simpsons time travel couch gag

Time Travelling Remote couch gag

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The Time Travelling Remote couch gag is the fifth couch gag of Season 14 .

• 2 Character Appearances
• 4 Appearances

The family sits on the couch. Homer clicks on the remote control and sends the family to the Stone Age, clicks it again to send them to the Roman Empire where they watch a gladiator match, and clicks it a final time to return them to the present.

Note: This is the first couch gag to be digitally animated.

Character Appearances [ ]

• Homer Simpson
• Marge Simpson
• Bart Simpson
• Lisa Simpson
• Maggie Simpson
• Romans (couch gag)
• This was the first gag in digital ink and paint.

Appearances [ ]

• 1 Season 35
• 2 Homer Simpson
• 3 Bart's prank calls

The Sitcom Purgatory of Don Hertzfeldt’s ‘Simpsons’ Couch Gag

Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video essay on Don Hertzfeldt’s trippy, heartbreaking couch gag on The Simpsons.

If the work of animator Don Hertzfeldt could scream, we’d like to think it would. Hertzfeldt’s films are pointedly interested in the kind of existential questions that burrow into the three-pound lump of jelly between our ears. Most pointedly, and repeatedly: “what would it mean to live forever if you couldn’t take your memories and experiences with you?”

This is the central question in Hertzfeldt’s critically-acclaimed sci-fi trilogy World of Tomorrow , which tells of a four-year-old girl named Emily (voiced by Hertzfeldt’s niece, Winona Mae) who is visited by an adult clone of herself from a far-flung future where the Earth is on the brink of collapse. What follows is a strange and melancholic vision of what happens when you can’t change but the world does.

As the video essay below notes, Hertzfeldt was likely working on World of Tomorrow around the same time he created the couch gag for the 553rd episode of  The Simpsons , an animated sitcom that needs no introduction because we’re pretty sure it’s been on the air since the cathode ray was invented (don’t Google that). While the episode itself is pretty forgettable, Hertzfeldt’s couch gag is anything but: an unnerving and sad terror trip of time travel, memory, and tragic stasis.

In the gag, Homer accidentally catapults forward through time, showing us a glimpse of what The Simpsons  will look like millennia from now. As the essay below describes, Hertzfeldt’s couch gag acts as an affecting thought experiment on the existential nightmare of The Simpsons itself. Sitcoms are a world of endless ends and resets; of a family unit that has achieved the long-sought dream of living indefinitely with purpose, forever themselves and forever together.

The gag asks: Okay, so now what? What does it mean to live forever? To be surrounded by the constant reminders of the ways you’ve changed and the ways you cannot? Scream now, if you must.

Watch “ The Best Simpsons Intro Is About Losing Everything You Love “:

Who made this video essay on don hertzfeldt’s couch gag.

Today’s video is by  Jacob Geller , whose content covers a wide swath of subjects, from video games to architecture to folklore. You can subscribe to Geller on YouTube here . And you can check out Geller on Twitter here .

More videos like this:

• Here’s another taste of Geller’s work: a video essay on how the video game  Control  figures into the anatomy and legacy of the haunted house.
• And here’s Geller on why the myth of the Golem is a Jewish superhero story
• The only thing more surreal than Hertzfeldt’s couch gag is the infamous “steamed hams” segment, a vignette about a lunch date gone wrong that captured the minds and hearts of the internet. In that spirit, here’s the masterpiece “ Steamed Hams but There’s a Different Animator Every 13 Seconds .”

Related Topics: The Queue , The Simpsons

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The 10 Best 'Simpsons' Couch Gags by Guest Artists

The Simpsons never looked so good.

When it comes to the legacy of the classic FOX animated TV series, The Simpsons , reviews are mixed with many individuals ranging from the most devoted long-time fans to casual viewers believing that the longest-running sitcom in history has well and truly jumped the shark. The show was a pioneer in adult animation and dominated pop culture as well as the social zeitgeist of the 1990s, but even with a 35th and 36th season renewal on the way the yellow-skinned family has yet to reach the impressive height of relevancy and critical acclaim that it once had.

The show has produced some pretty solid running jokes throughout its lifetime, with its opening 'couch gag' arguably being the most beloved and durable, beginning with the first-ever gag from 1990. The couch gags have even become so popular with fans that other famous animators and artists have put their own spin on them, helping to create some of the most iconic moments of the series in recent memory.

10 "Diggs" - Sylvain Chomet

Animated by legendary French comic artist, animator, and filmmaker Sylvain Chomet , this couch gag first premiered in 2014 before the 12th episode of the series 25th season and features all the iconic staples of Chomet's unique art style as well as some pretty heavy-handed French references.

Related: Best French Cartoons to 'Arcane' to 'Totally Spies'

Homer is shown happily munching on escargot, Lisa busts out an accordion, Bart unveils a 'do-it-yourself' foie gras kit complete with an actual duck, while Marge frantically searches for Maggie. Chomet is most known for his 2003 animated comedy film The Triplets of Belleville which went on to receive two Academy Award nominations and helped propel Chomet's art into the mainstream.

9 "Clown in the Dumps" - Don Hertzfeldt

Don Hertzfeldt, most known for his animated films such as It's Such A Beautiful Day, Rejected, and World of Tomorrow TV series, worked as a guest animator for the first episode of season 26 and helped create the most unsettling and introspective couch gag ever shown on the iconic animated sitcom.

