Best Unsung Simpsons jokes

Zorak Masaki

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We have one for Family Guy, might as well have one for the Simpsons too, what are some jokes/gags that are you find hilarious but arent as well known as the memetic ones? I'll start with one from Homer to the Max, Bill Clinton telling Marge "I gotta go, Quebec's got the bomb". Just how he says it like it's a minor annoyance, not to mention the absurdity of the scenario.
 

Dantheman

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Since discovering my cat is not only really a girl cat, but is now also pregnant, the line "From now on, you tell me everything" from The Boy Who Knew Too Much has taken a deeper and more revelent meaning with me.
 

Freddy

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Don't see this quoted often (if ever), but it's one of my favorite:

"I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me, Superman"
 

JoeMabbon

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"Looks like those clowns in Congress did it again. What a bunch of clowns."

Also, it’s far from an unsung joke, but “I have to go now. My planet needs me.” Still in use decades later.
 

Pooky

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It's just occurred to me after nearly 30 years that the "53% New Footage" gag in The Itchy & Scratchy Movie was probably a dig at those 80s Looney Tunes movies (1001 Rabbit Tales, Quackbusters etc;; indeed the original VHS for Quackbusters apparently boasted of "60% new footage").
 
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Dantheman

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It's just occurred to me after nearly 30 years that the "53% New Footage" gag in The Itchy & Scratchy Movie was probably a dig at those 80s Looney Tunes movies (1001 Rabbit Tales, Quackbusters etc;; indeed the original VHS for Quackbusters apparently boasted of "60% new footage").
I kinda always thought so too, and at stuff like the Heathcliff movie, which was just episodes of the TV show released theatrically with new narrative connecting tissue of Heatcliff recounting his adventures to his grandkids.
 

Classic Speedy

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"I'm the luckiest man in the world, now that Lou Gehrig's dead."
 

Fone Bone

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I can't for the life of me remember what episode this was, but a few years back they did a joke about a group of British guys watching the U.S. version of The Office and being horrified! The boss is TOO stupid! There is absolutely no nuance to how bad his behavior is! I loved that bit because it reminds me a lot of the reason Flanderization exists to begin with. American society has gotten SO crass and stupid, making Flanders into a horrible religious zealot is the only way the show could offer contrast to Homer.

For many American viewers, they probably wouldn't actually see anything wrong with David Brent's behavior. We elected Trump after all. It would completely fly over their heads that this guy is actually the louse of year. The U.S. Office had to go to pretty extreme lengths to make Michael Scott's horrible behavior land properly in the U.S.. And yeah, he's an unusually sucky character and one of the worst fictional characters on television. The problem is if he weren't, Americans might not get the joke.

I feel those British guys in that episode are stand-ins for current Simpsons fans' horror at Ned Flanders. And the producers of The U.S. version of The Office are stand-ins for Al Jean. It was a very interesting joke, even if I don't remember what season or episode it was from.

Edit:

Although now that the Brits have elected Boris Johnson, maybe they can give us some slack on The Office, okay?
 
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Zorak Masaki

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During the discussion on bringing Poochie into the Itchy and Scratchy show:

Lindsey Naegle: We're talking the original dog from Hell

Writer: You mean Cereberus?

(everyone is silent)
 

Classic Speedy

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Fone Bone said:
I can't for the life of me remember what episode this was, but a few years back they did a joke about a group of British guys watching the U.S. version of The Office and being horrified! The boss is TOO stupid! There is absolutely no nuance to how bad his behavior is! I loved that bit because it reminds me a lot of the reason Flanderization exists to begin with. American society has gotten SO crass and stupid, making Flanders into a horrible religious zealot is the only way the show could offer contrast to Homer.
Wasn't that a deleted scene on Family Guy? Peter was describing the U.S. version to rile up the British football players. Or maybe there was also a Simpsons joke, I dunno.

During the discussion on bringing Poochie into the Itchy and Scratchy show:

Lindsey Naegle: We're talking the original dog from Hell

Writer: You mean Cereberus?

(everyone is silent)
"Excuse me, but "proactive" and "paradigm"? Aren't these just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important? Not that I'm accusing you of anything like that.... I'm fired, aren't I?"
"Oh yes."
 

Dantheman

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There was one episode where Homer had to get up early for something, and Marge was surprised by this, saying "Homey, you're up early, The Little Rascals aren't even on yet". It reminds me of when I would get up really early on Saturday mornings, before the TV stations would sign back on for the broadcast day, and they would air stuff like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Tennessse Tuxedo and Pals, and Underdog before the "real" Saturday morning cartoons.

The Simpsons writer who wrote that must've grown in an area where The Little Rascals was early morning programming like that.
 

