Mad About the Toy/References - Revision history

Solar Dragon at 22:04, March 22, 2026

2026-03-22T22:04:37Z

Simpsons88 at 20:10, March 21, 2026

2026-03-21T20:10:07Z

Snowball II at 21:12, July 17, 2024

2024-07-17T21:12:27Z

Snowball II at 20:52, July 17, 2024

2024-07-17T20:52:26Z

California Girl: /* Cultural references */ Don swats secretary

2023-03-03T05:14:24Z

‎Cultural references: Don swats secretary

California Girl: /* Cultural references */ Jarts

2023-03-03T05:04:55Z

‎Cultural references: Jarts

California Girl: /* Cultural references */ Silly Putty

2023-03-03T00:08:00Z

‎Cultural references: Silly Putty

California Girl: /* Cultural references */ Wham-O

2023-03-02T22:05:39Z

‎Cultural references: Wham-O

SolarBot: /* Cultural references */replaced: {{W|Jim Nabors}} → Jim Nabors

2023-01-26T20:08:34Z

‎Cultural references: replaced: {{W|Jim Nabors}} → Jim Nabors

California Girl: /* Cultural references */ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

2023-01-15T06:00:04Z

‎Cultural references: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 *During the episode's [[Mad About the Toy/Gags#Couch gag|couch gag]], the family shares the colors of the {{W|Green Bay Packers}}.
 *Homer sings a parody of "[[Love and Marriage]]" by [[Frank Sinatra]], the theme song of ''[[Married... with Children]]''.
-**Homer mentions [[Al Bundy]] and says that he's now on ''[[Modern Family]]'', referring to Bundy's actor [[Ed O'Neill]] playing Jay Pritchett on the show.
+**Homer mentions [[Al Bundy]] and says that he's now on ''[[Modern Family]]'', referring to Bundy's actor [[Ed O'Neill]] portraying Jay Pritchett on the series.
-**He also mentions the "neighbor guy" being {{W|Ted McGinley}}. McGinley is well known for his role as {{W|Jefferson D'Arcy}}, neighbor of the Bundy family in ''Married... with Children''.
+**He also mentions the "neighbor guy" being {{W|Ted McGinley}}. McGinley is well known for his role as {{W|Jefferson D'Arcy}}, the neighbor of the Bundy family in ''Married... with Children''.
 *Homer and [[Marge]] leave the kids in the care of [[Amazon Alexa]] and [[Google]] {{W|Google Home|Home}}.
 **After [[Lisa]] attempts to confuse Alexa, Alexa says she is familiar with the {{W|Epimenides paradox}}.
-*''Sipper McTea and Milly'' is a parody of ''{{W|Fibber McGee and Molly}}'', a longtime American husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
+*''Sipper McTea and Milly'' is a parody of ''{{W|Fibber McGee and Molly}}'', a longtime American husband-and-wife radio comedy program.
 **[[Grampa]] mentions that Milly went on to marry {{W|Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk}}.
 **In one of the sketches, Milly is heard telling Sipper not to get into a {{W|Packard}}.
 *In the basement, the head of [[Bender]] from ''[[Futurama]]'' can be seen.
-*Games the family considers playing include ''{{W|The Game of Life}}'', ''{{W|Hatchimals}}'', ''{{W|Pick-up sticks}}'' and ''[[Monopoly]]''.
+*Games the family considers playing include ''{{W|The Game of Life}}'', ''{{W|Hatchimals}}'', ''{{W|Pick-up sticks}}'', and ''[[Monopoly]]''.
 **According to [[Abe]], ''Monopoly'' is the "only place you can still say {{W|Oriental}}", referring to the Oriental Avenue property and the term. In 2025, six years after the episode aired, {{W|Hasbro}} renamed Oriental Avenue to Rhode Island Avenue.
 **Homer took all the ''Monopoly'' money and the top hat token.
 *[[Toys Were Us]] is a parody of {{W|Toys "R" Us}}, the American toy retailer.
-*The sign outside the [[V.A. Hospital]], "OUR DRAFT-DODGING PRESIDENT SALUTES YOU" is a reference to [[Donald Trump]].
+*The sign outside the [[V.A. Hospital]], "OUR DRAFT-DODGING PRESIDENT SALUTES YOU", is a reference to [[Donald Trump]].
 *The therapist's office at the V.A. Hospital has a copy of the iconic photograph ''{{W|Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima}}'' on the wall.
-[[File:V-J Day in Times Square parody.png|300px|thumb|During one of his flashbacks, [[Abe]] kisses a woman parodying the iconic photograph ''{{W|V-J Day in Times Square}}''.]]
+[[File:V-J Day in Times Square parody.png|300px|thumb|During one of his flashbacks, [[Abe]] kisses a woman, parodying the iconic photograph ''{{W|V-J Day in Times Square}}''.]]
-*During his flashback when Grampa kissed a nurse at [[Times Square]] is a reference to another iconic photograph ''{{W|V-J Day in Times Square}}''.
+*During his flashback, when Grampa kissed a nurse at [[Times Square]], it is a reference to the iconic photograph ''{{W|V-J Day in Times Square}}''.
 *"G.I. Bilked" is a reference to the {{W|G.I. Bill}}.
 *Grampa is invited to ''{{W|The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell}}''.
-**[[Lawrence O'Donnell]] mentions [[MSNBC]], {{W|CNBC}} and [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]].