The gag begins with Homer using a time-travel device that transforms him into his original 1989 appearance before zooming forward into the 101st century where the Simpsons family are now deformed, colorless blobs of animation that do nothing but rehash old catchphrases and demand that the viewer buys 'SAMPSONS' merch, reducing the beloved family into absurd parodies of themselves that reflects the current ecosystem of the show. It is surprisingly heartbreaking and overtly critical, with Hertzfeldt's gag representing the tragedy that the show has lost its original purpose and charm.

8 "MoneyBart" - Banksy

Speaking of dark interpretations, the third episode of the series' 22nd season was led by elusive graffiti artist Banksy and opens with a depiction of a dreary and incredibly depressing FOX Studios sweatshop in China where workers are forced to undertake a grueling work environment where they are exposed to nuclear radiation, force an endangered panda to pull heavy carts, use a severed dolphin head to seal packages shut, and use a withered unicorn's horn to make DVDs.

Subtlety isn't really Banksy's forte, and nothing shows the artist's love of heavy-handed metaphors better than this couch gag. This gag has since become one of the most infamous of the entire show, and the fact that the incredibly secretive artist was able to produce something for one of the biggest franchises in the world is a huge feat just in itself.

7 “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” - Guillermo Del Toro

There's no one who manages to capture the creepy aesthetic of fairy tales and the grotesque beauty of horror quite as masterfully as the legendary filmmaker and auteur Guillermo Del Toro , so his terror-filled couch gag of the 24th iconic " Treehouse of Horror" is filled to the brim with montages of his dazzling body of work as well as dozens of references to classic Hollywood monsters and other beloved horror tropes.

Related: Best Mexican Horror Movies

It's easy to get lost in the animated journey that Del Toro takes the audience on, and it's easily one of the most detailed and comprehensive Halloween couch gags ever produced by the Simpsons staff. Del Toro always manages to deliver exceptional visuals to everything he ever works on, and this five-minute opening short animation is clearly no exception.

6 “What to Expect When Bart’s Expecting” - Michel Socha

While the current quality and humor of the show are always a contentious topic of discussion among fans, one thing that everyone is more or less able to agree upon is that the animation and art direction used in the couch gags have always been polished and creative, with the increase of guest artists helping to make them even more experimental and inventive.

The 19th episode of the 25th season includes the talent of indie Polish animator, Michel Socha, who portrays the titular family undergoing a surrealist trip within Homer's body draped in a stark black, red, and white color scheme. Socha created something incredibly stylish and distinct in this couch gag, and while the series may not be held in the high esteem it used to be, its art and animation are always the most exciting things to see.

5 “Married to the Blob” - Bill Plympton

Bill Plympton is an animator, cartoonist, graphic designer, and filmmaker that has produced couch gags three times already for The Simpsons , but it's the sketchy, idiosyncratic animation presented before the 10th episode of the 25th season, "Married to the Blob" that allows all of Plympton's talent to shine through the strongest.

Related: Weird and Wonderful Animated Shows To Check Out

Known for his scrupulous, hand-drawn animation, Plympton's couch gag features a dreamlike sequence of the family in different landscapes that change and shift due to the continuous pressing of the TV remote by Maggie. The gag might not be as flashy as other contenders on this list, but its mellow and esoteric style makes it a welcome addition to the ever-expanding pantheon of couch gags.

4 “Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles” - Steve Cutts

Influenced by the hyper-stylish world of the iconic 1980s TV show Miami Vice , the opening couch gag to the 11th episode of the 27th season was animated by online illustrator and animator, Steve Cutts , whose work usually revolves around social criticism of modern society and is usually influenced by the 'rubber-hose' animation style of the 1920s.

The gag highlights all the very best of the aesthetic of 1980s excess; from all-white suits, blacked-out aviators, a VHS filter, and chrome-colored title cards, Cutts' couch gag is a stylish delight that can make anyone nostalgic for the bygone and explosive era of the '80s.

3 "The Fabulous Faker Boy" - 'Robot Chicken' Team

The only stop animation featured on this list, the 20th episode of the 24th season opens with a couch gag produced by the sketch comedy television series, Robot Chicken, featuring all the playful chaos that is representative of the outlandish and cult-fave Adult Swim show.

Related: The 8 Best Adult Swim Shows, Ranked

The short animated sequence manages to include Homer murdering Ned Flanders via a super-powered rocket fist, as well as committing other acts of violence by transforming into a giant pink donut and squishing all the characters that are unlucky enough to be in front of him. It blends the very best of Robot Chicken while still remaining loyal to the tone of The Simpsons, and is overall one of the most fun couch gags due to the technicolor pandemonium displayed throughout.

2 "Poorhouse Rock" - Spike R. Monster

This couch gag, which was presented before the 22nd episode of the 33rd season, depicts a house party in the Simpsons' family household with a teenage-aged cast of the show's middle school kid characters before scrambling away in hiding as Marge and Homer enter the scene.

Related: 'Simpsons' Producers Explain The Process Behind Their Famous Couch Gags

This couch gag was animated by Venezuelan comic artist Spike R. Monster , who is also a lifetime fan of The Simpsons and even produces his own web-comic, Those Springfield Kids, that similarly follows the adventures of teenage Lisa, Bart, Nelson, and more. The animated opening credits scene is unique not only for its depiction of aged-up characters but also for embracing the talent of fans and allowing their own interpretations of the beloved characters to flourish.

1 "Fland Canyon" - Eric Goldberg

This Disney-inspired couch gag was directed and animated by Eric Goldberg , most known for his work in animation for Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Studios.

This couch gag takes full inspiration from famous Disney films such as Cinderella , Snow White , The Jungle Book , Fantasia , and the original Mickey Mouse cartoons from the early 20th Century. It's full of classic Disney references that parody and simultaneously praise the animation style and tropes that the magical animated feature films are well known for, with a certain Simpsons flair and charm to make it really stand out.

