Lisa's First Word
Encyclopedia
"Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons
' fourth season
. It was first broadcast on Fox
in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family
gathers around Maggie
and tries to encourage her to say her first word, Marge
reminisces and tells the story of Lisa
's first word. Elizabeth Taylor
appeared for the voicing of Maggie's first word.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland
and written by Jeff Martin
. After its initial airing on Fox, the episode was later released as part of a 1999 video
collection: The Simpsons: Greatest Hits, and released again on the 2003 DVD edition of the same collection. The episode features cultural references to two chains of fast food restaurants, Wendy's
and McDonald's
, as well as a reference to the 1981 arcade
video game Ms. Pac-Man
. "Lisa's First Word" received positive reception from television critics, and acquired a Nielsen rating of 16.6.
to speak, inspiring Marge
to share the story of Lisa's first word. In March 1983, Homer
, Marge and a two-year-old Bart
lived in the Lower East side of Springfield
. Marge announces that she is pregnant
again and suggests that they will need a bigger house. They buy a house on Evergreen Terrace
with a $
15,000 down payment from the sale of Grampa Simpson's
house.
In 1984, the Simpsons move into their new home and meet their new neighbors, Ned Flanders
and his family. Meanwhile Krusty the Clown begins a promotion for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games with his Krusty Burger chain, a scratch-and-win game in which people scratch off the name of an event from the game card and if the United States wins a gold in that event, they win a free Krusty Burger. However, the game cards are rigged so they only contain events in which "Communists never lose". But when the Soviet Union-led boycott
occurs, Krusty is advised that he stands to lose $44 million.
Bart is forced to give up his crib so it can become the new baby's. Homer builds him a new bed shaped like a maniacal clown
, which terrifies
Bart. When Lisa
is born and gets all the attention, Bart takes an immediate dislike to her. He tries to get rid of her by putting her in a mailbox and pushing her through the Flanders' dog door. Eventually, he is about to run away until Lisa says her first word, "Bart". Thrilled that his name is his sister's first word, Marge explains to Bart that Lisa adores him. He accepts her as his little sister and they both find it funny that they both call Homer by his name rather than "daddy" as he wishes.
Back in the present day, Homer takes Maggie to bed, commenting on how kids learn to talk back as soon as they learn to talk. Homer tells Maggie, "I hope you never say a word.", but as soon as he leaves the room, Maggie takes her pacifier
out her mouth and utters the word "daddy", before closing her eyes and going to sleep.
"Lisa's First Word" was written by Jeff Martin
, and directed by Mark Kirkland
. The Simpsons writers Mike Reiss
and Al Jean
were discussing about having an episode where Maggie would say her first word, and Reiss thought it would be cute to have her say "daddy" when no one could hear her. Jeff Martin was assigned to write the episode because he had done another flashback episode in the past, "I Married Marge
". Martin was excited to do another flashback episode because he thought it was fun to check out old newspapers and go back and see what was in the news back in 1983 and 1984. Martin felt it was a good way of finding a new set of things to make jokes about.
In the episode, Homer builds a scary clown shaped bed for Bart. The scene was inspired by Mike Reiss, whose dad had built him a clown shaped bed when he was younger, and just like Bart, Reiss was scared of sleeping in it. As the flashback begins in 1983, a young Homer strolls down the street, singing Cyndi Lauper
's song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun
", which was released the same year. The idea for this sequence came from animation director
Chuck Sheetz
, who suggested it because the length of the final version of the episode was too short.
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," due to the fact that Bart was two during the flashback. Maggie's first word was provided by the Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor
, who would also voice herself in the season four finale, "Krusty Gets Kancelled
". While promoting the episode, the producers initially did not reveal who the voice of Maggie would be, prompting speculation as the identity of the actress. Although it was only one word, the voice came out too sexy
and Taylor had to record the part numerous times before the producers were satisfied and thought it sounded like a baby.
to Hart
: Where's the beef?
