Insane Clown Poppy

"Insane Clown Poppy" is the third episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons. It aired on November 12, 2000.

Episode details

Production Number: BABF17
Original Air Date: November 12, 2000
Writer: John Frink and Don Payne
Director: Bob Anderson
Blackboard: "I will not surprise the incontinent."
Couch Gag: The family jumps towards the couch. In mid-leap, the picture freezes, and turns 180 degrees. Once it unfreezes, the Simpsons sit on the couch. (parody of The Matrix)
Guest Voices: Drew Barrymore as Sophie, Jay Mohr as Christopher Walken, and Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Maya Angelou, Amy Tan, and John Updike

Synopsis

It's Lisa's birthday, and Homer and Bart have a solution: use fireworks to solve problems! It reaches the extreme point, however, when they fix Lisa's VCR with fireworks, and fails. To make it up, they go to the Springfield Festival of Books (which Lisa wants to go to), where they will see Christopher Walken, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Maya Angelou, Amy Tan, John Updike, and even Reverend Lovejoy offering books. More notable is when Krusty is signing his new memoirs, but it gets really thrilling when Krusty gives his signature to none other than his long lost daughter, Sophie!

Sophie insists Krusty met her mom when she served as a soldier in the Gulf War. Krusty realizes this, because her mother was annoyed when Krusty wanted to be with her as he was entertaining the troops back then. She did not like Krusty after he annoyed her. Sophie explains she found Krusty by typing "pathetic clown" in a search engine. On a trip to the beach, Krusty wants Homer to help him about fatherhood, and Homer becomes his mentor.

However, things go dark when Fat Tony and his goons, including Frankie the Squealer and Johnny Tightlips, steal Sophie's violin after Krusty plays a poker game with him. Krusty and Homer are almost killed by the mob, but Krusty manages to bring Sophie back her violin.

Trivia

• Johnny Tightlips and Frankie the Squealer both make their first appearances in this episode.
• It's revealed that Fat Tony's real name is Marion.
• Jay Mohr, who impersonated Christopher Walken on Saturday Night Live, voiced Walken in this episode.

Quotes

• Bart: Finally, books for today's busy idiot. "Network Programming for Dummies", "Christianity for Dummies", ... "Moby Dick"? "Call me Ishmael, dummy." (he sees the Dummies author) How did you write all these books?
  Dummies author: Duh, I don't know. Me got to go to bank now.
• Fat Tony: Now some unpleasant news. I have learned that someone in this room is a squealer.
  Legs: We've narrowed it down to Johnny Tightlips or Frankie the Squealer.
  Frankie: Okay, it's me! I can't help it! I just like squealing! It makes me feel big!
• Marge: So, Mr. King, what tale of horror and macabre are you working on now?
  Stephen King: Oh, I don't feel like writing horror right now.
  Marge: Oh, that's too bad.
  Stephen King: I'm working on a biography of Ben Franklin. He's a fascinating man. He discovered electricity, (clouds gather and King has a sinister voice) and used it to torture small animals and green mountain men. And that key he tied to the end of a kite? (thunder sound) IT OPENED THE GATES OF HELL!!
  Marge: Well, let me know when you get back to horror.
  Stephen King: (in normal voice) Will do. (writes a note reading, "Call Marge, RE: Horror")