Itchy & Scratchy Land
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"Itchy & Scratchy Land" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' sixth season. The storyline is reminiscent of the films Westworld and Jurassic Park and the episode itself makes references to Disneyland.
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[edit] Synopsis
Bart and Lisa see a commercial for the new Itchy & Scratchy amusement park and want to go. However, Marge has already booked a family vacation to a bird sanctuary. After much pleading, they finally win their parents over when they say that Itchy & Scratchy Land has activities for adults as well. They all decide to go to the amusement park. After a long car trip, including taking a seemingly eventful "shortcut", they finally reach Itchy & Scratchy Land.
Marge is slightly uneasy with the many references to violence at the park (for instance, a cheeseburger is called a "brainburger with extra pus"). Homer and Marge spend time away from the kids at the adult area as Bart and Lisa continue having fun. The parents go to T.G.I.McScratchy's, "where it's constantly New Year's Eve" (a parody of Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island) and the kids take advantage of the violent rides. Bart and Lisa also visit a movie theater, where a parody of Disney's Fantasia, "Scratchtasia" is shown. The sequence rather closely copies a scene from the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" section of Fantasia, even including music by Paul Dukas, but with Scratchy in the role of Mickey Mouse - and, naturally, excessive violence.
Unfortunately, their happy vacation is soon ruined; Bart launches a stink bomb into a guy in an Itchy suit and is captured by park security. Homer is also captured for kicking an Itchy in the butt. Marge is informed of her son and husband's transgressions , ironically, just as she is ordering t-shirts with "Best Vacation Ever" written on them.
Meanwhile, Professor Frink, chief of the animatronic robots in the park parades, learns that all robots will turn on their masters; this happens seconds after he makes the announcement (this is a parody of the film Westworld made in 1973). Bart and Homer are released. All power is cut and the Itchy & Scratchy robots advance on them. The family tries to get onto a helicopter carrying evacuees, but they are kicked off for being mean to the entertainers. Homer discovers that the flash of a camera short circuits the robots' systems. The Simpsons then grab dozens of cameras and defeat the entire Itchy & Scratchy army. The family is thanked for saving the park and they agree never to speak of the trip again. Prof. Frink worries about what is happening in Euro Itchy & Scratchy Land (in France), which is completely deserted. This is a reference to the almost total failure of the Disneyland Paris Resort (formerly EuroDisney) in its opening year.
[edit] Cultural references
- Addition of superfluous characters to TV series — In a gift store, Bart and Lisa find stuffed toys and other merchandise of forgettable characters from "The Itchy & Scratchy and Friends Hour." This is a reference to various theatrical cartoon characters who had shows produced for Saturday morning television during the 1970s and 1980s. Often, the shows were built around new shorts featuring one or two main characters (such as Tom and Jerry), along with shorts featuring new characters produced to fill out the program. Often, the characters failed to catch on with viewers and were quickly forgotten.
- AM radio — Homer's inability to find popular music programming on several AM stations he tunes in reflects the programming changes many AM stations underwent since the late 1980s, wherein their music formats were replaced with talk, news, sports and religion. The music formats, for the most part, would be switched to FM frequencies.
- "American Top 40" — The "Sign of Evil" countdown – hosted by a Casey Kasem soundalike and heard on one of the radio stations Homer tunes in — is a spoof of the weekly radio program.
- The Birds — Hans Moleman being attacked by predatory birds while in the phone booth is a spoof of the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film.
- Four Corners landmark — The "Five Corners" landmark where the Simpsons stop is a reference to the landmark where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
- John Travolta — Implication that bartender is really Travolta is a nod to Travolta's troubled film career; his only hit movie between 1980's Urban Cowboy and the airing of this episode was 1989's Look Who's Talking. This would change only 12 days after the airing of the episode with the release of Pulp Fiction.
- Jurassic Park — The helicopter ride to I&S Land and parts of the story (particularly, those set in the theme park) are just as in the 1993 film.
- National Lampoon's Vacation — The Simpsons' various adventures while en route to I&S Land is a takeoff on the 1983 comedy film, with Homer filling the role of Clark Griswold.
- Walt Disney, Disneyland, Disney World and Euro Disney – Many references, including:
- "The happiest place on earth" slogan (lampooned in I&S Land as "the violentest place on earth").
- Euro Disney – Euro Itchy & Scratchy Land (which is deserted) is a takeoff.
- Different "lands" and attractions with appropriate themes, most notably Pleasure Island ("Parents Island"), Sleeping Beauty Castle, etc.
- Walt Disney's alleged antisemitism is spoofed in the character of Roger Meyers, Sr., as well of one of the toys in the gift shop being named Klu Klux Klam.
- The "Scratchtasia" and "Pin-Itchy-O" segments spoof the films Fantasia and Pinocchio.
- Westworld — The "theme park of the future" slogan for I&S Land is an allusion to the 1973 film, which featured a theme park where chaos soon ensued.
- Jaws — Homer and Bart cause mayhem at the beach while wearing fake shark fins, much like in the 1975 film where two boys do the same on the 4th of July.
- Witness — Homer taunts an Amish man much like a teenager in the Harrison Ford film.
[edit] Syndication cuts and censorship
- Syndication cuts the scene where Homer is stopped at an agriculture checkpoint (like that on Interstate 10 westbound at the Arizona/California border) on the way to the park and panics because he is illegally carrying fruits and vegetables in the trunk. Also cut is a short scene where Bart and Lisa play in a fake land mine section of Itchy & Scratchy Land and Bart stomps on the foot of a man in a Scratchy suit as he walks out.
- The Australian version cuts out two parts deemed too violent: 1) The Itchy and Scratchy parade scenes where passersby are showered in blood by the robots, and 2) The scene where Bart smashes the plate glass windows to two souvenir shops (in the part where the family are being attacked by the malfunctioning robots).
- One part of the episode is cut when Bart gets out a bag that says Lil Bastard on it.
[edit] External links
- "Itchy & Scratchy Land" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
