Today, we look at how The Simpsons doubled down after a controversial episode set in Brazil in Season 13.
In Meta-Messages, I explore the context behind (using reader danjack’s term) “meta-messages.” A meta-message is where a creator comments on/references the work of another creator (or sometimes even themselves) in their work. Each time around, I’ll give you the context behind one such “meta-message.”
I couldn’t let a Month of Meta-Messages end without using a Simpsons gag!
A fairly standard situation on The Simpsons is that whenever the family travels somewhere new, the writers spend part of the trip poking fun at the place that they are visiting. Mostly through over-the-top stereotypes about the place in question. Like the Season 9 episode, “New York City Versus Homer Simpson”…
Well, in Season 13’s “Blame it on Lisa,” Lisa sponsors an orphan in Brazil, and when he apparently goes missing, the Simpsons travel to Rio de Janeiro to find him. Once there, the show made a lot of jokes about Brazil, and admittedly, a lot of them didn’t make sense (like having the Conga be a popular dance in Brazil, when it is not)…
The one joke that seemed to land the hardest was a joke about how Brazil tries to cover up its slums by making them colorful – cue a bunch of painted rats, which Homer remarks “they look like Skittles!”…
Brazil’s tourism board was very upset, feeling that this had ruined the money that it had spent on trying to get Americans to visit Brazil. At the time, the board noted, “What really hurt was the idea of the monkeys, the image that Rio de Janeiro was a jungle. It’s a completely unreal image of the city.”
The Simpsons‘ executive producer, James L. Brooks, released a statement saying, “We apologize to the lovely city and people of Rio de Janeiro,” but then tossed in, “If that doesn’t settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to take on the President of Brazil on Fox Celebrity Boxing.”
Longtime The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean reflected on the incident in 2010, “Every other place has had a good sense of humor. Brazil caught us by surprise. Obviously we don’t want to be too tame, but I also don’t want to make anyone feel we’re trying to belittle them.”
The Simpsons didn’t let the controversy go, exactly, though, as in Season 15’s “The Regina Monologues,” the Simpsons traveled to London, but before they choose London, Homer notes, “Well, I’d like to return to Brazil, but I hear the monkey problem is even worse now.”
Then, in Season 18’s “The Wife Aquatic,” when the family visits Barnacle Bay, an island in New England that Marge loved as a little girl (but is now awful), Lisa and Bart discuss where this trip ranked on the worst Simpsons trips…
Lisa: Uck! This is the most disgusting place we’ve ever gone!
Bart: What about Brazil?
Lisa: After Brazil.
Don’t mess with The Simpsons!
Okay, folks, if you have suggestions for a future Meta-Messages, drop me a line at my brand-new, much easier to type out, e-mail address of brian@poprefs.com!
