D'oh! Springfield's favorite family has been skewering pop culture for decades! Join us as we count down our picks for the times The Simpsons brilliantly parodied everything from charity singles to boy bands. Our countdown includes celebrity-filled songs, video game obsessions, tobacco mascots, and even a Broadway musical based on a sci-fi classic!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00That inspirational life story is pure fiction.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:06And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 times that The Simpsons took shots at contemporary pop culture through references, parodies, and or spoofs.
00:16I don't want to be a spokesperson for a cigarette company.
00:19But you're a role model to young people.
00:22And we're thinking of retiring menthol moose.
00:25Number 10. Sending Our Love Down the Well.
00:29Throughout the 80s and early 90s, fundraising campaigns for various social causes resulted in several charity singles.
00:38Think We Are The World, Do They Know It's Christmas, and even Heal The World.
00:43You were thinking a better place.
00:49But questions followed on just how much funding was going through, as well as about cultural motivations, or whether it was all a performative effort by pop stars for free PR.
01:02For The Simpsons' send-up of the phenomenon during its third season, we see Krusty the Clown rounding up several celebrities, including Sting, for We're Sending Our Love Down the Well.
01:14And we're sending our love down the well.
01:19All the way down!
01:21The campaign is meant to help a boy apparently trapped down a well, but it's actually one of Bart's pranks.
01:28Strangely, not one single celebrity seems to realize that their time would be better spent trying to rescue the boy rather than recording a song together.
01:39What are your plans for the royalties?
01:41Well, we gotta pay for promotion, shipping, distribution.
01:45You know, those limos out back, they are free.
01:49Whatever's left, we throw down the well.
01:50Number 9.
01:51The Greatest Boy Band on Earth
01:54The late 90s saw a massive explosion in commercial pop music with artists like Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and NSYNC experiencing seemingly overnight success and superstardom.
02:08But the backlash was equally powerful, highlighting market saturation and a formulaic, corporate and producer-driven sound.
02:25Basically, the promotion of form over substance.
02:28This is perfectly parodied in The Simpsons' 12th season, when music producer LT Smash forms Party Posse, a new boy band made up of Bartz, Milhouse, Nelson, and Ralph.
02:41None of whom can really sing.
02:43Just take it from the top.
02:45Party Posse, we rule the Earth.
02:47The greatest band since music's breath.
02:51Thank you, NASA.
02:54Luckily, LT has access to NASA-created voice-enhancing software, otherwise known as Studio Magic, perfectly nailing the idea that the contemporary pop industry was more marketing than music.
03:08There's trouble in a far-off nation.
03:13Time to get in love formation.
03:16Number 8.
03:17Hipster's Paradise
03:18The modern, hipster emerged in the late 90s as a counterculture lifestyle, rejecting mainstream trends and mass consumerism, embracing vintage fashion, artisanal products, and, well, being cool.
03:33Portland just got too played out.
03:35The city used to be real.
03:37Did you know there are now restaurants there with two locations?
03:40Not near my kids.
03:42But the sheen wore off quickly, and hipsters were soon seen as performative and sometimes hypocritical.
03:49This back-and-forth is on full display in The Simpsons' 24th season.
03:54After meeting cool-donut entrepreneur Terrence, Homer embraces his inner hipster.
04:00And Springfield rapidly becomes the newest hipster's paradise, leaving Marge to deal with elitist breastfeeding mothers.
04:07While Bart and Lisa become bored with Terrence's son, T-Rex's ironic detachment and penchant for vintage toys.
04:16Let's just watch TV.
04:18A TV?
04:19We don't own a TV?
04:22I didn't know that was an option.
04:24I think I'm done here.
04:26Lisa, go nuts.
04:27The episode even tips its hat to Portlandia, a sketch comedy show that also parodies hipsters, by casting leads Fred Armisen and Kerry Brownstein as Terrence and his wife Emily.
04:39Yeah, um, we'll talk about it.
04:42That's how we say no.
04:44Number 7.
04:45A Rich Online Fantasy Life
04:47The MMORPG, or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, exploded in the mid-2000s with the release of World of Warcraft.
04:58The online fantasy game allowed players to create characters and interact with their fellow gamers within immersive worlds.
05:06Earthland Realms is a multiplayer online role-playing game.
05:10Do you agree to the following terms and conditions?
05:13But for many, this fun hobby became an all-consuming pastime, often with real-world consequences.
05:22Will you undertake a quest on my behalf?
