There's an amazing new website on the interwebs called SimpsonsWorld.com, which collects every Simpsons episode from the past 26 seasons and allows you to watch them online. It also allows keyword search, so you know what that means-- in-depth taconalysis from your friends at L.A. Taco! We discovered 22 references to tacos in the history of the Simpsons. One of those was a reference to Dutch "Putting on the Ritz" singer but the rest were bonafide Mexican food references.
The most common use of "taco" or "tacos" on the Simpsons over the past 20+ years has been when the writers reference taco day at school or taco night at home, but there are also references to "Korean tacos" (in the service of a pretty good Judd Apatow burn) and Mexican wrestling "Taco Belly". Two fictional taco places are mentioned, "Taco Joe's" and "Taco Bueno," which reminds us that Springfield needs some authentic Mexican food to come to town. Probably the best use of the word taco comes in Season One, when Selma and Patty show slides from their Mexican vacation, including "a Mexican delicacy called a Taco Platter."
Overall, references to tacos are getting more common on the Simpsons, which seems natural as the taco lifestyle spreads worldwide. There were four references in the first ten seasons, eight in the next ten, and there have been ten in the last five seasons, including four in Season 25 alone. If any Simpsons writers are reading this post, we'd like to offer our services as consultants if the Simpsons ever want to do an entire episode on tacos, taco trucks, the taco lifestyle, or anything else that will help triple the number of taco references in the past 25 years in one episode. Huge thanks to FXX for making this content available online!
Each episode linked below can be watched online, there are also three specific taco-related clips on the site that we tried to embed (it didn't work), and you read through the transcript of every Simpsons taco reference of all time. Enjoy!
Season 1, Episode 12. This is a Mexican delicacy called a "Taco Platter". Watch the clip here.
Season 4, Episode 8: "- Ahoy, mateys.
Had your fill of tacos? Would ye sooner eat a bilge rat than another burger? Then come for all-you-can-eat seafood at The Frying Dutchman."
Season 7, Episode 15: "What are you gonna spend your money on, kids? There's a special on tacos down at the Taco Mat- hundred tacos for $100- I'm gonna get that.
I'm gonna contribute my money to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Tacos? Public broadcasting? I won't have you kids throwing away your money like that.
You're both coming downtown with me, and you're gonna put that money in the bank.
Boy, I sure could go for 100 tacos right about now.
No."
Season 9, Episode 16: "Hey, hey! Sabu! Uh, I need another magnum of your best champagne here, huh? And bring us the finest food you got stuffed with the second finest.
Excellent, sir.
Lobster stuffed with tacos."
Season 11, Episode 13: "Champion horse coming through! - What the- - [ Blares ] - Good horse.
Here's one taco.
And you'll get another when you win."
Season 11, Episode 22: "Thank you, Taco, for that loving tribute to Falco."
Season 13, Episode 15: "We were cleaning out a cooling duct at the plant and found a box of old taco shells.
Oh, why didn't you call me? We tried, but a recording said you were a bunch of deadbeats."
Season 15, Episode 13: " I'm taking you all out for tacos! BOTH: Yay! Okay, for Malibu Stacy's beach party, we've got pita, hummus, tempeh, tofu."
Season 15, Episode 16: "I thought you might want to have a nice family dinner.
We're having "Make Your Own Taco" night.
Gina, thanks for showing us the meaning of Christmas.
And thanks for showing my brother that girls can be cool.
Who is this nerd? Taco, please."
Season 17, Episode 1: "Let's review the easy-to-follow rules of your show.
Each of you thought you were in a race to plant the taco bell flag at the north pole.
What you didn't know is, the race was a chase, spiced up by the presence of the betrayer."
Season 18, Episode 2: "I just wanted to save those animals while Bart became a drummer, but I never thought the two stories would intersect.
And what about my new job as a Mexican wrestler? Beware of Taco Belly.
Whoo! Eat your heart No mas! No mas!"
Season 19, Episode 12: "Listen, Sheriff, I can help you take down Bonnie and Clyde.
After the racially insensitive cartoon.
One taco coming up.
Even I'm offended by this, and I'm a fat Southern sheriff."
Season 20, Episode 17: "You realize, if you're suspended, you'll be missing Taco Wednesday.
Crunchy shell, ground beef, lettuce, mild sauce, and of course, shredded cheddar cheese! I'll never tell.
Then consider yourself suspended, mister."
Season 20, Episode 18: "Homer, you've become a super-taster.
The mildest spices will overwhelm your tongue.
Even a taco could drive you insane.
I can't eat tacos? Oh, my god.
What day of mayo is it? Cinco."
Season 21, Episode 22: "Uh, yes, I'd like um How do you say taco in Mexican? Taco.
Yes, that's exactly the word I want to translate.
Taco.
Homer, can we please find Bart? Oh, yeah, yeah, right.
Uh, just give me one of those crispy shells with meat in it.
Taco? Oh! Walt, because I like your face, I'll let you decide which state I kill you in.
Okay, uh Hawaii."
Season 23, Episode 8: "Wait one hairy, banana-peeling, scene-stealing minute here! Wha? What'd I do? Whose show is this? Huh? Huh?! Whose name is on that sign?! Yeah, that's right, little buddy boy! Krusty! Krusty! And don't you ever upstage him or craft service will be serving chimp tacos! Yeah, I'd like to squeeze a lime on that! Now apologize to Krusty! Not so hard."
Season 24, Episode 1: "Well, my only professional job was playing a nefarious hot dog in an ad for Taco Bueno.
You fresh-made tacos will never defeat pre-boiled hot dogs! Please, I owe Yale Drama School $200,000."
Season 24, Episode 17. "Searchy, where can I find brake fluid? There are 14 Taco Joes in your area.
That was yesterday."
Season 25, Episode 9: "Tonight's movie is Life is Funny, directed by Judd Apatow.
It's based on his life, starring his family and ad-libbed by his friends.
So for the next three and a half hours, enjoy! (frustrated groan) Did you just pass gas while we were making love?
You're the one who hired the Korean taco truck for our private school fund-raiser."
Season 25, Episode 12: "There's my Sky Gramma! (mumbles) Bart's usually first in line for Taco Night, but now he's muy tarde."
Season 25, Episode 13: "But I can see Miss Hoover? It's Tuesday, Lisa.
Taco Tuesday.
Huh? Huh? Taco Tuesday! Taco Tuesday! Taco Tuesday! Taco Tuesday, Taco Tuesday Oh, no.
I'm about to become another moppin' statistic.
There's only room for one of us, Ethel.
Bart, that's your sixth taco.
You know, Whitman says, "If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred.
" Fascinating.
Congratulations, boys.
You made it through another Taco Tuesday."
Season 25, Episode 20. "This is for the tacos, bro, the tacos!". Watch the clip here.
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This post was originally published in October, 2014