NEXT: "Marge vs. The Monorail" Personifies The Golden Age of 'The Simpsons'

554 Couch Gags from The Simpsons

By chris higgins | oct 7, 2014.

Since its second episode, The Simpsons has featured a "couch gag," a short segment of the opening credits that changes from episode to episode (though there are repeats). The gag occurs when the family plops down on their couch to watch TV. Over the 26 seasons of the show, the couch gag has evolved into its own art form, testing the boundaries of what can possibly fit in the opening credits of a TV show, and taking that opportunity to show what is effectively its own animated short. If you're curious, Wikipedia has an exhaustive list of Simpsons couch gags , which is suitably epic.

And today, Internet hero Omni Verse has put all 554 couch gags to date into one video, in a freaky grid. (Note that the grid is a little off because the show went widescreen midway through its run.) The video is interesting in part because it shows how many repeats gags run in the early episodes (you can spot them here as tiny squares that look the same). But it's more interesting to see the outliers -- the gags that go on far longer than the others. And it's most interesting (and frightening) to hear the sound of 554 couch gags at once. This is the sound of madness, people. Enjoy:

Don Hertzfeldt took the couch gag to its craziest point last week, projecting the series into an infinite, glitchy future. I love this, but I can see how it might drive viewers into a state of deep insanity. Well, here goes nothing:

And if this kind of exercise interests you, perhaps you'd like to watch 130 episodes of The Simpsons simultaneously . At least for a few minutes.

Screen Rant

The simpsons season 35 breaks the show's couch gag formula (& makes it better).

The Simpsons season 35, episode 3 messes with the show's couch gag formula for the first time in a long time, but this joke is more than a gimmick.

Warning: spoilers ahead for The Simpsons season 35, episode 3.

• The Simpsons season 35, episode 3 breaks the show's traditional couch gag formula, but this is a welcome change that showcases the show's creativity and ability to evolve.
• By integrating the couch gag into the episode's storyline, The Simpsons season 35, episode 3 has successfully experimented with its formula and demonstrated its enduring ability to surprise and entertain.
• This deviation from the typical couch gag format allows The Simpsons to explore more experimental storytelling techniques and injects new life into the show after 35 seasons, proving that it still has something fresh and exciting to offer.

While The Simpsons season 35, episode 3 messes with the show’s traditional couch gag formula, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The Simpsons began life as one of the riskiest, most inventive shows on television, but the series has been in something of a critical rut for a long time. Ever since The Simpsons ' Golden Age ended somewhere between seasons 9 and 12, the show has relied on a predictable formula for most of its episodes. There remain some occasional classic outings in later seasons, but there is no denying that even these episodes lack the anarchic spark of The Simpsons ' best years.

That said, The Simpsons is not giving up its creativity without a fight. Season 34 was considered something of a comeback, as the show earned its best critical feedback for years, and The Simpsons season 35 has done an admirable job of keeping this upturn in fortunes alive. To this end, The Simpsons season 35 has made a point of upending the show’s comfortable structure. This even extends as far as changing how the iconic couch gags work.

The Simpsons Season 35 Episode 3’s Couch Gag Runs Into The Episode

Usually, each episode of The Simpsons begins with a couch gag that is completely unrelated to the rest of the outing’s storyline. This has been the case since season 1, and has continued throughout much of the show’s history which, considering The Simpsons boasts over 750 episodes, is a considerable feat. However, in The Simpsons season 35 episode 3 , "McMansion and Wife," the show integrates the couch gag into the episode itself. Homer’s fantasy about owning a fancy sports car starts during the couch gag, but later ends up affecting the plot, despite couch gags usually taking place in a separate continuity from the rest of each episode.

After the couch gag ends and the episode itself begins, Homer meets his new neighbor, who is a luxury car salesman. Homer then says " I just had a fantasy about this car " - a nod to the episode’s opening sequence. This works well, since it means that the extra-long couch gag also acts as an establishing scene for the episode’s story. Surprisingly, The Simpsons has never done this before in the show’s long history. This twist reaffirmed The Simpsons ' impressive and enduring ability to mess with a familiar formula in its 35th year.

Why The Simpsons Season 35 Could Integrate This Couch Gag

Couch gags often feature bizarre occurrences that could never happen in The Simpsons itself, from the couch becoming sentient to the Simpson family turning into an underwater family of aquatic mammals. As such, The Simpsons rarely allows these wild intro sequences to impact the events of the main series. The zanier humor of recent Simpsons seasons has often been criticized, but this couch gag’s successful integration into the episode’s story proves how the show can get away with more experimental ideas by making its tone even sillier.

Such a deviation might make emotional moments tougher to land, but does allow The Simpsons to pull off unconventional storytelling techniques such as integrating couch gags into the episode's main narrative. Such a trick would perhaps not have been possible - or not worked as well, at least - during The Simpsons ' Golden Age. Adding new shades to the couch gag gimmick after 35 seasons is an achievement that confirms The Simpsons still has something to offer.

The Simpsons Has Rarely Blended Its Couch Gags Before

The Simpsons has only integrated the events of the couch gag into the subsequent episode's story itself once or twice before. In season 34, episode 18, “Fan-ily Feud,” an entire episode ended by revealing that it was all a long setup to the couch gag. Meanwhile, in the first couch gag after the release of The Simpsons Movie , Homer was reunited with Spider-Pig. However, The Simpsons had never used its couch gag as part of a normal episode’s story until "McMansion & Wife," and the trick works admirably well here.

