The Simpsons 131-135

Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodly

This episode premiered on October 1st 1995. The lead in show was Space: Above And Beyond and it was followed by Too Something (a short lived sitcom that was renamed New York Daze just before it was cancelled). The show ran opposite Lois And Clark, Cybill and Mad About You.

The chalkboard gag is "No one wants to hear from my armpits" and the couch gag is a Brady Bunch grid with Lisa, Marge and Grandpa (sleeping) in the top row, Maggie, the couch and Bart in the second row and Snowball II, Homer and SLH in the bottom row. The whole family then runs in and sits on the couch, while Grandpa continues to sleep in the top corner.

Marge is the perfect wife and mother, this is a set up for the episode. Homer surprises her with a pass to a spa, he got them when he pretended he was going to buy a Bentley. The house is a mess and they leave Maggie with Grandpa in order to go to the spa. At class photo day Bart keeps scratching his head, it turns out Milhouse's parents bought a basket at Pier 1 and there was a monkey inside. Bart is mad that he got lice and nothing happened to Milhouse, except he's got some kind of plague. Willie burns Bart's clothes. Meanwhile the mean girls steal Lisa's shoes and throw them on the power line, and she bites her tongue when she gets hit by a ball. Skinner calls Child Services who goes to inspect the family home. They find the place a mess with Lisa's newspapers for her school project and Grandpa asleep on the couch. When the kids get home from school Lisa is wearing plastic bags on her feet and Bart is wearing an onion sack. Child Services seizes the kids and drops them off at the Flanders. Ned tells Bart he can do whatever he wants so they watch Itchy And Scratchy, big mistake. Homer tries to call the Flanders but the number has been blocked and the recording calls him a negligent monster. Marge and Homer go to court to get the kids back and the judge orders them to go to Family Skills class (The banner over the door reads "welcome unfit parents") Ned forces the kids to go to bed at 7 PM. On Saturday night the Flanders play Bible trivia and find out the Simpson kids were never baptized. Homer and Marge pass the parent class and rush home but find out Ned has gone to baptize them. When Homer is trying to figure out where they went he thinks like Ned "I'm a big four eyed weirdo" and realizes they are at the Springfield River. Maggie has to choose between the Flanders and their perfect world or Homer, Bart and Lisa who are standing in the mud, in the end she chooses Marge. When Homer wants the dirt on the Flanders the best Bart can come up with is that they have old paint cans in their garage, the family then mocks "old painty can Ned". 

Springfield Shopper headline in an old newspaper, "America Loves Ted Kennedy" "40 Trampled at Poco Concert". (This is a take on Poco, the band that was formed by the remaining members of Buffalo Springfield and the tragedy in Cleveland at The Who concert, kind of dark humor there)

The Flanders Press headlines: Playtime Is Fun. Bart's headline is Extra Extra! Todd Smells. Simpson Kids Miss Mom And Dad (left under the welcome mat at the Simpson house). 

Gift Certificate: Good for a three hour getaway at the Mingled Waters Heath Spa. Mingled Waters is a reference to Sufism, a branch of Islam.

Pier 1 was a chain of stores that specialized in wicker and copper, supposedly imported from far off places but mostly made in China. With the closing of malls the store suffered an economic setback and was bough out by a company that converts brick and mortar stores into on line shops. However the new company is currently in bankruptcy.

Skinner calls child services and when their van leaves their office the Springfield city shield pops up like the Batman 66 logo and we hear the theme song. 

When Marge and Homer are in the sauna they say they'd get frisky but a mafia don is there. We then hear the voice of Don Vittorio DiMaggio (first seen in the episode Homie The Clown)

Among the charges by Child Services is "toilet paper hung in improper overhand fashion". This is an injustice because everyone knows it should hang from the front, not along the wall in the back. 

