# Product placement in The Simpsons?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-placement-in-the-simpsons/193481>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 7, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-placement-in-the-simpsons/193481 "2003-08-07T01:25:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-placement-in-the-simpsons/193481/21 "2003-08-08T19:05:12Z")

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I definately thought the OP was asking about paid advertising, or “produdct placement.”

And I’m fairly sure The Simpsons make non-placement references, eg. iirc, they’ve been quite nasty about FOX.

However I can see a gray area, for instance if a company pays to have a product shown in a satirical way citing any publicity is good publicity, or the makers use a product for some reason other than being paid, or both.

I hope that’s got the question down pat. Anyone know the answer?

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**Author:** ![HumanStromboli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@HumanStromboli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumanStromboli)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-placement-in-the-simpsons/193481/22 "2003-08-08T20:08:55Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \*  
> **HumanStromboli** , one thing you didn’t mention was that as Bart was walking out of the mall, he was sipping from a Starbucks cup. I love that whole gag. \*\*

Yes, I forgot about that! Very fun gag.

I wasn’t aware that VW advertised during _The Simpsons_ and the OP doesn’t really mention that either, but regardless I will withdraw the Starbucks gag because it is indeed satire and not product placement. (Although it could be; I don’t know if Starbucks places ads during the show and, come to think of it, I’ve never seen a Starbucks TV commercial—I have heard plenty of its commercials on the radio…anyway.)

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**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-placement-in-the-simpsons/193481/23 "2003-08-08T20:16:37Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \*  
> \*\*I think somebody on the Board tried to make Skittlebrau once–the beer washed all the color off the Skittles, making them gray, and it was really gross. \*\*

'Twas I. They weren’t gray, more whitish. It was…interesting…the first few sips. Fortunately I was drunk enough to finish the glass. And eat the nasty alcohol Skittles at the bottom.

Not good times. Actually, that’s a lie. It’s pretty funny looking back on it.

So good times upon reflection.

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**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-placement-in-the-simpsons/193481/24 "2003-08-08T22:58:12Z")

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I know that Sylvania paid a pile of money to be the company that provided the replacement lighthouse lightbulb.

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