The Simpsons needs to continue experimenting with the show’s formula to keep its recent critical success alive. At a time when even imitators such as Family Guy and American Dad have become TV institutions in their own right, The Simpsons risks seeming like an outdated dinosaur in the TV landscape. As such, The Simpsons must play with convention to keep viewers coming back. The Simpsons season 35 has displayed a refreshing commitment to this by reinventing the couch gag in episode 3.

‘The Simpsons’ ventures into the far future with a surreal and sorrowful new intro

Don't ask about the "samspans mating gel.".

Posted on Sep 30, 2014   Updated on May 30, 2021, 12:17 pm CDT

How long until The Simpsons is nothing but an empty shell—a soulless, money-spinning franchise that bears no resemblance to the cartoon that spawned it? That’s the question a new “couch gag” put together for the show hopes to answer.

In an unusually candid intro to the cartoon, designed by the Oscar-nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt , the notion that The Simpsons might be betraying its roots is taken to its logical conclusion. A malfunctioning device throws Homer both backwards and forwards in time, ending in an unsettling future in which almost all memory of a loving family is gone from the world.

The couch gag aired in the premiere of Season 26, “Clown in the Dumps,” on Sept. 28. There’s as yet no sign as to when the “Dark Lord of the Twin Moons” will make his debut on the show, however.

Screengrab via Animation Domination / YouTube

Rob Price is a technology and politics reporter who served as the U.K.-based morning editor for the Daily Dot until 2014. He now works as the news editor for Business Insider, and his work has appeared in Vice, Slate, the Washington Post, and the Independent.

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The Best Couch Gags in the History of The Simpsons

The Simpsons  is not only the most iconic show of modern television, but arguably the most important cartoon ever created. Seemingly everything has been referenced by, and in turn referenced,  The Simpsons . The Fox animated sitcom is a mainstay that pretty much defined at least two entire generations and became a cultural institution over the decades. 

Its influence is truly immeasurable. Without  The Simpsons  there would be no  South Park , no Family Guy , and no Futurama . The entire television landscape would be unrecognizable. The Simpsons  made the adult cartoon the staple of entertainment it is today. There have been over 550 episodes, more than 600 guest stars, and countless recurring characters , but just one famously consistent element on the show: the couch gag.  

The couch gag actually began as nothing more than a clever way to fill time. If an episode ran long, then they'd create a short gag. If an episode was a bit short, they'd create a long gag to pad out the runtime. But over the years it became such a fixture of the show that the intro began morphing into it's own separate art form. As it stands now, the couch gag is essentially a short film playing before every episode of The Simpsons .

Vote for your favorite couch gags, whether you love the quick jokes and visual gags of the early years or the longer, more conceptual gags by guest animators over recent seasons.  

Season 18. Episode 394. 

Mathlete's Feat

Season 26. Episode 574.

Rick and Morty of the Adult Swim series Rick and Morty suddenly crash into the TV room, instantly and gruesomely killing the entire Simpson family. The alcoholic scientist and his put-upon grandson go to great lengths to wipe out any evidence of the accident, eventually creating hideously mutated Simpsons clones, with Bart declaring, "No more guest animators!"

Treehouse of Horror XXIV

Season 25. Episode 532.

The Fabulous Faker Boy

Season 24. Episode 528. 

Four Regrettings and a Funeral

Season 25. Episode 533.

Season 26. Episode 558. 

Simpsons Time

Season 28, Episode 1. 

The Simpsons  offered a playful take on Adventure Time in the opening episode of Season 28, with Bart standing in for Finn the Human (Bart the Boy) and Homer playing the role of Jake the Dog.(Dog Named Homer). The dizzying sequence, which moves with disorienting fluidity, moves through various classic Simpsons moments - the three-eyed fish, Lisa playing her saxophone, Bumblebee Man buzzing over Springfield - before landing on Finn Bart and Jake Homer in a tree house. They sniff each others's butts and have a wee adventure before ending up on the couch, which is perched on the top of a mountain. 

I Won't Be Home for Christmas

Season 26. Episode 561. 

Seasons 1-5 Couch Gags

Seasons 1-5. Episodes 1-103 (lots of repeated intros in those days).

The Originals

Seasons 6-10 Couch Gags

Seasons 6-10. Episodes 104-226 (lots of repeated intros in those days).

The Kid Is Alright

Season 25. Episode 536.

White Christmas Blues

Season 25. Episode 538. 

Season 22. Episode 467.

What Animated Women Want

Season 24. Episode 525. 

Million Dollar Maybe

Season 21. Episode 452.

My Fare Lady

Season 26. Episode 566. 

At Long Last Leave

Season 23. Episode 500. 

Clown in the Dumps

Season 26. Episode 553. 

Super Franchise Me

Season 26. Episode 555. 

Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart

Season 23. Episode 501. 

Season 25. Episode 547. 

Love Is a Many Splintered Thing

Season 16. Episode 339. 

What To Expect When Bart's Expecting

Season 25. Episode 549.

Dangers on a Train

Season 24. Episode 530. 

I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot

Season 15. Episode 322. 

Season 25. Episode 542. 

Eeny Teeny Maya Moe

 Season 20. Episode 436.

Homer's Barbershop Quartet

Season 5. Episode 82.

• # 39 of 274 on The Best Episodes of The Simpsons
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• # 11 of 22 on Every Episode Of 'The Simpsons' Season 5, Ranked

Simpton Abbey

Special Promo. No Specific Episode.

