The Simpsons: "Treehouse Of Horror XIX"

Premiered November 2, 2008.

"I believe in the Grand Pumpkin, almighty gourd, who was crustified over Pontius pie plate and ascended into oven. He will come again to judge the filling and the bread."

-Milhouse Van Houten

This special Halloween episode opens on Election Day of 2008.  Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) goes into a voting booth with a touch-screen and tries to vote for Barack Obama.  However, the machine registers it as a vote for John McCain.  Homer presses Obama's name several more times, but the machine keeps counting votes for McCain.  Suddenly, Homer is sucked into the voting machine...

...it kills him and spits out his mangled corpse.

Like earlier Simpsons Halloween episodes, "Treehouse Of Horror XIX" features three short segments, beginning with:

"Untitled Robot Parody": 

Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright) visits a toy store in search of a Christmas gift for his sister Lisa (Yeardley Smith).  When a toy truck flashes its headlights at Bart...

...he tells it that girls don't like trucks.  When his back is turned, the truck transforms into a pink Malibu Stacy Convertible and Bart knows he's found the perfect gift for Lisa. 

On Christmas morning, Lisa is very excited and grateful when she receives the the car.  

However, the Simpsons soon discover that the convertible is actually an alien robot, which transforms all of the Simpsons' electronic household gadgets into killing machines!  Springfield becomes the epicenter of a war between two robot armies! 

"How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising":

Marge and Homer take their youngest daughter Maggie to a new daycare center.  When she's nervous about her new surroundings, her parents encourage Maggie to look at the daycare's mural, which features Maggie's favorite TV personality Krusty The Clown (Castellaneta).  

Unfortunately, Krusty himself shows up and orders the mural to be sandblasted since he never authorized its construction, which makes Maggie cry.  Homer visits Krusty to confront the clown about the mural and accidentally knocks Krusty into a wood chipper, killing him. 

After this, an advertising agency gets Homer to kill other celebrities so they can use their likenesses to promote their products.  Homer does what they want and murders several celebrities.  

In Celebrity Heaven, Homer's victims decide to visit Earth (and Springfield) to take revenge on companies for exploiting their images. 

"It's The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse":

When every kid in Springfield is preparing to go trick or treating, Milhouse Van Houten (Pamela Hayden) announces that he plans to spend Halloween in a pumpkin patch waiting for the arrival of the Grand Pumpkin.  Milhouse tells Lisa that the Grand Pumpkin is a giant pumpkin that appears in pumpkin patches and brings candy to all children who believe in him.  Bart scoffs at this and says he made up the Grand Pumpkin just to mess with Milhouse.  

When Halloween Night arrives, Milhouse waits in the pumpkin patch while the other kids go trick-or-treating.  Lisa decides to wait for the Grand Pumpkin with Milhouse.  

Eventually, she gives up and departs for the school Halloween dance.  Milhouse cries for the Grand Pumpkin to show himself and his "childlike belief" turns a pumpkin into the Grand Pumpkin (Hank Azaria).  However, when Grand Pumpkin learns that humans carve pumpkins for jack o'lanterns and pumpkin bread, he goes on a killing spree!  It seems that Springfield is doomed!  However, hope arrives in the form of another holiday symbol...Tom Turkey (Azaria)!

J.A. Morris says:

This is a great Halloween episode.  My favorite editions of "Treehouse Of Horror" are the ones that have "literal" connections to Halloween.  I mention that because some "Treehouse" epeisodes are just horror stories that don't mention actually All Hallows' Eve or trick-or-treating.  "It's The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is the strongest segment.  

I'm a huge fan of Peanuts and "Grand Pumpkin" pokes fun at both It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Milhouse, like Linus, is often his own worst enemy, so it's appropriate that he's the one spends Halloween waiting in the pumpkin patch.  "Grand Pumpkin" is also more directly connected to Halloween than the other two segments.  Kang and Kodos, who regularly appear in Simpsons Halloween episodes, also make a cameo appearance at the Halloween dance.

