Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
- Episode aired Dec 17, 1989
- TV-PG
- 30m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
8.8K
YOUR RATING
Homer is forced to become a department store Santa when Marge spends the family's Christmas savings on removing Bart's tattoo.Homer is forced to become a department store Santa when Marge spends the family's Christmas savings on removing Bart's tattoo.Homer is forced to become a department store Santa when Marge spends the family's Christmas savings on removing Bart's tattoo.
Dan Castellaneta
- Homer Simpson
- (voice)
- …
Julie Kavner
- Marge Simpson
- (voice)
- …
Nancy Cartwright
- Bart Simpson
- (voice)
- …
Yeardley Smith
- Lisa Simpson
- (voice)
Hank Azaria
- Moe Szyslak
- (voice)
- …
Jo Ann Harris
- Girl
- (voice)
Pamela Hayden
- Santa Claus Girl
- (voice)
- …
Christopher Collins
- Mr. Burns
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDVD commentary revealed that the creators got letters of praise for heightening the awareness of the abandonment of racing dogs even though they didn't know it was a real problem when they created the episode.
- GoofsMarge clearly states that Snowball II was bought, while in Lisa's Substitute (1991) from season two, it's stated that Snowball II was a kitten the original Snowball had.
- Crazy creditsCopyright date given as 1990, despite a 1989 air date.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Simpsons: The Way of the Dog (2020)
Featured review
"Jingle bells, Batman smells..."
It all begins with a school pageant: all the students make some kind of contribution since Christmas is coming, and in the audience one notices Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner), eager to see their kids Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) perform. Inevitably, Bart screws everything up with his rendition of "Jingle Bells", prompting Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) to throw him out. It's funny. It's the last thing one would expect from a Christmas special. And that's just the start of what became an American TV institution (some even consider it THE ultimate US series).
Following the school incident, further trouble awaits Homer when he learns he won't receive a Christmas bonus that year. Knowing he'll otherwise disappoint his family and be taunted by Marge's unbearable sisters, he accepts the humiliation of dressing up as Santa Claus at the local mall. Naturally, Bart decides to have fun at his expense once again. Yes, it's not gonna be a normal holiday in the Simpson family.
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire was actually the eighth episode made for the series, but since the show was scheduled to begin airing just before Christmas (the precise date is December 17th, 1989), it became the series premiere, which resulted in at least one blatant plot hole (Santa's Little Helper, introduced here, is an absentee for most of Season One). On a technical level, the episode is also less polished than later efforts, still baring a resemblance to the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts (the same goes for Castellaneta's vocal characterization of Homer, which started out as a Walter Matthau impression).
The dodgy animation does not, however, detract from The Simpsons' primary quality: it's really, really funny, in a bold, merciless way. In fact, it should be noted that from the very beginning (as relative a concept as that is), Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and the others knew exactly what would get the most laughs: any scene featuring Homer and Bart together. Proof? Two lines spoken by the kid: "Dad, there's one fat guy who gives us presents for Christmas, and his name ain't Santa Claus.", and, when he sees his father doing the Santa job, "Hi, I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?". That and so much more made this the ideal Christmas gift for TV audiences in 1989.
Following the school incident, further trouble awaits Homer when he learns he won't receive a Christmas bonus that year. Knowing he'll otherwise disappoint his family and be taunted by Marge's unbearable sisters, he accepts the humiliation of dressing up as Santa Claus at the local mall. Naturally, Bart decides to have fun at his expense once again. Yes, it's not gonna be a normal holiday in the Simpson family.
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire was actually the eighth episode made for the series, but since the show was scheduled to begin airing just before Christmas (the precise date is December 17th, 1989), it became the series premiere, which resulted in at least one blatant plot hole (Santa's Little Helper, introduced here, is an absentee for most of Season One). On a technical level, the episode is also less polished than later efforts, still baring a resemblance to the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts (the same goes for Castellaneta's vocal characterization of Homer, which started out as a Walter Matthau impression).
The dodgy animation does not, however, detract from The Simpsons' primary quality: it's really, really funny, in a bold, merciless way. In fact, it should be noted that from the very beginning (as relative a concept as that is), Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and the others knew exactly what would get the most laughs: any scene featuring Homer and Bart together. Proof? Two lines spoken by the kid: "Dad, there's one fat guy who gives us presents for Christmas, and his name ain't Santa Claus.", and, when he sees his father doing the Santa job, "Hi, I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?". That and so much more made this the ideal Christmas gift for TV audiences in 1989.
helpful•71
- MaxBorg89
- Oct 9, 2008
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