Talk:Recurring jokes in The Simpsons

AAAAA!
If you're going to mention recurring gags like "Ay, caramba!" you should really have the chorused shriek of "Aaaa!" Bart and Lisa make when they're scared (and together -- neither of them seems to shriek if they're not with their sibling).CarlFink 21:40, 14 May 2006 (UTC)
 * The phrase 'Ay, caramba' is a catch-phrase, not a gag. The so called 'chorused shriek' is not a gag, nor is it a recurring element distinct to the show and it is certainly not worth mentioning. Doktor Waterhouse 04:57, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Willie?
It is an error to link to groundskeeper willie when talking about the red daired green clad irishman. Willie is scottish the Irishman the article refers to is an old man seen in the whacking day episode. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.41.166.4 (talk • contribs)

List
We should make this page into a list.--Taida 18:56, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
 * why? there is already a list for everything, this is the overview article regarding the recurring jokes... - Adolphus79 19:00, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
 * No. We don't need any more lists. --Maitch 12:33, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Misc
after watching the entire series nonstop for a couple of months, here are some other (some harder to notice) things: hopes this helps, Irayna 08:34, 4 August 2006 (UTC)irayna
 * melon ballers. for some reason they are mentioned as 'neat' or 'cool' in 3-4 eps, including the hilarious action hero one where the balls come out of...well, you know.
 * another one is maggie saving homer's or all the simpsons' lives, sometimes with guns, and always while no one is looking, e.g. the pretzel episode where the mob comes to kill homer.
 * another is the things that go on in moe's back room--killer whales, russian roulette.
 * another you NEED to mention is Mole-Man--he's like the Kenny from South Park--he is on the verge of death in more than a dozen eps.
 * sideshow bob repeatedly tries to kill bart but for some reason can never quite do it
 * dr. nick's very UN-doctorly lines: 'that's what we look like on the inside?! it's disgusting!'
 * nelson often is found talking about huckleberries and crying about his absent father
 * cletus and brandine apparently have several dozen kids that they transport in bags and wheelbarrows
 * reverend lovejoy apparently doesn't even believe in god
 * monkeys (and ants, once) speaking in subtitles
 * shots or audio of what homer is thinking about: cartoons, food, food-related insights to the situation
 * lenny and carl: are they gay? do they even like each other?
 * various recurring characs (is this on another page?)
 * milhouse getting knocked down/unconscious

An additional suggestion:
 * It is very subtle, but the Old Springfield Library always has an establishing shot. There is almost always a tree on the left side that covers up the extreme end of the sign to suggest that something else may be written: _____ Old Springfield Library.

[Fatcharlie] 6 November 2006.

Another suggestion:
 * Things thrown away sometimes explode or catch fire without apparent reason or in a highly exaggerated way. 84.161.225.48 13:15, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Another suggestion:
 * The Springfield Tire Fire reappears in several eposodes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.194.137.2 (talk) 17:25, 12 February 2009 (UTC)


 * This is not "Recurring EVENTS in The Simpsons", so concentrate on jokes. --Jestix 13:51, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

reformating this
I am reformating this page to fit within Wikipedia quidelines, and eventually I will remove the stamp at the top of the page. So far I have organized the famous catchlines into a list that is easy to read (don't worry I have kept as much writing and information about the catchlines as possible below)

If you want to see it go to user:-superman-/drafts. Beware, though, it is a work in progress, it may not be finished or even make coherent sence yet. I should have in done by tommorrow.---Superman- 01:26, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Question about page as of 8 December
"A popular means of transition between scenes, mainly in flashbacks or imagined scenes, is to take two scenes, similar in the position of the character or the camera move, and then using a cut or a dissolve, make a seamless transition between the two. It may have been done for years, but still remains fresh even today. At its most complex, it would require the animation of the same character for two shots, and then use a transition between the two." Is that really a recurring joke?

CarlFink 16:36, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

No objection being heard, I'm removing the unjoke.