") uses the currently popular advertising slogan for Wendy's
. Mondale, a candidate in the 1984 presidential election, used the "Where's the beef?" phrase at an election rally in 1984 while mocking one of his opponents. Marge begins telling her story of Lisa's first word by saying: "This story begins in the unforgettable spring of 1983. Ms. Pac-man struck a blow for women's rights and a young Joe Piscopo taught us how to laugh", making references to the 1981 arcade
video game Ms. Pac-Man
and the American actor Joe Piscopo
. The episode features an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon called "100-Yard Gash," which uses the music from the 1981 film Chariots of Fire
. Homer and Marge consider buying a houseboat from the Sea Captain; his pitch is cut short by a shark, which he proceeds to fight, in a reference to the film Jaws
(1975).
The Olympic promotion by Krusty Burger is loosely based on a similar "scratch-and-win
" promotion by McDonald's
, in which McDonald's visitors could win a Big Mac
, french fries
, a soft drink, or even a cash prize up to $10,000 if Team USA
won a medal in the visitor's listed event. McDonald's lost millions on the promotion, as happened to Krusty. At one point in the episode, Dr. Hibbert refers to Olympic gymnastic medalist Mary Lou Retton
.
episode "Bart Gets An F
" aired on October 11, 1990. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics.
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said the episode is a "convincing portrait of young marriage and hardship in the days of Reaganomics
- and the biggest name to guest voice gets the littlest, but the most significant, to say". When asked to pick his favorite season out of The Simpsons seasons one
through twenty, Paul Lane of the Niagara Gazette
picked season four and highlighted "the sweetly funny" "Lisa's First Word". David Johnson at DVD Verdict named it "one of the greatest flashback episodes". Dave Manley at DVDActive said in a review of the The Simpsons: Greatest Hits DVD that it is "one of the better episodes and probably my personal favourite on the disc, although most Simpsons connoisseurs would probably go for the previous episode
[on the DVD]", and added that there are "some great parodies in the episode too". The Orlando Sentinel
s Gregory Hardy named it the fourteenth best episode of the show with a sports theme (the Olympics in this case).
Elizabeth Taylor's performance as Maggie was praised by critics. She was named the 13th greatest guest spot in the history of the show by IGN
. Taylor also appeared on AOL
's list of their favorite 25 Simpsons guest stars. Todd Everett at Variety
called the last scene in the episode, where Maggie speaks her first word, "quite a heart-melter". He added that "it is probably no surprise that the casting of Elizabeth Taylor as the voice for baby Maggie Simpson's first word was a publicity stunt [...]. No mind, the episode in question delivered well-rounded view of series' multiple attractions." Total Film
' s Nathan Ditum ranked her performance as the best guest appearance in the show's history. Fox rebroadcast the episode on April 3, 2011 in memory of Taylor, following her death on March 23.
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 comes to life, intoning with sinister glee, "if you should die before you wake...
", before collapsing into evil cackling.
The next morning, Bart is curled up into the fetal position
on the floor next to the sofa downstairs, repeatedly uttering the phrase "can't sleep, clown will eat me...". The catchphrase inspired the Alice Cooper
song "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" from the 2001 album Dragontown
. The phrase has since found its way into popular use.
collection of selected episodes titled: The Simpsons: Greatest Hits. Other episodes included in the collection set were "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
," "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
," "Trash of the Titans
," and "Bart Gets An F
." It was included in The Simpsons season 4 DVD set, which was released on June 15, 2004 as The Simpsons — The Complete Fourth Season. The episode was again included in the 2003 DVD release of the "Greatest Hits" set, but this time the set did not include "Trash of the Titans."
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 4)
The Simpsons fourth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992 and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty." The show runners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
. It was first broadcast on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
gathers around Maggie
Maggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
and tries to encourage her to say her first word, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
reminisces and tells the story of Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
's first word. Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
appeared for the voicing of Maggie's first word.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
and written by Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (writer)
Jeff Martin is an American television producer and writer. He was a writer for The Simpsons during the first four seasons. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, as have many other Simpsons writers...
. After its initial airing on Fox, the episode was later released as part of a 1999 video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
collection: The Simpsons: Greatest Hits, and released again on the 2003 DVD edition of the same collection. The episode features cultural references to two chains of fast food restaurants, Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
and McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, as well as a reference to the 1981 arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
video game Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game produced by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man. It was released in North America in 1981 and became one of the most popular video games of all time, leading to its adoption by Pac-Man licensor Namco as an official title...
