The Simpsons have had a lot of famous gags and jokes over its 34 seasons. Perhaps the most famous, especially in the early years, was Bart Simpson's pranks and crank calls. Despite being iconic and hilarious, they use a somewhat formulaic nature, and what with there being so many of them, many have been forgotten.
But there are some that have stood the test of time, not only remembered but remaining just as funny as they were decades ago. Bart Simpson's pranks speak to the elements that made The Simpsons funny and helped give the series over 30 years of cultural relevance, if not outright domination of adult animation.
10 Bart's Prank Calls Get Called Back In A Search For Tess T. Culls
With a show like The Simpsons never really advancing time-wise, many changes have been made over the years. One unfortunate casualty of this was Bart's crank calls. In an age of smartphones and caller ID, Bart no longer had the anonymity that made the calls enjoyable for him.
However, in the season 29 episode "Gone Boy," Bart gets stuck in a cold-war era bunker and decides to use the rotary phone there not to initially call for help, but rather to first make a call to Moe's Tavern, asking to speak with "Tess T. Culls." It was a nice way to bring back a classic Simpson's joke without seeming too out of place or illogical.
9 The Simpsons Chair Smash Is So Simple Yet Hilarious
Many of the best Simpsons jokes worked so well because they were set up smartly, were excellent brick jokes, or were different from the other types of jokes made on TV at the time. But "A Millhouse Divided" in season eight, had a joke that, even for the sometimes nonsensical world of Simpsons, stood out as random.
The infamous chair-smashing scene, in defense of Bart, is actually fairly typical behavior for him. Bart's destructive behavior has almost always had some kind of point to it. While the randomness does make it funny, it also holds it back from being a legendary prank.
8 The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror II Took The Effort Out Of The Prank Call
The long-running "Treehouse of Horror" is one of the best Halloween specials on TV, and the originals in particular stand out. In this classic special, Bart gains godlike psychic powers and uses them to his advantage. He calls into Moe's Tavern during school and forces Moe to say "I'm a stupid moron with an ugly face..." while everyone laughs out of fear of Bart's wrath.
While its absurd, childish humor is still funny, it does go to show that Bart is at his most hilarious when he actually puts effort into his pranks. When he drops the act and just makes fun of Moe, the joke still works, but it doesn't land as well as it does in the "normal" Simpsons universe.
7 Bart's Cherry Bomb Launched Him Across The World
One thing The Simpsons has always done well is portray the world the way kids see it. For Lisa, it's a world where she is powerless to change it, despite her genius, because she is a child. But Bart can change the world, and he lashes out in imaginative ways. A simple forgotten cherry bomb is enough to bring him joy and allow him to make himself heard.
In "The Crêpes of Wrath," Bart generates a much bigger splash than intended when he flushes a cherry bomb down the boy's toilet, unknowingly injuring Principal Skinner's mother. A furious Principal Skinner resolved to have Bart "deported" to France through a foreign exchange program to get him out of his hair.
6 Bart Simpson Searching For Meaning, and Seymour Butz
The season two episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Bluefish" was one of the most mature Simpsons episodes produced at the time, and featured Homer coming to terms with his impending death from accidentally eating poisoned fish. His noble attempts to bring his life to a satisfying close were layered with comedy through the troubles of his daily life.
As he attempts to film a video for Maggie to remember him by, he ends up yelling at the other kids. When he tries to have a heart-to-heart with Bart, Bart assumes he's in trouble. And while the family waits for Homer to come home for one last meal, Bart gets bored and makes a call to Moe's asking for Seymour Butz. It's great moments like these, creative yet simple ideas, balanced with real emotional topics, that made The Simpsons one of the best cartoons of its time.
5 Bart Simpson Destroying The Giant Tomato Was A Test Of Character
Lisa's always been the genius of the family, but Bart has his share of talents too. Most notably, a talent for misadventures, comedy, and above all else, destruction. In "Duffless," when Lisa grows a tomato to an enormous size, she makes the mistake of leaving it with Bart at school. When Principal Skinner bends over to tie his shoes, he tantalizes Bart by waving his rear around in the air.
The camera cuts back and forth between Bart's face and Skinner's butt. In his heart, Bart knows he shouldn't. But the look in his eyes tells the audience he's already made up his mind, that he can't pass up the opportunity. It's the hilarious framing of this situation that turns a simple slapstick gag into compelling character drama that demonstrates how Bart's destructive tendencies get the best of his good nature.
4 Hugh Jazz Subverts The Prank Call Expertly
"Flaming Moe's" was one of the first episodes to focus largely on Moe who's since become one of The Simpsons' most compelling characters. Alongside its great emotional beats, the episode also featured plenty of great comedic moments, including a hilarious subversion of Bart's crank calls.
With Moe's Tavern now the most popular place in Springfield, Bart is surprised when he calls asking for "Hugh Jazz," only for Hugh to actually come up to Moe and answer! Even more hilariously, Bart immediately confesses to the stranger that this was a prank gone wrong, and before hanging up, Hugh wishes him luck in the future. The surprising mundanity makes this one of Bart's greatest prank calls.
3 I.P. Freely, Bart's Original Prank Call
Perhaps because The Simpsons is one of the oldest sitcoms on TV, some original gags have been left behind, including Bart's prank calls. But viewers can always return to the early seasons and remember the prime of Bart's pranks. From the beginning, the writers nailed it with Bart's call for "I.P. Freely."
On top of the childish humor, Hank Azeria's violent reaction is crucial to making the scene work so well, especially as Bart ignores him, rolling on the ground and laughing. The cherry on top of this: the original prank is Homer consoling Moe, telling him that "you'll get that punk someday."
2 The Megaphone Is Bart Simpson At His Goofiest
If anything, Bart is admirable because he never lets a good idea go to waste. He was always willing to try something out, and whether this was recklessly dangerous or just childish fun, it never stops being hilarious. In "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson," Bart takes all the police department's megaphones, places them end-to-end, and speaks but a single word: "testing."
The result is a sonic blast that breaks all the glass in Springfield. While Bart couldn't have known the devastation he would unleash, it isn't surprising that he didn't stop to consider it as a possibility. This is Bart at his best: a dangerous combination of a carefree child and a world without rules.
1 Bart Simpson's April Fools' Joke Is The Pinnacle Of Pranks
The Simpsons have had a lot of great flashbacks, but their clip show might have their best. Of course, no one can forget that the impetus for "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" was Bart getting revenge on his father, who had been getting the best of him all of April Fools' Day.
Bart takes Homer's last beer, puts it in a paint shaker, and cranks up the thermostat to get Homer craving a cold beer. When Homer finally opens the beer, Bart jumps out and yells "April Fools!" only to be blown away by an enormous explosion that destroys the house and leaves Homer in a coma. Only The Simpsons could make a clip show this fun, and they did it by letting Bart pull off his greatest prank.