Classic Speedy

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There was one episode where Homer had to get up early for something, and Marge was surprised by this, saying "Homey, you're up early, The Little Rascals aren't even on yet". It reminds me of when I would get up really early on Saturday mornings, before the TV stations would sign back on for the broadcast day, and they would air stuff like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Tennessse Tuxedo and Pals, and Underdog before the "real" Saturday morning cartoons.

The Simpsons writer who wrote that must've grown in an area where The Little Rascals was early morning programming like that.
That was from "Homer the Smithers".
 

Classic Speedy

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Radioactive Man:

Everyone always references "THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!", but a couple of my favorite jokes in this one are not some of the more famous bits:

-Skinner: (over intercom) Students, I have an announcement: One of your favorite comic book heroes, Radio Man-
Nelson: RadioACTIVE Man, stupid!
Skinner: Strange, I shouldn't have been able to hear that...

-Director: We're never going to find- (notices Martin in the hallway) wait a minute. That child has the exact qualities we're looking for. He's perfect! What is his name?
Woman: I don't know. He just came along with one of the others. He didn't sign up officially.
Director: Oh, forget him, then. It wouldn't be fair to the other children who filled out their application forms in full. Next!

Talk about doing things by the book. Did it ever occur to him to ask Martin to fill out an application then and there?
 

Dantheman

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The previous post reminded me of this: I kinda liked the running gag in the early seasons of adults mispronouncing Radioactive Man's name (Radiation Man, Radio Man) to make them look uncool and clueless to what kids are into, as adults sometimes are, like when some adults pronounce Pokemon as Pokeman.
 

Neo Ultra Mike

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-Director: We're never going to find- (notices Martin in the hallway) wait a minute. That child has the exact qualities we're looking for. He's perfect! What is his name?
Woman: I don't know. He just came along with one of the others. He didn't sign up officially.
Director: Oh, forget him, then. It wouldn't be fair to the other children who filled out their application forms in full. Next!

Talk about doing things by the book. Did it ever occur to him to ask Martin to fill out an application then and there?

Fun Fact; that's actually an injoke carried over from the previous episode. See there was this whole contest after "Who Shot Mr. Burns Part One" about who shot Mr. Burns that they did before the season 7 premiere. Asking the audience at the time to write in and say who shot him. No one technically won that contest as the only person who actually got the answer hadn't filled in the proper application and mailed it through official channels so though the team know that person got it right they couldn't give them the prize because it wasn't filled out through the official channels. Thus I'm pretty sure they quickly threw that joke into that episode (since "Radioactive Man" aired right after "Who Shot Mr. Burns Part two") in a scene that fit as an in joke like no one ever comments on but so obviously is one.

Honestly I want to give a special shout out to the lastest Treehouse of Horror episode specifically "Dead Ringer" for having a lot of great bits like "Killing you is really important to us" though the best joke has to be Grandpa watching a Ring esque video and doing commentary over it.

Grampa: Okay. First, there's an evil-looking ring. Then an empty chair. Then a lady combing her hair. I like the old movies where the combing was implied. Now there's a bunch of maggots. Satan head. More maggots. More maggots. No, wait, that's an ad for Chipotle. Now a woman's jumping off a cliff, and we end up with an abandoned well. This is the kind of movie you watch in a museum when your feet hurt. And my feet always hurt.
 

PF9

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When Homer panics after learning that a company he invested in, News Corporation, is the owner of Fox, and when the Budweiser Frogs get eaten by an alligator who prefers Coors.
 

Classic Speedy

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Bart to the Future: Of course, nowadays the episode is mostly known for "we inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump", as well as "Smell ya later" and "Legalize it", but there's also Ned explaining why he's blind: He got laser eye surgery.

Ned: Oh, it was great at first, but at the 10 year mark, your eyes fall out.
 

Zorak Masaki

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Homer and Apu, after Homer gets Apu fired from the Kwik-E-Mart
Apu: I am only selling the concept of karmic realignment
Homer: You cant sell that! Karma can only be rationed out by the cosmos! (slams door)

Always love when Homer suddenly shows a surprisingly intellectual side.
 

Classic Speedy

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There's a joke in The Cartridge Family that always slays me. It's the second act break when Marge leaves the house with the kids after Homer's reckless gun use:

Homer: So this is the thanks I get for protecting my family?! Then go. I'll be JUST fine. (after a pause) ...Do you know how to cook dinner?
Milhouse: DO I! (rummages through the kitchen cabinets getting out pots and pans)

Part of it is the fast timing of it, part of it is there's a backstory to Milhouse in just that joke - Milhouse apparently likes cooking so much, he's more than willing to cook for a man who isn't even his own father. And who usually treats him shabbily to boot. Plus, isn't Milhouse a little young to be able to know how to cook a full dinner? I certainly didn't at age ten.

EDIT: And ALSO- that when Homer asks him, he still has the apple in his mouth from earlier in the scene!
 
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