Chalkboard gag

A chalkboard gag, sometimes called a blackboard gag, is a running visual joke that occurs during the Opening sequence of many episodes of The Simpsons. In this gag, Bart Simpson is writing a strange phrase on the chalkboard repeatedly; when the school bell rings, he immediately stops writing and runs out of the classroom. The phrase is usually in the form of an admonishment, implying that Bart has been assigned this task as punishment in detention for some misbehavior left partly to the viewer's imagination. The chalkboard gags are usually written in upper case.
Some of the gags have been shown to reference crimes in the United States.
In the early days of the series, a chalkboard gag was used in almost every episode, but, as commercial time has increased, they have gradually disappeared. They are now shown as rarely as twice per season. The producers of the show have mentioned that they may soon disappear altogether. However, they seem to be making a comeback as there were eight chalkboard gags during season 17 including three in a row during the last three episodes of the season. The fourth season, the eleventh season and the twelfth season are the only seasons to use chalkboard gags in each episode (excluding the Treehouse of Horror series).
A chalkboard gag was also used in The Simpsons Movie. Bart can be seen writing "I will not illegally download this movie" on the chalkboard at school. As a follow-up, the chalkboard gag on the Season 19 premiere episode which immediately follows The Simpsons Movie, shows Bart Simpson writing, "I will not wait 20 years to make another movie."
==References in The Simpsons==
*In "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie", Marge Simpson writes "I will try to raise a better child" on the chalkboard in Bart's classroom as a punishment from Ms. Krabappel.
*In "Skinner's Sense of Snow", Bart says that he has written on the chalkboard so many times that his hand sounds like a cement mixer.
*In "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays", Bart Simpson asks for a detention, but Ms. Krabappel says they all got tired of that years ago, referencing the reduced number of gags in the openings.
*In "Bart the Murderer", Bart Simpson is inspired by Fat Tony and attempts to bribe Principal Skinner. In the next scene, Bart Simpson is seen writing "I will not bribe Mr. Skinner" on the chalkboard, while he is monitored by the principal himself.
*In "Adventures in Baby-Getting", Bart Simpson mentions the gag when Lisa asks what he does on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then Bart Simpson asks if she has any ideas because he is running out.
*In "Lisa's Date with Density", Lisa writes on the chalkboard as punishment and questions, "How does Bart do this every week?" She does this again in "Grift of the Magi". When Bart Simpson finds out, he says "The ironing is delicious."
*In "Simpsons Bible Stories", Bart Simpson is shown writing on a chalkboard in ancient Egypt in Lisa's dream.
*In White Christmas Blues, I Won't Be Home for Christmas, Gone Boy and Sorry Not Sorry, the opening sequences show an elf Bart writing on a chalkboard.
*In Dad Behavior, Bart writes "I will watch all 600 episodes without sleeping".
*In Looking for Mr. Goodbart, Abraham Simpson II writes "I just wrote one and I'm already tired" on a chalkboard as a punishment from Seymour Skinner.
==References in other media==
Since the chalkboard gag was one of the highlights of The Simpsons, the chalkboard gag has even been featured in other television shows. They include:
*The chalkboard gag appears in the South Park episode, Cartoon Wars Part II. Bart writes "I hate Family Guy" repeatedly in chalk in an alleyway.
*In a parody of The Simpsons intro on Histeria!, Loud Kiddington is shown having to write "I do not need a megaphone!"
*In the Pilot for Invader ZIM, Dib repeatedly writes, "ZIM is not an alien" on the chalkboard. Phrases like "My hand hurts" and "ZIM dissects farm animals" were also on the chalkboard.
*In The Fairly OddParents! episode Channel Chasers, one of the shows Timmy, Cosmo, Wanda, and Timmy's adult doppelganger end up in. Timmy parodies Bart and starts out by writing on the chalkboard: "This is the sincerest form of flattery" and then exits Wintergreen Elementary School (parody of Springfield Elementary School).
*In the UK, when Channel 4 promoted it will first show the Simpsons, there was a chalkboard that shows what's next and later'. See 
*In Kid vs. Kat, episode, "Coop D'Etat", when Miss Brannigan put in detention to Coop Burtonburger for a month due to Science Center's catastrophe (which actually was caused by Kat), she forces him to Coop to write on the chalkboard: "I will not break priceless space artifacts", 10,000 times.
*In "The Simpsons Guy" crossover episode of Family Guy, Stewie Griffin writes "I will not think about Bart anymore" on a blackboard in his room.
*In the October 13, 2016 installment of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jimmy crosses over to the Simpsons universe and writes "I will not make celebrities read mean tweets" on the chalkboard.
*In Tom and Jerry , short, "Tom and Chérie ", When Tuffy chickened out of defeating Tom, Jerry brings him to his mousehole and punishes Tuffy by making him write 'A mouseketeer must be brave' in French about 100 times on a blackboard.
*In the Super Mario All-Stars commercial "Nintendo Classroom", a guy writes "The Best Play Here", the slogan for the Super Nintendo.
==Gallery==
File:Chalkboard gag (Homer's Odyssey).png|The chalkboard gag from the first season ("Homer's Odyssey").
File:Chalkboard gag (There's No Disgrace Like Home).png|The chalkboard gag from the first season ("There's No Disgrace Like Home").
File:OrigianlChalkboardS1E06.png|The chalkboard gag from the first season ("Moaning Lisa").
File:Chalk Gag Season 1 Epicsode 7.png|The chalkboard gag from the first season ("The Call of the Simpsons").
File:Chalk Gag Season 1 Episode 8.png|The chalkboard gag from the first season ("The Telltale Head").
File:Chalkboard gag (Krusty Gets Busted).png|The chalkboard gag from the first season ("Krusty Gets Busted").
File:5CE12.png|The chalkboard gag from the fifth season ("Bart Gets Famous").
File:Simpsons-Chalkboard2.jpg|The chalkboard gag style from the second season until the twentieth season.
File:Simpsons chalkboard gag.jpg|The modern chalkboard gag that started in the twentieth season.
File:Simpsons HD chalkboard gag in 4x3.jpg|The infamous 4:3 version of the high-definition chalkboard gag, sourced from full-screen prints.
Lisa's Date with Density 73.JPG
Grift of the Magi 75.JPG
Bart the Murderer 47.JPG
Loud_Kiddington_as_Bart.jpg|Histeria!
Invader zim -00001.jpg|Invader Zim
Invader zim -00002.jpg
The simpsons guy -00017.jpg|Family Guy
Bartchalkbaord2.png
Simpsons Bible Stories -00243.jpg
The Fairly OddParents Channel Chasers.jpg|The Fairly OddParents! episode Channel Chasers
South Park episode Cartoon Wars Part II.jpg|South Park episode, Cartoon Wars Part II
chalkboard gag Itchy and Scratchy The Movie.jpg
bandicam 2016-12-15 04-44-53-176.jpg|FXX 600 Episodes
Screenshot 2022-03-23 12.41.39 PM.png|Fox8 We Rock
==See also==
*List of chalkboard gags
*Couch gag
Category:Culture
Category:Running gags
Category:Gags
Category:Opening Sequence gags
Category:The Simpsons