Lisa says the Flanders house has a creepy Pat Boone vibe to it. For those too young to remember he was the clean cut all American boy in the 50's. He was so straight laced that he wouldn't kiss Shirley Jones in the movie April Love because a man is only suppose to kiss his wife. Later he got busted for selling fake pimple cream. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show: Foster Pussycat Kill! Kill! (the title comes from the movie Faster Pussycat) A paranoid Scratchy finds an orphan in a basket on his porch. The baby turns out to be Itchy who breaks his milk bottle, stabs Scratchy and then steals his TV. 

The statues in front of the courthouse has a guy on a horse and the name Swartzwelder on the base. (this is one of the series animators)

Other series regulars at the family classes, Agnes Skinner (her and Seymor had a fight over the inflatable bath pillow, first an issue in episode The Springfield Connection), Cletus and Brandine 

Books on Ned's shelf: Aramaic Septuagint, Psalms, Children's Bible, Holy Bible, NASB, The Living Bible, St James, Todays Family Gnostic Bible, Hebrew National Bible (a play on the Kosher hot dogs), Samaritan Pentateuch, Song of Solomon (risqué), The Thump Resistant Bible (a play on the term Bible Thumper), Hebrew International, The Vulgate Of St. Jerome, The Word, Who Begat Whom, the Bible According To Hoyle (a play on the Hoyle book of card games), New King James.

This is the first episode where we find out Reverend Lovejoy is a model train enthusiast. First his train crashes when he's taking to Ned and then Homer drives through his new layout that's being unloaded off a truck. 

Ned has an emergency baptism kit with a Bible, chalice, life preserver and an air horn that plays The Hallelujah Chorus. 

Maggie says "Daddily-doodily" to Ned. 

When Maggie looks at Bart and Lisa in the back of the Flanders' car her head spins around in a take on The Exorcist.

Ned's bumper sticker "I (heart) your kids"

Ned says "Do you reject Satan and all his empty promises?", this is a quote from The Godfather. 

Bart Sells His Soul

This episode premiered on October 8th 1995. It ran in its usual time slot and opposite the MLB playoffs (Mariners 6 Yankees 5), Cybill and Mad About You.

The chalkboard gag is "I am not a lean mean spitting machine" and the couch gag is the family shows up in Shriner's parade cars and does a figure 8.

At church Bart passes out new hymns "In the garden of eden by I-Ron Butterfly", it's the long version and everybody holds up their candles during the song, plus a beach ball gets tossed around. Lovejoy suspects one of the kids and makes the Sunday school recite a pledge about going to hell, Bart has no problem with it but Milhouse cracks. While cleaning the pipe organ Bart claims there is no soul so he sells it to Milhouse for $5. The Hibberts show up at Moe's thinking it's family dining instead of a seedy bar. Moe considers turning the bar into a family restaurant. Meanwhile Bart wastes his $5 on a DinoSponges toy "Dampen Me For Dinosaur Terror!" He imagines it growing to full size and attacking Lisa but instead it barely swells and washed down the storm sewer grate. When Bart goes into the house the dog and cat growl at him, then the door at the Kwik-E-Mart won't open, he also can't fog up the glass on the ice cream freezer. Bart doesn't laugh at Itchy And Scratchy so Lisa says it's proof he no longer has a soul. He goes to get his soul back and finds that Milhouse is playing war with it, running it over with his toys. Milhouse offers to sell it back for $50. Bart has a dream that everyone is out playing with their souls, they all hop in boats to row to an island but Bart ends going around in a circle. At Moe's new family restaurant Todd orders the Million Dollar Fries. Moe wears the basket out of the kitchen but then asks Todd to take it off his head since it's hot. On Sunday when Lisa leads a prayer about souls Bart runs off but Milhouse went to his grandmother's apartment while their house is being fumigated. Moe freaks out and shouts "freaking" at a kid, everybody leaves, Rod says "oh my freaking ears". A street cleaner runs over Bart's bike but as he's looking back laughing he crashes into the subway. While Wiggum is trying to deal with a crazy guy on a street corner Bart tries to buy Ralph's soul but runs off when Wiggum turns on the flash light. Bart tracks down Milhouse but finds out he traded it to the Comic Book Guy for pogs. "Look, Alf is back in Pog form". Comic Book Guy sold Bart's soul to someone. Bart prays for the return of his soul and it shows up, Lisa had bought it. Bart dreams about his soul and they intentionally crash into Martin's boat. 

