Recurring jokes in The Simpsons

There are many recurring jokes in The Simpsons, many of which have been retired during the series or implemented later on in the run.

Catchphrases

Most famous Catchphrases

• "D'oh!" - Homer - has achieved such mainstream usage as to be featured in the Oxford English Dictionary
• "Eat my shorts" - Bart - featured on t-shirts
• "Don't have a cow, man!" - Bart - featured on t-shirts (somewhat parodied in the episode "Bart Gets Famous")
• "Ha Ha" - Nelson Muntz
• "Hi Everybody!" - Dr. Nick
• "Excellent..." - Mr. Burns
• constant laughter - Dr. Hibert
• "Yessss!" - the Yesss guy
• Belching - Barney
• "Yoink!" - many characters - after stealing something from another character
• "The Simpsons are going to..." - Homer - talking to the family about the next trip
• "Hey Hey Kids! (Krusty laugh)" - Krusty the Clown - begining of his show
• "Hi, I'm Troy McClure, you may remember me from such (whatever) as (insert cheesy-sounding program titles)..." - Troy McClure
• "Mmm... (then food or object or person) - Homer

Other recurring jokes

• Dr. Julius Hibbert often laughs in inappropriate situations.
• Characters frequently rush out of a room to escape an embarrassing situation, followed by the sound of screeching tires.
• For many seasons, Mr. Smithers' sexuality and feelings for his boss create tension during scenes in which the two are together.
• The anger of the characters toward one another is often highlighted. Homer strangles Bart in an exaggerated fashion for even minor offenses usually saying "Why you little...!", and threatens them with "Do it..." when they are uncertain about his leadership. Other members of the family frequently take up this phrase as well.
• The "Stay-On-the-Line and Cry" routine (more prevalent in earlier seasons of the show), a running gag in which one of the members of the Simpson family — usually Homer and Marge — would wait on the phone, but then break down and cry when a popular song pertaining to the situation would be played as Soft/Easy Listening Music. One example would be the Missing Baby Hotline playing "Baby Come Back" by Player.
• Bart often makes prank calls to Moe's Tavern, asking for someone with a name such as "Amanda Huggankiss," "Mike Rotch," "Jacque Strap," "Oliver Clozoff," "Heywood U. Cuddleme" or "Hugh Jass" (this latter case being one in which Bart's prank call backfires, as there actually is a Hugh Jass in the bar). Moe falls for the trap every time, and when he realizes that the joke is at his expense shouts threats back at Bart. He also never realises that it is Bart. In The Regina Monologues he says to Marge 'How much to have Bart prank call me? Oh, that would be hilarious! This is a reference to the (in)famous Tube Bar prank calls pulled on grumpy New Jersey bar owner, Louis "Red" Deutsch in the late 1960s by John Davidson and Jim Elmo which follows an almost identical pattern (with much more profanity). However, one phone call it is hinted that Moe knows who is calling him: when Bart (with the power to do anything), calls with a long list of offensive remarks, Moe agrees because he knows if he doesn't Bart will do something to him (this is,however in a Treehouse Of Horrorepisode so may not be a true reflection of the situation)
• Mr. Burns is unable to remember Homer Simpson's name, despite the countless times the two have met.
• Krusty the Clown never remembers Bart, a boy who has helped him on numerous occasions.
• The Fox Network, which is also the broadcaster of The Simpsons, is often parodied on the show, usually in a negative light. For example, in "The Heartbroke Kid", Bart says "I've learned that even made-up corporate shills can lie to you," to which Homer responds "Did you hear that Foxie, the Fox Network fox?" Another instance occurs when Homer invests in the stock market. When searching for the current value of the stock of 'Animotion' he is instructed to speak the company's name into the phone receiver by an automated answering system. When informed that the stock has risen he responds, rather typically, with 'yahoo'. This prompts the system on the end of the phone to search for Yahoo, whose stock value he is then informed of. His response is then "Huh? What is this crap?" which prompts the computer to search for 'Fox Broadcasting' and says that it has gone down. Also, in Scuse me will I miss the sky, Lisa points out that you can't see anything in the light sky, except for the Fox satellite (which is portayed as a crummy, broken down satellite held up by several balloons). In the "Behind the Laughter" episode it is revealed that Marge's hairdresser is the president of Fox.
• An organization often parodied is the Republican Party.
• Often, Homer says that doing a particular thing has always been his lifelong dream, Marge will follow up by saying that his lifelong dream was something else that he has already accomplished (because he has had so many jobs and participated in so many amazing events in the show's long run).
• A common gesture shared by many characters after doing something embarassing, is pulling their shirt collar back with one finger and gulping, Charles Nelson Reilly-style.
• 'Retirony', in which a character (or object) dies 2 or so days before retirement, is a familiar occurrence.
• Many commercial establishments on the Simpsons have comically farcical names (that are puns) such as "Try-N'Save," (a discount store) "Nuts Landing" (a pet sterilization clinic), and "BloodBath, and Beyond" (a gun shop).
• When the Try-N' Save is visited, the camera almost always first cuts to the street, where a shopping cart can be seen rolling onto the road.

Self references

Meta-references are also used as running gags. Attention is drawn to the fact that Homer rarely appears at his legitimate day-job at the Nuclear Power Plant. He seems to be fired and rehired from the job on a regular basis without cause. For many years, the show refused to reveal the location of Springfield. In finally breaking this rule, the writers maintained the confusion by stating two alternate locations in the first and second airings of an episode.