The Simpsons ' seventeenth season originally aired between September 2005 and May 2006, beginning on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September and October of each year. Season 17 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on December 2. Apr 13, 2001 Smithers kidnaps Maggie so Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa set off across Springfield, from Krustyland to Moe's Tavern, to Channel 6 and finally to the power plant to take on Smithers. Jan 31, 2017 A playthrough of Activision's 2001 license-based wrestling game for the Sony PlayStation, The Simpsons Wrestling. Played through the Champion Circuit (hard difficulty level) with Ned Flanders. Sep 06, 2010 Simpsons Wrestling, PSX, Champion Circuit. Fight 10 - Flanders vs Smithers and Burns - Duration: 5:31. Amaranthus616 66,793 views.
'The Blunder Years' | |||
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The Simpsons episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 13 Episode 5 | ||
Directed by | Steven Dean Moore | ||
Written by | Ian Maxtone-Graham | ||
Production code | CABF21 | ||
Original air date | December 9, 2001 | ||
Guest appearance(s) | |||
Download youtube video on mac yosemite. Paul Newman as himself Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony Judith Owen as herself | |||
Episode features | |||
Chalkboard gag | 'I am not Charlie Brown on acid' | ||
Couch gag | The family members freeze in mid-air as the camera pans in bullet time from the TV to the couch. | ||
Commentary | Mike Scully Al Jean Ian Maxtone-Graham Carolyn Omine John Frink Don Payne Matt Selman Steven Dean Moore Joel H. Cohen | ||
Episode chronology | |||
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The Simpsons (season 13) | |||
List of The Simpsons episodes |
'The Blunder Years' is the fifth episode of The Simpsons’ thirteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 2001. The episode sees Homer, after being hypnotized by the hypnotist Mesmerino while having dinner at the restaurant Pimento Grove, reminded by a repressed traumatic experience from his childhood. The Simpsons set out to find the corpse that triggered Homer's psychological trauma, which evolves into a murder mystery later in the episode.
The episode was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham while Steven Dean Moore served as the director. The original idea for the episode came from current show runnerAl Jean, which involved the murder mystery in the episode. The writers then incorporated Homer's flashbacks, at which point the episode was titled 'The Blunder Years', a parody on the television show The Wonder Years.
Following the release of The Simpsons'thirteenth season on DVD and Blu-ray, the episode received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot[edit]
After tricking Marge into believing that the model for the Burly paper towel corporation Chad Sexington would have dinner with the Simpsons, Homer takes the family to the Pimento Grove to watch live performers as compensation. One of the acts is a hypnotist called Mesmerino. Homer volunteers, and Mesmerino hypnotizes him into thinking he is twelve years old again. As Homer starts to reminisce, he starts screaming incessantly all through the night. The next day, Homer's co-workers Lenny and Carl bring him home early from work, still screaming. They finally manage to calm him down with some Yaqui tea. He starts to recall the events leading up to the scream-inducing incident. In a flashback, Homer, Lenny, and Carl are hiking in the woods and are confronted by a young Fat Tony, but they are saved by a young Moe.
Upon noticing that his bar was empty, the present-day Moe arrives at the Simpsons' home and begins to recall the events of that day. He remembers that while they sat by a fire that night, they saw a near-meltdown at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. The next day, they go to the old quarry for a swim, and Homer jumps in, only to find that there was no water but only mud. However, Homer recalls that there was no water in the quarry because something was blocking the inlet pipe. When Homer unblocks it, he finds a rotting corpse in his lap, causing him to scream so much his voice changes from puberty.
Back in the present, the Simpsons decide to investigate. They go to the old quarry where they meet Chief Wiggum, who comes with them. Marge uses Burly paper towels to drain the water from the quarry. Finding nothing left of the corpse but a skeleton, they take its skull with them and travel through the pipe to emerge through a hatch in Mr. Burns's office. They confront him about the body, but he insists he did not murder anyone. He tells them that the dead man is Smithers' father, Waylon Smithers Sr. He shows an old surveillance tape, filmed during the imminent meltdown in which Smithers' father goes into an unstable reactor core to prevent the meltdown. He succeeds in saving the city, but he dies in the process due to exposure to large amounts of radiation. Burns tells them that he kept the truth from Waylon Jr.; Smithers then enters the room, having heard the entire story. Burns apologizes to him, saying he wanted to spare him from telling the story about his father's real death. However, Smithers admits that he is glad that his father died as a real hero rather than from a tribe of savage Amazon women, which Burns told him earlier.