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Kevin McFarland

Watch the Adventure Time Couch Gag for The Simpsons

The 28th season of The Simpsons debuts this Sunday, so it’s about time for another special couch gag. Last season featured a Disney-inspired intro and a frightening Halloween sequence by Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi. But for this year’s season premiere, the show went a bit more surreal, collaborating with Cartoon Network on an Adventure Time -themed gag. Bart is Finn, Homer is Jake, Lisa is Marceline, Maggie is Princess Bubblegum, Santa’s Little Helper is Lady Rainicorn, and Mr. Burns is fittingly cast as the Ice King.

This isn't the first time the show has referenced the long-running fantastical series, either. The 2014 "Treehouse of Horror" special contained a joke about infinite incarnations of the Simpsons family that included a version of the family modeled after Adventure Time characters. But this is a more explicit homage—complete with an unexpected return. Original creator Pendleton Ward left the show he created back in 2014 , but it sure sounds like he came back to sing this altered version of the Adventure Time theme song here. Listen for yourself above.

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Couch Gag / The Simpsons

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• Bart writes something different in detention each episode.
• Notably, a Freeze-Frame Bonus is that Lisa's instrument is always secured to the back of her bike, even in episodes where she's not playing her usual saxophone.
• The literal ' couch gag ', the family gathering on the couch in a (usually) humorous animation. (This is also the only gag that's never cut in syndication, though many of the first episodes to be syndicated saw their original couch gags get replaced with the one where the Simpsons find an identical family already sitting on the couch.)
• Something different flies in front of the Simpsons logo (but it's usually a three-eyed crow).
• When the head of the Jebediah Springfield statue falls on Ralph's head, he will usually make a muttering noise, but early in the gag's tenure he would actually say something, such as " I see stars! " or "It's dark!"
• Early on, when Bart ran over him, Barney would also sometimes exclaim something (such as "BART!") instead of belching.
• A billboard across the street from Springfield Elementary advertises something different each episode.
• The Simpsons' wall-mounted HDTV falls off the wall in some episodes, and does not in others. (This was only used for the first production line using the HD opening.)

Other gags are used occasionally during the ending credits:

