History Recap / TheSimpsonsS7E18TheDayTheViolenceDied

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* TimeMarchesOn:
** In Universe: the 1919 "Itchy" cartoon, where Itchy attacks an Irishman, in a parody of the older threatrical cartoons that have racist caricatures in them (which also included the Irish, but these days, censors mostly edit the racist caricatures of blacks[[note]]both native Africans and African-Americans[[/note]], Jews, American Indians, Mexicans, and Asians[[note]]mostly Chinese and Japanese stereotypes, but Indians and Arabs are often targeted as well[[/note]]. Caricatures of Pacific Islanders, the Irish, the Scottish, the French, the British, Russians, Australians, Americans, and Italians[[note]]most of the time[[/note]] aren't cause for alarm by the censors unless MediaWatchdog groups specifically say it's offensive).

** In Universe: the 1919 "Itchy" cartoon, where Itchy attacks an Irishman, in a parody of the older threatrical cartoons that have racist caricatures in them (which also included the Irish, but these days, censors mostly edit the racist caricatures of blacks[[note]]both native Africans and African-Americans[[/note]], Jews, American Indians, Mexicans, and Asians[[note]]mostly Chinese and Japanese stereotypes, but Indians and Arabs are often targeted as well[[/note]]. Caricatures of white and/or Eurocentric ethnic groups, like the Irish, the Scottish, the French, the British, Russians, Australians, Americans, and Italians[[note]]most of the time[[/note]] aren't cause for alarm by the censors unless MediaWatchdog groups specifically say it's offensive).

** In Universe: the 1919 "Itchy" cartoon, where Itchy attacks an Irishman, in a parody of the older threatrical cartoons that have racist caricatures in them (which also included the Irish, but these days, censors mostly edit the racist caricatures of blacks[[note]]both native Africans and African-Americans[[/note]], Jews, American Indians, Mexicans, and Asians[[note]]mostly Chinese and Japanese stereotypes, but Indians and Arabs are often targeted as well[[/note]].

** Nowadays the idea that Chester Lampwick had created Itchy way back in 1919 and is still alive to this day seems even less likely than it did in 1995.
** In Universe the 1919 "Itchy" cartoon, where Itchy attacks an Irishman, in a parody of the more rampant ethnic stereotypical to downright racist jokes in old cartoons.
* WritingAroundTrademarks: The "Schoolhouse Rock" parody is never identified as such.

* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Grampa Simpson and Krusty the Clown. Both of them offered Chester food as payment for chores he refuses to perform because the food was awful and fight chester when he dares them to make him do the chores.

* CharlieChaplinShoutOut: Chaplin is seen in the slums when Bart first meets Lampwick. A deleted scene had Homer asking Lampwick to [[EatingShoes eat a shoe]] for him, in reference to the Chaplin movie Film/TheGoldRush.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Creator/KirkDouglas voices Chester Lampwick.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: TheodoreRoosevelt appears in ''Itchy the Lucky Mouse in Manhattan Madness'' and gets decapitated in Itchy's gruesome tirade.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Except for Teddy Roosevelt in the Itchy cartoon.
* ParodyAssistance and HeyItsThatVoice: That was the real Jack Sheldon as the voice of the Amendment in the ''SchoolhouseRock'' parody, "I'm An Amendment to Be."

-->'''Roger Myers, Jr.:''' TV is built on plagiarism! If it wasn't for ''[[Series/TheHoneymooners The Honeymooners]]'', we would have never had ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones''! If someone hadn't made ''[[Series/ThePhilSilversShow Sergeant Bilko]]'', there'd be no ''WesternAnimation/TopCat''! Huckleberry Hound, [[BreakingTheFourthWall Chief Wiggum]], WesternAnimation/YogiBear? Hah! Andy Griffith, Edward G. Robinson, Art Carney.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The story is inspired by the feud between Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer, whom both claimed to have been the original creators of WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat.

** "The Day the Violence Died" is a reference to "The Day The Music Died", the official nickname for February 2, 1959, when rock 'n' roll stars Music/BuddyHolly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper all died in a plane crash. The nickname was thought up by Music/DonMcLean in his song [[Music/AmericanPie "American Pie"]].

* TimeMarchesOn: Nowadays the idea that Chester Lampwick had created Itchy way back in 1919 and is still alive to this day seems even less likely than it did in 1995.

* RunningGag: People give Chester food to fix up something, which he never does and complains the food he was given were awful. Then they demand him to do the job he's hired to do, Chester says "Make me!", and a fight ensues.

* RunningGag: People give Chester food to fix up something, which he never does and complains the food he was given were awful. Then they demand to do the job he's hired to do, Chester says "Make me!", and a fight ensues.

* GodIsEvil: In the "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoon Itchy prays to God, whom helps him killing off Scratchy and throws the cat off into the eternal pit of Hell fire. Seems very unethical for a Supreme Being.