Declaring the case of the haunted quarry solved, Homer stores the skull in his 'Memories' box, despite Marge's insistence to give it to Smithers. Just then, Moe arrives, having found some clues to the case. Despite Homer and Marge telling him the case has been solved, upon seeing Moe despondent, they decide to humour him by letting him show them his clues, which continues through the credits.
Production[edit]
'The Blunder Years' was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It was first broadcast on Fox in the United States on December 9, 2001.[1] Although the episode was written by Maxtone-Graham, the original idea for the episode, which involved Homer finding Smithers' father's corpse, was conceived by writer and current show runnerAl Jean. At that point, the episode was titled 'Smithers' Father's Apparent Murder' until the writers incorporated flashbacks to Homer's childhood that resembled the story of the film Stand By Me, based on the novella The Body by Stephen King.[2] At this point, the writers changed the episode title to 'The Blunder Years'.[3]
Actor and director Paul Newman guest-starred as himself in the episode.
Homer's first flashback shows a clip of him falling down Springfield Gorge on a skateboard, a scene taken from the episode 'Bart the Daredevil'. The Simpsons' staff were concerned that this would make people think the episode was in fact a clip show, so they kept the clip short.[1] The staff also debated how horrific Smithers' father's corpse would look. The first design was 'more horrific' than the one seen in the episode, and it more closely resembled Smithers. The corpse seen in the episode was an altered version of the first design. The video recorded by Mr. Burns' security camera was originally supposed to be shot in the same angle as a real security camera, but according to director Steven Dean Moore, to follow the narrative, the staff 'had to lose [the camera angle]'.[4] This led to some confusion, since one of the shots was from inside the core, making it look as if the security camera was actually inside it. The staff intended to cut the shot, but they later decided to keep it in; Jean explained in the DVD audio commentary for the episode that 'Nobody ever notices it'.[2] The end of the episode originally had Chad Sexington showing up for his date with Marge, causing Homer to scream uncontrollably again;[4] however, it was cut in favor of Hank Azaria's improvisation as Moe, which, according to Simpsons writer Carolyn Omine, was Azaria's 'favorite thing [he] had ever done' on The Simpsons.[5]
American actor and director Paul Newman guest starred as himself in the episode, however he had only one line of dialogue. Newman recorded approximately five or six takes of his line over the phone from the set of a movie he was shooting at the time.[1][3] According to Maxtone-Graham, Newman recorded his line with no rigmarole; 'He just said, 'Sure, I'll do it', and he did it instantly.'[3] The episode also features Joe Mantegna, who plays a young Fat Tony.[6]Welsh singer-songwriter Judith Owen, wife of Simpsons' cast member Harry Shearer, also makes an appearance in the episode.[3]
Cultural references[edit]
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Does t mobile give free spotify. The episode's title is a reference to the television show The Wonder Years. Homer's flashbacks to his childhood were based on the plot of the film Stand By Me, which in turn is based on Stephen King's novella The Body.[2] However, the scenes in the quarry were based on the coming of age film Breaking Away, directed by Peter Yates.[4] Burly, the brand of paper towels featured in the episode, is based on the real brand Brawny Paper Towels.[2] The model for Burly paper towels, called Chad Sexington, was based on the Brawny paper towels' logo; however, the logo, within 'a year or two of [the episode]', was changed into a more 'right-of-center' looking brunette, according to Dean Moore.[4] One of the walls in Pimento Grove shows photos of several characters and guest stars who have appeared on The Simpsons, including Birch Barlow, Stephen Hawking, and Ringo Starr.[1] Mesmerino later reads a letter in a similarly to Carnac the Magnificent, played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[3]
Release[edit]
Following the release of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons on DVD and Blu-ray, 'The Blunder Years' received mixed reviews from critics. Can i download raw files on a mac.
