 The title of “ Hex and the City ” is based on the title of the television show Sex and the City. The segment contains a background character who looks similar to the main character from Caps For Sale, a 1938 children ’ s book about a cap salesman who wears all his hats. Cedars-Sinai is a hospital in Los Angeles. One of the bunnies jumping into the pit that Bart and Homer dug is Bongo, the one-eared rabbit character from Simpsons creator Matt Groening ’ s comic Life in Hell. Among the creatures Bart and Homer find in the pit is journalist and news personality Katie Couric, as well as a pixie resembling Tinkerbell. The priest at the leprechaun and the gypsy ’ s wedding is Yoda, a character from the Star Wars franchise. Maggie turns into a ladybug similar to The Metamorphosis. The plot of “ House of Whacks ” is based on the science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick, with Ultrahouse acting as a reference to HAL 9000, the antagonist of the film. The Ultrahouse ’ s fascination with Marge was inspired by the science-horror film Demon Seed by Donald Cammell. The Ultrahouse wears gloves similar to those worn by Mickey Mouse. To attack Homer, the Ultrahouse uses, among many other weapons, an automatic hammer resembling the one Homer invented in the episode “ The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace ”. “ Wiz Kids ” bases its plot on the Harry Potter books written by J. K. Rowling, who would later make a guest appearance in the episode “ The Regina Monologues ”.