. "Lisa's First Word" received positive reception from television critics, and acquired a Nielsen rating of 16.6.
Plot
The family is trying unsuccessfully to get MaggieMaggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
to speak, inspiring Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
to share the story of Lisa's first word. In March 1983, Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Marge and a two-year-old Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
lived in the Lower East side of Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
. Marge announces that she is pregnant
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
again and suggests that they will need a bigger house. They buy a house on Evergreen Terrace
742 Evergreen Terrace
742 Evergreen Terrace is the fictional street address in Springfield of the Simpson family home in the animated television series, The Simpsons and in the feature film The Simpsons Movie. In the series the house is currently owned by Homer Simpson...
with a $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
15,000 down payment from the sale of Grampa Simpson's
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
house.
In 1984, the Simpsons move into their new home and meet their new neighbors, Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
and his family. Meanwhile Krusty the Clown begins a promotion for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games with his Krusty Burger chain, a scratch-and-win game in which people scratch off the name of an event from the game card and if the United States wins a gold in that event, they win a free Krusty Burger. However, the game cards are rigged so they only contain events in which "Communists never lose". But when the Soviet Union-led boycott
1984 Summer Olympics boycott
The boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The boycott was a follow up to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The boycott involved 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, led by the Soviet Union who initiated the boycott on May 8, 1984, and joined...
occurs, Krusty is advised that he stands to lose $44 million.
Bart is forced to give up his crib so it can become the new baby's. Homer builds him a new bed shaped like a maniacal clown
Evil clown
The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.-Background:...
, which terrifies
Coulrophobia
Coulrophobia is a fear of clowns. The term is of recent origin, probably dating from the 1980s, and according to one analyst, "has been coined more on the Internet than in printed form because it does not appear in any previously published, psychiatric, unabridged, or abridged dictionary," however...
Bart. When Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
is born and gets all the attention, Bart takes an immediate dislike to her. He tries to get rid of her by putting her in a mailbox and pushing her through the Flanders' dog door. Eventually, he is about to run away until Lisa says her first word, "Bart". Thrilled that his name is his sister's first word, Marge explains to Bart that Lisa adores him. He accepts her as his little sister and they both find it funny that they both call Homer by his name rather than "daddy" as he wishes.
Back in the present day, Homer takes Maggie to bed, commenting on how kids learn to talk back as soon as they learn to talk. Homer tells Maggie, "I hope you never say a word.", but as soon as he leaves the room, Maggie takes her pacifier
Pacifier
A pacifier is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple given to an infant or other young child to suck upon. In its standard appearance it has a teat, mouth shield, and handle...
out her mouth and utters the word "daddy", before closing her eyes and going to sleep.
Production
Jeff Martin (writer)
Jeff Martin is an American television producer and writer. He was a writer for The Simpsons during the first four seasons. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, as have many other Simpsons writers...
, and directed by Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland
Mark Kirkland is an American director. He has directed 69 episodes, from 1990-present, of The Simpsons, more than any other person.-Career:...
. The Simpsons writers Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
and Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
were discussing about having an episode where Maggie would say her first word, and Reiss thought it would be cute to have her say "daddy" when no one could hear her. Jeff Martin was assigned to write the episode because he had done another flashback episode in the past, "I Married Marge
I Married Marge
"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 26, 1991. In the episode, Marge worries that she may yet again be pregnant and drives to Dr. Hibbert's office...
". Martin was excited to do another flashback episode because he thought it was fun to check out old newspapers and go back and see what was in the news back in 1983 and 1984. Martin felt it was a good way of finding a new set of things to make jokes about.
In the episode, Homer builds a scary clown shaped bed for Bart. The scene was inspired by Mike Reiss, whose dad had built him a clown shaped bed when he was younger, and just like Bart, Reiss was scared of sleeping in it. As the flashback begins in 1983, a young Homer strolls down the street, singing Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
's song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Girls Just Want to Have Fun may refer to:In music:* "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", the first major single released by singer Cyndi Lauper on She's So UnusualIn film:...
