Lisa's First Word
| "Lisa's First Word" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| File:Lisas First Word.png | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | Jeff Martin |
| Original air dates | December 3, 1992 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "Teacher is not a leper" |
| Couch gag | The family forms a chorus line, which turns into a large production number. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Jeff Martin Mark Kirkland |
"Lisa's First Word" is the 10th episode of The Simpsons' fourth season.
Synopsis
When Homer, Marge and Bart unsuccessfully try to get Maggie to speak, Marge tells the family the story of when Lisa said her first word.
It was March 1983, and Homer, Marge, and Bart lived in the Lower East Springfield district. One day, Marge said that she is awaiting another baby, with Bart imagining a new brother whom he can use as a scapegoat for his own misbehavior. But as Marge was pregnant, she felt that the Simpsons needed a bigger house. Homer and Marge tried to look for houses, including a houseboat that Captain McAllister had until now. After unsuccessful attempts, the Simpsons found a house on Evergreen Terrace and bought it with a $15,000 down payment from the sale of Grampa's house.
In 1984, the Simpsons moved into their new Evergreen Terrace home, with the Flanders family as neighbors. Homer borrowed a TV tray from Flanders for "a little while", which he just bought at the hardware store, but he still has it in the present time. Bart turned two years old, and for the first time, he watched Krusty the Clown, as well as Itchy & Scratchy. Krusty also did a promotion for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games with his Krusty Burger chain, which was the "Official Meat-Flavored Sandwich of the 1984 Olympics." The promotion offered scratch-and-win game cards in which people scraped off the name of the event from the game card, and if the U.S. won a gold medal, that person won a free Krusty Burger. However, the game cards were rigged so they only displayed events in which the Soviet Union typically performed strongly. But, when the USSR boycotted the Olympics, Krusty lost$44 million and Homer received a steady supply of Krusty Burgers.
Bart was asked to give up his crib so it can become the new baby's. Homer built Bart a new bed of a clown, which scares Bart (see below). Marge thought that the baby was coming, and she and Homer went to the hospital, leaving Bart with the Flanders family. He returns home and is scared until Homer asked him to see Lisa. Bart thought that he hated Lisa. Everyone, except Bart, agreed that she is a beautiful baby. Later, Bart did bad things to Lisa—such as giving her a haircut with household scissors ("Who's cuter now?"), sticking stamps on her, and sticking her in a mailbox, then through the Flanders' doggy door—and was cornered. He blamed Lisa for his problems and left, until she said her first word, "Bart." Bart discovered that Lisa can talk, and she even knew the name of David Hasselhoff. After Lisa wound Homer up by saying his real name, Bart held her close to him for the very first time, and seemed to appreciate her more from then on.
However, back in present day, the flashback ends and we see Bart and Lisa having a row. Homer takes Maggie to bed, saying that "the sooner kids talk, the sooner they talk back", and that he hopes that Maggie never says a word. However, when he leaves her bedroom, Maggie removes her pacifier and says "Daddy."
Trivia
- This is the first time Maggie has ever spoken in a realistic manner. She would later say other things, such as "Daddily-Doodily" in Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily. Elizabeth Taylor provides the voice for Maggie's first word. When the clip of Maggie saying, "Daddy" was shown on the episode "Gump Roast", it was redubbed with Nancy Cartwright's voice.
- This is the third Simpsons episode devoted entirely to telling the events of the past. The first two were "The Way We Was" and "I Married Marge." There would be several others after this episode, including "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", "And Maggie Makes Three", "Lisa's Sax" and "The Way We Weren't."
- The FOX censors wrote a note concerning Homer's line, "Bart can kiss my hairy, yellow butt!" after Marge tells Homer that Bart might be jealous of baby Lisa, citing that the line is considered "coarse" since, due to the fact that Bart was two during the flashback, it may imply pedophilia. The line was not taken out and has since appeared on countless merchandise.
- The episode was named "Maggie's First Word" in Latin America, despite the main focus on Lisa. Maggie does say a word however and was voiced by the same voice actress of Lisa in Latin America.
- In the 80's flashback, Krusty appears to read a report on the Olympics, despite being illiterate in the first season episode "Krusty Gets Busted".
Cultural references
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. |
- 1983 references:
- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" — Homer sings the Cyndi Lauper song as he's walking home from work (even though the song wasn't released until late 1983/early 1984)
- Joe Piscopo — New Jersey comedian was enjoying success on Saturday Night Live at the time.
- M*A*S*H — Marge commenting about the TV series — which had just aired its last episode — to her neighbors.
- Mama's Family — A promo for an hour-long episode of the then-new TV series is heard.
- Ms. Pac-Man — A then-currently popular arcade game. Also: The decidedly less sophisticated video games of the era.
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — In its heyday at the time.
- Webster — Ned Flanders' T-shirt "I (heart) Webster" features a picture of Emmanuel Lewis, who played the title character in this TV series which premiered this year.
- 1984 Summer Olympics — are referenced.
- McDonald's — Krustyburger's Summer Olympics promotion is inspired by McDonald's "scratch-and-win" promotion during the Olympics. Customers won a free food item — a hamburger, french fries or a soft drink, or on certain cards, a cash prize up to $10,000 — if they had a ticket listing an event where the United States won a medal. McDonald's lost millions on the promotion, just like Krusty fears will happen. Although Krusty has had the game cards all predetermined to be listed on events that the Soviets had always won, which turns out to go against him when he learns of the Soviets boycotting the 1984 Olympics.
- Wendy's — The Springfield Shopper headline from the day Lisa was born ("MONDALE TO HART: WHERE'S THE BEEF?") uses the currently popular advertising slogan for Wendy's. Although "where's the beef?" was intended to be a slogan for Wendy's, it gained popularity in jokes and also in political slogans.
"Can't sleep, clown will eat me"
"Lisa's First Word" is perhaps best known as the source of Bart's meme "Can't sleep, clown will eat me".
Inspired by an event in Simpsons writer Mike Reiss' childhood, young Bart does not want to give up sleeping in the crib to make way for his newborn sister. Noticing Bart's affection for Krusty the Clown, Homer decides to build a clown-themed bed to please his son. But thanks to Homer's poor handicraft skills, the bed takes on a sinister appearance and frightens Bart, especially in the darkened room. In his first night in the new bed, far from 'laughing himself to sleep', Bart imagines that the face on the headboard of the bed is coming to life, intoning with sinister glee, "If you should die before you wake...", before collapsing into evil cackling. Bart then curls up into a fetal position on the sofa downstairs, chanting "can't sleep, clown'll eat me..."
The catchphrase inspired the Alice Cooper song, "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me," and has become a favorite among insomniacs.
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