Simpsons Humour For The Elite?

If you don’t “get” The Simpsons you may be missing the depth to which the humour goes. On the surface it’s a cartoon and with some topical social commentary. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see a treasure trove of references sure to delight the most broadly read and well educated of fans.

The staff at WestEgg.com have a list of references they have found to be particularly witty, often with their humor derived from subtleties of language, esoteric allusions, or just plain wit. Some examples:

Grandpa: “Grover Cleveland spanked me on two non-consecutive occassions.” Cleveland was the only President of the US to serve two non-consecutive terms. Episode: 3F09 Two Bad Neighbors

Sign outside Cape Canaveral says, “Cape Canaveral Formerly Cape Kennedy Formerly Cape Arbuckle”
Cape Canaveral was formerly named Cape Kennedy, and before that was named Cape Canaveral (yes, the name was changed, then changed back). But it was never named Cape Arbuckle.
Fatty Arbuckle was a popular silent-movie comedian whose career was ruined after he was tried for the rape & murder of actress Virginia Rappe at a wild party. Even though he was found not guilty, he was essentially blacklisted, and his very name became disreputable. So, the writers were making fun of the Cape’s name-changing by IMAGINING that it was once called Cape Arbuckle in honour of Fatty, but changed to Canaveral after the scandal. There is also an implicit comparison between Kennedy’s sexual scandals and Arbuckle’s.
Episode: 1F13 Deep Space Homer

Lisa: Why are you dedicating your life to blasphemy?
Homer: Don’t worry, sweetheart. If I’m wrong, I’ll recant on my deathbed.
Episode: Homer the Heretic

Faith: Lisa, I’m Faith Crowley, Patriotism Editor of Reading Digest.
Homer: Oh, I love your magazine. My favourite section is How to increase your word power. That thing is really, really… good.

A second site explores Ivy League References on The Simpsons. Some Examples:

Mr. Burns and Smithers are riding back from the Yale-Harvard football game in a Pullman Railway car. This is significant because, Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of the Pullman Railway Company and the Vanderbilt family is a huge benefactor of the university. Oddly enough, Cornelius Vanderbilt had many of the same ogre-ish tendancies as Burns… he even looks like him.

Sign outside Springfield College: “Ask about our latin motto contest”. Cornell is the only Ivy League school that’s motto is in english. [What Do YOU Think? Comment on this Post!] [Testify!]