Difference between revisions of "How Lisa Got Her Marge Back/References"

Latest revision as of 21:15, January 4, 2026

Cultural references[edit]

• The title of the episode is a pun on the film How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
• The Money Grabber prank toy was made by forced laborers in Guangdong, China.
• Characters from Archie Comics appear.
  • When Jughead said he wishes Archie was still alive, following him, Moose, Reggie, Betty, and Veronica entering the car with a photo of Archie on the side door, is a reference to the "Life with Archie" Issue #36 where Archie dies.
    • Coincidentally, this episode's guest star, Andrew Rannells, once voiced Archie Comics' titular character himself, in the TV series Archie's Weird Mysteries.
• An American football match with Jacksonville Jaguars facing Tampa Bay Buccaneers was due to be held at Wembley Stadium.
• Heathrow International Airport, the most important airport in London, is seen during the American football commercial.

In what was a reference to Mary Poppins' "Chim Chim Cher-ee" scene, the chimney sweeper is attacked by Fox NFL mascot Cleatus the Robot when he was dancing with Shary Bobbins

• Shary Bobbins, a parody of Mary Poppins, sings the commercial song, which is based on "Downtown" by Petula Clark.
  • Bobbins is seen dancing with a chimney sweep. This is a reference to the "Chim Chim Cher-ee" scene from Mary Poppins.
  • Downton Abbey is mentioned during the song.
  • The robot mascot of Fox NFL Sunday, Cleatus the Robot, suddenly appears and attacks the chimney sweep.
  • Winnie-the-Pooh and Paddington Bear are seated under a Da Bears sign.
• Ralph confuses some cables with licorice and gets electrocuted.
• Lisa played My Funny Valentine with her saxophone.
• When Marge tries to reconcile with her daughter, she permits Lisa to bring jazz CDs by Kenny G and Chuck Mangione.
• The Capital City's "Broadway-caliber" shows include:
  • Stinky Boots, a parody of Kinky Boots.
  • You're a Good Witch, Broom Hilda, the poster is a sight gag on the poster for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The musical is a parody of Charlie Brown and features the character Broom-Hilda.
  • Cheney, Get Your Gun is a parody of Annie Get Your Gun and features Dick Cheney, who famously and accidentally shot a man on a hunting trip.
  • Riddler on the Roof is a parody of Fiddler on the Roof and features The Riddler from DC Comics.
  • Jesus Christ Supercar is a parody of Jesus Christ Superstar.
• Other Capital City parody shows include: Rats (parody of Cats), Guys and Guys (Guys and Dolls), and Monty Python's Spamilton (Monty Python's Spamalot). Spamilton is also a reference to the Hamilton musical.

Marge watches American Idol Ace Young portraying Paul Blart on Paul Blart Mall Cop: The Musical. The stores seen at the mall are also parodies of real life ones

