{{Good article}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 6 | episode = 4 | director = [[Wes Archer]] | writer = [[John Swartzwelder]] | production = 2F01 | airdate = {{Start date|1994|10|02}} | blackboard = "I am not the reincarnation of [[Sammy Davis Jr.]]"<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}}}}</ref> | couch_gag = The family is [[Transporter (Star Trek)|beamed]] onto the couch the same way the characters are in the original ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' series.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season6/page4.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031004145317/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season6/page4.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 4, 2003 |title=Itchy & Scratchy & Marge |access-date=2007-08-02 |last1=Martyn |first1=Warren |author-link1=Gary Russell |last2 = Wood |first2=Adrian |author-link2=Gareth Roberts (writer) |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<BR />David Mirkin<BR />[[Dan Castellaneta]]<BR />[[Yeardley Smith]]<BR />Wes Archer | prev = [[Another Simpsons Clip Show]] | next = [[Sideshow Bob Roberts]] }} "'''Itchy & Scratchy Land'''" is the fourth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 6|sixth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It first aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on October 2, 1994 and first aired in the UK on [[Sky One]] on October 16 1994. Wanting a perfect family vacation, the [[Simpson family]] visits [[The Itchy & Scratchy Show|Itchy & Scratchy]] Land, where the animatronics turn against the guests.
The episode was written by [[John Swartzwelder]] and directed by [[Wes Archer]].<ref name=bbc/>
==Plot== [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] want to visit [[The Itchy & Scratchy Show|Itchy & Scratchy]] Land, an [[amusement park]], but [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] has already planned a family vacation to a [[bird sanctuary]]. Bart and Lisa persuade their parents to visit the theme park by revealing it has areas for adults, including bars, bowling alleys and a [[Drug rehabilitation|rehab center]].
Marge dislikes Itchy & Scratchy Land's violent themes and attractions, but the family's trip goes well until [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] and Bart start assaulting the park's mascot performers, with Bart launching a [[stink bomb]] into one's Itchy suit, and Homer kicking another in the rear. Both are arrested by park security and locked in a detention cell. Marge lectures Bart and Homer after they are released from custody.
Despite a park employee assuring the Simpsons the Itchy and Scratchy robots are programmed to only attack each other, they go rogue and start attacking humans. A worker refuses to allow the Simpsons to evacuate aboard a helicopter because of Bart and Homer's misdeeds. The power supply is cut, plunging the park into darkness.
A horde of Itchy and Scratchy robots advances on the Simpsons. While frantically throwing things to repel them, Homer discovers a camera flash short-circuits the robots' systems and immobilizes them. The Simpsons grab dozens of cameras from a gift shop and defeat the entire Itchy & Scratchy army. Employees thank the Simpsons for saving the park. Despite their ordeal, they agree this was their best vacation ever, but Marge insists that none of them ever mention it again.
==Production== "Itchy & Scratchy Land", written by the entire writing team but credited to [[John Swartzwelder]], was a very difficult episode to produce. It involved creating an entirely new environment, which meant large amounts of writing and all new sets.<ref name="Mirkin">{{cite video |people=Mirkin, David |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> At the time that the episode was produced, new, more stringent [[censorship]] laws had been put in place. As a result, the Fox network tried to stop the writers from including ''Itchy & Scratchy'' cartoons in episodes. In response, the writers created this episode, which they decided would be as violent as possible. The network threatened that if the episode was produced, they would cut the ''Itchy & Scratchy'' parts out themselves, but relented when showrunner [[David Mirkin]] threatened to tell the media. The writers nevertheless promised to try not to overdo the violence.<ref name="Mirkin"/>
Although the episode was quite difficult to animate, "Itchy & Scratchy Land" was "a dream come true" for the animators, as they enjoyed animating scenes filled with violence.<ref name="Archer">{{cite video |people=Archer, Wes |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