05:25Maybe I should run this by my husband first.
05:27Things are more fun if you just answer yes.
05:30Then yes.
05:31While other shows at the time took a more critical stance on the genre, such as South Park's Make Love, Not Warcraft,
05:37The Simpsons' take is more referential, as Marge subscribes to the in-universe game Earthland Realms,
05:46in an attempt to become more tech-savvy and get closer to Bart's.
05:50Though not heavy on satire, the episode does poke fun at in-game avatars,
05:56and at least somewhat references how people can become hooked on gaming.
06:01How could you kill your own mother?
06:03It was just a game.
06:04A game I used to enjoy before you mommed all over it.
06:07Number 6.
06:08Video Games Take Over Lisa's Life
06:11Speaking of video games, in 1994, Sony broke into the console market with the PlayStation,
06:18a compact disc-based system that offers up better graphics and audio.
06:22I got a little surprise for you here.
06:24Check it out.
06:25What do you think about that?
06:26We got real-time, 3D, lush, organic environments.
06:31How does that make you feel, buddy?
06:32What set them apart from competitors was marketing, branding the PS1, as one journalist noted,
06:38a lifestyle accessory rather than just a kid's toy.
06:43You shouldn't be watching the Learning Channel.
06:45You need to take it easy.
06:46But I'm hardly learning at all.
06:49Why don't you play with one of Bart's video games instead?
06:51Q-Down says they're the latest craze.
06:54Ironically, the Simpsons parody of the PlayStation and one of its most recognizable titles, Crash
07:00Bandicoot, not only predicted how obsessed with gaming people could become a decade before
07:06MMORPGs, but ironically focused on children.
07:10While homesick from school, Lisa dismisses Marge's suggestion of trying Bart's video game
07:16Dash Dingo, but once she starts playing, she becomes so infatuated that she neglects
07:21the schoolwork sent home for her.
07:24I trust you got the homework I assigned.
07:25The wind in the willows?
07:26Oh yeah, Ralph brought it over.
07:28Perfect.
07:28Then I won't need to excuse you from the test.
07:31Oh, test?
07:32Game over, mate.
07:34Number 5.
07:36Menthol Moose Needs Some Fresh Air
07:38In 1988, R.J. Reynolds' tobacco company debuted their anthropomorphic cartoon mascot, Joe Camel,
07:46to American consumers.
07:48Well, his whole aesthetic was meant to make Camel cigarettes part of the hip lifestyle.
07:54Though critics had a different read and appealed to younger smokers.
07:58The tobacco company has been hooking young people for many years, it's an addictive product,
08:02and then they can't get off the product later.
08:04After an investigation, the FTC would ultimately argue that Joe Camel had become, quote,
08:09as recognizable to kids as Mickey Mouse, end quote.
08:14So in 1992, the Simpsons' writers held Camel's feet to the fire.
08:18I'm gonna be riding on a pack of cigarettes?
08:21Mm-hmm.
08:22Well, you think you're the perfect spokesmodel for Laramie's?
08:24When Lisa is named Little Miss Springfield through sponsor Laramie Cigarettes, she's
08:29required to ride atop a giant Laramie parade float, while Menthol Moose, a thinly-veiled
08:35parody of Joe Camel, tosses packs of cigarettes to the kids in the crowd.
08:40It's a shock for Lisa, who puts an end to it by literally crushing Menthol Moose under
08:46a giant pack of smokes.
08:47I'm tired of being a corporate shell.
08:50From now on, I will speak out against the evils in society, from dog-napping to cigarettes.
08:59Number four.
09:00Take a memo on your Newton.
09:02During Apple's Steve Jobs-less period, the company undertook several new projects, including
09:08a personal digital assistant, the Newton, which began hitting store shelves in the summer
09:14of 1993.
09:15Newton's about a lot of things, really.
09:17I think the part that excites me the most has to do with helping people keep in touch.
09:21The idea behind Newton is that it's an assistant, something that actively helps you as you capture,
09:26organize, and communicate your ideas and information.
09:29Though some praised the device at the time, a recurring criticism was the device's undercooked
09:35handwriting recognition software.
09:36And production of the Newton was halted in 1998.
09:41The Simpsons took a shot at this supposed technology marvel in 1994.
09:46During a school assembly, Kearney instructs Dolph to…
09:49Hey Dolph, take a memo on your Newton.
09:52Beat up Martin.
09:53…when he annoys them.
