocked the episode several times. For example, in "Behind the Laughter", a clip is shown to illustrate how gimmicky the plots became after a while.
• Marge says she's in the 10 items or less line, yet she clearly has a cart full of items.
• In this episode, Judge Snyder is yellow, but in other episodes, he is black.

Continuity

• Lisa later calls Principal Skinner "Armin Tamzarian" in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-bot".

← Season 8 Season 9 References Season 10 →

The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson • The Principal and the Pauper • Lisa's Sax • Treehouse of Horror VIII • The Cartridge Family • Bart Star • The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons • Lisa the Skeptic • Realty Bites • Miracle on Evergreen Terrace • All Singing, All Dancing • Bart Carny • The Joy of Sect • Das Bus • The Last Temptation of Krust • Dumbbell Indemnity • Lisa the Simpson • This Little Wiggy • Simpson Tide • The Trouble with Trillions • Girly Edition • Trash of the Titans • King of the Hill • Lost Our Lisa • Natural Born Kissers