Seth Green, ‘Robot Chicken’ Gang Help Homer Explore His Past in New ‘Simpsons’ Couch Gag
It’s not a bad gig working with Seth Green and the gang at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios. They’re the crew behind the goofy animation on Robot Chicken, Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. and Crossing Swords. And now they’re getting another crack at an epic Simpsons couch gag.
“Did you see @stoopidbuddystoodios new @thesimpsons couch gag?” asked Green in his latest Instagram post. “We are beyond thrilled to be a part of this iconic history.”
It’s a journey to the center of the Simpsons’ couch, with Homer pulling on a loose thread that sends him falling between the cushions. As 2D cartoon Homer plummets into the depths of Inner Sofa, he is somehow transformed into a 3D, crocheted version of himself where he’ll confront all of the lost treasures that live inside his aging furniture.
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“I wondered what was down here,” Homer marvels as he begins his exploration. The first treasure he finds? A dirty penny, the kind of lost item that’s barely worth looking for. “You weren’t worth the trouble up there, and you aren’t worth the trouble down here,” he says, tossing it aside.
Next up? It’s Homer’s old Mickey Mantle baseball card. “It’s me, kiddo, the Mick,” says the card’s talking face.
“My Mickey Mantle rookie card!” Homer exclaims. “The greatest treasure of my youth!”
The card boasts that it’s still in mint condition despite being trapped under the cushions for all these years. “Do you know how rare…?” the card begins before Homer rips it in half to reveal his favorite childhood toy — a Rubik’s Cube!
Time for Homer to put on his thinking cap. He studies the cube for a moment before turning its top row clockwise. Still not solved! “You no-good pile of garbage!” Homer shouts, punching and kicking his frustrating toy.
The beatdown is interrupted by a familiar voice — it’s Alf, talking from the cover of a mid-1980s TV Guide. “Oh Alf,” Homer exclaims. “You were canceled too soon.”
“No, Homer,” Alf replies. “I was canceled at exactly the right time.” (Seeing as Alf only ran for four seasons, was this Stoopid Buddy’s sly way of saying The Simpsons might be overstaying its welcome? Or is it simply recognizing that four seasons of Alf was more than enough?)
Marge calls out from the 2D world above, and Homer decides its time to return home. There’s only one problem: The discarded bits of cereal, pretzels and puffed-cheese snacks won’t allow it. “You’re part of the couch now,” says the ripped-in-two Mantle. The lost treasures descend on Homer, determined to keep him trapped beneath the cushions, but Homer uses a busted spring and a fraying thread to propel him back into his own reality.
Well, sort of. While he’s back in 2D animated Springfield, Homer remains a 3D crocheted version of himself. That wouldn’t be a problem if the Simpsons’ cat, Snowball II, didn’t notice a loose thread hanging from Homer’s knit trousers. “Aaaahhh!” screams Homer as his unraveling begins.
Crocheted Homer is a bit of a different look from the typical Robot Chicken animation. For that version, check out Stoopid Buddy using their trademark action-figure approach in this bad-ass open: