10 Funniest Running Gags On The Simpsons

Some of the most hilarious jokes in The Simpsons are long-running gags that have persisted for many years. Since its debut in 1989, The Simpsons has become the longest-running American animated series ever. Even though The Simpsons has been criticized for a perceived drop in quality in recent years, and viewership has been decreasing, the legendary series still contains some of the most memorable running gags in the history of American TV.

The Simpsons paved the way for other adult-oriented animation sitcoms, such as Family Guy and American Dad!, all of which follow similar themes and also employ the use of running gags. A running gag is a joke or reference that is used repeatedly throughout the entire run of a series, and the humor of these moments tends to increase the more they’re used. The Simpsons is packed full of them. With almost 800 episodes under its belt, some of The Simpsons’ best jokes have contributed to these running gags.

10) Why You Little…!

Bart Simpson has been a well-known troublemaker since The Simpsons began, and his prank-pulling often grinds the gears of other characters, especially his own father, Homer. When particularly infuriated, Homer often imitates strangling Bart while delivering the phrase, “Why you little…!” If you’re willing to ignore the clear child abuse included in this gag, it’s one of The Simpsons’ most notable phrases and actions.

Homer Simpson first pulled this stunt before The Simpsons ever became its own series, as it began as a series of shorts sketches on The Tracy Ullman Show. The “Why you little…!” moment first occurred in the 25th sketch, 1988’s “Family Portrait,” and has been altered on over 60 occasions to hilariously fit the changing themes and styles of parody episodes. This gag stresses the sometimes-strained relationship between Homer and Bart, and has become a trademark of the series.

9) Homer’s Lifelong Dreams

Ever seen he first voiced his lifelong dream of managing a country singer in season 3, episode 20, “Colonel Homer,” back in 1992, Homer has spoken about a great many lifelong dreams. These are often outlandish, fantastical, and completely unpredictable, which adds to the comedy of each of these moments. “Colonel Homer” also sees Homer state his lifelong dream of eating the world’s biggest hoagie, but this was just the beginning.

Some of Homer’s other lifelong dreams include living in the wilderness, while keeping a journal of his thoughts, becoming a monorail conductor, becoming a blackjack dealer, being the next Thomas Edison, becoming a hippie, bowling a perfect game, and being a contestant on The Gong Show. Of course, he’s only lived out a few of these goals, which makes this joke even funnier. It all started with him managing country singer Lurleen Lumpkin (Beverly D’Angelo).

8) Where is Springfield?

The Simpson family live in the unique town, Springfield, in The Simpsons, and have done since the very start of the series, with only a few excursions to other locations. However, despite being the setting for most of the Simpsons’ adventures, nobody really knows exactly where Springfield is, and this contributes to one of the series’ best running gags. Springfield’s location and geography are flexible, often changing to fit an episode’s storyline, which is a fantastic and hilarious detail.

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While Springfield takes its name from Springfield, Oregon, and its design is based on Portland, Oregon and Springfield, Massachusetts, it’s unknown exactly where The Simpsons’ Springfield is. At times, Springfield has been bordered by Ohio, Maine, Nevada, and Kentucky, while the city’s telephone codes place it either in Missouri or Puerto Rico. David Silverman, long-running The Simpsons director, joked that Springfield is in the fictional state of North Takoma, but we may never know.

7) Homer Argues With His Brain

Instead of an inner monologue, Homer Simpson routinely experiences full-blown conversations with his own consciousness, which often escalates into arguments. Homer’s arguments with his brain have become more and more hilarious over time, especially since his brain’s voice is usually far more intellectual than his actual personality. This relationship is perfectly summed up in The Simpsons season 4, episode 19, “The Front,” where Homer urges his brain to help with a test, despite the fact that “you don’t like me, and I don’t like you.”

At times, Homer’s brain has urged him not to choose revenge – only for him to do so, has floated away while listening to Ned Flanders ramble on, has called Auntie Gladys a “dog-faced woman,” and has urged Homer not to reveal he was drinking at Moe’s before crashing his car. Homer and his brain are regularly depicted as two completely different entities, which explains a lot of the former’s unpredictable actions. This disconnection surely explains Homer’s subaverage intelligence.

6) Ned Flanders Believes Everything is Sacrilegious

Ned Flanders’ extremely religious views have often been the source of jokes in The Simpsons, especially when he and his family, namely two isolated sons Rod and Todd, find even the simplest and most innocent things to be sacrilegious. Aside from not believing in flu shots, thinking insurance is a form of gambling, and imposing a no-sugar rule at home, the Flanders are fervently against many other aspects of a typical everyday life. This often brings the Flanders’ to odds with the Simpsons, who become frustrated at their neighbors.

