Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire/References

==Trivia==
* This episode is the very first episode ever of the whole entire Simpsons tv series, as well as the series premiere/pilot episode of the whole entire show that introduced The Simpsons family to half hour TV for the very first time, after the original 48 Tracey Ullman shorts that marked the starting point and origins of the franchise.
* Marge leaves her car door open when she gets to school for the performance.
* This is the first episode that does not start with any kind of show opening (besides no opening sequence, no "Ahh" choir, no "The Simpsons" chorus, and the usage of the trademarked Simpsons logo instead of the in-show variant), with the exception of Treehouse of Horror episodes. The title is shown (The Simpsons Christmas Special) and then the episode begins.
*This is the only episode of the series version of The Simpsons to air in the 1980s decade. The Simpsons shorts aired from April 19, 1987 to May 14, 1989. The Simpsons Butterfinger commercials were first shown in 1988. This is also the only episode to air in 1989.
*This episode was nominated for, but did not win, a Primetime Emmy Award in the categories of "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less)" and "Outstanding Editing for Miniseries or a Special".
*When Lisa is doing the tribal dance, many people were curious as to why she isn't wearing anything from the waist down. Years later, the DVD commentary for this episode revealed that Lisa is actually wearing a leotard, and is in fact not naked.
*The DVD commentary revealed that the creators got letters of praise for heightening the awareness of the abandonment of racing dogs, who are often thrown out onto the streets when their owners decide the dogs are no longer profitable, even though they did not know it was a serious problem while they were working on the episode.
*Matt Groening said that he was inspired to do the "Christmas of Many Lands" sketch by an oral report he gave when he was in the second grade. Groening, whose grandmother is from Russia, gave a report on how Russian children are greeted by "Grandfather Winter" and given gifts from him, and how due to differences in the Julian and Gregorian calenders the Russians celebrate their Christmas in January.
*Although it was the first to air, it was technically supposed to be the eighth episode; the first episode production-wise was intended to be "Some Enchanted Evening", but due to animation problems from South Korea that resulted in that episode to be postponed until the season finale, this episode ended up being the first.
*If you listen closely, you can hear the song "Santa Baby" by Madonna played inside Moe's Tavern.
*Todd sounds very different in this episode.
*Marge was the first to speak in this episode, making her the first to speak in the whole series in release order.
*On the airings of August 21, 2014 and November 24, 2016, also the first day of the "Every. Simpsons. Ever." Marathon on FXX, this was the first episode of Season 1 through early Season 20 (ending with "Lisa the Drama Queen") to be broadcast in high definition widescreen instead of standard definition fullscreen.
**However, on FXX reruns of the episode, the Spanish dub credits has them superimposed over the scene where the Simpsons are looking at the Flanders' house decorations. This does not affect marathon or Sunday airings, as it shows the Spanish dub credits over a black screen.
**This was also the first episode of Season 1 through early Season 20 on FXX to be completely remastered and color-corrected from the episode's original negative film reels into high definition.
*This episode and the series version of The Simpsons both turned 5 years old on December 17, 1994, 10 years old on December 17, 1999, 15 years old on December 17, 2004, 20 years old on December 17, 2009, 25 years old on December 17, 2014 and 30 years old on December 17, 2019.
*The music piece heard when Marge gets surprised by Bart getting a tattoo is Dramatic Impact 2 from Ren & Stimpy.
*The Ullman short Simpson Xmas first aired 364 days before this episode.
*This episode's credits have a 1990 copyright, despite airing in 1989.
**A more likely explanation is because this episode was originally intended to air halfway through Season 1, meaning it would have aired in 1990.
*This episode was re-aired April 22, 2012, as part of Fox's 25th anniversary, 17 years and just over 4 months since the episode's last airing. After one page of the ending credits in that repeat, this appeared.
*During the original broadcast, "The Simpsons Christmas Special" bumpers were seen at the end of ad-breaks, before the next part of the episode aired.
*A man with a child is at the dog tracks. He appears to have the same character design as Lou, but has yellow skin, and a similar voice, but is a bit higher.
*The little boy in the play at the beginning appears to be Ralph Wiggum, but his voice is completely different.
*Al Jean has said that his vision of the series' ending has the characters going to the Christmas pageant that opens this episode, so that The Simpsons becomes a never-ending loop.
== Cultural references ==
* The episode features a similar storyline to the "Christmas Day at the Bunkers" episode of All in the Family.
* The title is a reference to the line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" from "The Christmas Song".