![Simpsons wrestling smithers 2017 Simpsons wrestling smithers 2017](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134137502/612644425.jpg)
Giving the episode a positive review, Dominic von Riedermann of suite101 stated that the episode was one of the season's 'comedy gems', praising Paul Newman's guest appearance in particular.[7]
Writing for DVD Verdict, Jennifer Malkowski gave a favorable review of the episode, giving a B rating and pointed at the scene in which 'Homer says finding a corpse explains everything that's gone wrong in his life—especially his fear of corpses' as the highlight of the episode.[8]
App similar to ms paint for mac. Colin Jacobsson of DVD Movie Guide was positive, calling the episode a 'reasonably amusing spoof [of Stand By Me]'. He enjoyed 'Marge's lust for Burly' and 'Homer's rampaging fear', and concluded by saying that, while nothing in the episode 'dazzles', it still 'adds up to a good episode'.[9]
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Ron Martin of 411mania was less enthusiastic about the episode. Calling the episode a 'bad parody of Stand By Me', Martin wrote that 'any moments this episode might have had are annulled by the constant annoyance of Homer screaming through the first half of the episode'.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdScully, Mike (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Blunder Years' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ abcdJean, Al (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Blunder Years' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ abcdeMaxtone-Graham, Ian (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Blunder Years' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ abcdDean Moore, Steven (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Blunder Years' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^Omine, Carolyn (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Blunder Years' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^Frink, John (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Blunder Years' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^von Riedemann, Dominic (September 8, 2010). 'The Simpsons The Thirteenth Season DVD Review'. Suite101.Missing or empty
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(help) - ^Malkowski, Jennifer (September 6, 2010). 'The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season (Blu-Ray)'. DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^Jacobson, Colin (September 2, 2010). 'The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2001)'. DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^Martin, Ron (September 15, 2010). 'The Simpsons Season 13 DVD Review'. 411Mania. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: 'The Blunder Years' |
- 'The Blunder Years' at The Simpsons.com
- 'The Blunder Years' on IMDb
- 'The Blunder Years' at TV.com
- 'The Blunder Years episode capsule'. The Simpsons Archive.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Blunder_Years&oldid=943135035'
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/TheSimpsons
Go To
One day, the Simpson clan is strolling through Springfield, when all of a sudden Homer bumps into Smithers, who is stealing a diamond from Springfield Jewelers for Mr. Burns. After dangling in the air for a few seconds, the diamond takes the place of baby Maggie’s pacifier, and Smithers kidnaps her. The rest of the family takes it upon themselves to rescue Maggie, fighting tons of mooks, Smithers, and Mr. Burns himself in the process.Advertisement:
Such is the plot of this well received, licensed arcade beat 'em up released in March 1991 by Konami, based on the first season of The Simpsons.
The gameplay engine is derived from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (another game by the same company). Up to four people can play, assuming the roles of Homer (who uses good old fisticuffs), Marge (who swings her vacuum cleaner), Bart (who swings his trademark skateboard) and Lisa (who whips enemies with her jump rope). Two players could perform team up attacks on enemies, a feature introduced in this game. In addition, the four playable Simpsons are voiced by their respective voice actors from the series, providing quips and general observations. Due to the fame of the show, the game can still be found here and there wherever arcade games still exist.
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Free download illustrator cs5 for mac. Due to Acclaim's home console license for The Simpsons in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, it was not ported to any of the major consoles of the era. However, it was ported to the Commodore 64 and as a DOS title, but due to obvious technical limitations, they couldn’t live up to their bigger brother. Thanks to MAME technology, the game can be emulated in all its original glory on modern computers. Outside of MAME, an online-capable port of the game was released as a downloadable title for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in early February 2012, just ahead of the 500th episode of the series.
A game inspired by it, The Simpsons Arcade, was released by EA Games for the iPhone. Reception was decent, but it was criticized for having a name that might dupe people into thinking they’re buying this game. That's not to say they don't put nods to the original arcade though.
