"Stark Raving Dad" is the first episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. It first aired on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

in the United States on September 19, 1991. In the episode,

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient 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. Despite doubts about his autho ...

is sent to a mental institution for wearing a pink shirt to work. At the institution, Homer shares a room with a man who claims to be the pop star

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

. Meanwhile,

Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...

promises his sister

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

he will get her the best birthday present ever. The episode was written by

Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...

and

Mike Reiss Michael L. Reiss ( '; born September 15, 1959) is an American television comedy writer. He served as a showrunner, writer, and producer for the animated series ''The Simpsons'' and co-created the animated series ''The Critic''. He created and ...

and directed by

Rich Moore Rich Moore (born ) is an American film and television animation director, screenwriter and voice actor. He is best known for serving as a director on primetime animated television series such as ''The Simpsons'', ''The Critic'' and ''Futuram ...

. Michael Jackson guest-starred as Leon Kompowsky, but went uncredited (credited as John Jay Smith) for contractual reasons; his role was not confirmed until later. Jackson was a fan of the show and called its creator,

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...

, offering to do a guest spot. Jackson pitched several story ideas and wrote the song "Happy Birthday Lisa" for the episode. Leon's singing voice was performed by a Jackson soundalike, Kipp Lennon, due to Jackson's contractual obligations with his record company.Brooks, James L. (2003). Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. The episode references Jackson's career, with Kompowsky singing portions of the songs "

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produ ...

" and "

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

". "Stark Raving Dad" received generally positive reviews, particularly for its writing and Jackson's performance. A sequel in which Kompowsky would have been voiced by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

was canceled after Prince refused the script. A 1992 rerun featured an alternative opening in response to a speech by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, in which he said American households should "be a lot more like

the Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

and a lot less like the Simpsons".Brooks, James L. (2004). "Bush vs. Simpsons", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. In March 2019, shortly before the Disney–Fox deal was finalized, following renewed allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson, the episode was pulled from circulation.

Plot

reminds

that he forgets her birthday every year, so he promises to get her a present for her eighth birthday. Meanwhile,

panics after seeing that all his white work shirts are dyed pink because Bart tossed his "lucky" red hat into the laundry; therefore, Homer is forced to wear a pink shirt to work. Mr. Burns notices Homer's pink shirt and assumes Homer is a "free-thinking anarchist". Homer is sent home with a psychiatric quiz to allow Dr. Marvin Monroe to assess his sanity. However, Homer is unwilling to complete the quiz himself and gives it to Bart. Bart answers "yes" to all the questions, which ask if Homer hears voices, is quick to anger, or wets his pants. When Burns and Monroe see the results, they send Homer to a mental institution to undergo further testing. After Homer loses his temper during a

Rorschach test The Rorschach test is a projective test, projective psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychology, psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists u ...

when he sees an inkblot that resembles Bart, he is committed to the institution. Homer is put in a cell with a large white man who introduces himself as

. Being unfamiliar with the real Michael Jackson, Homer believes and quickly befriends him. When

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

visits Homer at the mental hospital, she convinces the doctors that he is not insane by revealing that Bart is a real person, rather than a figment of Homer's imagination like the doctors assumed. When Jackson reveals that he is in the asylum voluntarily, Homer invites him to stay with the Simpsons. Despite promising to keep it secret, Bart tells everyone he knows about Jackson coming to his house; soon, the entire population of Springfield gathers to see the pop star. When Homer introduces Jackson, the townspeople realize he is an impostor and leave, angry at Bart. In his excitement over Jackson's arrival, Bart fails to acknowledge Lisa's birthday. Lisa becomes distraught and writes a letter to Bart indicating she will hate him forever. Jackson convinces Bart to heal his rift with Lisa. Together, Bart and Jackson write and perform a song called "Happy Birthday Lisa". The song thrills Lisa, who declares, "This is the best present I ever got!" Jackson reveals he is really Leon Kompowsky, a bricklayer from

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Production

"Stark Raving Dad" was written specially for

, a fan of ''

'', who had called

one night and offered to do a guest spot.Groening, Matt. (2003). Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. The offer was accepted and a script was written by

and

, based on an idea pitched by James L. Brooks. Groening and co-executive producer Sam Simon also contributed significantly to the writing. In an early version of the script, Homer Simpson decided to take his alcoholic friend Barney Gumble in for rehab, but while there Homer began acting crazily so the doctors assumed he was the one to be committed. It was later changed to Homer being hospitalized for wearing a pink shirt, an idea pitched by Brooks. Jackson pitched several story ideas, such as

telling everyone in town that Jackson was coming to his house. He also requested a scene in which he and Bart write a song together and asked that a joke about

be changed to one about

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

.Jean, Al. (2003). Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. According to Jean, Jackson would not commit to the episode until after a

read-through The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading of the screenplay or script is conducted around a table by the actors with speaking parts. In addition to the ...

of the script. The read-through was held at Jackson's manager Sandy Gallin's house, and

Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta ( ; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, ...

