{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 9 | episode = 21 | director = [[Mark Kirkland]] | writer = [[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]] | production = 5F15 | airdate = {{Start date|1998|04|19}} | couch_gag = The family sits down and [[Matt Groening]]'s live-action hand spins the picture, causing it to blur.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page21.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030820142203/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season9/page21.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2003 |title=Girly Edition |access-date=2007-10-28 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<br>Mike Scully<br>[[George Meyer]]<br>[[Yeardley Smith]]<br>Mark Kirkland | prev = [[The Trouble with Trillions]] | next = [[Trash of the Titans]] }} "'''Girly Edition'''" is the twenty-first episode in the [[The Simpsons season 9|ninth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on April 19, 1998. In the episode, [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] and [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] must co-anchor a new [[news program]], though when Bart is seen as a more successful [[news anchor]], Lisa becomes jealous and seeks revenge. Meanwhile, in the subplot, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] gets a [[Monkey helper#Helper monkey|monkey helper]] because of his laziness.
"Girly Edition" was the first episode written by [[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]] and was directed by [[Mark Kirkland]].<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Gimple |first=Scott |title=[[The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued]] |year=1999 |publisher=Harper Collins Publishers |isbn=0-06-098763-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonsforeverc00groe/page/37 37] }}</ref> Much of the subplot was inspired by the film ''[[Monkey Shines (film)|Monkey Shines]]''.
Critics gave the episode positive reviews and it is also one of [[Yeardley Smith]]'s favorite episodes of the series.
==Plot== After [[Groundskeeper Willie]] takes away [[Bart Simpson|Bart]]'s [[skateboard]] for destroying his leaf pile, Bart gets revenge on Willie by filling up his shack with [[creamed corn]] as he is sleeping, destroying it. As Willie is taken away for medical attention, he swears his own revenge on Bart. Meanwhile, [[Krusty the Clown]]'s show comes under criticism by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] for not being educational enough for children. The Channel 6 executive proposes that Krusty cut 10 minutes from his show to make room for a kids' news program, ''Kidz Newz'', where children deliver and report news items. [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] is recruited as a [[news anchor]] along with other [[Springfield Elementary School]] children. Bart is not chosen at first, but is made [[sportscaster]] after he complains to [[Marge Simpson|Marge]].
Lisa is deemed to be boring by the channel's staff, though they are impressed by Bart's performance. Bart is then promoted to be the co-anchor, causing Lisa to become jealous and resentful. After Bart hears Lisa talking behind his back, he seeks advice from [[Kent Brockman]], who teaches him about the power of [[Human interest story|human interest stories]]. Bart becomes successful after creating a segment called "Bart's People", which Lisa disapproves of due to its sappy, emotionally manipulative content. She attempts to copy the segment, but is twice hampered by the [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Crazy Cat Lady|Crazy Cat Lady]]. In a plot to expose Bart's insincerity, she writes and sends a letter, purportedly from an immigrant living in a junkyard who wants to be featured as one of Bart's People. Bart rushes to the city dump to do a live broadcast but is attacked by Willie, who has been living there since his shack was destroyed. Feeling guilty for putting Bart in danger, Lisa hurries to the dump and saves him by using some of his own methods to appeal to Willie's emotions. Bart and Lisa decide to combine their talents in order to get children to really care about the news, only to have ''Kidz Newz'' canceled immediately afterward and replaced by a cartoon show intended to sell candy and toys.
The subplot of the episode involves [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] discovering that [[Apu Nahasapeemapetilon|Apu]] has been wounded in a robbery at the [[Kwik-E-Mart]] and has obtained a [[Service animal#Helper monkey|helper monkey]] to assist in running the store while he recovers. Homer gets a monkey of his own named Mojo to help around the house (by using [[Grampa Simpson|Grampa]] as a stopgap after being told that monkeys can only assist the physically challenged or the elderly), but Mojo instead picks up Homer's bad habits and becomes lazy and overweight. At Marge's insistence, Homer returns Mojo to the agency that provided him.
