Origin Of The Simpsons' Most Random Line Finally Explained by Writer

Josh Weinstein, a former writer for The Simpsons, has finally revealed the origins behind one of the show’s most wonderfully random lines. The Simpsons is currently in the midst of its 34th season on the air, making it the longest running American sitcom as well as the longest running American scripted primetime TV series of all-time. Weinstein was a writer on The Simpsons for several seasons before he was promoted to the role of showrunner for season 7 and season 8 of the acclaimed animated series.

Weinstein took to Twitter to finally give context behind one of the most random yet hilarious lines from the season 8 episode « The Mysterious Voyage Of Our Homer ». Check out the tweet below.

The episode centers on Homer Simpson going on a hallucinogenic journey, leaving no time for Bart and Lisa to have their own storyline. Therefore, the line in question, which is spoken by Bart, is a funny way to give the kids a freestanding joke that makes it seem like they had something going on in the background of Homer’s whacky adventure. There is no reference humor involved and nothing written for before or after Bart’s ingenious « Mabel » line, making it perfect in its randomness.

How The Simpsons’ Random Sense Of Humor Has Kept It Fresh

With over 700 episodes in their catalog, it’s no surprise that there is a seemingly endless number of gags and lines begging for more behind the scenes insight from the people that made the show. The Simpsons supposed ability to predict the future is one of the most popular aspects of the show to dissect, but it’s really the show’s comic absurdity that has kept the series fresh after over three decades on the airwaves.

One of the reasons it has remained so relevant is the unpredictability of the opening sequence couch gags. While every single episode doesn’t have an original couch gag, the vast majority do, and they’re as random and whimsical as anything in the actual show. They’re also known for hiring out the production process to other artists, such as acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro, allowing each artist to create a unique and unpredictable couch gag for their Simpsons episode as well as using a wide variety of unique animation techniques across the gags.

The show is a satire of American life, so it makes sense that the stories they tell will always have a bit of random or anarchic comedy. Their original ideas are often right out of left field, like the whole dome on top of the over-polluted Springfield idea in The Simpsons Movie or the many Sideshow Bob plots, including sending the attempted murderer to a minimum security prison. There’s also the many hilariously ridiculous »Treehouse Of Horror » stories that The Simpsons writers continue to conjure up year in and year out, like their goofy but eerie adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s « The Raven » in the first edition.

Source: Josh Weinstein/Twitter

Story behind "I says to Mabel"Homer story in Chili ep was so full we had no room for kids B storySo when Homer asks them where Marge is, they have nothing going on. What they're doing that moment had to be 100% freestandingHence, MabelWhat's your fav random Simpsons line? pic.twitter.com/J5KDTG6YXj— Josh Weinstein (@Joshstrangehill) February 19, 2023

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And to be clear, because people have asked about this often, the Mabel line does not reference anything, it never appeared in a book or movie or anything. As far as I know, it is totally freestanding in the human timeline. pic.twitter.com/nCGnIW6PhI— Josh Weinstein (@Joshstrangehill) February 19, 2023