This was the second religious themed episode in a row. 

Bart's chalkboard punishment is a paraphrasing of the quote from John Candy in the movie Stripes,  "I'm a lean mean fighting machine"

In A Gadda Da Vida was originally titled In The Garden Of Eden. 

Where the Hibberts want to go to dinner: The Spaghetti Laboratory, Face Stuffers, Professor J.J. Cornucopia's Fantastic Foodmagorium and Great American Steakery, The Texas Cheesecake Depository (this is a spoof on the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from) Dr. Hibbert has three kids.

Moe reads Your Gimmicky Restaurant by Bennigan and Fuddrecker. (both restaurant chains)

Homer's suggestions for Moe's restaurant name "Chairman Moe's Magic Wok", "Mad Man Moe's Pressure Cooker". Moe choose Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag. 

Moe buys a deep frier from the USS Missouri, C Deck Mess

The Itchy and Scratchy Show "Skinless in Seattle" (Sleepless In Seattle), Scratchy gets a love note telling him to meet at the Seattle Space Needle. Itchy reads a sign that says "Do Not Throw Pennies From The Tower" so he does, a 1989 Lincoln. He misses so he throws off all the souvenir towers and misses agin. The third time he cuts the top off the tower and it falls into Scratchy's eye. 

Moe's Today's Special

Ranchy Wingy-Things

Fiestaritos

Dog Track Style Hot Dogs

Moe has a sled, Rosebud, on the wall. This was the sled in Citizen Kane.

Comic Book Guy has a very rare Mary Worth where she advises a friend to commit suicide. If you know Mary Worth you'd get the joke. 

Lisa the Vegetarian

This episode premiered on October 15th 1995. It ran in its usual time slot. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Cybill and the MLB playoffs (Mariners 2 Indians 3, now the Cleveland Guardians)

The chalkboard gag is "The boys room is not a water park" and the couch gag is the primer painted family sits on the couch while robots paint them. 

The Simpsons go to Storytown Village "Fun for ages 1 to 7 1/2". Bart hops on the train but he's too tall and crashes into Paul Bunyan who falls apart and chops the head off a goose statue. Marge gets feed pellets from the machine but too many pour out and bury Maggie When all the animals rush over to eat she disappears, they find her in a llama. Lisa loves petting a sheep. When they get home Homer discovers Flanders his holding a family reunion and he wasn't invited. Homer deicides to throw a revenge bbq but accidentally invites Flanders. While eating lamb chops Lisa envisions the lamb from the petting zoo. At school Lisa has to dissect a worm but she refuses to do it. Miss Hoover pushes the Independent Though Alarm. It order to put an end to independent though Skinner removes all the colored chalk from the classrooms. Lisa starts to complain at Homer for serving meat at his BBQ. Skinner shows a film from the Meat Council about how cows go to Bovine University, the slaughter house. The film has a cow's butt being branded with The End. When Lisa offers gazpacho as an alternative to meat, everybody laughs and Barney shouts "go back to Russia" even though it comes from Spain.  Lisa gets mad and pushes Homer's roast pig grill with a riding lawn mower. It rolls through traffic, into the river where it plugs a dam and is shot across the sky. Burns says he'll donate a million dollars to a charity...when pigs fly just as Homer's pig flies across the window, but he doesn't make the donation. At breakfast Lisa insults Homer and then runs off. Lisa gives in and has a rotisserie hot dog from the Kwik-E-Mart but finds out they are tofu. Hidden behind a cooler door labeled "non-alcoholic beer" Apu has a staircase to the roof and his secret garden. Paul and Linda McCartney show up (they do their own voices). Paul says if you play Baby I'm Amazed backwards you'll hear a recipe for lentil soup. (this is a joke about playing Beatles songs backwards to hear Paul Is Dead). Lisa learns that she needs to be more tolerant. Paul asks Lisa if she'd like to hear a song, when she says Yes Apu starts singing Sgt. Pepper's but gets the lyrics wrong.  The show ends with Paul singing Baby I'm Amazed while the flying pig goes by. As the song plays the recipe for soup can be heard and concludes with Paul saying "Oh and by the way, I'm alive".

