Little Girl in the Big Ten
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"Little Girl in the Big Ten" is the twentieth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''. It originally aired on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
in the United States on May 12, 2002. In the episode,
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
befriends two college students at a gym and attends college with them. Meanwhile, after being bitten by a
mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...
from a
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
-made toy,
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
is infected with the "panda virus" and is placed in a plastic bubble to prevent others from infection. "Little Girl in the Big Ten" was directed by
Lauren MacMullan Lauren Hunter MacMullan (born April 30, 1964) is an American animation director. She grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs of Havertown, Lansdowne and Swarthmore, and graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1982. She attended Harvard University, ...
and written by
Jon Vitti Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series ''The Simpsons''. He has also written for ''King of the Hill'', ''The Critic'' and ''The Office'', and has served as a screenwriter or consultant for several animate ...
. The episode's main plot was pitched by Vitti, who suggested an episode in which Lisa meets girls who thought she was a college student. The subplot was pitched by the ''Simpsons'' writing staff, who wanted it to be completely different from the main story. The episode features former three-time U.S. Poet Laureate
Robert Pinsky Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most o ...
as himself. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 6.8 million viewers and finished in 40th place in the ratings the week it aired. Following its home media release on August 24, 2010, the episode received mixed reviews from critics.


Plot

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
finds herself unable to do any sports in PE class, taught by Brunella Pommelhorst, and finds herself failing physical education. She then signs up to do gymnastics with Coach Lugash. There, she receives encouragement from the ghost of
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
in a vision. With boosted self-confidence, and her large head which gives her perfect balance, Lisa passes with flying colors. Lisa also meets two girls and becomes friends with them, but with their
fractals In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scales, as illus ...
and parking permits, she realizes they are college students "with small gymnast bodies!" They give Lisa a ride home, and she acts like a college student to fit in with them. The two girls invite her to a poetry reading by former
Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
Robert Pinsky Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most o ...
soon after. Meanwhile,
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
gets bitten by a
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...
that was in his Krusty-saurus toy, and becomes infected with " Panda virus". To prevent others from getting sick,
Dr. Hibbert Dr. Julius Michael Hibbert, M.D. is a recurring character on the television animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is Springfield's most prominent medical professional. Although he has a kind and warm persona, he is also often characterized as gree ...
puts Bart in a plastic bubble for the next few days. Bart initially has trouble adapting to life in the bubble; he has trouble eating and
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
gives him a bath by filling up the bubble with the hose and rolling Bart around the house. Lisa tries to keep up her double life, attending poetry readings at night wearing a beret and falling asleep in her second grade class during the day. While going to Springfield University, she is tracked by Milhouse,
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...
, and Database who see her ride away. At a lecture about ''
Itchy & Scratchy ''The Itchy & Scratchy Show'' (often shortened as ''Itchy & Scratchy'') is a Story within a story, fictional animated television series featured on ''The Simpsons''. Description The show depicts a blue mouse named Itchy who repeatedly and violen ...
'' cartoons, Milhouse blows Lisa's cover and she flees at being unaccepted by her friends. Lisa tries to convince Homer and Marge that college suits her, but they tell her that college is no place for her at her age. Lisa is also ridiculed by Groundskeeper Willie and all of her friends at school, saying that she is too "college for them". In the meantime, Bart gets used to his bubble, as it brings him a lot of popularity after he is able to bounce off the attacks from the bullies. Bart tells Lisa what she should do to get her friends back: she has to pull a prank on Principal Skinner. The next day, Chalmers is dedicating the
Seymour Skinner Principal Seymour Skinner (born Armin Tamzarian) is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', who is voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, which he struggles to control, ...
parking annex. While Martin takes pictures of Skinner posing next to a giant
chocolate cake Chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau (from ) is a cake flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or both. History Chocolate cake is made with chocolate. It can also include other ingredients. These include fudge, vanilla creme, and other ...
in his white polyester suit, Bart rolls Lisa, who is inside his bubble, to the edge of the school's roof. He then pushes her over the edge, splattering the cake all over Skinner. Lisa gets her friends back, while Bart goes paranoid after being outside of his bubble for the first time in days. He stays in an air vent, but gets sucked in.


