Joe Mantegna enjoyed playing Fat Tony so much that he demanded - and got - the assurance of the producers that he would always be Fat Tony's voice.
Bart's forgotten permission slip can be seen (just barely) under his pillow before he wakes up at the beginning of the episode.
Joe Mantegna was offered the role during the show's second season, and since he had seen the show before and thought it was "funny", he decided to give it a shot. He felt honored that they asked him to do a voice for the show
First appearance Fat Tony, Legs and Louie.
While at Fat Tony's club, and when asked to give his pick of a horse for the third race, Bart first gives "Eat My Shorts" (the name of a horse in the fifth race), and then "Don't Have a Cow" (correctly a horse in the third race), referencing two of his catchphrases. During the call for the third race, the announcer recites the names of the other horses, all of which are named after catchphrases of past popular cartoon characters: Sufferin' Succotash (Sylvester of Warner Bros.), Yabba Dabba Doo (Fred Flintstone), Ain't I a Stinker (Bugs Bunny), That's All Folks (various Warner Bros. characters), and I Yam What I Yam (Popeye).