(the voice of Homer) was 30 minutes late. Jean recalls that "no one said a word, we just sat there waiting". Following the read, Jackson stipulated his conditions: he would go uncredited, and his singing voice would be performed by a soundalike. Leon Kompowsky's singing parts were performed by Kipp Lennon, because of contractual obligations that Jackson had with his recording company. This allowed him to play a joke on his brothers and fool them into thinking the impersonator was him. Lennon recorded his lines at the same time as Jackson, who found the impersonations humorous. Jackson attended the recording session alone and did not use the special trailer set up for him. According to Jean, Jackson did record versions of the singing parts, but ''Simpsons'' music editor Chris Ledesma said they were not used. Kompowsky's normal speaking voice, heard at the end of the episode, was recorded by cast member

Hank Azaria Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor and producer. He is known for voicing many characters in the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' since 1989, including Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmer ...

.Castellaneta, Dan. (2003). Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. The episode originally was supposed to end with Kompowsky singing a portion of Jackson's song " Man in the Mirror", but it was changed to "Happy Birthday Lisa". "Stark Raving Dad" was the final episode in the season two production run, but aired as the

season premiere A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter. In countries su ...

of season three on September 19, 1991, over a year after it was completed. Michael Jackson was credited with pseudonym John Jay Smith in the closing credits. At the time, the producers of the show were legally prevented from confirming that Jackson had guest-starred, although many media sources assumed it was really him. Similarly, in season two, actor

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...

had guest-starred in the episode " Lisa's Substitute" under the name "Sam Etic". After "Stark Raving Dad", the producers decided that guest stars would have to agree to be credited. Jackson was a fan of Bart, and wanted to give Bart a number one single. He co-wrote the song " Do the Bartman", which was released as a single around the same time the episode was produced. Jackson could not take credit for his work on the song due to contractual reasons. Jackson also wrote the song "Happy Birthday Lisa", which was later included in the album '' Songs in the Key of Springfield''. A version of the song was reportedly to be included on a bonus disc in the 2001 special edition of Jackson's 1991 album '' Dangerous'', but the bonus disc was dropped. "Stark Raving Dad" is the first ''Simpsons'' episode originally produced and broadcast in

Dolby Surround Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. The terms Dolby Stereo and LtRt (''Left Total'', ''Right Total'') are also used to describe so ...

. To mark the change, the producers commissioned the show's in-house music composer

Alf Clausen Alf Faye Heiberg Clausen (March 28, 1941 – May 29, 2025) was an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of ''The Simpsons'', for which he was the sole composer between 1990 and 2017. Clausen ...

, who was originally hired after providing all the music for the first annual "

Treehouse of Horror ''Treehouse of Horror'' is a series of annual Halloween-themed anthology episodes of the American animated sitcom and spin-off of ''The Simpsons''. Also known as ''The Simpsons Halloween Specials'', each episode typically consists of three se ...

", to arrange a re-recorded version of the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the

opening sequence A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an opening theme song with visua ...

. This version of the theme has remained in the opening sequence since.

Alternate opening

The January 30, 1992, rerun of the episode featured a brief alternate opening, which was written in response to a comment made by the then

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

three days earlier. The show had previously had a "feud" with the President's wife

Barbara Bush Barbara Bush (; June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of the 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush. She was previously second lady of the United States fr ...

when, in the October1, 1990, edition of ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'', she called ''The Simpsons'' "the dumbest thing he hadever seen". The writers decided to respond by privately sending a polite letter to Bush in which they posed as

Marge Simpson Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson () is a character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and part of the eponymous family (The Simpsons). Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' s ...

. Bush immediately sent a reply in which she apologized. Later, on January 27, 1992, George Bush made a speech during his re-election campaign which included the statement: "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like

and a lot less like the Simpsons." The writers wanted to respond quickly as Barbara Bush had to them. As each episode of ''The Simpsons'' takes more than six months to produce, it is difficult for the show to comment on current events. The writers decided to add a brief response to the next broadcast of ''The Simpsons'', a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad" on January 30.

Nancy Cartwright Nancy Jean Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress, best known as the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on ''The Simpsons'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and an Annie Award f ...

