Old Yeller Belly
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| The Simpsons episode | |
| "Old Yeller Belly" | |
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| Episode no. | 310 |
| Prod. code | EABF14 |
| Orig. Airdate | May 4, 2003 |
| Writer(s) | John Frink & Don Payne |
| Director(s) | Bob Anderson |
| Chalkboard | "My pen is not a booger launcher." |
| Couch gag | Shown in black and white, the family sits on a girder at a construction site, watching TV. |
| Guest star(s) | Stacy Keach as Howard K. Duff VII and John Kassir |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 14 November 3, 2002 – May 18, 2003 |
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| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"Old Yeller Belly" is the nineteenth episode of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons. It aired on May 4, 2003.
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[edit] Synopsis
When Bart and his friends in his treehouse eavesdrop on Lisa and her friends having a tea party, the treehouse is destroyed. Homer tries to step in to solve the problem, until Marge gets the Amish to build a new treehouse for Bart. A grand opening celebration is held there, but unfortunately, because the Amish know little about electricity (despite Homer insisting that they know a lot about it), Bart's treehouse is on fire. Homer calls for Santa's Little Helper to save him, but he is declared a coward. Only Snowball II can save him, and she does, by clawing at Homer's chest until he wakes up.
For being a hero, Snowball II becomes a hero across Springfield. The local dog park is even named the "Snowball II Municipal Cat Park". Homer, declaring a statement in defense of Snowball II, kicks Santa's Little Helper out of the house, until he balances a beer can on his nose. A picture of him is taken, and this gets the attention of Duff Beer, who announces that Duffman will be replaced with Santa's Little Helper, who becomes their new mascot, Suds McDuff.
Suds McDuff boosts sales of Duff Beer, and the family's fortunes explode. However, this prompts Santa's Little Helper's original owner (from "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire") to visit the Simpsons and prove that he owns the dog, even using a tape of when Homer criticized him. He becomes Suds' new owner, and this gets the Simpsons to help get him back. They see Duffman, who has become a man helping the less fortunate named Barry Duffman, and ask him to help the family get Santa's Little Helper back at a Duff Beer-sponsored beach volleyball event.
At the event, Homer claims he is drowning, while he is actually floating on a keg of beer. Santa's Little Helper and Duffman are no match for saving Homer, and a shark attempts to bite him, until it gets drunk by biting the beer keg. The crowd at the beach likes the shark, and Duff Beer announces that the shark—named Duff McShark—will be their new mascot. Santa's Little Helper returns back to the Simpson family.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title refers to the book and dog Old Yeller.
- An ice sculpture of Homer at the grand opening celebration may be a parody of The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin.
- Suds McDuff is a reference to Spuds MacKenzie.
- When asked if he's always been a 'cat man', Homer replies "Yes - he'll never be Yusuf Islam to me"
- Luigi offers Snowball II lasagna, which is a reference to Garfield (he comes to Homer with Snowball II saying "have some lasagna, like the cat in the funny papers").