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For the platform game released by EA Games, go to The Simpsons Game.
Tropes present in this game:
- Acrofatic: Homer manages to kick a lot of butt and go through plenty of dangerous situations in spite of his obesity.
- Adaptational Heroism: Nelson and Sideshow Bob appear in the fifth level, offering a slingshot and Power-Up Food respectively.
- Adaptational Villainy: Mr. Smithers, who robs a jewelry store for a mere diamond and attacks by throwing handfuls of bombs around with reckless abandon. This is due to the video game taking place in the early days of the show, before he received character development and he was only established to be Mr. Burns' right-hand man.
- Ascended Extra: Professor Werner von Brawn, who was only in one episode of the show, managed to become the first boss of the game. Also, the drunken boss in Moe's Tavern resembles a background character from the first season episode 'There's No Disgrace Like Home'.
- Aside Comment:
- If left idle for too long, the characters will turn to the screen and say a line. Except Homer, he just yawns.Marge:[shaking her hair] How's my hair?
Bart:[making a face] Who the hell are you?
Lisa:[making a face] Ha ha, made you look! - When burned by an enemy, the characters will turn to the screen and say a line.Homer: Eesh I'm fried!
Marge: This burns me up!
Bart: I'm toastified man!
Lisa: Hey no fair!
- If left idle for too long, the characters will turn to the screen and say a line. Except Homer, he just yawns.
- Ass Kicks You: One of Marge’s attacks is to smack enemies with her rear end.
- Attack! Attack.. Retreat! Retreat!: At the end of Springfield Butte, your characters jump into a river to swim after Maggie, who's currently floating away. But then they see a waterfall coming up (along with Smithers grabbing Maggie from a helicopter) and instantly change their tune.
- Badass Boast: Mr. Burns gets a pretty good one just before you fight him — with emphasis added by him bursting through the wall of his office in a plutonium-powered mech suit and throwing Maggie to one side.
- Badass Family: The four playable Simpsons qualify, since they're fighting loads of bad guys just to save Maggie.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Homer uses his bare mitts to fight.
- Bears Are Bad News: The boss of Springfield Butte is a ferocious bear. Once defeated, it's revealed to actually be a fat mook in disguise.
- Big Bad: Mr. Burns is the main villain.
- Bonus Stage: There are two bonus levels. The better you do, the more points you get.
- In the first one, which follows Downtown Springfield (stage one), you have to pump up a large balloon shaped after your character’s head by mashing the attack and jump buttons.
- After Dreamland (stage six), you have to mash the attack and jump buttons to slap your character into waking up.
- Boss-Only Level: Stage 8 pits your characters against Smithers as he throws bombs around, followed by Burns in a multi-stage battle in which he pilots a mech suit.
- Breath Weapon: The drunk boss of Moe's Tavern breathes fire. He sometimes sneezes out smoke as well.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall:
- In stage one, an advertisement for this very game is posted on the wall of the video arcade. The arcade itself appears in the Moe's Tavern level.
- Brick Joke: In Krustyland (Level 2), you see a bear escape from its cage. Then in Springfield Butte (Level 5), you see (presumably) the same bear chase off Mr. Smithers.note
- Button Mashing: Subverted, somewhat. Over-reliance on button mashing will actually cause your character to stall for a second. Played straight in the Bonus Stages.
- The Cameo:
- The rabbits from Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strip, appearing in the pre-level bumpers and even as enemies! And as a gag, Marge’s X-Ray Sparks animation reveal her to be a rabbit in disguise.
- If you look at a spritesheet, Marge's rabbit ears also show up occasionally.
- Milhouse offers a hammer and Nelson a slingshot to whoever gets to them first, in Stage 2 (Krustyland) and Stage 5 (Springfield Butte).
- Also Patty and Selma, Abe, Terri and Sherri, Skinner, Martin, Otto, Howard (from the episode 'Moaning Lisa') and even Sideshow Bob make small cameos throughout the game. The XBLA/PSN port catalogues all of the Simpsons universe cameos.