==Production== "Girly Edition" was the first episode [[Larry Doyle (writer)|Larry Doyle]] wrote for the show. He conceived both the main plot and the subplot.<ref name="scully">{{cite video |people=[[Mike Scully]] |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Girly Edition" |medium=DVD |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]}}</ref> The subplot about Mojo was inspired by the film ''[[Monkey Shines (film)|Monkey Shines]]''; [[show runner]] [[Mike Scully]] asked the staff to consult the film for reference when they were making the episode. The animators also studied the behavior of monkeys from other resources, looking at their movements and how they interact with humans.<ref name="kirkland">{{cite video |people=[[Mark Kirkland]] |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Girly Edition" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> [[Eric Stefani]], a former animator for the show who had left and now was part of the band [[No Doubt]], was called back by episode director [[Mark Kirkland]] to animate the scenes with Homer and Mojo. This was the final work Stefani did for ''The Simpsons''.<ref name="kirkland"/> At the end of the episode, an incapacitated Mojo is only able to type "Pray for Mojo" into a computer; this line was written by [[George Meyer]], who cited it as his favorite personal contribution to ''The Simpsons''.<ref name="Believer">{{cite news |url=http://www.believermag.com/issues/200409/?read=interview_meyer |title=George Meyer |access-date=2009-07-30 |work=[[The Believer (magazine)|The Believer]] |date=September 2004}}</ref> Recurring character the [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Crazy Cat Lady|Crazy Cat Lady]] was introduced in this episode.<ref name="scully"/>
==Analysis== [[File:MattelMarsBarChocobotHour.jpg|thumb|The show that replaces "Kidz News", a parody of corporate tie-in [[Saturday morning cartoon]]s]] In his book ''Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and Intertextuality'', Jonathan Gray analyses a scene from the episode in which it is announced that ''Kidz News'' has been replaced by the children's cartoon ''The Mattel and Mars Bar Quick Energy Chocobot Hour'' (a reference to the [[Mattel]] toys and the [[Mars (chocolate bar)|Mars]] chocolate bar). He says this mocks "how many children's programs have become little more than the ad to the merchandise".<ref name="gray">{{cite book |title=Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and Intertextuality |last=Gray |first=Jonathan |year=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |pages=84, 136 |isbn=978-0-415-36202-3}}</ref> Gray also writes that ''The Simpsons'' "illustrates how the ad as genre has itself already invaded many, if not all, genres. Ads and marketing do not limit themselves to the space between programs; rather, they are themselves textual invaders, and part of ''The Simpsons''{{'}} parodic attack on ads involves revealing their hiding places in other texts."<ref name="gray"/>
A real-life journalist named Reid, who Gray interviewed for his book, states that "Girly Edition" mirrors well how some journalists actually work. She said the episode shows "the ludicrous nature of, you know, what we do in a lot of things. The kids news with Bart and Lisa: I mean, you see them do really stupid stories about the news, and 'news you can use,' and 'how to get rid of your sheets when you wet them.' I mean, people really ''do'' stories like that."<ref name="gray"/> Steven Keslowitz writes in his book ''The World According to the Simpsons'' that the episode showcases the fact that "the viewing of attractive newscasters and the use of persuasive tones of voice often do have an impact on the minds of many intelligent members of American society."<ref name="Keslowitz">{{cite book |title=The World According to the Simpsons: What Our Favorite TV Family Says about Life, Love, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Donut |last=Keslowitz |first=Steven |year=2006 |publisher=Sourcebooks |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldaccordingto0000kesl/page/134 134] |isbn=978-1-4022-0655-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/worldaccordingto0000kesl/page/134 }}</ref>
==Reception== The episode originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on April 19, 1998.<ref name="book"/> It finished 26th in the ratings for the week of April 13–19, 1998, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 8.7, translating to around 8.5 million viewing households.<ref name=ratings>{{cite news |title=How they rate |date=1988-04-28 |page=14 |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]}} Retrieved on April 20, 2008.</ref> The episode was the third highest rated show on Fox that week, following ''[[The X-Files]]'' and ''[[King of the Hill]]''.
"Girly Edition" was well received by critics.
The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, thought well of the episode, calling it "a great episode, full of more than the normal quota of good jokes", adding, "best of all is Lisa's revenge on Bart, and the mad cat-lady who goes around chucking her cats at people."<ref name="bbc"/>
Ryan Keefer of [[DVD Verdict]] gave the episode a B rating and stated that he enjoyed the subplot with Mojo more than the main plot.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keefer |first=Ryan |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season |url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason9.php |date=2007-01-22 |publisher=[[DVD Verdict]] |access-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608024631/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simpsonsseason9.php |archive-date=2011-06-08 }}</ref>
Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide commented that "Girly Edition" takes "a clever concept and turns into something more than expected as it digs into the usual Bart/Lisa rivalry. I'm not quite sure why Bart reacts so sadly to Lisa's comments about his stupidity when '[[Lisa the Simpson]]' just delved into the dumbness of the male Simpsons. There's enough to like here to make the episode fun, though."<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Colin |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season (1997) |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonnine.shtml |publisher=DVD Movie Guide |access-date=2011-06-05 |date=2007-01-13}}</ref>
This episode is one of [[Yeardley Smith]]'s favorites. She says, "I don't actually remember a lot of the episodes because they all blend in together for me, and I don't have a really good memory anyway, but I do remember this one and thinking that it was terrific."<ref name="smith">{{cite video |people=Smith, Yeardley |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 9 DVD commentary for the episode "Girly Edition" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
Alasdair Wilkins writes "it's really hard to argue too hard with the charms of an episode that gives us both Mojo and old Joe and his ducks. As a parody of news shows, it's so close to the real thing as to almost not be parody at all."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilkins |first=Alasdair |date=December 6, 2015 |title=''The Simpsons'' asks you to pray for the very soul of Kidz Newz (and also Mojo) |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-asks-you-to-pray-for-the-very-soul-of-kidz-1798185919 |work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>
The title of the [[Mustard Plug]] album [[Pray for Mojo|''Pray for Mojo'']] is derived from the episode.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Knight |first=Rich |date=August 5, 2025 |title=I Know Nobody Else Would Call This The Best Episode of The Simpsons, But Here's Why "Girly Edition" Will Always Be My Favorite |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/i-know-nobody-else-would-call-this-best-episode-the-simpsons-girly-edition-will-always-be-my-favorite |work=Cinemablend}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons#Girly_Edition_.5B9.21.5D|"Girly Edition"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} * {{Snpp capsule|5F15}} * {{IMDb episode|0779665}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|9}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 9 episodes]] [[Category:1998 American television episodes]] [[Category:Fictional television shows]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Mark Kirkland]]