Simpsons Histories - Itchy & Scratchy 

"In episode 2F09, when Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe, that this is a magic xylophone, or something? Ha ha, boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder."

So, let me see if I've got this right. The three college nerds are such hardcore fans of Itchy and Scratchy that they sit in the front row of a cast meet-and-greet, and ask an astoundingly obscure question about the sound of xylophone, yet when they briefly moved into the Simpsons' house, they unplugged the tv during the climax of the ONE TIME when Scratchy kills Itchy, not caring at all that they missed something that will never be aired again. Are we to believe that these people just suddenly became fans of something they previously didn't care for, or that the writers somehow hadn't developed their entire personalities in their debut episode? I hope someone got fired over that one.

"Lemonade?" "Please" "I made it just for you" "You are my best friend" "Mmm this really hits the spot" "Doesn't it so?" "You make really good lemonade Scratchy" "Thank you Itchy"

I'm really disappointed we didn't get a Simpsons Histories - Inanimate Carbon Rod for April Fools this year

The best Itchy and Scratchy episode is the one where Itchy replaces Scratchy's bride with one made of explosives, but they still get married, have kids and grow old together, the bomb-bride blows up, killing Scratchy and then Itchy comes in to laugh, but then dies of old age himself. It's just such a perfect parody of the usual cartoon trope and still ends up being really funny.

I was surprised Itchy & Scratchy ended up being one of my larger Simpsons Histories projects, considering they are mostly cartoon shorts. I underestimated how many spotlight episodes they got, how many different ways they were used on the show, and all the Roger Meyers stuff that needed to be touched upon. The first draft of this was 26 minutes long. Sheesh. All for characters whose personalities barely changed in 30+ seasons.

“What’s the red stuff coming out of kitty’s ears?”

Would love to see a history for Burns, such a long fascinating life

I always liked the death where scratchy and his son got run over by itchy and his son in the harvester because of Krustys reaction since it's from the episode about his dad. "Didnt scratchy jr look like he was having fun with his dad before they got run over. Wasnt that a beautiful cartoon?" As for the next Simpsons History's. I'll give my vote to Doctor Hibbert

RealJims, I can honestly say that was the best Simpsons Histories of Impy & Chimpy I've ever seen.

I think that the writers were trying to homage “Fritz the Cat” when they portrayed Itchy and Scratchy in the 70s

My favorite I&S is so silly and dumb you’d never believe it. Scratchy walks past a theater showing _Cats_ and gets very excited. He walks into the theater, is shown to his seat by usher Itchy, watches the play for a minute, declares “This is so boring!” and shoots himself. Itchy does nothing violent. He doesn’t even perform a role on stage. He just encourages Scratchy to watch the play and counts on its badness to do the rest.

"I imagine a lot of kids didn't look at escalators the same way after this one" THAT EPISODE HAS HAUNTED ME FOR OVER A DECADE AND A HALF.

I can't help but love Poochie. That's one of the many jokes/characters you grow to appreciate more as an adult when you understand the satire. And kids, always recycle... TO THE EXTREME!!!

“No review, I refuse.” I understood that reference!

the jerry springer episode, where the tagline says "says mouse friend mistreats him" How forgiving is scratchy to still see itchy as his friend? and "mistreats" might be the biggest understatement of all time

Groundskeeper Willie and the mystery about where the hell in Scot land he's actually from. The accent is a typical American version of Glaswegian but he's from the Highlands? Sometimes? Please investigate this man.

i can honestly say that this was the best episode of Impy and Chimpy i've ever seen

My favourite time was when Scratchy finally got Itchy, shame they'll never broadcast that one again

Itchy and Scratchy: P.U. might be my favorite.

I'm more of a Worker and Parasite kinda guy TBH but cool video.

Comic Book Guy Interests me I would like to see him get a Simpson’s histories video

someone's said this already but i'd love to see a simpsons histories on groundskeeper willie!

Kinda funny how as The Simpsons itself started running out of ideas, Itchy and Scratchy was running out of ideas too.

“Kids, you heard the cartoon rat. If you haven’t already run to your parents begging to go, do it now.”

Woah woah woah! already in the introduction i've learnt something new. I never knew the lyrics said "bite" as well. i thought they always just kept saying "fight and fight".

Actually Scratchy as an aggressor was something that permanently disappeared after season 1 and Burning Down the Mouse was payback. You'll notice in the cartoon where Itchy and Scratchy are pulling out guns, its Itchy that instigates the conflict, similarly in the medieval army one, its elaborated the Scratchy army is fighting for their freedom whilst the Itchy army is the evil Lord army.

12:35 "No review, I refuse" ahh, AVGN fan I see. Great video as always!

Where is Üter? We just want closure.

"Not as bloody or violent" OH, DO SIDESHOW BOB NEXT. IT SURELY WON'T BE VIOLENT!

That's right, Mr. Burns was actually shot by Itchy and Scratchy.

id like to see a history of rainier wolfcastle. how has he changed throughout the series now that ahnold is no longer a big action movie star?

You should do a Simpsons Histories for Scott Christian. I have watched the show since 1990 and only recently realized there was a second news anchor.

