10 Amazing References In The Simpsons: Tapped Out
Halloween has come and gone. So for us Simpsons fanatics, that means it's time to stop watching Treehouse of Horror episodes. It also means that The Simpsons: Tapped Out will have to transition out of its awesome Halloween update. What will happen to all of those great new additions? We will have to wait until the next update to see. Until that happens, we thought we'd take another look at this awesome game and highlight some of our favorite jokes and explain some of the more obscure references. But this is just a small sampling. There's so much! The Simpsons is one of the richest cultural wells in the world to be pulling from and it's exciting to think of all the content that can be crammed into the game until it's bursting at the seams.
- 10
The Infinite Compassion of Ganesha
Making Apu pray to Ganesha is one of the first things you can do in the game, but it's also one of the best references, not necessarily to one specific moment, but more to Apu's devotion to Ganesha. I know, hilarious right? But The Simpsons have a rich history of poking fun at religion (though mostly of the Judeo-Christian variety), and this is an important reference to that inclination. One great moment when The Simpsons used Ganesha to bring out some some laughs is in the episode Homer the Heretic. After Homer offers Apu's shrine to Ganesha a peanut, Apu is forced to respond with the classic quote, "Please do not offer my god a peanut."
- 9
Chronic Nagging
One of Marge's defining character traits is her disapproving nature. Self-help guru Brad Goodman had it right, she's a chronic nagger. But the action to have her protest in the game is mainly a reference to the excellent episode Itchy & Scratchy & Marge, where she leads a crusade against violence in the Itchy and Scratchy Show. Now if only a certain cat and mouse team would eventually show up. Is it too much to ask to build Krustylu Studios?
- 8
Perfectly Level Flying
We love that Bart's best friend is present. It's just a shame that, like Martin, we don't get to hear him at all. But there are plenty of great Milhouse gags in the game. This is one of our favorites and it comes from the episode Bart After Dark, which is the one where Bart becomes the right-hand man for the owner of Springfield's burlesque house. What leads Bart to the house in the first place is the recovery of Milhouse's RC Plane that Nelson crashed there. If only Nelson followed the Milhouse edict of RC Ace's everywhere: "Perfectly level flying is the supreme challenge of the scale model pilot."
- 7
Worst. Reference. Ever.
Hey, how about we have Comic Book Guy dressed up as a Star Trek character. Didn't see that one coming a mile away. Is there a word in Klingon for obvious? Oh yes ... Garr'dock! No wait, that one's for loneliness.
- 6
Sometimes I Whittles the Future
"Hey Ma, look at that pointy haired'd little girl. A'hyuk!" And with that line, a legend was born. Along with other standout minor characters like Ralph Wiggum and Lionel Hutz, Cletus Spuckler has one of the highest appearance-to-laugh-ratios of anyone in the Simpsons universe. We love that he's in the game and that you can make him dig through garbage. His whittling is a reference to The Wandering Juvie from season 15, where Cletus demonstrates his talents for precognitive whittling.
- 5
Assassins
When you send Flanders out for a powerwalk, his outfit is a reference to something he wore in a Simpsons episode from Season 2 called Bart's Dog Gets an F. In that episode, the Simpson family is forced to send Santa's Little Helper to obedience school for eating Homer's newly purchased pair of Assassins - which were a parody on the gaudiness of sneakers in the early 1990s. There's no direct reference to Flanders wearing them in the game, but his whole go-gettily-getup is definitely pulled from that episode.
- 4
Ow! My Lute!
Ahh, Martin... so many hilarious quotes. Thanks to your talent with this obscure guitar, you've made two of our Simpsons lists now. There needs to be more of you in newer episodes. This is a quick action that you can do with Martin and much like Apu praying to Ganesha, it references not one specific moment, but several gags spread out. Only in this case, The Simpsons are making fun of medieval instruments. Even just saying the word makes us laugh. You gotta hand it to Martin though, kid knows how to play a mean lute.
- 3
Don't Stop the Music
In the spirit of 22 Short Films About Springfield, the episode where this reference comes from, we'll just let the scene do the talking. Lovejoy: C'mon boy, this is the spot, right here. That's a good boy, do your dirty sinful business. Ned: Well, howdy, Reverend Lovejoy. Nice to see you there ... on my lawn ... with your dog. Lovejoy: Oh, oh, ooh, bad dog! Look at that, right on Ned's lawn. Now how could you do such a thing? [quietly to the dog] Good boy, don't stop now. [loud again] Bad dog, I condemn you to Hell! Ned: Better get the old snow shovel back from Homer, eh? Lovejoy: [to dog] Good boy, don't stop the music.
- 2
Endangered Species
In two different episodes, there have been jokes about Moe Syzlack's propensity for smuggling black-and-white endangered species. Which is ridiculous. And amazing! This is a combination of both those episodes. In Cape Feare (the Sideshow Bob episode with the rake gag) Moe gets a call from Lisa, who tells him that she knows what he's been up to, thinking that Sideshow Bob's threats were coming from him. This leads Moe to release the pandas he's been holding captive in the back of his bar. Andale! Andale! The other reference is from The Springfield Files which shows Moe and his goons hauling a killer whale after they think that Mulder and Scully are on to them. "Cheese it, it's the Feds!"
- 1
Mmmm ... Double Reference
This one is a double-whammy reference. The first thing going on here is the giant angel topiary, which is a side item you can buy in the game. You can put it anywhere you want, but the proper place for it is right between the Flanders and Simpson houses. In Cape Feare (two in the row!), Bart gets scared when he runs into Flanders wearing a Freddy Kruger glove. But of course Flanders is using that to carve himself a giant angel. The carving itself is a reference to Edward Scissorhands. The second thing going on here is Homer lounging in the kiddie pool. This is one of our favorite Homer tasks in the game because it's a reference to one of the funniest moments in the whole show. In the episode New Kid on the Block, which was written by Conan O'Brien by the way, Homer stops a real estate agent from selling a house in their neighborhood when his belching draws the attention of a prospective couple. The couple then turns to see their potential neighbor splayed out in a tiny kiddie pool. To top it off, Homer then fishes out a half-eaten hot dog from the water and eats it. "There you are. Achmmph."