"Untitled Robot Parody," which pokes fun at the Transformers franchise, is also good.  It takes place during Christmas, so it's nice to get two holidays featured in one episode, something that rarely happens.  

I thought "How To Get Ahead In Dead-Vertising" was the weakest part, but only because it's not particularly related to Halloween, other than the murders Homer commits for the advertising likenesses.  Its homage/parody of Mad Men's opening montage is great.

Some viewers might watch "Treehouse Of Horror XIX" and think it's dated because it contains references to the 2008 election and Mad Men.  I think these references make this episode a nice snapshot of the pop culture of 2008.  Speaking of which, Homer kills Prince in "Dead-Vertising" and Rip Taylor is part of the "posse" that comes down from Celebrity Heaven.  Prince and Taylor are sadly both now deceased in real life. 

"Treehouse Of Horror XIX" is very funny and should be appreciated by all fans of All Hallows' Eve programming.  The inclusion of Christmas and Thanksgiving elements makes it even more enjoyable.

J.A. Morris's rating: 

4 jack o'lanterns!

RigbyMel says: 

I look forward to The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror anthology episodes every Halloween season.   Anthologies tend to be hit-or-miss, but generally Treehouse of Horror delivers enough spooky seasonal goodness and humor to be satisfying.  Overall "Treehouse of Horror XIX" works pretty well. 

That being said, as J.A. Morris mentions above,  I think the Mad Men parody portion of Treehouse XIX is the weakest link in this episode.   It's just not that funny, and could have made MUCH better use of its source material -  although some of the dead celebrity ads are memorably crass.  

The best bits of it are the homage to the title sequence to Mad Men and the random "dead celebrity" cameos, including an irate John Lennon astride a Yellow Submarine, but overall it just doesn't quite come into focus.  

Simpsonized John Lennon with Bob Denver (aka Gilligan) and Babe Ruth in the background

The satire of the Transformers movies in "Untitled Robot Parody" is much sharper -- skewering holiday commercialism and last minute gift purchases via alien robot battle mayhem.  We also get some amusingly naughty sight gags like Homer and Ned Flanders being trapped in ... interesting positions within their transformed cars.  

"It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is most definitely the highlight of this installment,  partly because of the loving homages to the original Peanuts specials from 1960s that it riffs on.  There are some particularly clever bits  including a cameo appearance of Santa's Little Helper in Snoopy v. Red Baron mode, Marge keeps making use of a muted trombone a la the speech of adults in the original specials and the dance scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas recreated with Simpsons characters...and an iPod. 

Santa's Little Helper as Snoopy! 

The Simpsons is certainly not the first TV show to play with the notion of what might happen should the Great... errr...Grand Pumpkin actually show up, but the Grand Pumpkin's outrage at learning that his kind are sliced and carved and cooked is both hilarious and also understandable.  

I also appreciated that Thanksgiving gets mashed up into the Grand Pumpkin stew when Tom Turkey is called upon for assistance! 

"Treehouse of Horror XIX" is not my favorite Simpsons Halloween episode,  but "It's The Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" is a segment that I do enjoy revisiting seasonally. 

RigbyMel's rating:

.5

2 and a half jack o'lanterns.

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown

First aired October 29, 1972.


"You can't go to school without a rousing breakfast!  It's a known fact the all of our country's Presidents started each day with a rousing breakfast.  I don't know how they managed to get together every morning.  But I guess that's one of those things about government I don't understand."
-Sally

It's time for Birchwood School to hold their class elections.  Linus Van Pelt (Stephen Shea) thinks Charlie Brown (Chad Webber) should run for Student Body President.  Chuck doesn't think anyone (besides Linus) would vote for him.  Lucy (Robin Kohn) conducts a poll that says he would lose if he ran, so Charlie Brown chooses not to run.  But Linus decides to run for President.  Lucy conducts another poll that says 99% of the students think Linus should run.  Some of the people she polls are bullied by Lucy into saying they think Linus would make a good President.  Lucy also decides to serve as Linus' campaign manager. 