When Marge is listing off the other things she can make for dinner Lisa is imagining the animals they came from, when the get to hot dogs Lisa pictures a raccoon, a rat, a pigeon and an old boot. 

The Itchy And Scratchy Show "Esophagus Now (Apocalypse Now) Scratchy orders a steak at a restaurant, Itchy sneaks under the table and shaves Scratchy's stomach and puts it on a plate. Every time he takes a bite it pops back out. When he gets the bill for $100 his head explodes. 

Self aware joke, Bart says cartoons don't have messages, they are just random stories about people getting hurt, just then Homer bursts in and hits him with the door. 

Come to Homer's BBBQ, the extra B is for BYOBB. The last B was a printing error.

The Meat Council Presents: "Meat And You: Partners in Freedom" Number 3F03 in the "Resistance is Useless" series.

I'm Troy McClure, you might remember me from such educational films as "Two minus three equals Negative Fun" and "Firecrackers, The Silent Killer"

The pro meat "food chain" has all the animals with arrows pointing at a human. 

Homer does the "too much lighter fluid" gag but this time the grill doesn't explode, it lights normally. The gag was also done in Treehouse Of Horror I

Adult joke, when Homer offers Dr. Hibbert a hot dog he calls it a "hot beef injection"

Krusty Burger "Try are new Beef-Flavored Chicken"

Billboard Don't Eat Beef. Eat Deer. 

Kwik-E-Mart Premier Gourmet Hot Dogs 8/99¢

Apu has a t shirt that says "don't have a cow, man" 

The double feature showing at the Springfield Drive-In, I Spit On Your Grave and I Thumb Through Your Magazines.

Paul McCartney was the third Beatle to do a voice over on The Simpsons. He agreed to do so as long as Lisa became a vegetarian and remained so for the rest of the series, that was 28 years ago. 

This episode made me realize just how annoying a character Lisa is, she's always making demands on her family and throws a tantrum if they don't do as she says. She's also always insulting their intelligence. I've come to the conclusion that she's my least favorite character on the show. I mean seriously, because of her whining Homer almost died from blowfish poison. When he took her to the museum she complained that he wasn't smart enough. And lets not forget that after spending every Sunday with her, sure he was using her for gambling purposes, the one Sunday he made other plans she threw a major temper tantrum and gave away all the gifts he got her. Yep, once she tried to destroy his bbq I realized, I just do not like Lisa Simpson, and it's only going to get worse from here. Meanwhile....

Treehouse Of Horror VI (The Simpsons Halloween Special VI)

This episode premiered on October 29th, 1995. The lead in was The World Of James Bond (a special about the British spy to promote the upcoming movie Goldeneye), it was followed by a repeat of The Simpsons. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, The TV movie A Streetcar Named Desire (starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lang) and Mad About You.

The show opens with Krusty as The Headless Horseman. When he throws his own head at the screen it explodes into the episode's name. The couch gag is the family drops into the living room at the ends of ropes with their necks broke. Maggie is still sucking her pacifier.

This episode didn't contain the usual warning from Marge Simpson about the amount of violence and how parents shouldn't let small children watch. 

