# An Analysis of the Simpsons rake scene **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808 "2004-05-24T15:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Israfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@Israfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Israfel)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/41 "2004-05-25T21:36:48Z")
> [@Thirty-Nine](#): > > In one of the episode commentaries included on the third season DVD, the Simpsons writers/actors present discuss their wariness regarding Family Guy. I can’t remember much, but they said that it didn’t work because they only had one writer - they claimed the necessary creativity wasn’t possible this way. I’m not sure if this is true anymore, or if it ever was, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Wait…I don’t have access to the DVDs to double check, but I could have the sworn the comment about having one writer was made about Family _Dog_ - or one of the other short-lived shows from that era. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/42 "2004-05-25T21:43:39Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Not to mention the Halloween episode where Homer found the cloning hammock and one of the clones came out looking like Peter Griffin. > > I love Family Guy, but I think even Seth McFarlene knows at it’s heart, Family Guy is a Simpsons imitator. Yeah… and Queer as Folk is a Will and Grace imitator. Talk about comparing apples and oranges… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/43 "2004-05-25T22:00:21Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Actually, I don’t. What the hell was Dinosaurs? A [comedy of the early nineties](http://imdb.com/title/tt0101081/) featuring characters in dinosaur costumes and some puppetry, rather like a prehistoric version of Muppets. It was heavy on the social satire, too. Aside from a number of sight gags and other throwaway humour (TV weather report: “Well, we’ve got an active supercontinent today, and it looks like the Tigris/Euphrates valley has torn completely clear, so if you’ve got any relatives there, better kiss 'em good-bye”), similarity to _Simpsons_ was scant. There was a loutish father with a dead-end corporate job, an endlessly-suffering mother, a underacheiving son, an overly-intellectual (and thus unpopular) daughter, an infant, an borderline senile grandparent… Well, perhaps “scant” is too strong a word. Anyhoo, the fact that _Simpsons_ parodied them doesn’t prove hostility or arrogance, and more than their parodies of _Married With Children_ or _Home Improvement_. It was just another topical reference. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/44 "2004-05-25T22:10:30Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I have actually stood on a rake by accident, and boy does it hurt to be hit by the handel at that speed. What does one say when hit by the Handel? Hal…le-lu-jah! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/45 "2004-05-26T02:18:42Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > rather like a prehistoric version of Muppets. More than you probably realize… Jim Henson’s company was behind the show. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/46 "2004-05-26T02:53:46Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > More than you probably realize… Jim Henson’s company was behind the show. Oh, I knew that, but _Dinosaurs_ relied far more on costumes than on puppetry, distinguishing it from other Henson productions liks _Sesame Street, The Muppet Show_ or _Fraggle Rock_, where actors in costumes were relatively rare, limited primarily to Big Bird, Snuffalupagus and the Gorgs. In any case, _Simpsons_ also took shots at _Capitol Critters_, _Family Dog_ and _Fish Police_, three short-lived animated shows, by showing their graves in a pet cemetary. There’s a cruel chuckle to be had, but not any real hostility. ---
**Author:** ![BytopianDream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@BytopianDream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BytopianDream)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/47 "2004-05-26T04:37:07Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > There was a loutish father with a dead-end corporate job, an endlessly-suffering mother, a underacheiving son, **an overly-intellectual (and thus unpopular) daughter**, an infant, an borderline senile grandparent… _Bolding mine_ Really? I thought Charlene was the complete moron one really. Or sure, she had a few genius moments here and there, but come on: “Robbie, can you help me find Pangea on this map?” _She holds up a map of the Earth with one continent, Pangea, on it._ Sigh, love that show. I’d say no one on that show was too bright. Robbie seemed smarter than anyone else except the Mom, Fran. (Back to the OP and topic) Yes, the Simpsons rag on other TV shows like them. But I find that is more about how unoriginal we are, rather than their being upset by the possible derivations of each show. Heck, I’m sure there are examples of the same type of shows past the Honeymooners. I would not be suprised if you could find such families in radio shows and theatre as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/48 "2004-05-26T06:59:11Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > There’s a sort-of similar gag on [homestarrunner.com](http://homestarrunner.com), when Homestar is dumping a soda on Strongbad’s computer keyboard. Since you used spoiler tags, I’ll continue the trend: > > The soda keeps pouring and pouring, and the “go back?” prompt comes on the screen, so you believe that the flash animation has ended and is just in a loop. But then, after an unbelievably long time, Homestar suddenly says: “Dang, that’s like, the never-ending soda”. If my memory serves me correctly, the gag continues with Homestar… …singing “The Never-Ending SoooOOOOOooda, oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh…” That cracked me up, man! ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/49 "2004-05-26T07:03:36Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > There was a loutish father with a dead-end corporate job, an endlessly-suffering mother, a underacheiving son, an overly-intellectual (and thus unpopular) daughter, an infant, an borderline senile grandparent… Actually, I don’t remember the daughter being particularly intellectual, nor the son being particularly un-intellectual. And the grandmother was more mean than anything else. I could be remembering wrong, though. > [@](#): > > Miller: > Poking fun at a rival TV show does not necessarily equate with genuine ire at the other show, and I continue to be confused by people who assume that it does. The Simpsons make fun of Homer more than they make fun of Peter Griffin. Should I therefore assume that the writers all hate Homer? Somebody help me out with the logic here. Whoah, calm down man. I don’t think anyone said anything about “ire”. The point is that they _have_ taken shots at other shows for supposedly imitating them. Whether it was in jest or out of anger isn’t really the point. The point is that you seemed to think them “incapable of such hypocrisy”. I merely pointed out that yes, they have taken a shot at at least one other show for imitating them. The implied hypocrisy did not prevent them from doing so. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/50 "2004-05-26T07:27:43Z")
I love this message board. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/51 "2004-05-26T07:59:49Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Actually, I don’t remember the daughter being particularly intellectual, nor the son being particularly un-intellectual. And the grandmother was more mean than anything else. I could be remembering wrong, though. That’s what I remember too. Great show, it really needs to come to DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/52 "2004-05-26T08:29:01Z")
I just have to mention another bit of cartoon timing genius: Wile E Coyote. Cut to: road. Pile of birdseed. Pan up: a wooden chute appears aimed directly at the birdseed. Pan up: the wooden chute continues up. Pan up: the wooden chute continues up, zigging left and right. Pan up: the wooden chute continues up in a complicated pattern. Pan up: Wile E Coyote stands at the top of the chute with a bomb. Wile E lights the match and lights the bomb, which _instantly_ explodes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/53 "2004-05-26T10:01:28Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That was precisely the scene I was thinking of when I made my last post. It never even crossed my mind to consider it an insult aimed at FG until someone posted about it on the boards here. Likewise for me. Beyond that, I don’t think I can add anything to that great post. > [@Shalmanese](#): > > While other shows have had overly long scenes, they wern’t of the same style because they were either absurd (like the Tom & Jerry scene) _or had a point (like the chicken scene in family guy)_. [My italics] I don’t agree with this bit. More than any other show I’ve seen, I think Family Guy throws stuff like that in when there’s no point aside from being odd. There’s kind of an extra laugh just because they’re going so far beyond the pale with a gag. Peter’s fight with the chicken had nothing to do with the plot of the episode. The very long fight between all the family members (although that one did relate to the plot) is another example, or the episode where Meg, Chris and Stewie sing almost all of So Long, Farewell from _The Sound of Music_ completely straight-faced. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/54 "2004-05-26T10:04:15Z")
Okay, not my italics. :smack: Forgot the quote tags did that. I was trying to emphasize “or had a point (like the chicken scene in family guy).” ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/55 "2004-05-26T10:48:50Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Talk about comparing apples and oranges… Are you saying that The Simpsons and Family Guy are apples and oranges? If you are, that is absolutely ridiculous. I love the Family Guy. I’ve laughed my ass off at most of the episodes and I eagerly await its [rumored] return. I also agree with Miller that The Simpsons aren’t bashing it as much as giving it a nod or at least a non-commited reference. But don’t think for one second that the two shows are apples and oranges. Family Guy is a Simpsons rip-off through and through. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/56 "2004-05-26T10:56:11Z")