", which was released the same year. The idea for this sequence came from animation director
Animation director
An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film...
Chuck Sheetz
Chuck Sheetz
Chuck Sheetz is an animation director on The Simpsons. He was the producer on 'What's new, Scooby-Doo?", the director of the TV series, Recess. He has also done work on Bobby's World, Rocko's Modern Life, King of the Hill, Recess, and Welcome to Eltingville in addition to directing the Drawn...
, who suggested it because the length of the final version of the episode was too short.
The Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
censors
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
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," due to the fact that Bart was two during the flashback. Maggie's first word was provided by the Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, who would also voice herself in the season four finale, "Krusty Gets Kancelled
Krusty Gets Kancelled
"Krusty Gets Kancelled" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 1993. In the episode, a new show featuring a puppet named Gabbo premieres in Springfield and competes with Krusty the Clown's show...
". While promoting the episode, the producers initially did not reveal who the voice of Maggie would be, prompting speculation as the identity of the actress. Although it was only one word, the voice came out too sexy
Sexual arousal
Sexual arousal, or sexual excitement, is the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity. Things that precipitate human sexual arousal are called erotic stimuli, or colloquially known as turn-ons. There are many potential stimuli, both physical or mental, which can cause...
and Taylor had to record the part numerous times before the producers were satisfied and thought it sounded like a baby.
Cultural references
The Springfield Shopper headline from the day Lisa was born ("MondaleWalter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
to Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
: Where's the beef?
Where's the beef?
"Where's the beef?" is a catchphrase in the United States and Canada. Since it was first used as an advertising slogan, it has become an all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event, or product.-History:...
") uses the currently popular advertising slogan for Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
. Mondale, a candidate in the 1984 presidential election, used the "Where's the beef?" phrase at an election rally in 1984 while mocking one of his opponents. Marge begins telling her story of Lisa's first word by saying: "This story begins in the unforgettable spring of 1983. Ms. Pac-man struck a blow for women's rights and a young Joe Piscopo taught us how to laugh", making references to the 1981 arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
video game Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game produced by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man. It was released in North America in 1981 and became one of the most popular video games of all time, leading to its adoption by Pac-Man licensor Namco as an official title...
and the American actor Joe Piscopo
Joe Piscopo
Joseph Charles John "Joe" Piscopo is an American comedian and actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
. The episode features an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon called "100-Yard Gash," which uses the music from the 1981 film Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice....
. Homer and Marge consider buying a houseboat from the Sea Captain; his pitch is cut short by a shark, which he proceeds to fight, in a reference to the film Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
(1975).
The Olympic promotion by Krusty Burger is loosely based on a similar "scratch-and-win
Scratchcard
A scratchcard is a small card, often made of thin paper-based card for competitions and plastic to conceal PINs, where one or more areas contain concealed information which can...
" promotion by McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, in which McDonald's visitors could win a Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
, french fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
, a soft drink, or even a cash prize up to $10,000 if Team USA
United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics
The United States was the host nation of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. It was the nineteenth time that Team USA participated, having boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics...
won a medal in the visitor's listed event. McDonald's lost millions on the promotion, as happened to Krusty. At one point in the episode, Dr. Hibbert refers to Olympic gymnastic medalist Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title, after 14 Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-Personal life:Retton was born in Fairmont, West...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Lisa's First Word" finished thirteenth in the ratings for the week of November 30 to December 6, 1992, with a Nielsen rating of 16.6 (translating to about 15.5 million households). The episode was the highest-rated show on Fox that week. It acquired the highest national Nielsen rating of the show since the season twoThe Simpsons (season 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
episode "Bart Gets An F
Bart Gets an F
"Bart Gets an F" is the first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 1990. In the episode, Bart fails four consecutive history exams and the school psychiatrist recommends that Bart repeat the fourth grade...
" aired on October 11, 1990. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics.
Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, said the episode is a "convincing portrait of young marriage and hardship in the days of Reaganomics
Reaganomics
Reaganomics refers to the economic policies promoted by the U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s, also known as supply-side economics and called trickle-down economics, particularly by critics...
