That stupid Ralph Wiggum/Viking debate is growing.

[PatrickChew]

I heard it Laurie, and you are hilarious. Actually, your explanation makes more sense to me than Ralph using "viking" as a metaphor for his success at sleeping. I've looked at a couple of simpsons fan message boards and people are either reading way too much into one-off jokes like this or they just don't get the more obvious ones (e.g., "Homer got fired from the power plant in this episode, but then he's back working there in the next one. When did he get re-hired?"). Yeesh.

[buffcoat]

Is that a Norse Savage reference?

[Andy]

this thread is really separating the FOT yes-men from the contrarians.

[GetOffMyBone]

If it's that he's good at sleeping then it's a weak joke.

If it's that in his dreams he is a viking then it's a really weak joke.

I mean big deal, you are a viking in your dreams. I'm a spaceman in mine. No reason to brag about it in class.

[Sarah]

No reason to brag about it in class.

But it's Ralph!  And I took it as not bragging but fond reminiscence.

[GetOffMyBone]

Is it possible he meant that in his dreams he plays for the Minnesota Vikings? Maybe the team was really good that year.

[TRL]

Get off my bone, the Vikings have NEVER been good. They rival the Bills for worst franchise / luck but that is aside from the fact and I don't really care about football.

I don't like to be super conspiratorial and I am a huge fan of the Simpsons but I wonder if there is an undercurrent of hype to this phenomenon.  I know this debate has made it to many messageboards (the one I run gets a ton of hits and that thread did well) and it just makes me feel like, hmmmm, is someone behind the curtain pulling the strings trying to build up hype for the Simpsons movie. I am sure they thought people would be far more excited than they actually are at this point.  Who knows?  Seeing what people are doing for marketing these days (aka get cool people to go around promoting products via screen print workshops or things like Red Bull), I always wonder.  A group of our friends also gets together to play b-ball every week and the Red Bull truck stopped by to see what the deal was and push Red Bull. 

Anyways, Ralph is a great character and I like the idea of him with an oversized viking helmet at the bow of the ship looking off in to the sunset with a bunch of pandas driving the ship.  Or something else absurd.

[Laurie]

Is that a Norse Savage reference?

Yes, I was thinking of little Timmy von Trimble's favorite band at the time.

[Amplituden]

People should spend more time reading their bibles.

[John Junk]

Holy Guacamole.  Those debates make me sad.  Has everyone forgotten that t.v. shows are written by PEOPLE?  More specifically, a STAFF of WRITERS?  Isn't it just possible that out of 13 million Simpsons episodes there could be a one-off line that's not so hot, barely makes any sense, and maybe not entirely faithful to the 1100 year continuity of The Simpsons?

Maybe TRL is right.  It could be "viral marketing".  Or even a conspiracy to cover the tracks of lame jokes of years past.  "We really dropped the ball on this Ralph/Viking/Sleep joke back in Season 58 of 1783.  This new movie might uncover this past indiscretion.  Best thing to do is actually to put it out there ourselves, but with a mole who himself is confused about the barely-understandable one-off line."  It's like the Swiftboats thing or something.

Also, I gotta say, cheers to The Simpsons for striking while the iron has been dead cold for 4 years with this movie release.

[Jason]

Has everyone forgotten that t.v. shows are written by PEOPLE? 

I'm pretty sure The Simpsons is written by a machine these days.

[GetOffMyBone]

it's true!



Action, Man!

[Richard_From_CHI]

Time for everyone to find a more constructive hobby