• The most regular appearing one is a shriek and minor-key organ variation of the jingle which follows some of the Halloween episodes .
• A gunshot is inserted here for "Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 1."
• "Lady Bouvier's Lover" has Grandpa Simpson saying "Oh, sorry." after rambling for half of the credits.
• The fourth clip show, "All Singing, All Dancing", has Snake cursing the "Gracie music dude.", having developed a hatred of music over the episode. This hatred includes the credits music and the Gracie Films jingle, with Snake shooting in an attempt to silence the music.
• The Family Guy episode " The Simpsons Guy " is the only Family Guy episode to feature the Gracie Films logo in its closing credits due to being a Simpsons crossover. Peter Griffin uses this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing along with the jingle: "And now the show is over now."
• "Dogtown", because of how big a role dogs play in that episode, replaces the shush with a howl.
• A visual variant: Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny" , being the first Simpsons production to be attached in front of a Disney film ( Pixar 's Onward ), included the distinctive silhouette of Mickey Mouse among the theater patrons in the vanity plate.
• Similarly, the army colonel from "G.I. D'oh" assigns everyone in the credits to "front line infantry!"... except Kiefer Sutherland himself, who is assigned to the Coast Guard.
• In "The Mansion Family", Homer crying about the people in the credits being rich (except for Richard K. Chung, for which Homer momentarily stops crying to comment, "Oh, he's poor"). At the Gracie Films logo, Homer angrily exclaims, "Don't shush me, you rich bastard!"
• Sometimes the closing theme is rendered in a different musical motif based on the theme of the episode (such as an ice rink organ after a hockey-themed one), or an instrumental performed by a 'special musical guest' (past bands to interpret the theme during the end credits include NRBQ , Sonic Youth , Brave Combo , Los Lobos , Fall Out Boy and Yo La Tengo ).
• The Halloween specials also generally feature gags within the credits, with puns on the names in the credits ( "Matt Groaning" or "Bat Groening" being almost inevitably featured).
• When the show entered syndication in 1994, many episodes from the first five seasons used the couch gag from "Rosebud" (where the Simpsons find duplicates of themselves already on the couch). Later syndicated airings of those episodes retained their original couch gags.
• On the original airing of "Springfield Up", the opening sequence was cut (among other edits) in order to free up time for the premiere of a new trailer for The Simpsons Movie . Subsequent airings use the couch gag from "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)" (wherein the family are depicted as cockroaches).
• For the episode "He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs", the first episode of the regular TV series following the release of The Simpsons Movie , almost every element of the opening was changed to reflect events of the movie such as Springfield in ruin , the silo still lashed to the top of Homer's car, and Spider-Pig/Harry Plopper waiting for them on the couch.
• For the episode "To Surveil with Love", which first aired as part of the "FOX Rocks" line-up where every FOX show for the week was mandated to have a musical element, the opening credits were completely replaced by an animated music video set to " TiK Tok ", though the gathering-on-the-couch gag still appears at the end.
• A live-action version of the sequence, originally made as a promo on British TV network Sky1 (which, perhaps not coincidentally, was also a NewsCorp property), was eventually used as an actual show opening on the season 17 episode "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife."
• If an episode is too short, a very long couch gag will start to play to fill time. Three noticeable examples include one where the family performs a chorus line while the living room turns into a circus, note  This one was used more than any other as Filler , with a total of eight uses — and it still couldn't fill enough broadcast time when "Cape Feare" aired, hence the famous half-minute of Sideshow Bob constantly stepping on rakes . one where the camera zooms out of their house and into outer space and keeps going until it zooms out of Homer's head again, and one where Homer is seen evolving from a single-celled organism.
• "Lisa Gets the Blues" has the intro end after Lisa's segment when she goes out the doors of her music class. When we see the rest of the family later, they're dressed as lumberjacks and are waiting for Lisa to come home, and in place of the couch is a large log; obviously, Homer was going to use his chainsaw to carve it into a couch for the family to sit on.
• In "Skinner's Sense of Snow," Bart complains that he's written on the board so often that his wrist sounds like a cement mixer (and rotates his wrist to prove his point ).
• In " Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays ," Bart begs Ms. Krabappel to let him write on the chalkboard after school so he doesn't have to go home and endure Maggie's Roofi tapes. Krabappel tells him to just go home, saying, "We all got tired of that chalkboard years ago."
• For "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo," the tenth-season finale, Bart writes "I'm so very tired.", a nod to the fact that the producers were burnt out and wanted to end the show at that point.
• For "Simpsons Tall Tales," the twelfth-season finale, Bart writes "I should not be twenty-one by now," which he would be if an actual ten-year-old boy had played him when the series began.
• For "Dead Putting Society," Bart writes "I am not a 32 year old woman". Nancy Cartwright, Bart's voice actress, was about that age when the episode was made.
• For "The Parent Rap," Bart writes "Nobody reads these anymore."
• For "Bonfire of the Manatees," Bart writes "Does any kid still do this anymore?", as a reference to how Writing Lines has gradually become a Discredited Trope .
• For "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadaaaass Song," the 100th episode, heavily advertised by Fox , Bart writes "I will not celebrate meaningless milestones ." note  It isn't the hundredth episode in production order, however; that honor goes to "Lisa's Rival," which aired in season 6. Neither "Lisa's Rival" nor "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadaaaass Song" make a big deal in-universe, during the contents of their episode, about hitting the century mark.
• In the opening for "Homer the Heretic," Bart writes "I will not defame New Orleans ." The previous episode, "A Streetcar Named Marge," had featured a song about how horrible New Orleans was, in a spoof of the song from the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . Bart's writing on the board was intended as an apology to those who were offended.
• "Half-Decent Proposal" had "I will not bite the hand that feeds me Butterfingers." Marge's crusade against refined sugar in "Sweets and Sour Marge," just two episodes earlier, sees Chief Wiggum disposing of the town's supply of Butterfingers in a fire, only for the fire to reject them. " Not even the fire wants them ," comments Wiggum. This was an inside joke about the show's long history of Simpsons characters (particularly Bart) appearing in Butterfinger ads. This was written around the time the contract with Butterfinger ended; it should come as no surprise that the company did not offer to renew the contract.
• When Matt Groening announced that Springfield, Oregon was the inspiration for Springfield, that week's episode ("Beware My Cheating Bart") opened with the words "Now entering Oregon" next to the main title, while the chalkboard gag read "The true location of Springfield is in any state but yours."
• The Simpsons Movie has Bart writing " I will not illegally download this movie. "
• In "Take My Life, Please," the first HD episode, Bart writes "HDTV is worth every cent."
• In "Barting Over," we see Bart writing "I will not" and then abruptly stopping before destroying the chalkboard with an axe.
• The 500th episode, "At Long Last Leave," featured Milhouse writing "Bart's earned a day off" on the chalkboard while Bart smugly looked on.
• "Black-Eyed, Please" has Bart writing on a whiteboard in marker, the phrase being "Sorry I broke the blackboard."
• In "Trash of the Titans", the 200th episode, where the eponymous Couch Gag would be, Homer, Marge, Lisa and Maggie end up running into Bart's classroom, where they find Bart writing, "I will not mess with the opening credits." (A similar gag was present in " MyPods and Boomsticks", except there, the setting was the living room, and Bart was writing, "I will not bring the chalkboard home.")
• In the Tonight, Someone Dies episode "Clown in the Dumps", Bart writes "Spoiler alert: Unfortunately, my dad doesn't die."
• "The Kids Are All Fight" featured Lisa writing on the blackboard, "I will not pay my sister to do my punishment" while Bart watches.
• In the 25th-season premiere "Homerland", Bart writes, "25 years and they can't come up with a new punishment?"
• " He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs ", the first episode after The Simpsons Movie ran in theaters, had Bart writing, " I will not wait 20 years to make another movie. "
• "How Lisa Got Her Marge Back" has Principal Skinner writing "Never lose a bet to Bart Simpson" on the chalkboard while Bart watches.
• "Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus", the first episode of Season 28, had Bart writing "This arm needs Tommy John surgery."
• "Havana Wild Weekend", the first episode to air after Donald Trump 's 2016 election victory, had Bart write "Being Right Sucks."
• In "Fears of a Clown" (which aired on April Fools' Day ), Bart writes "This is the last episode," only to flip the chalkboard around and reveal the message "April Fool," written in punishment style.
• "Lisa Gets the Blues" has the same gag, only this time Homer is writing "I will not bet with Bart on the Final Four."
• "Warrin' Priests (Part One)" has Homer writing " How did the boy get me to do this? ".
• In "D'oh Canada", Bart writes " HAW HAW! " and then flips the chalkboard around... to reveal Nelson Bound and Gagged to the other side.
• "Better Off Ned" has Lisa writing that "Bart is at a Doctor's appointment."
• "Who Shot Mr Burns" part 1 has "This is not a clue ... or is it?" Part 2 has "I will not complain about the solution when I hear it".
• "Homer's Adventures Through The Windshield Glass", the 750th episode, has "I will not try to cram 750 characters into the opening credits..." The classroom is packed with 14 characters (including Bart) Which ones? Bart, Laura Powers , Nikki McKenna , Clarissa Wellington , Freddy, Uter, Rachel Cohen , Hubert Wong, Sophie Jensen, Sophie Krustofsky , Adil Hoxha , Francine Rhenquist , Alex Whitney and Nelson, with Edna Krabappel outside the door. and the rest of the opening sequence contains appearances from 736 more.