Production

"Little Girl in the Big Ten" was written by producer
Jon Vitti Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series ''The Simpsons''. He has also written for ''King of the Hill'', ''The Critic'' and ''The Office'', and has served as a screenwriter or consultant for several animate ...
and directed by
Lauren MacMullan Lauren Hunter MacMullan (born April 30, 1964) is an American animation director. She grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs of Havertown, Lansdowne and Swarthmore, and graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1982. She attended Harvard University, ...
. The idea for the episode was pitched by Vitti, who suggested an episode in which Lisa meets girls who thought she was a college student. It was first broadcast on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
on May 12, 2002. Jean thought the idea was "brilliant", and the subplot involving Bart in a "germ-free" plastic bubble was conceived by the writers wanting to make "the most different subplot from ..an intellectual college plot" they could think of. A scene in the episode shows Lisa talking to Bart on the branch of a tree in their garden. Bart says the line "You can't believe what that sunset looks like to me", to which Lisa replies "That's not a sunset, that's a bird on fire." Originally, Lisa's line read " ..that's a plane on fire," however, after the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
, the line was considered offensive and was changed. " ..since we work so far ahead we usually do these things that are sort of timeless stories," Jean said, "but every once in a while there's something that turns out to be ironic in a bad way, then we have to change it." The ''Itchy & Scratchy'' cartoon "Butter Off Dead" was, according to Jean, "completely improv se" by director MacMullan. Usually, the episodes are too "narrow" for there to be any room for improvisation, but MacMullan was an exception, since her improvisations "always turned out great". The writers came up with the cartoon's title and its "template", however "the way the death proceeded and the different digestion were "All Lauren acMullan. The sequence in which Pinsky is reading the poem was "very hard to do", since the animators did not have access to computers at the time. One of the audience members in the scene was designed after staff writer
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 ...
.Selman, Matt. (2010). Commentary for "Little Girl in the Big Ten", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. The episode features former poet laureate
Robert Pinsky Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most o ...
as himself. Pinsky was chosen to guest star because the writers wanted an intellectual reference for Lisa,Jean, Al. (2010). Commentary for "Little Girl in the Big Ten", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. and because they knew that Pinsky was a fan of the show, having read an article of ''The Time'' in which Pinsky stated that he "admired the writing" of ''The Simpsons''. In the DVD audio commentary for the episode, Pinsky stated that he flew to the ''Simpsons'' recording studios in Los Angeles on September 10, 2001, and, following the September 11 attacks, was "stranded" there for four days, since no planes were flying following the attacks. Pinsky enjoyed his stay however; "Ian axtone-Grahamand ''The Simpsons'' people were very nice to me," he said. "... One of the things they did for me is they invited me to a table-read of another episode ..Thursday the 13th ..I remember everybody laughed like hell ..It felt really good. People just went to work and everybody laughed a lot."Pinsky, Robert. (2010). Commentary for "Little Girl in the Big Ten", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. Pinsky stated that he felt "really inept" when recording his dialogue. He said: "Amongst my friends I'm funny. In that context of Dan Castellaneta... I would say it was like a disaster movie, and I was that character played by Susan Hayward." The poem Pinsky reads in the episode was picked by the ''Simpsons'' writing staff, "The poem has two jokes in it," Pinsky said, "and when I say jokes I don't mean witty remarks. It's more like an optician, the pope and a zebra go into the bar and then there's a punch line at the end." He stated that the poem was "an elegy for a friend of mine who liked jokes". He added that his appearance on the show gave him "a lot more prestige" when visiting high schools and colleges. The episode also features
Karl Wiedergott Karl Wiedergott (born Karl Aloysious Treaton; February 8, 1969) is a German-born American actor. He is noted for his voice work on the sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1998 to 2010, voicing background characters and some celebrities such as John Tra ...
as the professor at the Springfield University.Maxtone-Graham, Ian. (2010). Commentary for "Little Girl in the Big Ten", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox.


Cultural references

The episode's subplot was based on the 1976
television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble'' is a 1976 American made for television drama film inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed, ...
'', in which a boy born with an improperly functioning immune system lives out his life in incubator-like conditions. In one of Lisa's college courses, the students are watching an ''Itchy & Scratchy'' cartoon titled "Butter Off Dead". The lecture was a reference to college courses which include ''The Simpsons'' episodes in their teachings. The gate to Springfield University was based "loosely" on the ivy gate at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. The episode also parodies the British anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba, with Homer singing his own version of their song "
Tubthumping "Tubthumping" is a song released by British rock band Chumbawamba from their eighth studio album, ''Tubthumper'' (1997). It is the band's most successful single, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It topped the charts in Australia, ...
". When Lisa changes her bike's appearance to pass as a college student the main theme from
The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...
movie plays, composed by
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
. When Bart rolls Lisa off the school roof and she dives into the cake the introduction from ''
Also sprach Zarathustra ', Op. 30 (, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' or ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'') is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical 1883–1885 novel ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra''.Richard Strauss plays.


Release

In its original American broadcast on May 12, 2002, "Little Girl in the Big Ten" received a 6.4 rating, according to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
, translating to approximately 6.8 million viewers. The episode finished in 40th place in the ratings for the week of May 6–12, 2002, making it the most watched program of the network tied with '' Malcolm in the Middle'' and ''
Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school in the Boston Public Schools district. It feature ...
''. On August 24, 2010, "Little Girl in the Big Ten" was released as part of ''The Simpsons: The Complete Thirteenth Season''
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
set. Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tom Gammill, Max Pross and Robert Pinsky participated in the audio commentary of the episode. Following its home media release, "Little Girl in the Big Ten" received mixed reviews from critics. Nate Boss of Project-Blu called it "An average episode, for the series as a whole, making it a great one for this season," praising "a superb Chumbawumba parody" which he thought was "way better than the R.E.M. lyrics gag earlier in the season." Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide wrote "Lisa–based shows definitely fall into the hit or miss category, and "Ten" stays within those confines." While he praised some of Homer's scenes, including "his drunken versions of pop songs," he maintained that "not much else connects." He concluded his review by writing "Though we find the occasional laugh, the overall impact remains lackluster." DVD Verdict's Jennifer Malkowski gave the episode a B−, and wrote that "Homer's answer to the rhetorical question about gymnastics 'Who wants to put on a leotard and get screamed at?'" was the episode's "highlight". In March 2014, ''The Simpsons'' writers picked "Butter Off Dead" from this episode as one of their nine favorite ''Itchy & Scratchy'' episodes of all time.


References


External links


"Little Girl in the Big Ten"
at The Simpsons.com *
Little Girl in the Big Ten at Springfield, Springfield!
{{The Simpsons episodes, 13 The Simpsons (season 13) episodes 2002 American television episodes Television episodes about education Television episodes about diseases and disorders