- and the biggest name to guest voice gets the littlest, but the most significant, to say". When asked to pick his favorite season out of The Simpsons seasons one
The Simpsons (season 1)
The Simpsons first season originally aired between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L...
through twenty, Paul Lane of the Niagara Gazette
Niagara Gazette
The Niagara Gazette is a morning daily newspaper published in Niagara Falls, New York, USA, which covers several towns and villages of Niagara County, including Niagara, and the City of Niagara Falls. It was bought by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., along with other area newspapers such as the...
picked season four and highlighted "the sweetly funny" "Lisa's First Word". David Johnson at DVD Verdict named it "one of the greatest flashback episodes". Dave Manley at DVDActive said in a review of the The Simpsons: Greatest Hits DVD that it is "one of the better episodes and probably my personal favourite on the disc, although most Simpsons connoisseurs would probably go for the previous episode
Bart Gets an F
"Bart Gets an F" is the first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 1990. In the episode, Bart fails four consecutive history exams and the school psychiatrist recommends that Bart repeat the fourth grade...
[on the DVD]", and added that there are "some great parodies in the episode too". The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
s Gregory Hardy named it the fourteenth best episode of the show with a sports theme (the Olympics in this case).
Elizabeth Taylor's performance as Maggie was praised by critics. She was named the 13th greatest guest spot in the history of the show by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. Taylor also appeared on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's list of their favorite 25 Simpsons guest stars. Todd Everett at Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the last scene in the episode, where Maggie speaks her first word, "quite a heart-melter". He added that "it is probably no surprise that the casting of Elizabeth Taylor as the voice for baby Maggie Simpson's first word was a publicity stunt [...]. No mind, the episode in question delivered well-rounded view of series' multiple attractions." Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
"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 but unable to afford a professionally built Krusty-themed bed, Homer decides to build a bed with Krusty's likeness to please his son. However, because of Homer's poor handicraft skills, the bed takes on a sinister appearanceEvil clown
The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.-Background:...
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
Headboard (furniture)
The headboard is a piece of furniture that attaches to the head of a bed. In previous times and in older less well insulated buildings they serve to isolate sleepers from drafts and cold walls...
of the bed comes to life, intoning with sinister glee, "if you should die before you wake...
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
Now I lay me down to sleep is a classic children's prayer from the 18th century. The version printed in The New England Primer goes:Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep,If I shall die before I wake,...
", before collapsing into evil cackling.
The next morning, Bart is curled up into the fetal position
Fetal position
Fetal position is a medical term used to describe the positioning of the body of a prenatal fetus as it develops...
on the floor next to the sofa downstairs, repeatedly uttering the phrase "can't sleep, clown will eat me...". The catchphrase inspired the Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
song "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" from the 2001 album Dragontown
Dragontown
Dragontown is the 22nd studio album by Alice Cooper, released in 2001. Like Brutal Planet, the album displays a heavier style than many of his previous releases...
. The phrase has since found its way into popular use.
Merchandise
"Lisa's First Word" originally aired on December 3, 1992, on the Fox network. The episode was selected for release in a 1999 videoVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
collection of selected episodes titled: The Simpsons: Greatest Hits. Other episodes included in the collection set were "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
," "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons fifth season, and the 100th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 28, 1994. In the episode, Superintendent Chalmers fires Principal Seymour Skinner after a disaster at the...
," "Trash of the Titans
Trash of the Titans
"Trash of the Titans" is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ninth season and the 200th overall. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 26, 1998...
," and "Bart Gets An F
Bart Gets an F
"Bart Gets an F" is the first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 11, 1990. In the episode, Bart fails four consecutive history exams and the school psychiatrist recommends that Bart repeat the fourth grade...
." It was included in The Simpsons season 4 DVD set, which was released on June 15, 2004 as The Simpsons — The Complete Fourth Season. The episode was again included in the 2003 DVD release of the "Greatest Hits" set, but this time the set did not include "Trash of the Titans."
External links
- "Lisa's First Word" at The Simpsons.com