    Guest Couch Gags  Recent episodes now have had couch gags and even the whole opening done by guest animators:

• "Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts" and "Treehouse of Horror XXVI," by John Kricfalusi
• "Dangers on a Train," conceptualized by fan Cheryl Brown as the winning entry of a contest where fans would submit short text pitches for a couch gag .
• "Diggs," by Sylvain Chomet

    Other Couch Gags of Note  This could take a while ... maybe enough for a chorus line!

• "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish": "It's potato, not potatoe." note  This was only used on a repeat airing on June 25, 1992, making fun of Dan Quayle 's infamous 'potatoe' blunder. It is not archived on any home video release, which use the "I will not xerox my butt" gag that was originally used, and is probably lost to time.
• "Dead Putting Society": "I am not a 32-year-old woman." note  Nancy Cartwright was thirty-two years old at the time that episode first aired.
• "Homer the Heretic": "I will not defame New Orleans." note  See above.
• "Homer's Barbershop Quartet": "I will never win an Emmy." note  This episode was the first after the 1992–93 Emmy nominations were announced and was the first time the show was eligible to be nominated for the award for Outstanding Comedy Series (which didn't happen). For the record, Seinfeld won the award that year, and only twice has the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences nominated a primetime cartoon for Outstanding Comedy: The Flintstones in 1961 and Family Guy in 2009 (they lost, respectively, to The Jack Benny Program and 30 Rock ).
• "Lisa's Sax": "I no longer want my MTV ." note  A Take That! at MTV's Network Decay .
• "The Trouble with Trillions": "I will not demand what I'm worth." note  The show's voice cast was in a heated argument with Fox executives over pay disputes at the time.
• "Natural Born Kissers": "I was not the inspiration for 'Kramer'." note  This episode aired three days after Seinfeld ' s series finale.
• "D'oh-in' in the Wind": "No one cares what my definition of 'is' is." note  This refers to Bill Clinton 's much-quoted statement to the grand jury during the Lewinsky trial.
• "Mayored to the Mob": "'The President did it' is not an excuse." note  This episode was the first aired after President Clinton's impeachment.
• "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday": "I will not do the Dirty Bird." note  The Dirty Bird was a victory dance done by the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl XXXIII.
• "Little Big Mom": "I will not create art from dung." note  This was a reference to the controversial "The Holy Virgin Mary" painting in New York City , which was a painting of the Virgin Mary created with elephant dung.
• "A Tale of Two Springfields": "I will not plant sublimin al messa gore s." note  During the 2000 presidential election, Republican ads were being ran that highlighted the word "rat" in "Democrats". The Simpsons is known to be relatively friendly to the Democratic Party.
• "Lisa the Tree Hugger": "I am not the acting President." note  The 2000 presidential election winner had not yet been decided.
• "New Kids on the Blecch": "I will not buy a Presidential pardon." note  At the time this aired, it had recently come to light that in his last two days in office, Bill Clinton issued many presidential pardons, mostly to people who'd supported him.
• "Bye Bye Nerdie": "I will not scare the Vice President." note  Dick Cheney was in the hospital with a heart condition.
• "She of Little Faith": "I do not have a cereal named after me." note  At that time, Bart Simpson Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch was being sold.
• "Half-Decent Proposal": "I will not bite the hand that feeds me Butterfingers." note  See above
• "The Sweetest Apu": "I will never lie about being cancelled again." note  A reference to a Flip-Flop of God moment by Matt Groening about the fate of the series, at which his British interviewer freaked out.
• "Homer of Seville": "The Wall Street Journal is better than ever." note  Rupert Murdoch had recently bought it.
• "The Squirt and the Whale": " South Park — we'd stand beside you if we weren't so scared." note  The South Park episode "201" was heavily censored because of death threats from a Muslim extremist group, which led many to accuse Comedy Central of being cowards. Reruns have changed the joke to "Je ne suis pas français" ("I am not French" — itself a reference to the punitive line "Je ne parle pas français" in "Girls Just Want to Have Sums").
• "Judge Me Tender": "End of Lost : It was all the dog's dream . Watch us." note  This aired the same night as the final episode of LOST .
• "500 Keys": "It's Kristen Schaal , not Kristen Schall." note  A reference to a spelling mistake in the credits in "Homer Scissorhands."
• "Replaceable You": "It's November 6th—how come we're not airing a Halloween show?" note  That year's Treehouse of Horror episode seemed like the first to air in October for about a decade. As a matter of fact, that year's Treehouse of Horror (the 22nd) was the second in three years to air in October; the 20th Treehouse of Horror aired on October 18, 2009, and was the first to air in October in a full decade (the 10th aired on October 31, 1999).
• "Gone Abie Gone": "I will not concede the election till Karl Rove gives me permission." note  This was the first episode to air after the 2012 presidential election, during which Karl Rove had a public meltdown on Fox News, refusing to concede that Barack Obama won Ohio when the network called it.
• "A Test Before Trying": "I will obey Oscar® campaign rules from now on." note  The Simpsons theatrical short The Longest Daycare had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Film; it lost to Paperman .
• "Love Is a Many-Splintered Thing": "I was not nominated for 'Best Spoken Swear Word'." note  This aired the night of the 2013 Grammy Awards.
• "Four Regrettings and a Funeral": "We'll really miss you Mrs. K." note  A tribute to Marcia Wallace, the longtime voice of Edna Krabappel. To emphasize the more serious nature of the message, the sentence is written only one time on the chalkboard and Bart has a more solemn facial expression.
• "Married to the Blob": " Judas Priest is not death metal ." note  A reference to fan complaints about a joke in "Steal This Episode" where they were described as such. Reruns have changed the joke to "If you haven't broken your Christmas presents yet, you're not trying."
• "The Burns Cage": "If Villanova doesn't win, we lose everything." note  This episode aired the day before the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, where the Villanova Wildcats won against the North Carolina Tar Heels, saving Bart from losing everything.
• "Trust but Clarify": "The first episode of the second 600" note  It is indeed the 601st episode.
• "Havana Wild Weekend": "Being right sucks." note  This was the first episode to air after Donald Trump was elected president, which the show eerily predicted 16 years earlier in "Bart to the Future." With the country's left-wing in despair due to his perceived inflammatory and dangerous rhetoric, and the Simpsons' staff being mostly liberal, it captured the feeling perfectly.
• "Dad Behavior": "I will watch all 600 episodes without sleeping." note  This was the last episode to air before FXX's "The Simpsons 600 Marathon" (which lasted 12 and a half days) began in 2016.
• "Fatzcarraldo": "If we're so good at predicting, how come my dad bet on Atlanta?" note  This aired the weekend after Super Bowl LI, where the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots. Also a semi- Take That! to people who claim that the Simpsons "predict everything" even if it's merely Hilarious in Hindsight or a Shout-Out .
• "Girl's in the Band": "I am not a grandmother." note  Nancy Cartwright is one by the time this episode, her first Written by Cast Member venture, aired.
• "The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby": "School online" note  ...and Bart is not in the classroom, as this episode aired in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic ravaging America, enforcing what the chalkboard says. To compensate, the couch gag has a VR-snowboarding Bart write "I must not write on mountain" with his board.
• The Couch Gag for "A Test Before Trying" was done in the style of a movie trailer , depicting the family running to sit on the couch against all odds .
• "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", as the first episode of the series on its own, does not have the intro we all know and love at all. Two other episodes from Season 1, "Bart the General" and "Life in the Fast Lane", go from the title card straight to the start of the episode, while "Bart the Genius" is one of the few episodes where the couch gag continues into the shot of the TV, as Homer squeezes Bart off the couch, sending him flying into the air as he falls past the screen in the next shot.
• There are two Couch Gags where the show attempts to celebrate a milestone they just reached , only for Lisa to look up information and reveal they're too early. These Couch Gags can be found in the 499th episode "The Daughter Also Rises" (where Moe shows up and throws a party with the rest of cast for reaching 500 episodes, and after he is notified of his mistake, he says that FOX can't afford another party . Surely enough, the 500th episode's couch gag is just a still montage of all previous couch gags.), and the 632nd episode "Fears of a Clown" (where the Simpsons get a spot in the Museum of Television for seemingly beating Gunsmoke ' s 635 episode record in the most episodes for a scripted primetime TV series).
• In "My Way or the Highway to Heaven", Homer ends up getting stuck in the Title Sequence for Bob's Burgers (thanks to the usual newer opening sequence featuring Marge knocking him through the wall with her car). The Belchers observe him wandering through the restaurant and engage in some banter among themselves.
• "Midnight Rx" has some meta-humor. After the family sits on the couch, Lisa looks at the audience and says , " What? Can't we sit on the couch without something happening ?" Homer is then impaled by a spear and shouts, "D'oh!"
• "The Girl on the Bus" features a cameo from the Marvel series. Thanos appears on the couch and uses Maggie's pacifier as the final infinity stone. He then dusts Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa and is joined on the couch by Maggie.
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Simpsons Couch Gag Pays Tribute to Adventure Time