+**[[Lawrence O'Donnell]] mentions [[MSNBC]], {{W|CNBC}}, and [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]].
 *When the family arrives in [[New York City]]:
 **The song that plays is "{{W|New York Groove}}" by {{W|Ace Frehley}}.
-**[[Five Seasons New York]] hotel is a reference to the {{W|Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts|Four Seasons Hotel}} and the nearby in New York.
+**[[Five Seasons New York]] hotel is a reference to the {{W|Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts|Four Seasons Hotel}} and nearby locations in New York.
 **The family visits the [[n&n's Store]], a parody of the real {{W|M&M's store}} located at [[Times Square]].
 *[[Whiz-Bang Toy Company]] is a parody of {{W|Wham-O}}:
-**[[Don]] swats his secretary on the rump as he passes by, epitomizing the casual workplace sexism of the period.
+**[[Don]] swats his secretary on the rump as he passes by, exemplifying the casual workplace sexism of the period.
 **One of the employees is playing with {{W|Lawn darts|Jarts}}, which make a clinking sound as they penetrate the floor. He inadvertently flips a Jart, impaling a fellow employee in the chest. Jarts became illegal in 1988.
-**War and fashion photographer [[Philip Hefflin]] took a photo during the {{W|Normandy landings}}.
+**War and fashion photographer [[Philip Hefflin]] took a photograph during the {{W|Normandy landings}}.
 *According to Abe, Philip smelled of {{W|developing fluid}} and {{W|Aqua Velva}}, an American brand of grooming products targeted at men.
 *The song that plays during the photoshoot is "{{W|Blue Rondo à la Turk}}" by [[Dave Brubeck]].
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 **The "Welcome to Texas" sign mentions [[Ted Cruz]], the United States senator from Texas.
 **A {{W|Don't Mess with Texas}} sign is seen.
-**The family passes through four signs reading "Clear Eyes", "Full Hearts", "Lost Game", and "Fired Coach". This is a reference to the TV series ''{{W2|Friday Night Lights|TV series}}'', which is set in a fictional town in Texas and follows the life of a high school football team and their coach, {{W2|Eric Taylor|Friday Night Lights}} ({{W|Kyle Chandler}}). The signs order is a direct reference to the team's motto, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose".
+**The family passes through four signs reading "Clear Eyes", "Full Hearts", "Lost Game", and "Fired Coach". This is a reference to the TV series ''{{W2|Friday Night Lights|TV series}}'', which is set in a fictional town in Texas and follows the life of a high school football team and their coach, {{W2|Eric Taylor|Friday Night Lights}} ({{W|Kyle Chandler}}). The order of the signs is a direct reference to the team's motto, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose".
 [[File:Prada Marfa.png|300px|thumb|The family visits the ''[[Prada Marfa]]'' art installation, located northwest of [[Marfa]].]]
 *The family visits the ''[[Prada Marfa]]'' art installation. They also see the {{W|Marfa lights}}.
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 *In Marfa:
 **[[Alamo's Tavern]] in Marfa is a reference to [[Moe's Tavern]] and {{W|Alamo Mission|The Alamo}}.
-**[[Tex-Mex Lexus Car Dealership]] is a reference to {{W|Tex-Mex}} cuisine and {{W|Lexus}}, the Japanse luxury vehicle division of {{W|Toyota}}.
+**[[Tex-Mex Lexus Car Dealership]] is a reference to {{W|Tex-Mex}} cuisine and {{W|Lexus}}, the Japanese luxury vehicle division of {{W|Toyota}}.
-**[[Next-To-The-Last Picture Show]] is a reference is the Texas-set coming-of-age drama "{{W|The Last Picture Show}}."
+**[[Next-To-The-Last Picture Show]] is a reference to the Texas-set coming-of-age drama "{{W|The Last Picture Show}}."
 **Real structures seen include:
 ***The {{W|Presidio County, Texas|Presidio County Courthouse}}.
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 *When Grampa is talking about the old days, he gets annoyed at ''{{W|Young Sheldon}}''.
 *Grampa says that he is as straight as [[Gomer Pyle]] from ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' and ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]''.
-**Gomer Pyle was played by [[Jim Nabors]], who was gay.
+**Gomer Pyle was portrayed by [[Jim Nabors]], who was gay.
 *When Grampa says putty could be silly again, he is referring to {{W|Silly Putty}}.
 *In the credits, one of the photographs shows Abe and Philip entering a building with the sign "Country for Old Men", a pun on the 2007 American neo-Western thriller ''{{W|No Country for Old Men}}''.
@@ Line 68: / Line 68: @@
 *The family has a bag of toy soldiers from [[Toys Were Us]]. ("[[Daddicus Finch]]")
 *The family visits the [[V.A. Hospital]] again. ("[[Havana Wild Weekend]]")
 {{Season 30|R}}