** "The Day the Violence Died" is a reference to "The Day The Music Died", the official nickname for February 2, 1959, when rock 'n' roll stars Music/BuddyHolly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper all died in a plane crash.
** "Itchy & Scratchy Meet Fritz the Cat" is a reference to WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat.
** The very first Itchy cartoon is a stylistic parody of silent animated cartoons like WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat and WesternAnimation/GertieTheDinosaur.
** Bart and Lisa watch a rerun of WesternAnimation/SchoolhouseRock on tv.
** The final Itchy & Scratchy cartoon where Itchy chases Scratchy in a desert landscape over a road brings WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndRoadRunner to mind.

* WritingAroundTrademarks

* MrAltDisney: Roger Myers keeps his father's head inside a fridge, a reference to the urban legend that Creator/WaltDisney was cryogenically frozen after his death.

* MysteriousMiddleInitial: Chester J. Lampwick.

* PlagiarismInFiction: Roger Meyers, Sr. plagiarized Itchy from Chester J. Lampwick; and Lester and Eliza shown that the U.S. Mail's Mr. Zep was a plagiarism from a character created by Roger Meyers, Sr. Ironically, Roger Meyers, Jr. points out a number of characters are based on figures from other fiction, just changed to be their own character. Cause that doesn't let his father off the hook for stealing a character that wasn't his.

* NationalStereotypes: In reference to ethnic stereotyping in old cartoons Itchy kills of a stereotypically clothed Irishman by sticking him between a trouser press.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The story is inspired by the feud between Pat Sullivan and Otto Mesmer, whom both claimed to have been the original creators of WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat.

* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Bart tells Chester he can sleep on the floor in the basement, "just remove the bed."

* ParodyAssistance and HeyItsThatVoice: That was the real JackSheldon as the voice of the Amendment in the ''SchoolhouseRock'' parody, "I'm An Amendment to Be."

* ParodyAssistance: The episode contained a parody of "[[SchoolhouseRock I'm Just a Bill]]" with Jack Sheldon singing it, as well.

While following an ''Itchy and Scratchy'' Diamond Anniversary parade float into the bad side of town, Bart meets a homeless man who turns out to be the original creator of Itchy the Mouse back in the 1920s who had his idea stolen from him by Roger Meyers' father.

* AnvilOnHead: Chester J. Lampwick tells Bart and Lisa the story of how Roger Myers, Sr dropped an anvil on him after he requested royalties for his creation. (Luckily, he says, he was carrying an umbrella at the time.)
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: TheodoreRoosevelt appears in "Itchy the Lucky Mouse in Manhattan Madness" and gets decapitated in Itchy's gruesome tirade.

* PlagiarismInFiction: Roger Meyers, Sr. plagiarized Itchy from Chester J. Lampwick; and Lester and Eliza shown that the U.S. Mail's Mr. Zep was a plagiarism from a character created by Roger Meyers, Sr. Ironically Roger Meyers Jr points out a number of characters are based on figures from other fiction, just changed to be their own character. Cause that doesn't let his father off the hook for stealing a character that wasn't his.
-->'''Roger Myers, Jr.:''' TV is built on plagiarism! If it wasn't for ''[[TheHoneymooners The Honeymooners]]'', we would have never had ''TheFlintstones''! If someone hadn't made ''[[ThePhilSilversShow Sergeant Bilko]]'', there'd be no ''TopCat''! Huckleberry Hound, [[BreakingTheFourthWall Chief Wiggum]], WesternAnimation/YogiBear? Hah! Andy Griffith, Edward G. Robinson, Art Carney.
* ReluctantGift: When Roger Meyers presents the check, he refuses to let go for a few seconds and Lampwick struggles with him. When Lampwick finally wrests the check away, [[TastyGold he bites it as if testing for a counterfeit coin]].

* PlagiarismInFiction: Roger Meyers, Sr. plagiarized Itchy from Chester J. Lampwick; and Lester and Eliza shown that the U.S. Mail's Mr. Zep was a plagiarism from a character created by Roger Meyers, Sr. Ironiclly Roger Meyers Jr points out a number of characters are based on figures from other fiction, just changed to be their own character. Cause that doesn't let his father off the hook for stealing a character that wasn't his.
-->'''Roger Myers, Jr.:''' TV is built on plagiarism! If it wasn't for [[TheHoneymooners The Honeymooners]], we would have never had TheFlintstones! If someone hadn't made [[ThePhilSilversShow Sergeant Bilko]], there'd be no TopCat!

While following a parade float into the bad side of town, Bart meets a homeless man who turns out to be the original creator of Itchy the Mouse back in the 1920s who had his idea stolen from him by Roger Meyers' father.

* PlagiarismInFiction: Roger Meyers, Sr. plagiarized Itchy from Chester J. Lampwick; and Lester and Eliza shown that the U.S. Mail's Mr. Zep was a plagiarism from a character created by Roger Meyers, Sr.
** Ironiclly Roger Meyers Jr points out a number of characters are based on figures from other fiction, just changed to be their own character. Cause that doesn't let his father off the hook for stealing a character that wasn't his.

* RiddleForTheAges: How did Bart and Lisa expect to save the cartoon company?

* RiddleForTheAges: How did Bart and Lisa expect to save the cartoon company?

!! Tropes:

Bart and Lisa meet the destitute creator of Itchy the Mouse and help him successfully sue the Itchy & Scratchy production company for Roger Meyers, Sr.'s theft — which drives the company into bankruptcy.