* Bart refers to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
* Bart refers to The Smurfs Christmas Special.
* Skinner mentions the book A Christmas Carol and Bart refers to Tiny Tim.
* Bart sings "Jingle Bells" with alternative "Batman Smells" lyrics.
* Bart makes a disrespectful remark to a mall Santa, like in Miracle on 34th Street.
* The race-dog Dog o' War is a reference to racehorse Man o' War.
* The family sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at the end.
* Bart is strapped to a table with a laser moving towards him, in a reference to Goldfinger.
* Part of the plot is similar to The Gift of the Magi: Homer doesn't get his Christmas bonus and says to himself "Oh well, thank goodness for the big jar" and Marge used her money to remove Bart's tattoo and says to herself "Oh well, thank goodness for Homer's Christmas bonus", similar to how in this short story by O'Henry, a man sells his watch to buy his wife an expensive set of combs and his wife has her hair cut, selling the remainder to a wigmaker, in order to buy a gold chain for her husband's watch.Weihnachten".
==Continuity==
* Marge comments that Bart sings like an angel. In "New Kids on the Blecch", Marge says he's not much of a singer.
* Lisa would later get a pony in the episode "Lisa's Pony".
=== Signs and other things to read ===
* The Springfield Elementary School Christmas show receives 3 1/2 stars from The Springfield Shopper in a recent review advertised in front of the building.
* Two doors down from the tattoo parlor is Dr. Zitsofsky Dermatology Clinic. A sign in the window reads, "Tattoos removed by laser".
* Homer receives a $13 check: He grossed $120 less social security, less unemployment insurance, less Santa training, less costume purchase, less beard rental, less Christmas club.
=== Background jokes ===
* One tattoo in The Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor features a knife piercing a heart.
* Marge pulls her car into parking area "ZZ" at the Springfield Mall.
* The "slightly irregular" Christmas trees cost $45.
* Santa's Little Helper was number 8 in the greyhound race.
=== Counting scenes ===
* There are 28 children in Bart's Fourth Grade class on stage during the Christmas concert, including Bart himself.
* Lisa requests a pony six times on her Christmas wish list.
* Maggie fell 5 times:
** While Bart and Lisa were writing their letters to Santa (twice)
** Again off-screen shortly
** Homer asks for the extension cord
** Outside admiring Ned's Christmas lights
=== Characters ===
*The mechanical rabbit's name is Screwy.
*Dogs in the race against Santa's Little Helper:
**Quadruped
**Whirlwind
**Fido
**Dog O' War
**Chew My Shoe
*This marks the first episode with not only the Simpson family, but also Santa's Little Helper, Snowball II, Abraham Simpson II, Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier, Ned Flanders, Todd Flanders, Mr. Burns, Seymour Skinner, Milhouse Van Houten, Lewis, Dewey Largo, Moe Szyslak, Martin Prince and Barney Gumble. Smithers' voice is also present, but does not physically appear, thus this episode makes Smithers' first appearance with just his voice. He won't make his official physical appearance until "Homer's Odyssey". In addition, Ned's other son, Rod Flanders is not introduced until "The Call of the Simpsons" and his wife, Maude Flanders is not introduced until "Dead Putting Society".
=== Other ===
*Homer does not know who Tiny Tim is, but Bart does.
*In the beginning of the episode, Maggie is dressed up like a Christmas star.
**This outfit would return in several later winter-themed episodes.
==Goofs==
* Sherri and Terri have brown hair in this episode.
* The little boy in the school Christmas pageant at the beginning appears to be Ralph Wiggum, but his voice is completely different. The boy is actually an earlier prototype version of Ralph, which is also seen in "Bart the General". The post-prototype Ralph didn't officially appear until "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment".
*When Homer is fiddling with the Christmas lights towards the beginning of the episode, a yellow and red light switch place with each other a few times.
*The girl with ponytail appears in this episode; however, she is seen in the Fourth Grade and not the second.
* When Marge reveals the Christmas money from her hair, her necklace changes from red to white. This was a very common animation goof that appears very often in later episodes, particularly within the first seven seasons or so.
* Lewis Clark changes from black to yellow when Milhouse dares Bart to pull Santa's beard off. Also, his hair changes.
* After Homer brings Santa's Little Helper home, Homer and Marge hug, and if you look behind them, the background is upside down. There is a picture of Bart hanging upside down, and there is a lamp which seems to be hanging from the ceiling. Then in the next shot, the background is normal.