- Canon Foreigner: All the bad guys in the game were created for the game and never appeared on the show save four, Professor Werner von Brawn (the pro wrestler boss who's just really obscure), the drunk at Moe's (also really obscure), Smithers and Mr. Burns.
- Though the tall thug boss has a resemblance to reporter Dave Shutton from the early seasons. One might consider the boss of Dreamland Marge's bowling ball named 'Homer' (it even scratches its butt).
- Canon Immigrant: Krustyland first appeared in this game; it had not even been mentioned in the show up to this point, and wouldn't appear until several seasons later.
- Chain Reaction Destruction: The boss of Dreamland explodes in this manner.
- Circling Birdies: The bear boss of Springfield Butte has birds fly over its head before turning back into one of the fat henchmen.
- Combination Attack: Any two family members can do a combination attack if they idle next to each other long enough. There are four types - Homer and Marge hold each other's ankles and quickly roll around the screen, Bart and Lisa link arms and wail to defeat foes (wider range but less speed than their parents' attacks), Homer lifts Bart or Lisa on his shoulders to attack from up there for extra damage, and Marge picks up either kid to throw them across the screen.
- Comedic Underwear Exposure: After the first boss attacks (usually after striking every Player Character), he'll make some kind of garbled, guttural moaning sound and his pants will drop, revealing pink sparkly briefs.
- Complexity Addiction: Mr. Burns steals a gem he could likely just buy with ease; abducts Maggie rather than just take the gem back from her; and likely spends far more than the gem's worth on all those Mooks, weapons, etc., to try and stop the Simpsons from coming for her.
- Color-Coded Multiplayer: Not the characters themselves, but the status displays of each player are uniquely colored depending on the character.
- Marge - Red.
- Homer - Blue.
- Bart - Green.
- Lisa - Orange.
- In the Japanese 4-Player version, the colors of Bart and Lisa's status displays are switched.
- In the 2-Player version, player 1's character select cursor is red while player 2's is blue.
- Creator Provincialism: The only reason why those ninjas and that kabuki warrior appear in the penultimate stage of the game, being programmed by Konami, a Japanese developer, and the fact the game was programmed when the series wasn't dubbed yet to Japanese until a year later.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Burns is the richest man in Springfield. Can't he just buy that diamond?
- Difficulty by Region: The Japanese version is a bit easier than the American release. For instance, it adds nuclear bombs that instantly KO all on-screen mooks, more weapons and food throughout the whole game, the ability to jump while carrying items, a slingshot that kills all enemies in one hit, the ability to have more than 100% health by eating more food when your health bar is full, and a free health refill when you finish a level.
- The Dragon: Smithers kidnaps Maggie on Mr. Burns' orders and is the last boss fought in the game prior to the final battle against Mr. Burns.
- Dream Land: Stage 6 - Dreamland.
- Dual Boss: The two thugs you encounter throughout the first three stages of the game. They can do a Combination Attack just like player characters.
- Early-Bird Boss: The wrestler is surprisingly difficult for a first level boss.
- Early Installment Weirdness: For the franchise as a whole, though in all fairness the cartoon was still in its infancy (the show was only in its second season when this was released), so it's understandable that many aspects of the game are inconsistent with what has since been established in the cartoon.
- Take for example, Lisa, an extreme vegetarian since the season seven episode 'Lisa the Vegetarian', exclaiming, “All right!” as she devours a health-regenerating Krusty Burger.
- One of the most infamous examples, Sideshow Bob cameos in the Springfield Butte, but since he'd only had one appearance beforehand, he doesn't speak or even attack the Simpsons.
- The game's bosses all actually appeared in the show, but seeing as the show was only in its second season, most players won't recognize them. Even longtime fans would be hard-pressed to remember what episode the wrestler at the end of Level 1 is from..
- Also, Smithers is black (as he was in the early Simpsons episodes).
- Barney has blond hair and wears a green shirt in the game just like he did during most of the first season.
- Everything's Deader with Zombies: Zombies appear in the Springfield Discount Cemetery.
- Everything Trying to Kill You: A wrestler, a balloon, goons, a drunk, a bear (or rather a Mook in a bear costume), a giant bowling ball, a Kabuki Master.. And those are just the bosses.
