The Simpsons: 15 Callback Jokes And References That Sailed Right Past Us

15 Get fired, stay fired.

I stay fired, don’t I?

In season 8 episode 14, “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show”, a writer insults an executive and gets fired.

He then appears in the unemployment office in Season 9.

14 Ned finds out about Mrs. Krabappel's past.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Neddy.

Season 22’s “The Ned-liest Catch” is commonly referred to as the one where Flanders and Edna Krabappel start dating.

Ned finds out about Edna’s romantic history, which includes a callback to Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer’s guest appearance in 1991’s “Flamin’ Moe’s”.

13 “Did I Die or Not?” By: Dr. Marvin Monroe.

Get your glasses for a few more funny books.

In season 29, episode 2, “Springfield Splendor”, we barely see the book “Did I Die or Not?” by Dr. Marvin Monroe in Lisa’s therapist’s office.

From his supposed death in the 138th Episode Spectacular to his brief return in season 15, this book keeps the mystery going.

12 The Home Wreckers.

More like, “The Almost Home Wreckers”. Am I right? Am I… Guys?

In 1996's, “Team Homer”, one of the bowling teams they play against is called the Home Wreckers, and all the members, at one point, threatened Homer and Marge's marriage.

Princess Kashmir, Lurleen Lumpkin, and Mindy Simmons all tried to seduce Homer, and Jacques is the suave bowling instructor who attempted to seduce Marge.

11 Bart took all the chocolate.

In season 3, episode 13, “Radio Bart”, Homer opens tub after tub of Neapolitan ice cream, but the chocolate is gone.

Then in Season 5, episode 17, “Bart Gets An Elephant”, we solve the mystery by seeing Bart eat only the chocolate ice cream from the Neapolitan.

10 The Bart, The.

It’s widely known that Bart spray paints, “El Barto” all over Springfield. But in season 28, episode 7, while visiting Cuba, Bart writes “The Bart” — a reference to his previous work that pokes fun at the fact that “El Barto” really just means “The Bart”.

9 Groundskeeper Willie’s birth.

Luckily the flashback doesn’t show the conception part.

In season 10, episode 21, "Monty Can't Buy Me Love," Groundskeeper Willie talks about how he was conceived, born, and educated on a pool table.

Then 7 seasons later, in Willie’s flashback, we see the pool table he was born on.

8 Bart really did become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

In season 4, episode 6, Bart can finally watch the Itchy and Scratchy movie 40 years into the future, and in his black robe, he states that he’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Then in season 29, episode 21 (26 years later), we see how Bart dies in the future, and he's wearing the same robe.

7 The giant head is still in the basement.

Way back in season 2, Mr. Burns gifts the Simpson family a massive Olmec carving. Then, 26 years later, Lisa opens the basement door and we see the giant head in season 28, episode 15.

Seems like Bart got bored with it.

6 Play D’oh!

What a ridiculous name for a product.

In season 25, episode 6, Maggie is seen playing with 'Play-Annoyed Grunt’, which is not only a call back to Homer’s countless, “D’ohs!”, but “Annoyed Grunt” is how “D’oh", is written in the scripts.

5 The crashed ambulance is right where they left it.

Redemption!

In season 2's “Bart the Daredevil”, after Homer is airlifted from the Springfield Gorge, the ambulance crashes into a tree.

Then 17 years later, in 2007’s The Simpsons Movie, after another attempt at jumping the Springfield Gorge, Homer and Bart land beside the same crashed ambulance on a motorcycle.

4 Bart forgets but the show remembers.

In season 5, Bart wins an elephant and names him Stampy.

But in season 9, episode 7, while attending Apu's wedding, Bart tells Lisa that he wishes he could have an elephant. Lisa says, “You did. His name was Stampy. You loved him.

3 Pinchy’s death was foreshadowed six years before his appearance.

They reached way back into an obscure little visual gag for this one.

In season 4’s “Treehouse of Horror III”, we see a gravestone with a picture of a lobster, and it reads, “Eaten By Mistake”.

Then in season 10, episode 7, Homer adopts a pet lobster, Pinchy, and accidentally boils him, so Pinchy’s death was foreshadowed years earlier.

2 Skittlebrau.

Homer's imagined beer shows up in the 33 cent store.

In season 9, Episode 6, Homer strolls into the Kwik-E-Mart and says, “I'm feeling kind of low, Apu. Got any of that beer that has candy floating in it? You know, Skittlebrau.

Apu responds, “Such a product does not exist, sir. I think you must have dreamed it.

Homer: “Oh...well, then just give me a six-pack and a couple of bags of Skittles”.

Then, in Season 10 Episode 23, Marge happens to walk by an entire wall of Skittlebrau on the shelves. Did Apu steal Homer’s idea?!

1 That name again (and again) is Mr. Plow.

Another, “Oh yeah, that really famous episode I totally forgot about” joke.

In season 12, episode 8, "Skinner's Sense of Snow”, Homer and Flanders set out to rescue the kids, and Ned asks about Homer’s snowplow from season 4’s "Mr. Plow”.

Homer denies ever having owned a plow, despite both wearing his Mr. Plow jacket and singing his old commercial jingle to himself.

Top Image: Gracie Films & 20th Television