That was the best history of Impy and Chimpy I've ever seen

I just discovered this series and I think it's amazing. I'd love to see episodes focussed on Lenny and Carl, Luigi, Super Intendant Chalmers, Selma or Patty or Sea Captain Mcalester.

The thing i love about the Itchy and Scratchy show it that it's a cartoon inside a cartoon. So what would exaggerated characters watch? Well, something even more over the top than their reality.

“Krusty announces that they’re doing an all-female reboot of Itchy & Scratchy [...] Huh. Wonder what this is a parody of?” And then that gets thrown aside for Bart joining TotallyNot!Pussy Riot. It really is depressing how aggressively the show includes trends in the last two seasons

I think we're overdue for a Simpsons Showdown.

I feel like a histories on Patty and Selma could be really interesting. With them having such separate arcs but nonetheless being so intertwined with each other.

"The floodgates were opened, and so were Scratchy's arteries" is such an underrated one-liner.

Now Pinitcchio, don’t you lie.

"Itchy runs afoul of an Irishman"

Wiggum would be an interesting character to talk about next.

I&S are at their best when they are portraying scenarios relevant to the plot of the episode, i.e. Scratchy in space when Homer was in space. They were also a great excuse for the series to deviate from the more down to Earth world of Springfield into a more cartoony one, which doesn't translate well given the fact that neo Simpsons is all about being really random all the time

Fighting and Biting for 30 Years.

Glad you touched on something I was never clear about, namely, what is the relationship between Itchy & Scratchy and Krusty the Klown? Given that I&S has at least one theme park and a blockbuster movie, it never made sense to me that it was produced for a local TV show. Plus, it had been in production longer than Krusty had been alived. I thought the most sensible arrangement was that it was a syndicated show that was played on lots of local shows all over the country, but they seem to have gone another way with it. And I guess the VA dying is a good reason to do so.

Honestly I kind of miss when itchy and scratchy shorts were related to the plot of the episode and now they’re just basic movie parodies which kind of sucks

My parents used to shut off the TV when the Itchy and Scratchy shorts came on. I used to hate that, but in retrospect, they were probably right to censor that part of The Simpsons from 2-7 year olds.

for the next histories i'd suggest Bart's friend's parents, Kirk and Luann Van Houten

It's thanks to these two I can't end a list without saying "AND DINNER DAWG" at the end.

Can you do one for Professor Frink? He deserves his own short film

The lampooning of the various ages of animation through Itchy and Scratchy never fail to amuse for me. Also, no joke, I was going to suggest Rainier Wolfcastle for a Simpsons Histories episode so that comment at the end made me laugh.

"Kids, don't do drugs!"

Koyaanis-Scratchy has got to be one of the most esoteric references the Simpsons has ever made, and one of its most bizarrely detailed (there's full-on shot-for-shot moments taken from the source, Koyaanisqatsi, an experimental late 1980s films exploring man's relationship with nature.)

Itchy and Scratchy must be one of the most (in-universe) realistic cartoons ever made - it looks just as real as the Simpsons reality

Can you do a Simpons Histories on Lenny?

20:11 hahaha, that was unexpected!

"This is going to be one of the weirder Simpsons Histories". I mean, aren't the weird ones the best ones?

I think we all want "Moe" of these Simpsons Histories videos.

I would love to see these videos Simpsons histories Mr Burns Comic book guy Dr Hibbert Milhouse Mrs Hoover Lenny Carl Simpsons showdown Lemon of Troy vs Bart on the Road A brush with Greatness vs The Springfield Connection The Way we was vs I married Marge Lisas Rival vs Lard of The Dance Itchy and scratchy and Marge vs the Day the violence died Homer and Apu vs Much Apu about nothing Extra Seconds Bart vs Australia Das Bus Krusty gets cancelled The Boy who knew too much Homer's Enermy Lisa's sax Homer they Fall It would be great to get even half of these videos @Realjims your Great Thanks So much

Y'know diving into Comic Book Guy could be incredibly interesting, and compliment your editing style fantastically (fr your editing style makes these videos so relaxing to watch)

Itchy & Scratchy was always my favorite part of The Simpsons as a kid

"Itchy and Scratchy and Marge" showcases the best Itchy and Scratchy moments imo. Especially Scratchy's reaction to noticing the dynamite in his eyes.

One of my earliest Simpsons memories is watching with my dad and seeing him laugh harder at Itchy and Scratchy than I had ever seen him laugh at anything before or since. Been one of my favorite parts of the show ever since.

You know I never actually see them bite..

12:33: "No review. I refuse." THEREALJIMS WATCHES AVGN

"Eey! My threads baby!"

One of your best videos yet. Such a great analysis.

I love the one in the Simpsons Movie. The scream, followed by the sounds of eating a ridiculous quantity of missiles always gets me.

Strange, So Itchy and Scratchy is a Tom and Jerry like show, that is treated like the shows equivalent to Mickey Mouse, and it has some Looney tunes parallels because the Acme Corporation exists in the show.

Dude, you're honestly one of the best channels to watch. No one goes in-depth on the Simpsons as you do. Keep that shit up.