==Cultural references== The opening "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoon is "Last Traction Hero", a reference to ''[[Last Action Hero]]'' (1993) and features the "[[Anvil Chorus]]" from [[Verdi]]'s ''[[Il Trovatore]]''. Marge's memory of a visit to [[Amish]] country recalls [[Peter Weir]]'s ''[[Witness (1985 film)|Witness]]'' (1985) and her memory of Homer and Bart scaring swimmers with shark fins recalls [[Jaws (film)|''Jaws'']].<ref name=bbc/> The helicopter ride, the logo on the helicopter's side, and certain story elements parody [[Michael Crichton]]'s [[Jurassic Park (novel)|''Jurassic Park'']] and [[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[Jurassic Park (film)|film adaptation]]. Other elements, such as the park's claim to be the "theme park of the future" "where nothing can possibly go wrong" and the robots rebelling, are based on Crichton's ''[[Westworld (film)|Westworld]]'' (1973).<ref name=bbc/><ref name="Mirkin"/> [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] and [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] visit a '70s-themed restaurant; Marge notes "The waiter looks like [[John Travolta]]!" and the waiter says "Yeah, ''looks like''"; Travolta's career was moribund when the episode was written, but approximately a week and half after the episode aired, Travolta's career was revitalized by the release of ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''.<ref>{{cite news| last=Ryan| first=Kyle| title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Itchy & Scratchy Land"| work=[[The A.V. Club]]| url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-itchy-scratchy-land-1798177190}}</ref> The sound made by the vehicle that takes Bart to the detention facility resembles the one made by the ground shuttles carrying the fighter pilots inside the Rebel Base in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977).<ref name=EW/> The robots' vision is a reference to ''[[The Terminator]]'' (1984), while using flash-photography to destroy the robots is similar to one of the weaknesses in ''[[Gremlins]]'' (1984), in particular a scene where [[Phoebe Cates]]' character uses a Polaroid to fend off Gremlins. The birds attacking at the bird sanctuary is a spoof of [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963); the birds flying into the phone booth is a parody of a scene from the film, with [[Hans Moleman]] standing in for [[Tippi Hedren]].<ref name=bbc/>
Much of Itchy & Scratchy Land parodies [[Disneyland Park (Anaheim)|Disneyland]].<ref name=Mirkin/> The park's slogan "The Violentest Place on Earth" is a riff on Disneyland's slogan "The Happiest Place on Earth". The Itchy and Scratchy Money parodies the now defunct [[Disney Dollars]] scrip system. ''Scratchtasia'' is a parody of the ''[[The Sorcerer's Apprentice|Sorcerer's Apprentice]]'' segment of ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' (1940), with several shots and the music parodying it exactly.<ref name="Mirkin"/> The area where the cartoon ''Scratchtasia'' is being shown and the documentary it is a part of is reminiscent of the [[Great Movie Ride]] pre-show in MGM Studios at the [[Walt Disney World Resort]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]. ''Pinnitchio'' is a parody of ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940). Homer and Marge dance at T.G.I. McScratchy's "where it's constantly [[New Year's Eve]]"; this is a parody of [[Pleasure Island (Walt Disney World)|Pleasure Island]] at Walt Disney World where every night from 1990 through New Year's Eve 2005 was celebrated as though it were New Year's Eve. [[Walt Disney]]'s alleged [[antisemitism]] is spoofed in the character of [[Roger Meyers Sr.]] in his cartoon ''Nazi Supermen Are Our Superiors''.<ref name="Mirkin"/> Euro Itchy & Scratchy Land is a parody of [[Disneyland Paris]], then known as EuroDisney, which at the time was struggling commercially.<ref name="Mirkin"/> Coincidentally, EuroDisney officially changed its name to Disneyland Paris on October 1, 1994, exactly one day before this episode aired in the United States.
==Reception== In its original broadcast, "Itchy & Scratchy Land" finished 67th in ratings for the week of September 26 to October 2, 1994, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 9.0, equivalent to approximately 8.6 million viewing households. It was the third-highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'', ''[[The X-Files]]'', and tied with ''[[Melrose Place]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=NBC strong second to ABC's lead |work=Sun-Sentinel |author=Elber, Lynn |page=4E |date=October 7, 1994}}</ref> [[File:Bort license plate.jpg|thumb|The "Bort" joke in the episode inspired [[vanity plate]]s among fans.]]
