"Manger Things" is the 16th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'', and the 700th episode overall. It aired in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

on March 21, 2021. The episode was directed by

Steven Dean Moore Steven Dean Moore is an American animation director. His credits include 65 episodes of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and several episodes of the Nickelodeon series ''Rugrats'' (1991–2004). Moore was also one of four sequence ...

and written by

Rob LaZebnik Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ...

. The

couch gag The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by "The Simpsons Theme, ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable ...

is animated by

Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Awards-nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting w ...

, his seventh episode for ''The Simpsons''.

Plot

While decorating a Christmas tree,

Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barth ...

discovers an ornament reading, "Todd's First Christmas", and asks

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe El ...

for the story behind the decoration. Six years earlier,

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...

and

go to the Christmas party at the

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American Animation, animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and The Simpsons (franchise), related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate U.S. state, state in the United S ...

. Although Homer promises not to drink,

Lenny Lenny or Lennie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lennie (surname), a list of people * Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter Arts and entertainment Music * ''L ...

and Carl spike his soda, making him drunk enough to mock

Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...

. Marge, appalled by Homer's behavior, refuses to let him inside the house for Christmas, leaving him to wander town. Eventually,

Ned Flanders Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, che ...

lets him stay at his house. A pregnant

Maude Maude may refer to: Places *Maude, New South Wales, a village on the lower Murrumbidgee River in Australia *Maude, South Australia, a locality in South Australia *Maude, Victoria, a town in Australia *Cape Maude, a high ice-covered cape forming ...

does not appreciate Ned letting Homer stay with them. She lets him stay in Ned's room that is dedicated to Jesus. Homer eats the Christmas ham and has hallucinations of Hell from a painting. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa are missing Homer and wonder where he is. After Homer ruins

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...

and is a bad influence on

Rod Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to: Devices * Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment * Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority * Connecting rod, main, coupling, ...

, Maude kicks him out of their house. When Homer goes to

Moe's Tavern Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...

Moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...

shows him a secret room located above the Simpsons' garage where he can be close to his family. On Christmas Eve, Bart and

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), ...

offer to give up all their toys for Christmas in exchange for Homer coming home. Marge agrees on the condition that he does one selfless deed. Overhearing this, Homer tries baking cookies, but he burns the kitchen. Suddenly, Maude goes into labor, while Ned is out delivering Christmas turkeys to the poor. Homer goes to assist Maude with the birth while unaware that Marge is watching. Marge and Homer reconcile, while Maude and Ned decide to name the baby

Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

, whose middle name is Homer. In the tag, Bart scares Rod and Todd with

Grampa Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genet ...

's missing dentures while Homer and Marge spend time in the secret room with Moe surreptitiously watching. The credits feature Christmas cards from various

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

residents.

Production

Development

Executive producer

Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...

stated that creator

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip '' Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), '' F ...

wanted an episode featuring the room above the garage, and Jean wanted to feature a bond between Homer and Ned. Because the first episode of the series took place at Christmas, he also wanted the 700th episode to take place at Christmas even though the season already featured a

Christmas episode Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptation ...

. Production took place entirely during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, and a line in the episode alludes to it when Homer refers to the "horrible present." The producers did not want the pandemic to appear in the world of the Simpsons because they felt the masking and distancing would look odd when viewers watch the episode in the future. The couch gag was created by

, which features the Simpson family members being formed from pieces of Homer's head, and they float to the couch. This is the seventh couch gag that he has created.

Release

The episode aired on March 21, 2021 on

in the United States.

Cultural References

The films '' Frozen'' and ''

The Ice Storm ''The Ice Storm'' is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life.Boléro ''Boléro'' is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. At least one observer has called it Ravel's most famous composition. It was also one of his last completed works before illness forced him into retirement. Co ...

'' by

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

is heard during the couch gag.

Reception

Viewing figures

In the United States, the episode earned a 0.41 rating was watched live by 1.28 million viewers, which was the most watched show on Fox that night.

Critical response

Tony Sokol Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York City. As a musician, Sok ...

from ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

'' gave the episode 5 out of 5 stars. He wrote that "'Manger Things' works exceedingly well as a stocking stuffer, even if it does arrive on the first day of spring." Dennis Perkins of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...

'' was more critical, giving the episode a "C-minus" rating. He did not understand why Marge was suddenly in the room when Maude gave birth and felt the revelation of the secret room to be unremarkable.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, The Simpsons The Simpsons (season 32) episodes 2021 American television episodes American Christmas television episodes Pregnancy-themed television episodes