Attack Of The 50 Foot Eyesores

The title of this episode comes from the movie Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman

Homer goes to Lard Lad donuts for a colossal donut but it turns out to be an ordinary donut. He steals the giant donut from the sign just as an ionic disturbance brings the mascot to life. When the Red Devil attacks the school bus Otto thinks he's having an acid flashback. A guy comes out of the Big And Tall shop so Wiggum shoots him thinking it's an advertising monster, but it was the captain of the high school basketball team. Wiggum clams the guy was turning monster. Bart pretends to be the Red Devil's conscience and gets him to destroy the school. Homer gets the Lard Lad to destroy Ned's house but gives the mascot back his donut however he goes on a rampage with it. Lard Lad was created by Van Brunt & Churchill Advertising in 1947 (This is the first time The Simpsons didn't use Tate and McMahon, a spin on Bewitched). The advertiser guy tells Lisa to ignore the monsters and writes a jingle for Paul Anka to sing (He did his own Voice over and singing in this episode). The advertising monsters all collapse except for Lard Lad, who is holding up a sign that says Now With Sprinkles to keep Homer's attention. Kang and Kodos are hitchhiking to Earth Capital when the giant donut rolls by. Even though he was killed earlier Kent is back with a news story on the destruction of Springfield, he warns people to beware of advertising, just as the show cuts to a commercial.

This is the first time we see the name Lard Lad Donuts

The Advertising Monsters: Zip Boys (Pep Boys), Pall Bunyan Vision Center, The Duff cowboy (Vegas Vic), Lard Lad Donuts (a combination of Randy's Donuts and Big Boy), Tan O'Shanter Tax Preparation, Aladdin's Magic Carpet and Linoleum, Red Devil Reality, Professor Peanut (Planters' Mr. Peanut)

Lard Lad Donuts, Home of the Colossal Donut Grand Opening. 

When Kent Brockman is killed by his own billboard image they cut to a Technical Difficulties: Please Stand By card with an image of a puppy that just pulled the plug. (get it?)

When the monster collapse they crash into the hospital, orphanage and the birthplace of Norman Vincent Peale (father of Positive Thinking)

When the donut rolls past King and Kodos they say "oh Shazbot". This was Mork from Ork's curse word in Mork and Mindy.

Nightmare On Evergreen Ter.

The title and plot of this episode comes from Nightmare On Elm Street.

Bart is having a dream playing with SLH (the background is much more colorful, almost Disney-like). Bart gets hit in the head and immediately grows a bump while cash register signs pop up saying No Sale. Just then Groundskeeper Willie shows up, and Bart wakes up, however he has scratches across his chest. All the kids at school have also had dreams about Willie. Martin finishes his test and falls asleep, he dreams about latin and Willie shows up to kill him. Marge tells the kids the story of Willie. During a school meeting the building is cold and despite the sign that says "Do Not Touch -Willie" Homer turns up the thermostat causing the heater to explode and sets Willie on fire. The PTA refuse to put him out until they finish discussing the cafeteria menu, he vows to get revenge from the grave. The kids try to stay awake but they watch the early morning market report, Bart decides to fall asleep and confront Willie in his dream. Willie shows up as a tractor so Bart disguises the sandbox as grass and Willie sinks into it. Willie returns at a giant bagpipe and Lisa comes to save him, because she fell asleep too. Maggie shows up and plugs Willie's pipe with her pacifier and he explodes. When the kids go outside Willie shows up on a bus and makes scary faces but the bus drives off with his gun. The episode ends with Willie chasing the bus as a Simpsons themed version of Wacky Sax plays. 

