Difference between revisions of "Penny-Wiseguys/References"

Latest revision as of 17:18, August 1, 2026

Cultural references[edit]

• The title is wordplay on the idiom "penny wise and pound foolish" and the term "wiseguy". The former refers to obsessing over penny pinching while losing track of bigger, more obvious cuts, while the latter refers to a made member of the mafia.
  • Jon Vitti also has used the pseudonym Penny Wise in reference to this idiom on some episodes.
• The chalkboard gag is a reference to people in various states starting petitions about their states' seceding from the USA, in protest of the results of the 2012 presidential elections.
• Otto mentions "Bridge to Terabithia" which is a reference to a novel and movie of the same name.
• Dan Gillick did an MBA at Wharton School, the business school of the University of Pennsylvania.
• The Springfield Elementary School band is playing the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt, specifically the lento a capriccio tempo.
  • Bart remarks that the music was "a Bugs Bunny", referring to the 1946 animated short film Rhapsody Rabbit which featured the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.
  • Homer is hit by a falling anvil, a typical gag from the Looney Tunes.
• The Avian influenza is referenced in the Springfield General Hospital sign.
• Dr. Hibbert though Lisa fainted because Justin Bieber was in the audience.
• The quote by Dan about the mafia putting a horse's head in someone's bed is a reference to famous horsehead scene in The Godfather.
• Lisa mentions The Beatles member Paul McCartney, while Lunchlady Dora said she had slept with John Lennon.
• Lenny and Carl were discussing the work Poetics by Greek philosopher Aristotle.
• The music that plays during the Springfield Insectivorian Society's meal is the "Flower Duet" from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes.
• Luigi is angry the mafia is always meeting at his restaurant and would like them to meet at Applebee's instead.

Snowball II accidentally drops Higgs bosons into Lisa's grasshopper farm

• Snowball II accidentally drops Higgs bosons into Lisa's grasshopper farm, making them come alive. The Higgs boson is an elementary particle, usually called the "God particle" by the media.
• Fat Tony has a cousin working at Wall Street.
• The store Restoration Software is a parody of Restoration Hardware while Coffee Hut parodies Pizza Hut.
• The AFI Presents the 100 Greatest Movie Screams is a parody of the AFI 100 Years... series by the American Film Institute (AFI).
  • One of the screams is from Teen Wolf Too, a 1987 fantasy comedy film.
  • Three screams are from the 2000 slasher film Scream 3.
• When Bart told his father he could train to become a director in Disney's Minority Program, Homer replied "have fun getting coffee for Roy Disney the Third". Homer is referring to Roy Patrick Disney, the son of Roy E. Disney and grandson of Roy O. Disney, co-founder of Disney.
• Homer mentions the 1975 film The Day of the Locust when he saves Dan from the grasshoppers.
• The organ music that plays during the courtroom scenes is from the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 by Johann Sebastian Bach.
• Johnny Tightlips digs wells in Darfur, Sudan on vacation.
• Louie is watching the Final Jeopardy! round from the American game show Jeopardy!. Louie also criticizes Alex Trebek, one of the show hosts.
• Part of "Gee, Officer Krupke" from the 1957 musical West Side Story plays during the closing credits.

Trivia[edit]

• Hyman Krustofsky, the only member of the Holy Rollers bowling team that is not Christian, is the one who makes the sign of the cross on himself.

Continuity[edit]

• Lisa mentions that she promised Paul McCartney that she wouldn't eat any meat. ("Lisa the Vegetarian")
• The Holy Rollers and the Pin Pals appear. ("Team Homer")
• In the title screen gag, Homer is shown panting, flapping and flying his arms as "King-Size Homer".