09:54The device incorrectly translates this to the now-iconic phrase,
09:59eat up Martha, causing Kearney to whip the device at Martin's head.
10:03Allegedly, the phrase, eat up Martha, became a cautionary tale for Apple employees when developing
10:10the iPhone keypad.
10:12Now that's staying power.
10:14Baah!
10:14Number 3.
10:15A barbershop quartet bigger than Jesus.
10:19Do we even need to explain who the Beatles are?
10:23Though the band had been referenced on the show before, the writers wanted to center the episode
10:29around Homer in a barbershop quartet that was, quote, a big parody of the Beatles.
10:35Dad, when did you record an album?
10:37I'm surprised you don't remember, son.
10:39It was only eight years ago.
10:41Dad, thanks to television, I can't remember what happened eight minutes ago.
10:44Writer Jeff Martin, an obsessive Beatles fan, produced a treasure trove of references and
10:51parodies.
10:51It would take too long to list them all, but more overt references include the name,
10:56the B-sharps, the design for the group's albums, Barney's relationship with a Japanese
11:02conceptual artist, and a finale rooftop concert mirroring a similar 1969 performance.
11:09I can't remember the last time we were all together.
11:12Last year on that stupid Dame Edna special.
11:14Throw in guest George Harrison and one of John Lennon's most infamous quotes, and you've
11:20got a hilarious send-up and love letter to four music legends.
11:25Can't believe you're not still popular.
11:27What'd you do?
11:28Screw up like the Beatles and say you were bigger than Jesus?
11:31All the time.
11:32It was the title of our second album.
11:34Number two.
11:35Planet of the Apes.
11:37The movie or the planet?
11:38The Broadway musical has been a cultural mainstay since 1927's Showboat, and thousands
11:44of shows have since been produced, from legends like Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim.
11:51Ever hear of Planet of the Apes?
11:54The movie or the planet?
11:56The brand new multi-million dollar musical, and you are starring as the human.
12:03It's the part I was born to play, baby.
12:06Though not the most common in the 20th century, there were still some well-known film-to-stage
12:11musicals produced, including Nine, Little Shop of Horrors, and Beauty and the Beast.
12:16This play has everything.
12:18Oh, I love legitimate theater.
12:21Though these did not directly inspire them, The Simpsons writers created an unlikely send-up
12:26in 1996, a musical adaptation of the 1968 sci-fi film Planet of the Apes.
12:33Starring Springfield mainstay, Troy McClure.
12:37The show not only spoofs classical musical style, but also includes a now-famous satire
12:42of Falco's Rock Me Amadeus.
12:44What's truly amazing is how predictive this musical parody is, as the model would become
12:50a genre and to itself during the 2000s.
12:57Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
13:01about our latest videos.
13:02You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.
13:06If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
13:121.
13:13Jumping on the YA Bandwagon
13:16There's no denying the 2000s marked an uptick in the popularity of young adult fantasy literature.
13:22You're T.R.
13:24Francis.
13:24You wrote the Angelica Button books.
13:26They're my favorite fantasy novels.
13:29Um, yes.
13:30It's me.
13:31The creator of your beloved magical world.
13:34With the success of the Harry Potter book series and TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
13:39this goldmine market became flooded with multiple YA franchises, including The Hunger Games
13:46and Twilight.
13:48However, the genre's perceived commercialization of literature, reported reliance on ghostwriters,
13:54and market saturation led to repetitive elements, such as the chosen one protagonist and magical
14:02school setting.
14:02Everything I believed about young adult literature is a lie.
14:07This is all perfectly satirized in this Season 23 episode.
14:11Lisa discovers one of her favorite authors is actually just a figurehead.
14:15Homer assembles a crew consisting of his son, Patty, Moe, Principal Skinner, and Professor
14:22Frank, and guest star Neil Gaiman, to develop their own book.
14:26Their discussions, which eventually produced the troll twins of Underbridge Academy, explicitly
14:32point out many of these tropes and trends.
14:35Our book could be about an orphan troll.
14:37Trolls live under bridges.
14:40The school should be under a bridge.
14:42The Brooklyn Bridge.
14:43And the cool kids are elves.
14:44The cheerleaders are pixies.
14:46The stoners are gargoyles.
14:49And they play a complicated sport, which makes no sense, called Fuzzle Pitch.
14:54Let us know in the comments which Simpsons moments best captured the cultural zeitgeist.
14:59And which just completely missed the mark for you.
15:02Did you enjoy this video?
15:07Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
15:09And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.