The PTA meets at the school on the 13th hour of the 13th day of the 13th month to discuss the school calendars that contain an extra month. Homer "Lousy Smarch weather"

Homer3 (cubed)

Patty and Selma are coming for a visit so the rest of the family tries to hide, Bart and Lisa take the coat closet so Homer has to find a new spot. When he hides behind the bookcase he finds a portal, "a zone like in that twilighty show." When Homer passes through the portal he finds himself in a 3-D world. A cone pokes Homer in the butt so he throws it and pokes a hole in the plane he's standing on, which starts to collapse. When asked to describe the place Homer asks if anyone saw the movie Tron, nobody did except Wiggum, who quickly changes his answer to "no". Wiggum shoots into the dimension but the bullets get sucked into the collapsing hole. Grandpa shows up in a scuba suit but Frink stops him. Bart gets fed up and jumps in with a rope tied to him. Homer is trapped on the other side of the collapsing plane so Bart tells him to jump, he of course doesn't make it and they pull Bart back. Homer winds up in the real world in Los Angeles. He heads into an erotic cake shop and a spacy version of the theme plays. 

This episode was based on the Twilight Zone episode Little Girl Lost.

In the coat closet you can see the bowling ball Homer gave Marge as a present in the episode Life On The Fast Lane.

There are a lot of math jokes in this episode but they are over my head, you can look them up on Wikipedia.

Characters that show up to help, Ned and his ladder Dr. Hibbert, Reverend Lovejoy (who tells Homer to go into the light) Professor Frink, Chief Wiggum. 

Professor Frink calls a cube a Frinkahedron.

King-Size Homer

This episode premiered on November 5th 1995. The lead in was Space: Above And Beyond and it was followed by Martin. It ran opposite Lois and Clark, Cybill and Mad About You

The chalkboard gag is "Indian burns are not our cultural heritage" (boy, that joke didn't age well) and the couch gag is the family are wind up toys. 

Homer is hiding in the power plant restroom to try to get out of calisthenics, Smithers has to have the plant goons bash in the door and drag him out. Homer finds out Charlie is home on disability after getting injured on the job so he comes up with a (bad) plan. First he attempts to get hit in the head by a tool in a construction zone but when a guy is crushed by a wheelbarrow full of blocks he tries to think of something else. He then "spills" oil on the floor and accidentally slide into Mr. Burns's office. After reading up on disabilities Homer decides to try for Hyper-obesity since he's already over weight, he sets out to gain 61 pounds. Naturally Lisa is against it and tells Homer he should see a doctor, so he goes to Dr. Nick. Homer starts eating out of control and his first weigh in is 257 pounds. Second weigh in 296 pounds. Homer's fantasy of working at home includes his nuclear control panel in his back yard, a poster of him as Employee of the Month, a candy machine and Marge bringing him beer and lemonade. When Homer gets in bed and crushes down the mattress he finally confesses to Marge and she starts to tell him off about his health but he tricks her into saying she'd love him no matter what he looked like. Homer hits 299 pounds with 15 minuets to go before he has to go to work. He eats a Play-Dough donut but then finds his fat is resting on the towel bar, he's actually at 315 pounds. Burns sets Homer up with a computer at his house. Homer can't find the Any key to start his computer, he has an Esc, Crtl (catarl) and PgUp (pig up), he then tries to get a Tab soda, dated reference there. When he hits the key the main screen comes up and asks if he wants to check the core temperature so he types out "yes" and then asks if he wants to vent the core, he types "no" so it tells him "venting prevents explosion" so he types "yes" again. Marge tries to convince Homer to lose weight by pointing out that she isn't attracted to him anymore. Homer finds out that he only has to type the "Y" for yes and claims to have tripled his productivity. He finds his home job really boring and gets excited about the mail and then watches a soap opera while banging his keyboard with a broom. The kids come over to laugh at him. Homer puts a drinking bird figure on the keyboard to hit the Y key, he goes to the movies but the management won't let him in because he wouldn't fit in the seats so they offer him a garbage bag of popcorn to go away. Homer decides to become an example of a hard working obese person but when he gets home he finds the drinking bird fell over and the nuclear core is about to explode. At the plant when the tank is rumbling Lenny says "it's Homer's problem". Homer can't call the plant because his fingers are too fat for the keypad. When he blows out his tires and can't get a ride he steals an ice cream truck. Lisa is trying to explain that Homer isn't some food crazed maniac just has he drives by, scarfing a raspberry cone.  The manual switch is directly over the tank on a thin, collapsing, catwalk. Homer can't quite reach it and then realizes there's probably a second switch, just as the vent cap blows, however he falls in and gets stuck turning, as Mr. Burns puts it "a potential Chernobyl into a mere Three Mile Island".  Bart says he's amazed Homer big fat butt prevented the release of toxic gas, Marge shouts at him. Burns offers Homer anything so he asks to be thin again, after failing in an exercise program Burns decides to pay for liposuction. 

