YMMV / The Simpsons S1 E1 "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"

• Accidental Aesop: Many animal advocacy groups praised this episode for bringing attention to the plight of abandoned racing dogs. The writers had no idea at the time that it was such a big issue but were glad to raise awareness of it. It's no coincidence that the sport has all but disappeared in the years following this episode's airing.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: Is the tattoo artist simply an idiot who can't see that Bart is obviously underage, or does he just not care and will take any paying client, only asking their age as a legal precaution? This is actually the case in the Brazilian dub, where instead of saying "21", Bart instead says "Quantos quiser" (As many as you want) when asked how many years old he is.
• Anvilicious: This, the very first episode of The Simpsons, is all about subverting the traditional Christmas Miracle Stock Aesop by instilling in audiences the idea that Christmas miracles only happen if you make them happen yourself. That's what Homer learns the hard way when he bets all his money on a ridiculously long shot with a horrible track record.
• First Installment Wins: Even with the more somber mood of the episode, as far as their Christmas Episodes are concerned, this is usually ranked as fans' favorite. Furthermore, not only were the subsequent ones from the 90's ("Marge Be Not Proud", "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" and "Grift of the Magi") divisive for their own reasons, but it was years before this episode was aired again in syndication, even around Christmastime.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight: When Patty ridicules Homer, Lisa defends him, saying "aside from the fact that he has the same frailties as all human beings, he's the only father I have. Therefore, he is my model of manhood, and my estimation of him will govern the prospects of my adult relationships. So I hope you bear in mind that any knock at him is a knock at me, and I am far too young to defend myself against such onslaughts.". "Lisa's Wedding" would show that she wouldn't forget this thinking, as the flash-forward to her adulthood showed her breaking her off her wedding with her fiancé Hugh because he tried to cut Homer out of her life.
• Memetic Mutation: "Mr. Simpson, you dropped your pork chop. *squeak squeak*"
• Tough Act to Follow: As the first full-length episode of the show proper (albeit not in production order), this episode became so iconic that later production teams were put off the idea of doing another Christmas episode for several years. It wasn't until "Marge Be Not Proud" in the seventh season that they decided to do one.
• Unfortunate Character Design: A coloring error makes Lisa look like she's wearing no underwear during her performance in the Christmas show. Word of God on the DVD Commentary is that she's wearing a bodyglove.
• Unintentional Period Piece: Barney and Homer gamble their Mall Santa paychecks on a dog race. Greyhound racing went into steep decline after this episode, in part due to a dwindling audience and pressure from animal rights activists. As of 2023, West Virginia is the only U.S. state to still have open tracks.

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