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 == Cultural references ==
 *The name of the episode is a reference to the song "{{W|Mad About the Boy}}" by {{W|Noël Coward}}.
 *Homer sings a parody of "[[Love and Marriage]]" by [[Frank Sinatra]], the theme song of ''[[Married... with Children]]''.
 **Homer mentions [[Al Bundy]] and says that he's now on ''[[Modern Family]]'', referring to Bundy's actor [[Ed O'Neill]] playing Jay Pritchett on the show.
 *Homer and [[Marge]] leave the kids in the care of [[Amazon Alexa]] and [[Google]] {{W|Google Home|Home}}.
 **After [[Lisa]] attempts to confuse Alexa, Alexa says she is familiar with the {{W|Epimenides paradox}}.
-*[[Grampa]] mentions {{W|Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk}}.
+*''Sipper McTea and Milly'' is a parody of ''{{W|Fibber McGee and Molly}}'', a longtime American husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
-*''Sipper McTea and Milly'' is a parody of ''{{W|Fibber McGee and Molly}}''.
+**[[Grampa]] mentions that Milly went on to marry {{W|Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk}}.
 *Games the family considers playing include ''{{W|The Game of Life}}'', ''{{W|Hatchimals}}'', ''{{W|Pick-up sticks}}'' and ''[[Monopoly]]''.
-*The therapist's office at the [[V.A. Hospital]] has a copy of the iconic photograph ''{{W|Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima}}'' on the wall.
+**According to [[Abe]], ''Monopoly'' is the "only place you can still say {{W|Oriental}}", referring to the Oriental Avenue property and the term. In 2025, six years after the episode aired, {{W|Hasbro}} renamed Oriental Avenue to Rhode Island Avenue.
 *During his flashback when Grampa kissed a nurse at [[Times Square]] is a reference to another iconic photograph ''{{W|V-J Day in Times Square}}''.
 *"G.I. Bilked" is a reference to the {{W|G.I. Bill}}.
 *Grampa is invited to ''{{W|The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell}}''.
 **[[Lawrence O'Donnell]] mentions [[MSNBC]], {{W|CNBC}} and [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]].
-*The song that plays when the family arrive in [[New York City]] is "{{W|New York Groove}}" by {{W|Ace Frehley}}.
+*When the family arrives in [[New York City]]:
-*[[Five Seasons New York]] hotel is a reference to the {{W|Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts|Four Seasons Hotel}} and the nearby in New York.
+**The song that plays is "{{W|New York Groove}}" by {{W|Ace Frehley}}.
-*The family visit the [[n&n's Store]], a parody of the {{W|M&M's World|M&M's store}} in [[Times Square]].
+**[[Five Seasons New York]] hotel is a reference to the {{W|Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts|Four Seasons Hotel}} and the nearby in New York.
 *The song that plays during the photoshoot is "{{W|Blue Rondo à la Turk}}" by [[Dave Brubeck]].
 *After leaving the photoshoot, Grampa went to see a [[Rock Hudson]] film to remind him what a real man is like. Rock Hudson was discreetly gay.
-*The song that plays when the family arrives in [[Texas]] is "Miles and Miles of Texas" by {{W|Asleep at the Wheel}}.
+*On the [[Shattered Dreams Airlines]] plane, [[Bart]] is glad to go to [[Texas]] as it is an {{W|Open carry in the United States|open carry}} jurisdiction.
-*The family visits the [[Prada Marfa]] art installation. They also see the {{W|Marfa lights}}.
+*During Abe's imagination, the dying toy soldier tells the other soldier to find Branch Rickey and tell him to "integrate baseball". This is a reference to American baseball player and team owner {{W|Branch Rickey}}, who was instrumental in breaking the {{W|baseball color line}} by signing black player {{W|Jackie Robinson}} for the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] and helping integrate African-American players into Major League Baseball in 1947.
 *The song that Grampa sings in [[Marfa]], "[[There's a Handsome Man in Texas]]", is set to the tune of "{{W2|The Yellow Rose of Texas|song}}".
-*[[Alamo's Tavern]] in Marfa is a reference to [[Moe's Tavern]] and {{W|Alamo Mission|The Alamo}}.
+*In Marfa:
-*[[Next-To-The-Last Picture Show]] in Marfa is a reference is the Texas-set coming-of-age drama "{{W|The Last Picture Show}}."
+**[[Alamo's Tavern]] in Marfa is a reference to [[Moe's Tavern]] and {{W|Alamo Mission|The Alamo}}.
-*[[Philip Hefflin]] mentions a paper from {{W|Cornell University}} purporting to show that no one is 100% straight or gay.
+**[[Tex-Mex Lexus Car Dealership]] is a reference to {{W|Tex-Mex}} cuisine and {{W|Lexus}}, the Japanse luxury vehicle division of {{W|Toyota}}.
 **The Cornell paper was actually published in the ''{{W|Journal of Personality and Social Psychology}}''.
 *When Grampa is talking about the old days, he gets annoyed at ''{{W|Young Sheldon}}''.
 *Grampa says that he is as straight as [[Gomer Pyle]] from ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' and ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]''.
 **Gomer Pyle was played by [[Jim Nabors]], who was gay.
 *When Grampa says putty could be silly again, he is referring to {{W|Silly Putty}}.
 == Trivia ==