Bart the boy and a dog named Homer star in the homage to "Adventure Time" from the Season 28 premiere of "The Simpsons."

Over the past three decades, the opening couch gag on "The Simpsons" has become a television institution, and to be referenced or parodied in the sequence is an honor few of us will ever get experience in our lives. Sigh. Although the thought of never being immortalized as an animated zinger is a bit depressing, the couch gag for Sunday's Season 28 premiere should lift out spirits.

The sequence pays homage to "Adventure Time," mirroring the opening of Cartoon Network's massively successful series. Here, The Simpsons and the other residents of Springfield serve as stand-ins for The Land of Ooo's most notable citizens. Montgomery Burns replaces the Ice King, and we're introduced to a "Bart the boy" and "a dog named Homer."

Check out the video below to try spotting all the references impressively packed into about 30 seconds.

The 28th season of "The Simpsons" kicks off Sunday with "Monty Burns' Flying Circus," in which Springfield burns to the ground, and the Simpsons turn to Mr. Burns to fund its rebuilding. He agrees, but with one condition: He gets to stage a variety show at the Springfield Bowl. Amy Schumer guest stars.

"The Simpsons" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

• Watch Every <i>Simpsons</i> Couch Gag at the Same Time in One Video

Watch Every Simpsons Couch Gag at the Same Time in One Video

G reat news for people who never want to miss an intro of The Simpsons. This minute-long clip shows the famous couch gag from the cartoon’s opener in 554 episodes playing at the same time. YouTube user Omni Verse says there are many repeats, and that other parts of the intro are included to account for episodes that don’t feature the famous scene. At first glance, you might feel like your eyes are glazing over, but it gets much easier to watch as the clips gradually start to end.

MORE: Simpsons Watch: Heaven, I’m in Jewish Heaven

MORE: Hello, Simpsons World. Goodbye, the Rest of Your Life

MORE: The Simpsons Kills Off Krusty’s Dad in Season Premiere

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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at [email protected]

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