* When Bart is getting the tattoo, it takes seven minutes to be branded. Real-life heart tattoos take at least four hours to be done.
* Homer did not buy any presents for Lisa. This is obviously because all what Lisa wanted for Christmas is a pony, but Santa can't fit a pony into his sleigh. It might be possible that Homer bought Lisa some presents off-screen.
* When Homer expresses that he doesn't feel good enough for Marge, the hair on his chest repeatedly disappears and reappears.
* When Homer walks out off Circus of Values with his purchases, he bumps into Flanders, and all the presents scatter everywhere. Watch out for a red present with a green bow that goes flying near the left hand side of the screen. As soon as it hits the ground, it turns into a pink box with a white bow wrapped around it, with no shot changes. Other presents move around and change colors, too.
* While having breakfast, all of the Simpsons' glasses of orange juice keep disappearing and reappearing throughout the scene.
* Bart yanks Homer's beard off in the mall, Homer then takes Bart into Santa's workshop. When they are inside Santa's workshop, Homer's beard is back on, despite the fact that he didn't put it back on, he let it fall to the ground when Bart pulled it off.
* When Marge is speaking on the phone to her sisters, Marge puts down the phone wire that she was curling round her finger. Half way through putting it down, the whole phone wire disappears. This is quite hard to see as it changes to the next scene quite quickly.
* Marge comes through the door and you see that she has come from a room with a piano in it. It has a musical book on it. But when the shot changes so we see Marge turn the jar upside down, the book of musical notes has disappeared.
* When Homer finds out that he has no Christmas bonus, the background behind Marge is the kitchen, but then it cuts to Homer and the background behind him is the kitchen, too.
* When Homer has been informed about the Christmas money being spent on Bart getting his tattoo surgically removed, he leaves the house. When he opens and closes the door to leave, the wreath on the door is white with a red bow. When Homer then turns to look at his Christmas decorations, the wreath is now green.
* When Mr. Burns comes on the P.A. system, Homer started eating a donut. He takes a bite and after that the donut stays the same size even though he takes 2 more bites. Additionally, when Mr. Burns says that there will be no Christmas bonuses, some people's donuts disappear.
* Just before the kitchen goof, Marge comes through the door and you see that she has arrived in the living room from the sitting room, which has a piano. The piano has a musical book on it, but when the shot changes to Marge turn the jar upside down, the book of musical notes has disappeared.
* When Homer is putting up Christmas lights around the outside of the house, he falls from the roof. You can then hear Lisa and Bart sarcastically clap, but you can see they both have their hands by their side, and no one is clapping.
*When Milhouse, Bart, and Lewis are talking about the fake Santa, Milhouse's eyebrows go from blue to black to blue again.
*When Homer walks up the front drive, you can see the road and there are no markings on it, but when he turns to look at his house, there are orange lines running down the road
* After Homer brings Santa's Little Helper home, Homer and Marge hug, but the background behind them is upside down. There is a picture hanging upside down, and there is a lamp which seems to be hanging from the ceiling. Eventually, the background is right side up again in the next shot.
* When Homer walks up the front drive you can see the road and there are no markings on it. But when he turns to look at his house, there are orange lines running down the road.
* When Homer says that he isn't getting a bonus from the Power Plant he is facing the kitchen but in the next shot Marge is behind Homer who is behind the kitchen.
* When Homer goes into the kitchen before leaving, he turns left, and apparently goes out the front door.
* Wendell is yellow in this episode.
* When Homer hands Marge the phone, it appears that the phone base is on the floor infront of her, as the phone wire isn't stretched from across the room.
* When Homer puts the pork chop chew toy in the trolley, it stays perched in one position on the screen, not falling to the bottom of the trolley.
* During Homer's drive to get a Christmas tree, his car changes from pink to blue to pink to black.
* When Lisa talks to Patty, some of the lines that make the spikes in Lisa's hair disappear.
* When Lisa is touching Bart's bandage of his tattoo, he says "Ow. Quit it". When he says, "Ow", his mouth moves for the "O" bit, but not the "w" bit.
*The copyright year in the end credits is 1990, but this episode aired in December 1989. It was possible that this episode was supposed to air on December 17, 1990 as the thirteenth and final episode of season 1 after the 1980's, episodes produced in 1989 like "Bart the General" and "Some Enchanted Evening" have the same problem.
fr:Noël mortel/Références
uk:Сімпсони смажать на відкритому вогні/посилання
Category:Trivia
Category:Goofs