CarlFink 21:19, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

This definitely needs a lot of work
see title.--ANDY+MCI=Andy Mci 16:05, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Complete Rewrite
It is unbelievably unorganized. Tamajared 02:26, 2 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Wasn't the first version actually better than the current one. The article seems to have degraded over time. --Maitch 21:31, 23 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I have now reverted back to the first version. --Maitch 22:10, 1 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Either rewrite this article or delete it. It has grammar errors, inconsistencies, and noninformation about a subject that probably didn't need a wikipedia page in the first place.

This article reads like it was written by a 12-year-old fan with ADD.

Last sentence
The last sentence (Homer Simpson has achieved many lifelong dreams. Among these dreams are running onto the field during a baseball game and eating the world's biggest hoagie. There are others which should be noted here.) does not really seem like a recurring gag, at least not in its current phrasing.

A few nitpicky things...
"Lisa is perhaps the only speaking member of the core family with no 'catchphrase' vocalization. Finally, Abraham Simpson's frailty is demonstrated by the ease and speed at which he falls asleep."

- Why is Lisa only "perhaps" the one with no catchphrase? Unless anyone can point out a reasonable candidate, I think "perhaps" weakens the statement too much.

- Why is this comment on Grandpa in the catchphrase section? It would seem to make more sense to add a new part describing the running jokes about old people, the solid gold of Conan O'Brien's writing.

``Recurring jokes''

- Why is the next section simply a shortened title of the article? This shows a wider weakness in the structure of the article, not just a nomenclature problem.

- The discussion of the prank calls is the only section that cromulently discusses its subject, detailing not simply the on-screen antics but the source of the reference. Everything else reads like a list, only it is harder to decipher because it is in paragraph form.

- The discussion of the various presidents, like everything, should be in more detail, but also should mention the many other presidents lampooned on the show.

``Nixon also appears frequently on Futurama where he (or more specifically his head) is the President of Earth.'' - Why is this statement even in the article?

``In later episodes, meta-references have become a theme in running gags. For example, 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 original and syndicated version of an episode. Adding to the confusion, the trailer for the upcoming The Simpsons Movie reveals a scene in which Ned Flanders points out the four states that border Springfield, namely Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky, all of which are too far apart geographically to be considered "bordering," save for Kentucky and Ohio.''

- What other examples of meta-references do you have?

- What exactly is a meta-reference, why is there no wikilink there?

- What is that first sentance saying anyway?

- It should be noted that no one considers behind the music continuous to most of the episodes, so the varying mentions of the state should be treated for what they are: A straight up joke on the audience and those who try to place Springfield, nothing more. It is in no way "revealing" anything. Except perhaps that the Simpsons writers are quite clever.

- I appreciate the added information from the Simpsons movie trailer. Anyone with a passing knowledge of U.S. geography should understand that Maine and Nevada are on opposite sides of the country. This statement could be significantly more meaningful if it discussed how this movie played in to the writers attempts to throw off those trying to pick a realistic location for Springfield.

Doesn't everybody already know that there is enough conflicting evidence to put Springfield just about anywhere you like? The Simpsons geography textbook is much like the Bible. So we should recognize the true recurring joke in this situation: that the writers have always wanted to obfuscate.

I will start working on some material to beef up this article, but for the time being my rant must assist others alone.

Couch 17:22, 29 March 2007 (UTC)


 * This article needs a lot of work. Feel free to work on the changes you have proposed. --Maitch 12:34, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Only XXX days from retirement
can someone please add the running gag where a character would say "this [insert person/object/animal] was only 1 day from retirement74.116.186.213 00:40, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I can't cite the episode, but I believe there was one instance in which Wiggum says that the 'thing' was two days from retirement. I'm not 100% sure on this though. Andrewjd 17:59, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

it happens quite often. It's most often said by Wiggum and it's not always retirement. Kent Brockman has also used it at least once.--72.28.189.177 09:31, 13 August 2007 (UTC)


 * The episode was the one where Homer+Marge somehow end up naked and running through Springfield. They are cooped up in a crazy golf windmill and Wiggum sends a sniffer dog in. He takes one whiff of homer and immediately employs 'save-ass'