, the voice of Bart, was called in to record a line. The broadcast included a new tongue-in-cheek opening. The scene, from the episode " Simpson and Delilah", begins in the Simpsons' living room where the family is watching Bush's speech. Bart replies: "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to

the depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, too." The opening is featured on the season four DVD box set.

Unproduced sequel

A year after "Stark Raving Dad" aired, the writers planned a sequel in which Kompowsky would return, this time claiming to be the pop star

. The script was written by freelancers and polished by

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...

. According to Reiss, it saw Kompowsky encourage the Springfield residents to "loosen up, become more flamboyant and become more sexually open". Prince agreed to voice Kompowsky and sent notes about what his character would wear, but the writers discovered that Prince was referring to a script that had been written by his chauffeur. Prince disliked their script and demanded the other one be used, but the writers refused. The script became one of the few unproduced ''Simpsons'' scripts.Reiss, Mike. (2003). Easter Egg Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. Following Prince's death in 2016, showrunner

posted two screenshots of scenes from the script.

Cultural references

Like all episodes of ''The Simpsons'', "Stark Raving Dad" features a variety of references to popular culture. As Bart fills out the 20-question psychiatry quiz, Homer watches '' America's Funniest Home Videos'' where the three nominated clips are all violent. Many of the scenes in the mental institution are references to the film '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. Several of the characters at the institution are based on those in the film, such as Chief. Floyd from the film ''

Rain Man ''Rain Man'' is a 1988 American road movie, road comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive and selfish wikt:wheeler-dealer, wheeler-dea ...

'' also appears at the mental home as well as

Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character created by American novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a cannibalistic serial killer and former forensic psychiatrist; after his incarceration, he is consulted by FBI agents Will Graham and Clarice Starling ...

from the film '' The Silence of the Lambs''. When Marge calls the institution, a

muzak Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments owned by Mood Media. The name ''Muzak'', a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been ...

version of "

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

", sung by

Patsy Cline Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...

, can be heard over the phone. In the shot of the crowd that awaits Michael Jackson's arrival outside the Simpson family's home, a man is holding a " John 3:16" sign in reference to Rollen Stewart, who was famous for holding a similar sign at sporting events. Many aspects of Jackson's career are referenced in the episode. Kompowsky mentions several things that made Jackson famous, including '' Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'', "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...

", and " Thriller". He also sings portions of the songs "

" and "

" and performs the moonwalk. When Homer starts mumbling in his sleep, Kompowsky tells his stuffed animal: "Bubbles, it's going to be a long night." Bubbles is the name of Jackson's chimpanzee. Kompowsky also says he was upset when "his" 1979 album ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met ...

'' received only one

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination; the writers had read that the real Jackson was genuinely upset.

Reception

In its original airing on Fox, "Stark Raving Dad" acquired a 13.9

Nielsen rating 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 TV ...

and 23 percent share of the audience. It was viewed in approximately 12.8 million homes, finishing the week ranked 33rd. The episode finished second in its time slot behind the season premiere of ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

'', which ranked eighth for the week with a 19.7 rating and 31 percent share. ''The Simpsons'' was the second-highest rated show on Fox the week it aired, behind '' Married... with Children''. The episode has been generally well received, being praised by many critics for its writing. In a 2009 review for ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'',

Josh Levin Joshua Benjamin Levin (born March 15, 1980) is an American writer and the national editor at ''Slate'' magazine. Levin also hosts the magazine's sports podcast, '' Hang Up and Listen.'' Biography Early life Levin was born and raised in New O ...

wrote that "The greatness of 'Stark Raving Dad' has a lot more to do with ''The Simpsons'' writing staff than with Jackson's voice-over talents. The show's scripters came up with a plot device far more ingenious than simply dropping the singer into Springfield." Monica Collins of the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...

'' also enjoyed the episode. On the day it first aired, she wrote that "This episode is vintage ''Simpsons'', crammed with divinely vulgar visual oddities. And Michael Jackson, of course, is just so weird anyway that he fits right in." Mark Lorando of ''

The Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...