This episode didn't have a side story but focused on the main plot line. 

Among the boxes Homer uses to block the restroom door is Bathroom Tissue: Extra Coarse. I think this is the brand my college used.

Burns says "I want to see more Teddy Roosevelts and less Franklin Roosevelts". Ooooo, the jokes in this episode... Later Burns calls for 10 Iroquois Twists while counting down "Ten, Hi-yi-ya" yeah, aged poorly indeed. 

Hardhat Area, Falling Tool Zone, Careless Workers Above

They haven't done a Pamphlet for a while, this one is Am I Disabled? the cover has an image of a guy with a pipe stuck through his head. Disabilities listed, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Lumber Lung, Juggler's Despair, Achy-Breaky Pelvis, Hyper-obesity. 

Dr. Nick prescribes Assal Horizontology. I know how to do that. He has the Neglected Food Groups chart: Fats and Sweets, Whipped Group, Chocoatastic Group, Congealed Group, Empty Calorie Group.

Dr. Nick is a graduate of the Hollywood Upstairs Medical College. (I use to insult a know-it-all in a chat room by asking him if he went to Professor Bob's Second Floor School of Lawyrin'" No wonder I got banned from that site so often, but it did lead to my cool screen name since I had to create so many alternate accounts)

Foods Homer buys: Ham Ahoy (image of a pig in a sailor's hat on the label), Much Ado About Stuffing, AMNBF (?), TUBBB!, Cheezus H Rice (oh boy), Uncle Jim's Country Fillin' Just Squeeze and Swallow. Massive Weight Gain Powder.

When Lisa asks Marge why she didn't step in she replies that Homer's antics usually fizzle out when he finds something good on TV "but this season", and I had to agree, the fall of 1995 was not a watershed mark for the networks. 

Dated reference, Homer's home computer has a big monitor and two separate decks with CD drives. 

The power plant employee newsletter headline: Burns Survives Brush With Shut-In

Mall stores: Something Wicker This Way Comes, The Vast Waistband. 

Pop Culture Reference, at the obese clothing store they have mannequins of the Guinness Records fattest twins. When Homer buys a Mumuu he also buys the roadster type of hat Paul Prudhomme would wear. 

Artie Pie is giving the traffic report and a fire at a military testing lab has resulted in diseased monkeys roaming the expressway causing massive backups and requiring drivers to keep their windows rolled up. Homer laughs about not having to go to work.

Homer brags about being two minutes early for work, except for those Daylight Savings Days, "lousy farmers"

When Homer vents the gas we see it's underground pathway including a mole that has tunneled right above it and the skeleton of Itchy and Scratchy underneath it. When the gas is vented it comes out of a pipe disguised as a scarecrow and kills off a corn crop, the farmer says Paul Newman is going to have his legs broke. This is a reference to Newman's own pop corn. 

Simpsons mail: An urgent letter from Edward James Olmos, Lisa Simpson The Utne Reader and a free sample of fabric softener (Homer washes his hat to test it out)

Aztec Theater movie: Pauly Shore and Faye Dunaway in "Honk if you're Horny". 

Homer tries hitchhiking to the plant with a a sign that says "Give me ride or everybody dies"

Homer steals the Fudge Brother's Ice Cream truck. 

I've made it through 135 episodes. Not bad. However we're still in the Glory Days of the program and we'll see what happens when we move into the dreaded years, and years, and years of The Simpsons.