• Musicals for Paul Blart: Mall Cop, G.I. Jane, and Men in Black are advertised on billboards:
  • American Idol singer Ace Young stars in Paul Blart Mall Cop: The Musical. The stores at the mall are parodies of real-life ones: LL Bean Dip (L.L.Bean), F.A.T Schwartz (FAO Schwarz), Abercrombie & Fitch & Chips (Abercrombie & Fitch), and Filene's Kitchen (Filene's Basement).
  • American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo stars in G.I. Jane: The Musical.
  • American Idol finalist Sanjaya stars in Men in Black: The Musical.
• Rich Texan's Quinceañera Store sells dresses for the fiesta de quince años, a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. This is widely celebrated in Mexico and many other Latin American countries.
• Marge took Lisa to see Bad News Bears: The Musical, based on the 1976 film The Bad News Bears.
  • A giant Walter Matthau head is paraded across the stage, speaking in a Walter Matthau voice. Matthau had starred in the 1976 film.
• A prop for Avenue Q, and neon signs for King Kong Live From Skull Island (a play on Kong: Skull Island), and Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 fell down after the musical Marge and Lisa attend.
• A reference to The Book of Mormon is seen. Andrew Rannells participated in this musical on Broadway.
• Rannells signs a catalog of the Danny Simon Theater without being asked to. The owner of the catalog is angry with Rannells, as he wanted it to be signed by American actor Nathan Lane.
• The homeless man plays Gerry Mulligan's Apple Core.^[1]
  • Lisa, Martin, Database, and Milhouse play their own version at the end and during the credits.
• The song that Lisa sings at the end is "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand. Many references to New York City and Broadway can be seen during the song:
  • An Irish American street violinist.
  • The three sailors, a reference to On the Town musical.
  • The Naked Cowboy, a famous street performer usually seen in Times Square.
  • A Sesame Street character, a reference to the fictional street of the same name located in New York.
  • The pirate on the rope is a reference to The Pirates of Penzance.
  • Erik from The Phantom of the Opera. This show is still running on Broadway.
  • A baboon and a baby lion acts Rafiki raising Simba scene in The Lion King, and a reference to its musical.
  • Lisa dances at a crowded New York City Subway station. She also jogs at the High Line.
  • The Capital City Goofball statue is a reference to the Statue of Liberty.
  • The Capital City Marathon is a parody of the New York City Marathon.
  • Lisa walks a highwire between two buildings (one of them very similar to the Chrysler Building). This is a reference to Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center as depicted in the real-time documentary film Man on Wire.
  • The garbage truck scene is a reference to Hairspray.
• The Capital City Crime Tour passes by the 19th Street Liquor Store, the center of the 1967 riots. This is a reference to the 1967 Detroit riot, in which some police officers raided an unlicensed drinking club at 12th Street in Detroit and that escalated into an uncontrollable riot.

Trivia[edit]

• The English taxi license plate is VABF 111, a reference to this episode's production code, VABF11.
• When Lisa comments "Is there nothing so beautiful that they won't keep exploiting until its worthless?", an advertising for the Season 17 DVD release flashes on the screen.
• Gil yells D'oh shortly before he drops the fake Maggie.
• This episode is one of the many that explain how Lisa got her pearl necklace, showing that Marge gave it to Lisa during her first day at school. However, this is contradicted by many other episodes. For example, in "Barthood", there's a scene that takes place after Lisa's first month at school, and she's not wearing her pearls yet. During "Boy Meets Curl", Lisa mentions that her pearls were a gift by Marge when she could first read at twelfth grade level, and during "Lisa's First Word", baby Lisa is already wearing her pearl necklace.
• Many pictures of celebrities are seen at the restaurant, including:
  • David Duchovny
  • Gillian Anderson
  • Lassie
  • Tom Cruise
  • Leonard Nimoy
  • Woody Allen
  • John Wayne
  • Lucille Ball
  • Brooke Shields
  • William Shatner
  • James Woods
  • Humphrey Bogart
  • Conan O'Brien
  • Ron Howard
  • Johnny Carson
  • Jay Leno
  • Bob Hope
  • Mel Gibson
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mickey Rooney
  • John Travolta
  • Tom Hanks
  • Bette Midler
  • Mel Brooks
  • Bill Cosby
  • Elvis Presley
  • Elizabeth Taylor
  • Don Knotts
  • Marilyn Monroe

Continuity[edit]

• Shary Bobbins appears in a commercial parodying Mary Poppins's Chim Chim Cher-ee song scene. ("Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious")

Goofs[edit]

• Skinner is allergic to peanuts and yet opens the Peanut Brittle. ("Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em")
• During the flashback, there's a picture of Lisa, Bart and Maggie on the wall, but it's likely that Maggie wasn't even born when the flashback takes place.
• Lisa's eyes split for a few frames when Marge says she doesn't like jazz.
• During Lisa's apology, Marge's pearls turn white.
• While Maggie is on a rope, she has 4 eyelashes per eye instead of 3.

References[edit]