'' commented that "throwaway lines on ''The Simpsons'' are funnier than the big punchlines on most so-called comedy series; his episodehas layers of humor, satirical touches that enrich the story lines," singling out jokes like the ''America's Funniest Home Video'' parody. "The laughs are literally non-stop, and Jackson's unmistakable vocal presence ..adds a thousand watts of star power." In 2011, Television Blend's Eric Eisenberg named "Stark Raving Dad" the best episode of the entire series. He praised it for being heartful and said that what "prevents the episode from seeming artificial or manipulative is that the writing in the episode earns the earnest moments", elaborating that while "strong emotions might be the hallmark of 'Stark Raving Dad', it would be a sincere mistake to ignore how funny it is." He concluded that the episode "is perfectly constructed, is filled with both deep belly laughs and tears, and is simply the greatest episode of The Simpsons". In 1998, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' listed it in its list of top twelve ''Simpsons'' episodes. In a DVD

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

, writer

said he felt that Michael Jackson is "not a terrific actor ..but he did fine. He was really nice, he was a great sport." In 2006, Jackson was named the fifth-best ''Simpsons'' guest star by

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming 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 district and is headed by its former e ...

. Tom Ganjamie of ''

Best Week Ever ''Best Week Ever'' is an American comedy series created and executive produced for VH1 by Fred Graver. The series, which first aired from January 23, 2004, to June 12, 2009, is a spin-off of the '' I Love the...'' series and was renamed ''Best ...

'' called Jackson's guest appearance the "cleverest ..ever on ''The Simpsons''". Writing for IGN, Robert Canning said in a 2009 review that "Stark Raving Dad" is a "solid, funny and touching episode" and described Jackson's performance as "heartfelt yet self-parodying". In a 2011 article, Andrew Martin of ''Prefix Mag'' named Michael Jackson his second-favorite musical guest on ''The Simpsons''. In 2003, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that the episode was a good start to season three, but it "gets sappy on more than a few occasions, and it lacks the acerbic bite of the series' best shows. Nonetheless, it tosses out some good laughs, and the guest appearance by Jackson—under a pseudonym—works well; Michael shows an ability to mock himself that still surprises me." In a 2004 review for Digitally Obsessed, Nate Meyers wrote that "there are many funny gags in this episode, especially in the first act when Homer gets a tour of the entalhospital. Some clever references are made to ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', but the second half of the episode is not especially funny. The jokes seem forced and there is too much of an effort to sentimentalize the relationship between Bart and Lisa, causing the show to lose its narrative drive." In 2007, Ben Rayner of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' listed "Stark Raving Dad" as one of the three worst episodes of ''The Simpsons''. In a 2009 article for

TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could b ...

, Mike Moody said the episode's "sweetest moment" is at the end when Kompowsky and Bart perform the birthday song for Lisa. Likewise, writer Al Jean listed that scene as one of his five favorite moments from ''The Simpsons'' in 2003. The reaction to the song "Happy Birthday Lisa" was mixed. Ben Rayner called it a "crap tune", and Chris Selley of ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' magazine wrote that "Stark Raving Dad" is "an unbearably sappy episode, and that birthday song for Lisa is just... bad." Dave Walker of ''The Times-Picayune'' listed the episode as one of Jackson's "many memorable TV moments" and called the song "unforgettable".

Reruns and current availability

After Jackson's death in 2009, Fox reran "Stark Raving Dad" on July5 in tribute. The producers had intended to air the episode on June 28, three days after Jackson's death, but could not resolve problems with syndication rights, so the "Do the Bartman" music video was aired instead. The producers screened the episode first, and the only change, unrelated to Jackson, was the blurring of a phone number. In March 2019, following the release of the documentary film ''

Leaving Neverland ''Leaving Neverland'' is a 2019 documentary television film directed and produced by Dan Reed. The documentary focuses on two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege they were sexually abused as children by the American singer Mich ...

'', which details allegations against Jackson of child sexual assault, "Stark Raving Dad" was pulled from circulation. Jackson was previously tried and acquitted of child sexual abuse charges in 2005 and denied any wrongdoing. Brooks told ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'': "This was a treasured episode. There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one, and this certainly doesn't allow them to remain. I'm against book-burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we're allowed to take out a chapter." Jean said he believed Jackson had used the episode to groom boys for sexual abuse although he had never stated this prior to the release of the documentary. The episode was also omitted from the streaming service

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

. The ''Slate'' journalist Isaac Butler criticized the removal as "an offense against art and the medium of television, and part of a growing trend of corporations using their consolidated power and the death of physical media to do damage control by destroying works by troublesome artists".

References

Footnotes Bibliography * * *

External links

* * {{The Simpsons episodes, 3 The Simpsons season 3 episodes Television episodes set in psychiatric hospitals 1991 American television episodes Television episodes about birthdays Television controversies in the United States Animation controversies in television Television episodes pulled from general rotation Cultural depictions of George H. W. Bush Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson Television episodes with live action and animation Television episodes written by Al Jean Television episodes written by Mike Reiss Television episodes directed by Rich Moore