This may be your best one yet. Very thorough and thought provoking.

I had no clue how much I wanted this until now.

Seeing how violent Itchy and Scratchy are makes Tom and Jerry very tame in comparison!

I lost it at the "Fight, fight, fight..." in your intro. XD I think it feels natural that the shorts became more dialogue heavy. It also reflects on the evolution of classical cartoons in a way. And it's possible, depending on the floating timeline, that Homer didn't grow up with Itchy & Scratchy airing as frequently on TV as it does on the Krusty show in present day. Boomer Homer supposedly grew up just when the first wave of classical shorts had stopped being viewed in cinemas and maybe hadn't quite reached TV yet. Roger Meyers Sr. was probably still around but as an old and worn out man while Roger Meyers Jr hadn't gotten much influence on the franchise yet. Gen X Homer probably grew up with reruns and maybe the Fritz the Cat reboot but that wasn't necessarily on the Krusty show but maybe on some more obscure network or block. Millennial Homer probably grew up with the Itchy & Scratchy and Friends Hour but he was maybe too cool to watch it. Bart and Lisa likely had the fortune of growing up during the revival of Itchy & Scratchy. First with the classical shorts on syndication on the Krusty show and later with new original shorts produced for Krusty. No matter the floating timeline, Itchy & Scratchy was most likely a big franchise on merchandising during most of the 20th century (maybe moreso after the departure of Roger Meyers Sr) so little Homer could very much wear an Itchy & Scratchy shirt while barely knowing the source material. Kinda like how Felix the Cat and Betty Boop almost are just clothing brands by now. Also, I feel that they were higher when they made Porch Pals than the Itchem & Scratchem Blow. What's in that lemonade?

It always brightens my day when your videos come out

ok idk if it's my favorite of all times, but one thing that always made me laugh was Scratchy getting his heart ripped out and putting it up on the shelf as a decoration and then sitting down to read the paper and the headline says: You need your heart to live, and then he dies lol You know an episode about Jimbo or any of the bullies who haven't been covered yet would be fun.

00:00 WTF!? How have I watched The Simpsons for nearly 20 years and only just realised that there are actual lyrics to the Itchy&Scratchy song!? I always thought those were just random noises being made!

Your videos are so thorough I love it so much !! It’s actually really impressive !!

I always feel like Itchy and Scratchy was sort of 'cut the formalities' gag on the cat and mouse formula, just going straight to the mouse decimating the cat. I see so many fans who admit they NEVER rooted for the mouse in those sort of cartoons. They always liked when Tom won for example or they thought Jerry was even more of a sadistic little bastard than him (hell in sometimes we DO see an Itchy and Scratchy format cartoon, Canned Feud for example). There's always an assumption with this formula that we are meant to root for the little vermin because they are smaller and thus the 'underdog' even when the cartoon bends to their will enough that God himself will help him smite the cat unprovoked. :P

I always preferred Worker & Parasite.

You’re seriously one of my favourite RU-vid channels Love your writing and essay technique and I admire your love and passion for one of the greatwst TV shows of all time

I love itchy and Scratchy! Fantastic montage! Truly wonderful characters for sure! I’m definitely a big fan of the outer space and movie opener shorts and thanks for also giving proper respect to Disgruntled goat!

I’d like to see a histories episode on Waylon Smithers. How he went from being a closet homosexual, to an openly gay person. It reflects not only society’s attitude, but the shows attitude towards the LGBT community.

That intro was _worse_ than William Shatner's spoken word version of a rap song.

"why, why? my only son.."

Love the channel! These Simpsons Histories are one of my favorite RU-vid series to follow. Also I think that a video on Kent Brockman would be an interesting addition.

My man actually did it. Thanks heaps Jim!

Honestly I think it's cool that they made a cartoon in the style of a Felix the Cat silent short, its pretty uncommon to see 1910s stuff referenced and they get the style down I just think theyre neat

The Wizard's Key joke gets me every time. It just makes me think of licensed video games of the early/mid 90's that were tonally clueless to the source material, and the awkwardness of being the kid who grew up with them. Probably not the intent of the joke but that's what I got out of it. Homer's "What the hell are you talking about?" reaction seals the deal.

I think it would be really interesting to see a Simpsons history on Ned Flanders

Homers Phobia vs Mypods and Boomsticks - the Homer intolerance showdown. Also would love a Carl histories

The Simpsons started out as a show within the Tracy Ulman shorts. In it there was a show called Itchy and Scratchy. So it was a show within a show. When The Simpsons became its own show The Itchy and Scratchy show became a show in Krusty's show thus keeping its show within a show within a show title.

Now that steamboat Willy is public domain we need a full itchy and scratchy remake

I appreciate that you showed the two shorts from Virtual Springfield.

The editing in this video is amazing.

The Itchy and Scratchy... and Poochie Show!!!!

They did I&S when they were on Tracy Ullman? So a show within a show within a show?

Me and a friend still say the "lemonade" bit to each other in those voices

You ended with my favorite Itchy & Scratchy moment: that "preceding program" notice. Totally caught me off guard. 😂