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The Bart of War
Moe Baby Blues
Treehouse of Horror XIV

Trivia[]

  • The sign near the entrance of the Botanical Gardens reads "Our Stamens are a Pistil". As well as referring to two parts of flowers, it is also a pun on the old-fashioned slang "pistol" meaning someone who is bright/energetic ("hot as a pistol") and thus fun to be around. The sign is thus saying (in a very obscure way) "Our flowers are fun to be around", and also explains why Lisa finds the joke hilarious whilst everybody else (including, in all likelihood, most of the audience) is just baffled by it.
  • As the Simpsons are entering the arboretum, one of the sculpted bushes they pass is "Binky", a character from Matt Groening's comic "Life in Hell." The other pair of bushes are Kang and Kodos, The Simpsons' resident space aliens.
  • Carl's car is a Citroen AX.
  • This is also the first episode where Johnny Tightlips actually cried, when he, along with Fat Tony, Legs, Louie, the Castellaneta Family, and President of the Italian-American Anti-Defamation League, broke down crying by Maggie’s innocence touching them after Moe pointed it out in order to save her from getting accidentally killed in an attempted “Italian-American-Mexican Standoff” at Luigi’s. In fact, this is also the first episode where Legs and Louie cried in as well, and the only other episodes where Fat Tony cried in besides this episode are "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge" and "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington".
  • This is the last episode to air before The Simpsons: Hit and Run.
  • Gil is seen with white hair.
  • Fat Tony says he wants to take out the Castellaneta family; Dan Castellaneta is the voice of not only Homer, but several other characters on the show.
  • Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure are visible in the large panning crowd shot at the Botanical Gardens, further proving that they are still alive after being retired due to Phil Hartman's death.
  • This episode was written by J. Stewart Burns who won an Emmy for the Futurama episode "Roswell That Ends Well".
  • Even though they only appear alongside Louie and Johnny Tightlips in the third and final act of this episode, Fat Tony and Legs are seen in a brief cameo at the very beginning of the first act of the episode among the crowd getting ready to see the Sumatran Century Flower bloom (In the shot where Chief Wiggum is about to pick someone to kick out due to the visitor capacity being over its corresponding number before picking Moe to be kicked out).
  • A later episode has a similar name, "Moe Letter Blues".
  • Moe tries to get out some toys, which includes a Tickle Me Elmo. After he tests some other toys, he brings out a Tickle Me Elmo. But when he thinks he abused the Tickle Me Elmo, he said "You can't tickle Elmo no more", he made the Tickle Me Elmo say "No means no for Elmo." Then Elmo slaps Moe.
  • Fat Tony, while crying with his gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President upon being touched by Maggie’s innocence, says "I ain’t cried like this since I paid to see ‘Godfather III.’” Joe Mantegna, the voice of Fat Tony, was ironically in The Godfather Part III as its main antagonist, Joey Zaza (Probably because Mantegna had Fat Tony say this to make fun of his involvement in that film, considering that Part 3 is considered the worst of the Godfather trilogy).
  • The Sumatran Century Flower is a reference to the titan arum, a massive plant with an uncanny physical resemblance and a powerful stench that has been described as ranging from "limburger cheese" to "rotting fish".

Goofs in the "Italian-American-Mexican Standoff" scene[]