- Father's Quest: This is the main plot, in which Mr. Burns and Smithers kidnap Maggie and all the family goes after her. Although you also can choose Marge, Bart or Lisa, this trope goes straight if you choose Homer as your character.
- Flash of Pain: Most bosses turn red at seizure times upon critical health.
- Funny Background Event:
- When you pass by the Noiseland Video Arcade in the first scene, it has a sign in the window advertising.. this game.
- Occasionally, if a player dies, when they fly in to respawn, they can smack face-first into a wall.
- Game Gourmet: Weaponized foods (drinks) aside, you can restore your life with apples, oranges, corn, burgers, donuts, roast chickens, hot dogs, and pies. Some items are obtainable from fruit trees or NPCs, while others are simply strewn about.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: While Marge has a vacuum cleaner, Bart has his skateboard, and Lisa uses her jump rope, Homer decides to let his fists (and feet and flying cross body dives) do the talking.
- Gratuitous Ninja: The last part of the Channel 6 level has you fighting ninjas on a Japanese-themed film set.
- The Heavy: Smithers makes several more appearances than Mr. Burns himself, though he's not actually the final boss of the game.
- Hope Spot: In the fifth level, Smithers stops over near Springfield Butte for a little rest only to be chased by a bear, throwing Maggie into, oddly convenient, floatie, only seconds before the family arrive from Moe's secret elevator. After going through the level and beating the boss, the family spot Maggie floating past and jump in to grab her.. only for Smithers to show up in a helicopter and nab her once again. If that wasn't bad enough, the stream leads right into a waterfall.
- Humiliation Conga: Mr. Burns. All his presumably hired mooks and bosses were defeated, his presumably-very expensive battle machine was destroyed, he didn't get the diamond he had sent Smithers out to steal in the first place, and right after losing, he gets a baby pacifier stuck in his mouth as the icing on the cake. All in all? Really not a good day to be Mr. Burns.
- Humongous Mecha: In his role as the Final Boss, Mr. Burns attacks the Simpsons in a giant plutonium-powered mecha suit. It's equipped with multiple backup forms of movement (legs, then tank treads, and finally a hovercraft mechanism) and various weapons — including extendable punching fists, stabbing claws, missiles, shoulder-mounted laser guns, and even miniature nuclear bombs.
- Idle Animation: Each character has some reaction to the player doing nothing for too long; for example, Homer lets out a yawn, while Bart looks at the camera and says, 'Who the hell are you?'
- Improbable Weapon User: Marge uses a vacuum, Bart uses his skateboard, and Lisa uses a jumprope.
- Improvised Weapon: Marge's vacuum and Bart's skateboard count, since they're the respective default weapons (but aren't typically designed for fighting). Grabbing a hammer or a slingshot is the reverse, but many of the other things you can pick up and throw at enemies are this trope.
- Inevitable Waterfall: At the end of Stage 5. The Simpsons plummet to the bottom and the scene is set for Stage 6: Dreamland.
- Kabuki Sounds: Fittingly the boss battle against the Kabuki Master has these in the music. He also lets out one final 'Yooo~oh' upon defeat.
- Last Ditch Move: Dreamland's bowling ball boss explodes into a flurry of smaller balls upon being defeated. It's completely unavoidable. In an easier variant, Smithers' final barrage of bombs is easy to avoid.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When hit by certain attacks, the Simpsons are smashed into the screen.
- Logo Joke: The Konami logo appears on the Simpsons’ TV while they sit on the couch.
- Mad Bomber:
- Mr. Smithers throws Cartoon Bombs around the arena when you fight him.
- Also Mr. Burns, considering his death machine drops miniaturised nuclear warheads that deal a ton of damage.
- The boss of Stage 2 sometimes places balloons in the air that drop off bombs.
- Made of Iron: The only harm a large fall from the top of a waterfall does is knock the Simpsons unconscious and provide the set-up for the Dreamland stage.
- Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Parody: In Stage 3, when a batch of zombies rise from the ground they briefly perform the Thriller dance.
