Ribwich

The Ribwich

The Ribwich was a limited time item on the menu at the fast food chain Krusty Burger.

History

The Ribwich consisted of only the meat, the bun, and barbecue sauce. It was specifically not marketed as being nutritious or healthy. In the TV commercial for the Ribwich, the voice-over said, "We start with authentic, letter-graded meat, and process the hell out of it." The box the Ribwich was served in advertised it as "Now without lettuce!" and "Will cause early death!"

Homer tried a Ribwich and quickly developed a voracious appetite for them, eating so many that he became delirious and slobbered all over the place, prompting the Squeaky-Voiced Teen at the counter to call for a "Drool clean-up at Register 4!" Homer became hooked on Ribwiches, making frequent return trips to Krusty Burger to eat more of them.

Much to Homer's dismay, the Ribwich was limited time only. However the Ribwich was only available at one Krusty Burger location at any one time and was being test-marketed nationwide, it was essentially on tour and would soon be served at another Krusty Burger. Homer got a copy of the schedule and joined up with a large throng of "Ribheads" who were following the Ribwich from place to place.

The last stop of the Ribwich's tour was in San Francisco, where Krusty the Clown appeared in person and announced that the Ribwich had been discontinued, as the unnamed animal whose meat was used for the burger had become extinct. Krusty held up the very last Ribwich and threw it to the crowd.

Homer caught the last Ribwich, but he gave it to another person in exchange for his car, because he needed the car to get to the Spell-Lympics.

Non-Canon Appearances

In The Simpsons: Hit and Run, the Squeaky-Voiced Teen offers Lisa to try a new version of the Ribwich. He believes she will enjoy it despite being a vegetarian because it does not actually contain meat, "just paste and MSG."

References / Trivia

• The sandwhich is first mentioned in the episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can".
• The Ribwich is an obvious parody of the McDonald's McRib sandwich, which is also noted for its intermittent availability and the less than obvious origin of its meat.
• The "Ribheads" following the Ribwich are a reference to Deadheads, fans of the Grateful Dead who followed the band as it toured.
• In the PS3 and Xbox 360 version of The Simpsons Game, if Homer eats some food, he will say various foods. One of them is the Ribwich.
• When Krusty finishes talking to the crowd, he says, "What a long strange product rollout it's been," which is another Grateful Dead reference.
• The animal from which the Ribwich is made is never specified, but when someone mentions a pig as a possibility, Krusty replies, "Think smaller, and more legs." It could possibly be an insect,  arachnid or some other multi legged invertabrate.
• The Mascot covered in what could be BBQ at Krusty Burger sauce is a frog.

Appearances

• Episode – "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can"
• Episode – "E Pluribus Wiggum"

• 1	The Simpsons: Hit and Run

Video game – The Simpsons: Hit and Run

• 1	The Simpsons Game

Video game – The Simpsons Game (cameo)