[[Gary Russell]] and [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]]<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html|title=Gary Russell: From Peladon to Placebos|author=Preddle, Jon|date=June 1997|magazine=Time Space Visualiser|issue=51|access-date=20 August 2020|publisher=The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club|quote=I've just done my first non-fiction book, Oh No It's A Completely Unofficial Simpsons Guide for Virgin, co-authored with Gareth Roberts which has, to be frank, been more of a nightmare than it needed to be [the book was published as I Can't Believe It's An Unofficial Simpsons Guide, with Gary and Gareth writing under the pseudonyms Warren Martyn & Adrian Wood].}}</ref> called it "an untypical episode, with an especially thin plot", but added that "anyone that's been to Disneyland will get the point".<ref name="bbc"/> The episode placed seventh in a 2003 ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' list of the top 25 episodes of the series, with the authors remarking, "When the animatronics attack, the showdown between man and machine—okay, Homer and a giant robot mouse—is an uproarious rebuttal to capitalism run amok."<ref name=EW>{{cite web |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/02/02/best-simpsons-episodes-nos-6-10/ |title=The best ''Simpsons'' episodes, Nos. 6-10 |access-date=2022-01-16 |date=2003-01-29 |publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> The episode ranked sixth on ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]''{{'}}s top ten ''The Simpsons'' episodes list, compiled in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Enwright |title=D'Oh! The top 10 'Simpsons' episodes ever |publisher=[[Today.com]] |date=2007-07-31 |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/doh-top-10-simpsons-episodes-ever-1C9430188 |access-date=2022-01-16}}</ref> In 2019, ''[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]'' ranked it tenth on its list of top 30 ''Simpsons'' episodes.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Simpsons' Top 30 Episodes|url=https://consequence.net/2019/12/the-simpsons-top-30-episodes/|publisher=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|date=2019-12-17|access-date=2022-01-16}}</ref> In 2014, ''The Simpsons'' writers picked "Scratchtasia" from this episode as one of their nine favorite "Itchy & Scratchy" episodes of all time.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Simpsons' Writers Pick Their Favorite 'Itchy & Scratchy' Cartoons |url=http://www.vulture.com/2014/03/simpsons-writers-favorite-itchy-and-scratchy-cartoons.html |publisher=[[Vulture (blog)|Vulture]] |date=2014-03-26 |access-date=2014-03-27}}</ref>
=== Legacy === The scene in the gift shop where Bart finds a personalized license plate with the name "[[Bort (name)|Bort]]" has become part of popular culture, inspiring [[vanity plate]]s among fans and souvenirs in ''The Simpsons''-themed stores at [[Universal Orlando]].<ref name="bort">{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2014/10/bort-license-plate-simpsons-fans-get-them-in-real-life-comprise-nerdy-club-photos.html|title=What Real-Life "Bort" License Plates Tell Us About the Power of ''The Simpsons''|first=Alan|last=Siegel|date=October 7, 2014|access-date=January 16, 2022|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/universal-orlando-needs-more-bort-license-plates-in-t-1798239173|title=Universal Orlando needs more "BORT" license plates in the Simpsons gift shop|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=July 11, 2013|access-date=January 16, 2022|first=Sean|last=O'Neal}}</ref> Writer [[Bill Oakley]] said he always liked the joke but was surprised it took on a "legendary status". ''[[Planet Simpson]]'' author [[Chris Turner (author)|Chris Turner]] called the joke "unmistakably Simpsonian".<ref name="bort"/>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_6#Itchy_.26_Scratchy_Land|"Itchy & Scratchy Land"}} {{portal|The Simpsons}} * {{snpp capsule|2F01}} *{{IMDb episode|id=0778449}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|6}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Itchy and Scratchy Land}} [[Category:The Simpsons season 6 episodes]] [[Category:1994 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes set in amusement parks]] [[Category:Television episodes about robots]] [[Category:Television episodes about vacationing]] [[Category:Television episodes written by John Swartzwelder]] [[Category:Disney parodies]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Wes Archer]]