In this, the 450th episode, The Krusty the Klown Show is retooled to include a princess character in order to get girls to watch, which Krusty initially objects to — until he learns that the actress who plays Princess Penelope was (and still is) his biggest fan. Meanwhile, Homer, Lenny, and Carl meet a corporate recruiter who wants them to work at Capital City's nuclear plant after Mr. Burns' latest budget cuts affects their favorite break room snack: doughnuts.
Tropes in this episode include:
- All Girls Like Ponies: Lisa had a neutral interest in Penelope's inclusion but gets hooked on thanks to the introduction of a pet unicorn.
- Ascended Fangirl: Penelope was once part of the Krusty the Clown Fan Club and was close to marrying him.
- Awful Wedded Life: Krusty’s relationships with his previous wives. He refused to let his first wife watch the moon landing out of jealousy towards Neil Armstrong and when he married Eartha Kitt, the marriage only lasted 6 hours, 5 of which he was asleep for.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Penelope goes alone to a bridge over the Seine River, she sees Krusty's reflection alongside hers, and when she turns around she sees nothing and believes she imagined him, but it turns that Krusty was really there, only that he fell into the water.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Krusty the Clown in the A-story; for Homer, Lenny, and Carl in the B-story.
- Executive Meddling: In-Universe, The reason Princess Penelope was included in Krusty's show. If Krusty refused, his show would have been replaced by a reality show that would pick the new Krusty. They're even proud of themselves when he's on his knees begging.
- Fake Brit: In-Universe, Penelope has a British accent in-character, but a Brooklyn accent as herself.
- Gratuitous Princess: Invoked. Princess Penelope is included on Krusty's show to appeal to the female audience.
- I Am Not Shazam: In-Universe. Ralph says "I'm a Star Wars!" while dressed up as Princess Leia (probably justified since Ralph is a Cloudcuckoolander).
- Ink-Suit Actor: Princess Penelope looks quite a bit like Anne Hathaway, who voiced her.
- Jerkass Has a Point: It's out of distaste for the effect Penelope is having on Krusty's show, rather than any concern for her well-being, that Bart and Milhouse scheme to break the two up. However, the much-married Krusty really is a terrible partner.
- Milestone Celebration: The end credits thank the audience for 20 years.
- Periphery Demographic: The studio executives comment that Krusty's show skews predominantly male, because "If writers knew women, they wouldn't be writers." Penelope is included to appeal to the girls with singing, princesses and unicorns, which made her a rousing success with girls. But this came at the cost of pushing Krusty to the side, it didn't take long for the girls to overtake the core demographic while the boys are clawing their eyes out.
- Shout-Out:
- During Princess Penelope's musical performance in Paris, we see Tintin and Captain Haddock hug each other. This despite the fact that Tintin is a Belgian comic strip, not French.
- Bart and Milhouse's video recording of Eartha Kitt they present to try and sabotage Kruty and Penelope's wedding has her dressed as Yzma and refer to the one hour of hers and Krusty's marriage that he was awake for as a "cat-tastrophie."
- Sickening Sweethearts: What Krusty and Penelope become.
- Special Guest: Anne Hathaway as Penelope, The Far Side creator Gary Larson As Himself, and Eartha Kitt making a posthumous appearance as herself.
