"Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series '' The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode,

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

decides to get

liposuction Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, lipo ...

, thinking that Homer does not find her attractive anymore. However, she accidentally receives breast implants, so she becomes adored by many men in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

and becomes a model. Meanwhile, Bart and

Milhouse Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...

try to imitate a stunt they saw on an episode of ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' that guest starred Krusty the Clown. When the stunt ends badly, media watchdog groups blame Krusty, forcing the clown to make his show more safety-conscious and less fun. This is the final episode to feature Jan Hooks as Manjula before her death in October 2014.

Plot

Lisa and Homer participate in a

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...

project along with former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. While working, Homer takes off his wedding ring for safekeeping, causing

Lindsay Naegle The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...

and

Cookie Kwan The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...

to mistakenly think Homer is a divorcé.

, driving by with

Maggie Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret. Maggie may refer to: People Women * Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician * Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist * Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...

, assumes Homer to be flirting with the women, and worries that Homer has lost interest in her. She decides to get liposuction on the advice of

Manjula Manjula (Sanskrit: मंजुला) is a Hindu and Sanskrit female given name, which means, "melodious". Notable people named Manjula * Manjula (Kannada actress) (1954–1986), Indian actress * Manjula Chellur (born 1955), Indian doctor and ...

, but a mix-up at the hospital instead causes her to get breast implants meant for Mayor Quimby's assistant. Marge is forced to wait 48 hours before the implants can be removed. Meanwhile, Bart and

watch an episode of ''

'' guest starring Krusty, and attempt to recreate a stunt, damaging school property and the U.S. flag in the process. Upon discovering the two were influenced by Krusty, Principal Skinner leads a protest against the clown, who is now seen as a dangerous influence on children. Krusty's show is re-tooled to exclude anything considered dangerous and likely to be imitated by impressionable viewers. After returning home from her surgery, Marge realizes that her new breasts are giving her difficulty in doing even the simplest tasks, but that she is given gifts and attention from the men of Springfield. When the family goes out for dinner, Kiki Highsmith, a trade show executive, approaches Marge and offers her a modeling job. Marge accepts and initially enjoys the experience, but is quickly plagued by back pain and harassment from the men of Springfield. At the Springfield Shoe Expo, Marge is further humiliated while promoting shoe horns. At the same time, Bart decides to help Krusty to win back his popularity by having him appear to rescue Milhouse from Stampy by shouting Stampy's safe word: "magumbo." When Krusty forgets the word, Stampy stuffs both Milhouse and Bart in his mouth, as well as Homer when he tries to save them. The police prepare to shoot Stampy, endangering Homer, Bart and Milhouse, but Marge manages to distract the police by flashing her breasts. Krusty, ogling her breasts, shouts "Look at those magumbos!" Stampy releases Bart, Milhouse, and Homer, and Krusty is hailed as a hero and his popularity is restored with the town. Following the day’s events, Marge finally has her implants removed.

Production

"Large Marge" was written by

Ian Maxtone-Graham Ian Howes Maxtone-Graham is an American television writer and producer. He has formerly written for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1992–1995) and ''The Simpsons'' (1995–2012), as well as serving as a co-executive producer and consulting producer ...

and directed by Jim Reardon as part of the fourteenth season of '' The Simpsons'' (2002–03). In an Associated Press news report about the episode, it was cited as satirizing "plastic surgery and images of beauty in popular culture." Actors Adam West and Burt Ward, who starred in the television series ''

'' as Batman and Robin, respectively, guest starred in "Large Marge" as those characters. Junkanoo band Baha Men, known for their single "

Who Let the Dogs Out? "Who Let the Dogs Out" is a song performed by Bahamian junkanoo band Baha Men. Originally released by Anslem Douglas (titled "Doggie"), it was covered by producer Jonathan King who sang it under the name Fat Jakk and his Pack of Pets. He brough ...

", recorded two parodies of that song for this episode: "Who Left the Milk Out?", which Marge and Maggie listen to on

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

, and "Who Let Her Jugs Out?", which plays over the closing credits.

Release

The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. On February 7, 2006, "Large Marge" was released in the United States on a DVD collection titled ''The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The Story of Their Love'', along with the season nine episode "

Natural Born Kissers "Natural Born Kissers" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 17, 1998. Homer and Marge discover th ...

", the season fourteen episode " Three Gays of the Condo", and the season fifteen episode "

The Way We Weren't "The Way We Weren't" is the twentieth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 2004. Plot Bart and Milhouse steal and em ...

". All four episodes revolve around the romance between Homer and Marge. On December 6, 2011, "Large Marge" was released on Blu-ray and DVD as part of the box set ''The Simpsons – The Complete Fourteenth Season''. Staff members Al Jean,

, Matt Selman,

Tom Gammill Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

Matt Warburton Matt Warburton (born February 7, 1978) is an American television writer. Early life Warburton grew up in northern Ohio and attended Strongsville High School. He has a degree in cognitive neuroscience from Harvard University. Career Warburton ...

, David Silverman, and

Mike B. Anderson Mike B. Anderson, sometimes credited as Mikel B. Anderson, is an American television director who works on ''The Simpsons'' and has directed numerous episodes of the show, and was animated in "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" as cadet Anderson. W ...

, as well as cast member Nancy Cartwright, participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode. Deleted scenes from the episode were also included in the box set.

Reception

Reviews from television critics about this episode have been mixed since the release of the ''Kiss and Tell'' DVD.

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

's Jeff Otto commented that while he thought "Natural Born Kissers" was the only "great" episode in the compilation, "All four episodes are good ''Simpsons'' episodes." He added: "I can't figure why, if Fox was going to put together a set of this theme, they couldn't have included some of the more classic episodes about Marge and Homer's romance. Still, even the lesser Simpsons episodes are entertaining, so you could certainly do worse." A writer for HorrorNews.net called it one of the highlights of the season, and Aaron Peck of High-Def Digest described it as "memorable". In his review of the ''Kiss and Tell'' DVD, Andy Dougan of the ''

Evening Times The ''Glasgow Times'' is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Called ''The Evening Times'' from 1876, it was rebranded as the ''Glasgow Times'' on 4 December 2019. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that though "the plot of 'Large' screams ' high concept', it actually works pretty well. It uses the silliness attached to Marge's chest to good comic effect, and the secondary plot with Bart and Krusty ties into things in a fun manner. It presents a lot of funny bits and turns into a strong episode. It's also hard to knock a show that reunites the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward." While reviewing the fourteenth season of ''The Simpsons'', Victor Valdivia of

DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose reviews ...

wrote: "To be sure, there are some real clinkers this season. Both 'Large Marge' and 'Strong Arm of the Ma' prove that writing good episodes about Marge seem to be out of the question by this point. ..By normal TV standards these are not unwatchable, but by ''Simpsons'' standards, these are the episodes you probably won't watch over and over again."

References

External links

* {{The Simpsons episodes, 14 The Simpsons (season 14) episodes 2002 American television episodes Cultural depictions of Bill Clinton Cultural depictions of George H. W. Bush Cultural depictions of Jimmy Carter Television episodes about plastic surgery