Family Guy’s return sounds very definite to me at this stage. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/57 "2004-05-26T11:24:25Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Family Guy is a Simpsons rip-off through and through. I think Family Guy would not have seen air time if it weren’t for the Simpsons, but there’s not a lot of similarity otherwise, IMO. Even their brands of offbeat humor I find different. What always bugged me was that the Family Guy family always seemed like funhouse mirror versions of the family from an old, forgotten, prime time cartoon called [Wait Till Your Father Gets Home](http://www.toontracker.com/waittil/waittil.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/58 "2004-05-26T11:44:13Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > I think Family Guy would not have seen air time if it weren’t for the Simpsons, but there’s not a lot of similarity otherwise, IMO. I think the pop-culture referential style of humor can be traced to the Simpsons. But Family Guy is hardly the only cartoon that the Simpsons paved the way for. [quote] The point is that they _have_ taken shots at other shows for supposedly imitating them. [/quote=blowero] It’s just not a Simpsons thread if somebody isn’t reading way too much into a joke, you know? I was watching Dinosaurs when I was too young to get the Simpsons, and I see no similarity at all beyond the basic family sitcom setup. I think the joke is the VERY random reference to a long-forgotten show. They do that from time to time with shows like Fish Police and Capital Critters. Family Guy does it too, just 10 times more often. > [@blowero](#): > > The implied hypocrisy did not prevent them from doing so. There’s no hypocrisy here. The very important point you’re missing is that the Simpsons makes fun of _itself_ all the time for _exactly the same thing_. [Here’s the SNPP listing for Flintstones references on the show.](http://www.google.com/custom?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&cof=AWFID%3A01394488e37b08b4%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.snpp.com%2Fbin%2Fsearch_header.gif%3BLH%3A37%3BLW%3A560%3BT%3A%23000000%3BLC%3A%23005F3F%3BVLC%3A%23005F3F%3BALC%3A%23005F3F%3BGALT%3A%23EF7F0F%3BGIMP%3A%23003F5F%3BAH%3Aleft%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.snpp.com%2F%3B&domains=snpp.com&q=Flintstones&btnG=Google+Search&sitesearch=snpp.com) The one that leaps to mind for me is from Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder, where Homer bowls a perfect game. An anchor for Access Springfield calls Homer a “warmed-over Fred Flintstone.” (In the same episode, Homer copies Fred Flintstone’s distinctive twinkle-toed bowling motion.) Another is the 138th Episode Spectacular, where Troy McClure calls the Simpsons “America’s favorite non-prehistoric cartoon family.” ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/59 "2004-05-26T18:01:21Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s just not a Simpsons thread if somebody isn’t reading way too much into a joke, you know? I was watching Dinosaurs when I was too young to get the Simpsons, and I see no similarity at all beyond the basic family sitcom setup. I think the joke is the VERY random reference to a long-forgotten show. Look, man - if you’re going to be a smartass, at least know what you’re talking about. It was NOT a _random_ reference; it was a slam. Probably just a good-natured one, but it definitely was a slam. I refer you to this newsgroup post made at the time, which makes a very compelling case: [http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=1992Apr14.194559.1406%40ux1.cso.uiuc.edu](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=1992Apr14.194559.1406%40ux1.cso.uiuc.edu) > [@](#): > > \>Am I the only person who noticed the slam against DINOSAURS in this episode? > \>I took the comments of the Simpsons to mean that Matt Groening and gang felt > \>that DINOSAURS really _IS_ just like they took their lives and put them on > \>screen…as in dinosaurs plagarizes the simpsons, at least to a degree. > \>Or did I mis-interpret this? > > It’s definitely a slam. Note all the similarities mentioned “Look, Maggie, > they have a baby too!” and the fact that they used Nancy Cartwright’s > voice (and a prehistoric version of Bart’s motto “Don’t have a cow, man!”) > for the Bart-dinosaur. “Dinosaurs” isn’t all that blatant a ripoff of > the Simpsons, IMHO, but the fact that the writers obviously think so is > pretty cool. > > ``` > --Steve "It's like they took our lives > and put it right on the screen" Stelter > > ``` I mean c’mon - don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. That’s not exactly subtle - “It’s like they took our lives and put it right on the screen”. If you’re at all familiar with the Simpsons’ style of humor, you’d know they were taking a jab at the other show. I can’t believe we’re even arguing this. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808/60 "2004-05-26T20:55:56Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > I think Family Guy would not have seen air time if it weren’t for the Simpsons, but there’s not a lot of similarity otherwise, IMO. Even their brands of offbeat humor I find different. I disagree. The biggest thing I think the Family Guy ripped from the Simpsons is I joke I like to call “the reference.” It goes something like this: “Yea, like that time I did [X ridiculous thing]” [cut to scene of character doing X ridiculous thing] There can be slight variations on it but you get the picture. The Simpsons may or may not have invented this but they popularized it and the Family Guy drove it full speed into the ground. It doesn’t even matter how funny it is anymore on FG because the fact that they are doing it _again_ makes it unfunny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-analysis-of-the-simpsons-rake-scene/246808.md?page=4)