Penny whistles and moon pies...

Factual Questions
1

I heard this today from a pal - “I’m going to blow my whole tax refund (small number here) on penny whistles and moon pies!” and got a giggle out of it, and then it started to itch in my brain. Where did it come from? I can hear Mr. Burns saying it about his childhood on the Simpsons… maybe. However, I Googled it and got several Simpsons references. I think they use it as something of a running joke, but I also suspect that this phrase pre-dates the Simpsons.

Any of you crazy kids out there got a tip to spare for a down-on-his-luck, formerly-Charter-Member of The Straight Dope? I paid up my fees, y’hear? I paid 'em!

2

It’s from the episode where Bart, Milhouse, and Martin buy Radioactive Man #1. Bart is doing chores for an old lady (who probably reappears later, but I dunno), and she pays him 2 quarters for a weeks worth of work, then tells him to go spend it on penny candy and moon pies.

ZJ

3

That would be the first appearance of the phrase in the Smpsons, anyway. I’m not aware of it being a running joke, but I don’t watch the new ones with as obsessively close attention as I watch the old ones.

ZJ