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 *The family visits the [[Prada Marfa]] art installation. They also see the {{W|Marfa lights}}.
 *The song that Grampa sings in [[Marfa]], "[[There's a Handsome Man in Texas]]", is set to the tune of "{{W2|The Yellow Rose of Texas|song}}".
 *[[Philip Hefflin]] mentions a paper from {{W|Cornell University}} purporting to show that no one is 100% straight or gay.
 **The Cornell paper was actually published in the ''{{W|Journal of Personality and Social Psychology}}''.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 *''Sipper McTea and Milly'' is a parody of ''{{W|Fibber McGee and Molly}}''.
 *Games the family considers playing include ''{{W|The Game of Life}}'', ''{{W|Hatchimals}}'', ''{{W|Pick-up sticks}}'' and ''[[Monopoly]]''.
-*''{{W|Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima}}'' photograph was seen on [[V.A. Hospital]] wall.
+*The therapist's office at the [[V.A. Hospital]] has a copy of the iconic photograph ''{{W|Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima}}'' on the wall.
 *"G.I. Bilked" is a reference to the {{W|G.I. Bill}}.
 *The sign outside the V. A. Hospital, "OUR DRAFT-DODGING PRESIDENT SALUTES YOU" is a reference to [[Donald Trump]].

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 **Gomer Pyle was played by [[Jim Nabors]], who was gay.
 *[[Whiz-Bang Toy Company]] is a parody of {{W|Wham-O}}.
 **One of the employees is playing with {{W|Lawn darts|Jarts}}, which make a clinking sound as they penetrate the floor. He inadvertently flips a Jart, impaling a fellow employee in the chest. Jarts became illegal in 1988.
 *When Grampa says putty could be silly again, he is referring to {{W|Silly Putty}}.