- Oddball in the Series: This is the only game of the franchise that was not developed by a Western studio, and it shows sometimes.
- One-Hit Point Wonder: Hilariously, Mr. Burns goes down with any attack after his mech is destroyed. You can also opt to just wait and he'll fall over anyway.
- One-Man Army: Or woman if you prefer. Even the demure Marge and Lisa can and will take on many goons for Maggie's sake.
- The Other Darrin: Harry Shearer didn't lend his voice to this game, so Smithers and Mr. Burns have noticeably different voices.
- Pinball Scoring: Averted in the American version, but played straight in the Japanese version, which adds 2 extra zeroes to the end of your score (so 1 US point = 100 Japanese points).
- Power-Up Food: Occasionally, characters like Sheri and Teri, Millhouse, or Sideshow Bob show up with things like chicken, hamburgers or the like that refill your Life Meter. Also, hitting a tree can sometimes cause an apple to fall that does the same thing.
- Regional Bonus: Besides the difficulty changes listed above, the Japanese version (released several months after the American version) has a more sophisticated scoring system and adds more characters to the game's ending.
- Rock Beats Laser: Mr. Burns has a mech suit equipped with extending fists, claws, missiles, lasers, and bombs. Marge has a vacuum cleaner, Homer has his fists, Bart has a skateboard, and Lisa has a jump rope. Guess who wins.
- Sequential Boss: The Nuclear Plant stage consists of two boss fights in a row: Mr. Smithers and Mr. Burns, the latter having multiple stages before defeat.
- Slap Yourself Awake: A mini-game consists of the player slapping their character's face to make them regain consciousness, following the Inevitable Waterfall.
- Smashing Survival: When your character gets grabbed by one of the mooks, the game says 'Wiggle Joystick! Push Buttons!' which is required to break free. Or one of your teammates can save you.
- Shout-Out:
- The Fat Mooks can grab and choke any of the family members, which causes your character to take on an expression similar to Bart's when he's being choked by Homer. Which is humorously ironic if you're playing as Homer..
- Moe's Tavern features appearances of Aliens cabinets, also a Konami arcade game based on a Fox license.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Surprisingly averted, given the era it came out. Bart is no more or less important or prominent than the rest of the Simpson family in the game itself or its advertising.
- Stalked by the Bell: Take too long to hustle when there's no enemies around and a hand will appear pointing to the right with a message reading 'HURRY UP'. Fail to heed its command and the hand will float over to the offending player and flick them for a chunk of their health.
- Stock Sound Effects: Bosses recycle several sound/voice clips. The bowling ball makes the same groan as the wrestler and the bear's early roars, and Mr. Burns says the same 'Where do ya think YOU'RE goin'?' as the two suited men in stage 3.
- Strong Flesh, Weak Steel: Sure, Mr. Burns's machine hits hard, but you can take it down with about as many punches/kicks/makeshift weapon strikes as you would a regular fleshy boss (albeit Burns's machine has multiple forms).
- Also inverted, as after you completely destroy Burns's machine, Burns himself only takes one hit to finish off.
- Straw Nihilist: Lisa's quote in the intro is 'embrace nothingness' (which doesn't make sense, especially long before she became a Buddhist).
- Tank-Tread Mecha: Mr. Burns' robot suit extends tank treads as a second form after the first bipedal form receives too much damage.
- Theme Naming: Just like the city itself, 'Springfield' pops up in the stage names of most of the stages.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Homer's fighting style can degrade to wild flailing. That said, he's strong enough to not need a weapon.
- Visual Pun: When you defeat Smithers in the Japanese version, he drops a bunch of fruit. This could also be seen as Hilarious in Hindsight, as the running joke about Smithers' sexuality had yet to be developed in the show itself.
- Whip It Good: Lisa's jump rope serves as her weapon.
- Wingding Eyes:
- Happens when one player dies with zero lives; the controlled Simpson's eyes become X's.
- Mr. Burns' eyes become crosses after Maggie sticks her pacifier in his mouth.
- Would Hurt a Child: Mr. Burns, Smithers along with the rest of the enemies have no issues with attacking and hurting Bart and Lisa.