Lucy books Linus on a local talk show that takes phone questions.  This turns out to be a waste of time, as none of the callers asks a cogent question.

Lucy says the latest poll numbers show Linus is leading 98% to 2%.  Linus' electoral opponent is a quiet boy named Russell Anderson (Todd Barbee).  When they meet for a debate, Russell gets up and says that he's honored to run for President, adding "if I'm elected, I promise to do the best I can.  Thank you."

In contrast, Linus is a natural firebrand politician (channeling Mark Antony and William Jennings Bryan), he says his administration "will release us from our spiritual Babylon".

He promises wide-sweeping changes, including raises for teachers and custodians and safety for any dog who shows up on the playground.  He says his first act as President will be to meet with the school board.  He's forced to back-track, realizing the board meets after his bedtime!  But the crowd eats up everything Linus says, cheering and clapping for him. 

The crowd goes crazy for Linus!

Linus is interviewed by Violet (Linda Ercoli) for the school paper, and Schroeder (Brian Kazanjian) sets up a photo-op for the candidate with Snoopy (Bill Melendez).  It seems like Linus will cruise to victory.

Schroeder thinks Snoopy will make Linus appear more "homey".

But then Linus commits a campaign "gaffe".  During his last speech before the election, he goes on a tangent about his belief in the Great Pumpkin!

Linus is laughed off stage, Lucy and Charlie Brown freak out about this.

Lucy and Chuck react to Linus' gaffe-"Aaugh!"

Linus is distraught, he tells his friends "I've blown the election.  Go ahead and say it, I know you want to say it".

But all hope is not lost,  Lucy says her internal poll shows that Linus and Russell are tied at 50%.  On election day, the vote is very close.  It may come down to one or two votes.

Election Day:Votes are cast and counted.

Can Linus prevail?  Will his speech about the Great Pumpkin come back to haunt him?

J.A. Morris says:

You're Not Elected Charlie Brown is not the best Peanuts special, but it's fun and serves as a nice introduction to politics for kids.  The original voice cast is gone, but it has the same look and great Vince Guaraldi music of the classic specials.

Speaking of Vince Guaraldi, fans of Snoopy's "Joe Cool" persona will enjoy this special.  It contains a scene that features Guaraldi singing the song "Joe Cool" that accompanies Snoopy's attempts to be cool.

"Joe Cool" tries to impress a girl.

It seems like every Presidential Election (and many Senatorial and Gubernatorial Elections) has one infamous campaign gaffe.  Linus' comments about the Great Pumpkin are the sort of thing that could change an election in the real world.

If there's anything wrong with the special, it's that it takes a little while to get to the main plot.  There's an opening segment that deals with Sally's (Hilary Momberger) inability to open the lock on her locker.  This leads to Charlie Brown being humiliated when she uses him as her Show And Tell object.  Not a bad scene, but it has nothing to do with the "election" storyline.

This special has been released on dvd several times and is also available as streaming video on Amazon.

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown is a solid special.  It's not as well known as other Peanuts offerings  (I think I remember watching it once as a kid), or quite as good, but it's worth checking out.

J.A. Morris' rating:
3 Ballot Boxes

RigbyMel says:

As J.A. Morris says,  You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown is an enjoyable special, but probably not a "classic".  There are definitely some funny and believable moments -  I especially liked that Linus almost seems to be channeling scenes from Citizen Kane in his campaign speech and his "Great Pumpkin" gaffe is a definite highlight.    Also the watercolored autumnal backgrounds in the outdoor scenes are rather wonderful.

In addition to the somewhat extraneous subplots J.A. Morris mentions above, I also wondered about Sally having a locker at school at all.  Is it common for elementary school kids to have lockers?  I know I didn't have a locker at school until junior high, but perhaps my experience was anomalous.   It struck me as weird based on my personal experience in school.

