‘Simpsons’ Fans Share Some of the Show’s Most Hopelessly Dated Jokes

Even though time has no meaning in the world of Springfield (possibly due to some kind of anomaly in the space time continuum), here in the real world, The Simpsons is more than three decades old. Which means that, even though Bart Simpson will never not be a fresh-faced 10-year-old, the show has included a number of jokes that betray its agedness. 

Over on Reddit, Simpsons fans have been sharing some of their favorite, most wildly dated references from the series’ long, long history, which those viewers who were born after the fall of the Soviet Union may not even get. Such as the time that the Simpson family randomly burst into the “I feel like Chicken Tonight” song.

This was, of course, a reference to a commercial jingle that’s almost as old as the show itself. In the early ‘90s, Ragu’s line of poultry sauces was sold using ads starring everyday randos flapping their arms like total idiots.

Then there was the time the show randomly dunked on TekWar:

Even folks who grew up in the ‘90s may have forgotten all about William Shatner’s goofy science-fiction book series, chronicling a future world in which VR microchips are considered an illicit street drug. A-plus to Shatner for naming his protagonist “Jake Cardigan.”

Other fans pointed to the time Milhouse and Bart spied on Lisa's attempts to fit in with a group of cool kids, and Milhouse described her hip new appearance as Blossom-like.

And Bart nearly blowing all of his money on a giant Pog (depicting Steve Allen, “inventor of the Pog”).

Not to mention the time that Snake stole a VCR, only to discover that it was a worthless Beta machine. 

Some fans also shared purposefully dated dialogue, like Mr. Burns’ attempts to send an “Aeromail” to “Siam” by “Autogyro.” And also most of the flashback episodes included shout-outs to conspicuously out-of-date pop-culture moments, like Geraldo Rivera’s bungled attempt to expose the contents of Al Capone’s vault.

Or times that the show has poked fun at movies and TV shows that had already become stale, such as Alf. Remember Alf? 

While some of inadvertently dated material may have confused younger viewers, the fact that most classic episodes aren’t overwhelmingly outmoded is a credit to the show’s writing. Sure, the “Chicken Tonight” song may date that one episode, but 99 percent of the other jokes in the same show totally work today.  

Plus, history is cyclical, so it’s always possible that Chicken Tonight will come back, possibly in Pog form.