Joke Dissection 1.02 [The Simpsons]

As someone for whom The Simpsons was expressly forbidden during the show's heyday, I am pretty agnostic on the whole issue of the later seasons' lack of quality.

This 19th season clip is a case in point, because I think it's a great example of how to steal a joke:

Now, this magnet gag is at least as old as the 1957 Bugs Bunny cartoon Bugsy and Mugsy, but the fact that it has a Looney Tunes precursor actually makes it more plausible, and kind of endearing, for a 10-year-old like Bart to actually attempt it.

More importantly, it affords some great character-based one liners. "It's not funny; these movements are involuntary."