Lazyguythewerewolf. Rawr. 20:13, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Recurring stuff has to happen more than once!
Does anyone think Sup3rior insisting on a one time joke as "recurring" makes any sense at all? CarlFink 14:53, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Fox
They poke fun at Fox fairly often. Is that worth noting? DrWarpMind 22:50, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

Troy McClure
Where is the running gag of Troy McClure who you might remember from ... 66.109.248.114 19:57, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Why Remove "Unexpected Solutions"
This is such a great section, I can't understand why it was removed!! : ehmjay 23:29, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con
Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con redirects here, but there's nothing about it in the article. AnonMoos (talk) 14:32, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

"I didn't say stop." and the grocery kart
Do you think it's worth mentioning Homer occasionally saying "I didn't say stop"? Example: "Homer the Vigilante".

Also, what about the grocery kart at the Grocery Store, the one that is alway falling into the street? It's kinda like the Power Plant Crow, so I think it should be mentioned. 76.196.196.157 (talk) 00:51, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Collar grapping thing
In several episodes I have seen characters grab their collar with a finger and make a weird noise does anyone have and idea where this gag comes from ? -- Barryob  (Contribs)   (Talk)  12:54, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

Not Again
I can't remember the exact episodes, but many times a ludicrous thing happens such as Reverand Lovejoy burning down the church, or someone dies, then the character at fault says "...not again" or something of the sort. I think it should be mentioned but im not sure exactly how. Jimlavalamp (talk) 01:12, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

RunAway Gag
I think there's a joke missing that is very recurrent: when someone (Generally Homer) finds him/herself in an uncomfortable situation and runs away from a room. After that you can hear the steps of the person running away, a door closing (it could be the room's and/or the car's door), there's a sound of a car accelerating, and then the sound fades out as the car goes away. SoyFlo (talk) 06:54, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Not really an important gag  C T J F 8 3 Talk 07:02, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I think it's more important than the floorboard gag, which is in the article. SoyFlo (talk) 07:11, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * All it is, is the sound of someone running/driving away. Not sure how that is important.  C T J F 8 3 Talk 07:14, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * It can be said the same about the floorboard gag, it's just a quick shot. But at least in the run away gag there's character interaction. I think it can be compared to the Riot Gags, it happens once in a while; but it is true that it has no much influence on what happens in the episode (as many other gags). SoyFlo (talk) 07:25, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * This article as a whole is probably not even necessary. We can wait a few days and see what other people think.  C T J F 8 3 Talk 07:35, 24 March 2009 (UTC)
 * A stock sound effect used a few times does not make a running gag. I've watched first-run and syndicated episodes of the show for years, but can only remember one or two times when such a sound effect was used. The running gags specifically mentioned here, such as prank-calling, are well-known by even casual fans of the show. This article was nominated for deletion in February of 2007, but was kept because of fears that deleting this and related articles would result in the addition of fancruft to the main Simpsons article, thus causing it to lose its featured status. Xenon54 (talk) 21:14, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Gag signs for current or future events
These are either for the current event or topic (eg. the topic of Reverend Lovejoy's sermons), or combining today/tomorrow events in an incongruous manner. Virtually no episode goes without at least one or two of these. The most obvious is the changing sign outside the church, but there are also changing signs outside the school and every event venue. Background bulletin board gags could also be included under this catch-all. - Tenebris —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.112.29.180 (talk) 08:06, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Page Redirect
I would like this page to exist again instead of being a redirect. I found no valid reason for preventing this information from existing. Thank you drt2012 (talk) 19:33, 14 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Previous discussion is at Talk:The_Simpsons/Archive_3. --Tikiwont (talk) 19:40, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I've protected this page for a month. Please try to discuss the issue and reach consensus, rather than editing back and forth. If an admin feels that a consensus has been reached before then, they are welcome to remove/modify the protection. I'm happy to help with dispute resolution if necessary - just let me know. ItsZippy (talk • contributions) 19:42, 14 May 2012 (UTC)
 * There's nothing important in this article that can't be said in the main Simpsons article. Wikipedia shouldn't be some fansite that lists trivial stuff about television shows. Theleftorium (talk) 15:43, 15 May 2012 (UTC)