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Ned Flanders’ religious tendencies and the fact that this has regularly been the source of jokes has garnered some criticism from viewers, especially when Flanders has voiced his controversial views on other communities and individuals. Even so, it’s usually funny to see the simple things that Ned disagrees with simply because of his religion. Ned Flanders is generally considered a good neighbor to the Simpson family, but his religion sometimes gets in the way of him becoming a truly likeable character.

5) Bart’s Prank Calls to Moe’s Tavern

Let’s get back to Bart Simpson and his troublemaking ways. One of the best running gags in The Simpsons includes Bart’s prank calls to various characters, but, usually, Moe is the victim. Bart will regularly call the phone at Moe’s Tavern and ask to speak to someone with a hilarious name, forcing Moe to shout it out to his punters, creating fantastic and often awkward moments. The first takes place in The Simpsons season 1, episode 3, “Homer’s Odyssey,” which saw Bart ask for I. P. Freely (I pee freely).

In the years since The Simpsons’ first season, Bart has asked for some clever and pretty hilarious individuals. Some of our favorites include Al Coholic, Seymour Butz, Ima Wiener, and Yuri Nator, and this gag has taken on many different variations, too, depending on the subject of the episode. It’s a simple moment that never fails to garner a laugh and constantly stresses just how immature and mischievous Bart Simpson is.

4) Grampa’s Rambling Stories

The oldest member of the Simpson family is Grampa Abe, Homer’s father, who is often the butt of jokes, especially when he’s detailing stories from his very long life. These stories usually ramble on for an uncomfortably long time, but they become funnier and funnier the longer they go on for. A lot of the time, the events of these stories didn’t even occur, and they end up not concluding at all, which makes them even more brilliant.

Whether he be talking about tying an onion to his belt, being spanked by Grover Cleveland, having the word ‘twenty’ stolen, discovering John F. Kennedy’s “terrible secret,” or blaming the Irish for a meteor shower, Grampa Abe never fails to amuse. His stories are outlandish, and often billed as signs of his senility, which could be controversial. It’s walking this line that makes them so funny, however, and is probably reminiscent of many of our own grandparents’ tales.

3) Ever-Changing Billboards

This now-iconic gag, which changes the ad on Springfield’s massive billboard in each new episode’s opening sequence, only started in 2009. The first instance suggested that Krusty the Clown is now carrying out funeral services in The Simpsons season 20, episode 10, “Take My Life, Please,” and this kick-started a fantastic new running gag that has persisted ever since. The opening sequence of The Simpsons is legendary, and this new gag made it even better.

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Some notable instances that this gag has been particularly funny include the billboard suggesting Milhouse is a lost child, or asking residents to support local bullies, or poking jabs at the Fox Network, or displaying the wait time at the Springfield DMV as 38 hours. Companies in the real world are often desperate for billboard space, so it was very clever for The Simpsons to turn this into a regular joke. Most recently, the billboard saw Moe begging women to come to ladies’ night at his bar.

2) Don’t Get Anything in Lenny’s Eye

“Ow! My eye! I’m not supposed to get [blank] in it!” A simple quote repeated time and again by nuclear power plant worker Lenny Leonard, creating one of The Simpsons’ best running gags. Despite warnings from his doctor, Lenny constantly gets ill-advised objects and substances in his eye, though this is just one of many different kinds of injury that Lenny has sustained over the years.

Lenny has got a huge array of objects in his eye since he first appeared in The Simpsons. These include, but are not limited to, a spring from a gag can of nuts, pudding, jigsaw puzzle pieces, candy, and soap. This gag hasn’t been incredibly regular, as Lenny usually undergoes many other injuries, including being set on fire, hit with a baseball bat, and run over by a tank, but it’s still a hilarious bit that The Simpsons keeps coming back to.

1) Opening Credits Couch

While the very first episode of The Simpsons to air separate to The Tracy Ullman Show didn’t feature this gag, the iconic couch gag has been featured in almost every episode since The Simpsons season 1, episode 2, “Bart the Genius.” This makes it the longest-running, most memorable, and most consistent gag in the series. In more recent years, this gag has taken on more surreal and abstract forms, while many episodes have featured repeats of former versions.

The first ever couch gag saw Bart Simpson squeezed off the couch and thrown up into the air, only to come back down in front of the TV in the next shot. The most-used couch gag involves the Simpson family forming a chorus line with back-up dancers. A couch attack, Homer falling in love with the couch, only to neglect it, the Simpsons family chasing their missing couch, and couches sitting on the couch while the Simpsons become other pieces of furniture are some of the other notable gags, though there are too many instances to count.

What are your favorite running gags in The Simpsons? Let us know in the comments!