  • Throughout the scene at Luigi’s near the end of the episode up until he, along with his family, pulled out their guns to get ready to enter a gunfight (Which Marge calls this an "Italian-American-Mexican Standoff") with Fat Tony’s gang (With the President of the Italian-American Anti-Defamation League suddenly joining in in anger), Don Castellaneta’s coat, which he wears over his shoulders, keeps disappearing and reappearing in different shots, and then as soon as the guns are out, his coat is gone.
  • Even the pictures depicting Italy and its culture keeps changing into different kinds of pictures in different shots.
  • As Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President were about to enter their “Italian-American-Mexican Standoff” gunfight at Luigi’s, unaware of Maggie being caught in the middle, there were customers clearly seen in the room taking shelter under some tables, but then when Moe enters to save Maggie to afterwards, the customers have suddenly disappeared.
  • Even throughout this scene, the doorway leading to the restrooms in Luigi’s kept switching to a wall with some tables seated next to it and back in different shots.
  • Just as the “Italian-American-Mexican Standoff” was about to begin between Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President, all the way up to Moe, upon entering Luigi’s, explaining how Maggie’s innocence changed his life in order for him to save Maggie from accidentally getting caught in the attempted crossfire, Fat Tony was clearly seen standing in between Louie and Johnny Tightlips, but then when Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President broke down crying by Maggie’s innocence touching them, Fat Tony is now seen standing in between Louie and Legs as he tearfully hugged a crying Legs in comfort before he and Legs collapsed on the floor to cry even more, with Fat Tony on his knees and Legs laying on the floor to bury his face in his arms (There wasn’t even any indication of Fat Tony switching places whatsoever).
  • The President, at first, was clearly seen standing in between Legs and Don Castellaneta near the rear section of Luigi’s pointing both his two guns at both Fat Tony’s gang and the Castellaneta Family, akimbo-style, then later when Moe enters and convinces them to spare him and Maggie by explaining how Maggie’s innocence changed his life before, the President is then seen standing between Johnny Tightlips and the entrance to Luigi’s when he, Fat Tony’s gang, and the Castellaneta Family break down crying upon being touched by Maggie’s innocence (There was, oddly, no indication of him walking over to another spot during this scene).
  • In the one shot showing Maggie holding her arms up in defense and concern as Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President aimed their guns at each other without realizing she’s in the middle of it, the camera pans around Maggie to show on the top part of the screen the gangsters’ gun-wielding arms, yet some of their sleeves have been miscolored.
  • In one shot when Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President aimed their guns at Moe upon him entering Luigi’s to get Maggie out safely, Louie is seen aiming his gun at Moe with both hands, then in the next shot when Moe explained about this being the “Second most guns ever pointed at [him].”, Louie is again only holding and aiming his gun in his right hand.
  • In the shot where Moe picks Maggie up, some of the pinstripes on Johnny Tightlips’ shirt are missing.
  • Even in the shot where Moe, upon picking Maggie up, asks “Ain’t she a doll?”, Legs and Louie are seen standing between Moe and Maggie, when in actuality, they were both supposed to be standing on one side of Luigi’s near the restrooms with Fat Tony and Johnny Tightlips, opposite of the Castellaneta Family.
  • In the shot where the Castellaneta Family broke down crying along with Fat Tony’s gang and the President by Maggie’s innocence touching them, the family was seen standing in front of the entranceway to Luigi’s, when in actuality, they were supposed to stand near the wall on the opposite side of Fat Tony’s gang, the spot where they and Fat Tony’s gang were originally seated at for their sit-down before the guns were drawn out and the President joined in in anger. Also, in that shot, the one member of the Castellaneta Family wearing the red suit was seen on the left side of the thick haired member wearing the blue suit when they tearfully hugged each other in comfort while crying, and at the front window from behind them, Homer and Marge are missing from that shot, then in the shot where Moe carried Maggie out of Luigi’s, those two were now clearly seen having suddenly switched places as they continued to tearfully hug each other in comfort while crying with Don Castellaneta, their third family member, Fat Tony’s gang, and the President.
  • Even strange enough, Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President, while crying by Maggie’s innocence touching them, did not seem to have tears coming out of their eyes (Normally, when people and animals do cry, they shed tears; Or maybe because the animators either didn’t have time to draw and color in their tears or maybe because the animators forgot to include their tears in that scene, like in some episodes of this show on any character who cries in those episodes).
  • In the close-up shot of Maggie as she is giving her cute innocent smile behind her pacifier as she is slowly panning from left to right, indicating that Moe is showing her to Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President as those said gangsters broke down crying by her innocence touching them, the rear area of Luigi’s is missing its kitchen and counters (Which is possible that Moe’s body could be blocking it from view since he’s holding out Maggie in front of him towards the sobbing gangsters).
  • In a brief moment in the shot of the President crying and Johnny Tightlips starting to cry by Maggie’s innocence touching them, the front door to Luigi’s is missing as well.
  • While Johnny Tightlips is breaking down crying by Maggie’s innocence touching him, Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President, he had his eyebrows, but then his eyebrows suddenly vanished as he buried his face in his hands to turn away onto his knees to cry on the floor, as well as still holding his gun in his right hand to do so, and while turning away crying with his face buried in his hands, a brief shot even shows, if anybody plays that shot in slow motion, the pinstripes on his shirt have vanished as well, then in the next shot as Moe is carrying Maggie out of Luigi’s while Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President continued to cry by Maggie’s innocence touching them, Johnny Tightlips’ gun is now seen laying on the floor near him (Maybe while he is on his knees on the floor while crying with his face buried in his hands, he must’ve dropped his gun during that).
  • In the first shot of Louie crying by Maggie’s innocence touching him, Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President, he is not holding his gun, implying that he must’ve dropped it on the floor, then in the next shot as Moe is carrying Maggie out of Luigi’s while Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President continued to cry by Maggie’s innocence touching them, Louie’s gun is back in his right hand again.
  • In a brief moment in the shot while Fat Tony tearfully says “I ain’t cried like this since I paid to see ‘Godfather III.’”, Moe’s neck is briefly colored blue like his shirt as he and Maggie looked at each other for a moment.
  • In the final shot of that scene, if anybody can see it up close, as Moe is carrying Maggie out of Luigi’s to safety while Fat Tony’s gang, the Castellaneta Family, and President continued to cry by her innocence touching them, the one member of the Castellaneta Family wearing the red suit, while he and the other Castellaneta Family member with thick hair and blue suit continued to hug each other in comfort as they continued crying, the member in the red suit’s gun, which he still held, is clearly seen miscolored as red instead of its silver or gray coloration.

Cultural references[]

  • The song played when Moe is spending time with Maggie (and over the pictures of Homer and the ham) is "You're My Best Friend" by Queen. This song was later played in "Dogtown" when the homeless man, Rainier Wolfcastle, the elderly, Bart and Lisa reunite with their dogs at the end.
  • The title is a reference to the Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues and the newspaper comic Baby Blues.
  • In the episode there are many references to The Godfather. The gangsters make a kind of denture with the skin of an orange, as in the movie. When Moe doesn't want to read Alice in Wonderland to Maggie because it seems too pornographic, he decides to tell her the story of The Godfather. And, as mentioned above, Fat Tony briefly references The Godfather Part III.


Season 13 Season 14 References/Trivia Season 15
Treehouse of Horror XIIIHow I Spent My Strummer VacationBart vs. Lisa vs. the Third GradeLarge MargeHelter ShelterThe Great Louse DetectiveSpecial EdnaThe Dad Who Knew Too LittleThe Strong Arms of the MaPray AnythingBarting OverI'm Spelling as Fast as I CanA Star is Born-AgainMr. Spritz Goes to WashingtonC.E. D'oh'Scuse Me While I Miss the SkyThree Gays of the CondoDude, Where's My Ranch?Old Yeller-BellyBrake My Wife, PleaseThe Bart of WarMoe Baby Blues
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