The Thingama-Bob from Outer Space/References
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Cultural references[edit]
- The comic title is a reference to the 1951 film The Thing from Another World.
- The helicopter Homer and Bart use is a Blackhawk Guillotine with Adamantium Blades. Adamantium is a fictional element from Marvel Comics.
- The name of Ned Flanders' lawn mower, Juan Deere, is a reference to the well-known lawn mower brand John Deere.
- The general claims that the space shuttle debris is a prop from a Michael Bay disaster film.
- The checklist of items that Homer and his friends have for alien encounters includes motor oil in case they find a Transformer-type alien, bags of chocolate-coated peanut butter candies for E.T.-like aliens, mysterious organ music for any Close Encounters-looking aliens, and Snowball II as bait for any ALF creature.
- Barney says that he can only play "Jingle Bells".
- When Rest Stop tells Bart he has something to tell him, Bart responds with: "Don't go all Dr. Phil on me!" Dr. Phil McGraw is an American television presenter who also works as a psychiatrist and has his own psychology show called "Dr. Phil".
- The official story about Sideshow Bob showing up in a space suit is that he was starring in the prison's production of Apollo 13.
- At the end, Bob is taken away by a man wearing a black suit and sunglasses, who promises him that he won't remember anything that has just happened. This man is a reference to the Men in Black franchise, in which the titular organization polices, monitors, and directs alien activity on Earth. They also possess a small device called a Neuralyzer, which can be used to erase the memories of witnesses to paranormal activities and replace them with new ones. Apparently, the man who takes Sideshow Bob with him is about to use a Neuralyzer on him.
- Kodos tells Kang that the Jonas Brothers are playing in Central Park tonight.