Snoopy & Woodstock making campaign signs

If you are tired of political ads this election season and don't want to spend all night watching election returns,  this special is a fun, non-partisan escape.  

RigbyMel's rating:
3 Ballot Boxes

The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show: "Great Pumpkin"

Premiered September 21, 1985.

"On Halloween night the great pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he picked as the most sincere  then he flies through the air bringing toys to all the good children in the world."    
-Linus Van Pelt

 Linus tells Chuck & Peppermint Patty about the Great Pumpkin

Peppermint Patty (Victoria Vargas) invites Charlie Brown (Brad Kesten) and Linus (Jeremy Schoenberg) to a bowling tournament on Halloween Night. 
Charlie Brown accepts the invite, but says he's never bowled before.  Peppermint Patty agrees to teach him, but tells Chuck "I'll beat the pants off you!". 
Linus declines.  He'll be spending Halloween in a pumpkin patch waiting for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin.  He asks Chuck and Peppermint Patty, they're not interested.  He literally drags Snoopy to join him in the pumpkin patch.

At the bowling alley, Charlie Brown does surprisingly well for a first time bowler. He bowls a strike on his first try!  Marcie (Michael Dockery) believes Chuck will actually win the tournament.  Peppermint Patty gets annoyed by this and is determined to win.

Sally shows up to wait for the Great Pumpkin, Linus isn't exactly thrilled to see her.

Back in the Pumpkin Patch, Sally (Stacy Ferguson) arrives looking for her "Sweet Baboo".  She has come to keep her "boyfriend" company.  Linus tells her he is NOT her boyfriend, but encourages Sally to stay and wait for the Great Pumpkin.  Sally reminds him that she's waited for the Great Pumpkin before and missed out on trick or treating for nothing.  She agrees to  stay, but says he BETTER show up or Linus will pay dearly if she wastes her time again. 

Will the Great Pumpkin show up and bring toys for Linus, Snoopy and Sally?  Will Charlie Brown actually win something?  You'll have to watch the short to find out!

J.A. Morris says:
Most of us have seen It's Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown multiple times.  But did you know about this "sequel" the classic Halloween special? 
For those who never saw or heard of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, it aired from Fall 1983 to Spring 1986 on CBS on Saturday mornings.  Each 30 minute episode contained 3 short cartoons.

Most (if not all) of the plots were taken directly from the Peanuts comic strip.
I've been a Charlie Brown fanatic most of my life.  I watched the first season, but by the time season 2 rolled around, I was 14 and transitioning out of Saturday morning cartoons.  So I didn't know Great Pumpkin existed until a few years ago, when I found it on iTunes.

The Great Pumpkin arrives!  Or does he?

It's an odd story.  For instance, Sally mentions that she'll miss trick or treating again, when no one is seen trick or treating or wearing costumes in this episode.  Why are Chuck, Peppermint Patty and Marcie bowling on Halloween instead of trick or treating?   

The animation looks good, as good as any of the classic Charlie Brown specials of the 60s & 70s.  But Great Pumpkin is a bit slight, even for a 7 minute short.  It's not bad, just not great either.  It works as a decent supplement to the classic special. 

This episode was recently released on a dvd called Happiness Is Peanuts:Team Snoopy.  It's also available for streaming at Amazon and iTunes, look for it in episode 15.

A note of trivia about this episode:Sally is voiced by a child actor named Stacy Ferguson, who later grew up to be Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.

"Sally" today.

Great Pumpkin can't hold a candle to the original special, but it's worth seeing if you're a Peanuts completist.
My rating:
2 and 1/2 Jack O'Lanterns.

RigbyMel says:

I generally agree with J.A. Morris's comments above.   The animation looks good, it's just too bad that this "kinda" sequel to It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown feels rather flat.   I'm taking a half a pumpkin away from my rating for lack of much Halloween-ish fun (other than the Great Pumpkin).  

RigbyMel's rating:
2 Jack O'Lanterns