Mad About the Toy/References
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Cultural references[edit]
- The name of the episode is a reference to the song "Mad About the Boy" by Noël Coward.
- During the episode's couch gag, the family shares the colors of the 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 portraying Jay Pritchett on the series.
- He also mentions the "neighbor guy" being Ted McGinley. McGinley is well known for his role as 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 Home.
- Sipper McTea and Milly is a parody of Fibber McGee and Molly, a longtime American husband-and-wife radio comedy program.
- Grampa mentions that Milly went on to marry King Farouk.
- In one of the sketches, Milly is heard telling Sipper not to get into a Packard.
- In the basement, the head of Bender from Futurama can be seen.
- Games the family considers playing include The Game of Life, Hatchimals, Pick-up sticks, and Monopoly.
- According to Abe, Monopoly is the "only place you can still say Oriental", referring to the Oriental Avenue property and the term. In 2025, six years after the episode aired, 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 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 therapist's office at the V.A. Hospital has a copy of the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima on the wall.
- During his flashback, when Grampa kissed a nurse at Times Square, it is a reference to the iconic photograph V-J Day in Times Square.
- "G.I. Bilked" is a reference to the G.I. Bill.
- Grampa is invited to The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.
- When the family arrives in New York City:
- Whiz-Bang Toy Company is a parody of Wham-O:
- 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 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 photograph during the Normandy landings.
- According to Abe, Philip smelled of developing fluid and Aqua Velva, an American brand of grooming products targeted at men.
- The song that plays during the photoshoot is "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by Dave Brubeck.
- The song is heard again later when Abe and Philip repeat the photoshoot session.
- 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.
- On the Shattered Dreams Airlines plane, Bart is glad to go to Texas as it is an open carry jurisdiction.
- 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 Branch Rickey, who was instrumental in breaking the baseball color line by signing black player Jackie Robinson for the Los Angeles Dodgers and helping integrate African-American players into Major League Baseball in 1947.
- The song that plays when the family arrives in Texas is "Miles and Miles of Texas" by Asleep at the Wheel.
- During the road trip:
- The "Welcome to Texas" sign mentions Ted Cruz, the United States senator from Texas.
- A 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 Friday Night Lights, which is set in a fictional town in Texas and follows the life of a high school football team and their coach, Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler). The order of the signs is a direct reference to the team's motto, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose".
Continuity[edit]
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