Every Change “Women In Shorts” Makes To The Simpsons’ Iconic Intro

The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons season 36 episode 6, “Women in Shorts,” now streaming on HuluThe Simpsons modified their intro sequence for season 36’s “Women in Shorts,” reflecting the episode’s primary focus on many of the women of Springfield. The Simpsons intro has gone through some minor tweaks and changes over the years, all while retaining the same iconic score by Danny Elfman that’s existed since season 1. While the specific style and background characters of the intro has changed over time, the overall structure of the sequence has usually remained focused on the titular family.

However, some episodes of The Simpsons have toyed with the formula for the sake of an individual episode or storyline. The modern seasons of The Simpsons have been very open to this kind of experimentation, which carries over to season 36’s “Women in Shorts.” Reflecting the episode’s short story structure focused on The Simpsons‘ various female characters, “Women In Shorts” modifies the intro sequence to focus on Lisa instead of Bart, showcase Marge without Maggie, and overall highlight the female characters at the heart of the episode. Here are all the ways The Simpsons changed the classic intro for “Women in Shorts.”

7 Lisa Doing The Chalkboard

Lisa Just Got Detention For This Intro

The first indicator that “Women in Shorts” is changing The Simpsons‘ typical theme song comes with the reveal that Lisa has replaced Bart at the chalkboard, setting the stage for a female-focused episode. Going back to the earliest days of The Simpsons, the intro has always established Bart’s status as a troublemaker by introducing him writing lines on the chalkboard. This has carried on for decades, with the actual phrase on the chalkboard changing between episodes. There have been other examples over the course of the series where other characters took over that responsibility, as in “Women in Shorts.”

In “Women in Shorts,” Lisa is the one writing at the chalkboard. Lisa has done it before, as well as Homer and Todd Flanders. However, it appears that Lisa actually isn’t writing on the board because of wrongdoing. Instead, the chalkboard suggests that Lisa got detention specifically so she could practice her cursive handwriting. The Simpsons has previously used that kind of motivation for Lisa, with season 24’s “Adventures in Baby-Getting” revealing that Lisa practices a more refined style of handwriting in her personal time. Lisa taking over for Bart at the chalkboard is a sign of the episode’s focus.

6 Shauna And Jimbo By The Front Door

Lisa Actually Passes Some Characters In Her Version Of The Intro

While most intros for The Simpsons see Bart burst out of the front doors of the school on his skateboard once the bell rings, “Women in Shorts” changes it to Lisa riding out on her bicycle. Notably, while Bart usually doesn’t pass anyone as he exits the door, Lisa actually goes by two other characters, Shauna and Jimbo. Jimbo has been a reoccurring character in The Simpsons since season 1’s “The Telltale Head,” while his love interest Shauna made her debut in season 20’s “The Good, the Sad and the Drugly” before getting established as the daughter of Superintendent Chalmers.

Shauna has received more focus as a character over the course of the series’ modern seasons. This includes episodes where she ends up befriending both Bart and Lisa. In “Women in Shorts,” Shauna serves as the focus character of The Simpsons‘ latest parody of Barbie, which centers on Malibu Stacy arriving at the school to comfort Shauna. Revealed to still play with her Malibu Stacy dolls, Shauna tries to salvage her bad girl reputation by attacking Malibu Stacy. Her presence on the steps of Springfield Elementary quietly foreshadow the setting of her storyline and how she factors into the episode.

5 Luann Replaces Willie & Barney

The Modern Intro Gives Bart Two People Hit With His Skateboard

In the original version of The Simpsons‘ intro, Bart leaves school on his skateboard and lands on a nearby sidewalk. This was modified when The Simpsons updated the intro sequence in season 20. In the modern version of the intro, Bart lands on a pile of leaves being raked up by Groundskeeper Willie. This scatters the leaves and enrages Willie, while also revealing a sleeping Barney underneath. In “Women in Shorts,” the moment is tweaked so Lisa doesn’t land on Barney or enrage Willie. Instead, Lisa lands on the sidewalk next to Luann Van Houten, who barely avoids being hit.

Luann is the mother of Bart’s best friend Milhouse. She was introduced in season 3’s “Homer Defined” and has always had a unique relationship with the Simpsons, alternating between being a friend and a rival to Marge (as seen in season 35), Many episodes focusing on Luann and the Van Houtens as a whole see her working through her marital issues with her comically pathetic husband Kirk. Luann can be seen in the intro wearing a wine shirt, which alludes to her role in the episode as the target of an intervention over her addiction to buying wine merchandise.

4 Marge At The Book Store Instead Of The Grocery Store

Marge Gets Some Time To Herself In The Intro To “Women in Shorts”

In the traditional intro to The Simpsons, Marge has always been shown going to the grocery store alongside Maggie. While the original version of the intro was a mildly limited version of that beat, the season 20 update to the intro added plenty of other details and references to previous episodes of the series. Marge actually isn’t with Maggie in the intro to “Women in Shorts” though, and isn’t even buying groceries. Instead, the new intro is tweaked so that Marge is alone and in a book store, purchasing a single item instead of a weeks’ worth of food.

This pays off in the first of “Women in Shorts” segments, which reveals the book was purchased for a book club that Marge belongs to alongside many other female members of The Simpsons‘ extended cast. The focus on Marge alone in the beat underscores how the episode is largely focused on the women of Springfield outside of their other family commitments and connections, underscoring their own personalities. Maggie is actually largely absent from the episode as a whole, only really being referenced in the credits-tag that quietly retcons a big element of her origins.

3 Lisa’s Bike Ride Instead Of Bart’s Skateboard

Lisa Goes The Same Route As Bart But In A Different Manner

Similar to how Bart typically rides through the streets of Springfield in the intro for the show, “Women in Shorts” shifts focus over to Lisa doing the same on her bike. This does mean that Lisa skips her typical place within the show’s intro, which sees Lisa at the end of a music class before she leaves for the day mid-song. There’s no role reversal for Bart during this beat, and the moment is more or less removed from the intro’s usual run-time. This subtle reversal also highlights the inherent differences between Lisa and Bart.

Lisa bikes through town in a more orderly manner while wearing a helmet and ringing her bell to alert pedestrians that she’s approaching. By contrast, Bart always zooms by the citizens of Springfield in a more chaotic manner. He does this without a helmet, despite the larger awareness of safety on the streets in the modern day versus the more lax approach to personal safety when the show debuted in 1989. It’s a small difference, but this highlights some of the key differences that have come to exist between Lisa and her brother over the course of the long-running series.

2 The Citizens In Springfield Lisa Passes

Season 36 Shifts The Focus To Many Of Springfield’s Women

As Lisa moves down main street in the modified intro for “Women in Shorts,” she ends up passing several female members of The Simpsons‘ supporting cast. Each of them has a role to play in the episode, with their appearance in the intro reflecting the focus of their individual segments in the anthology episode (like Mrs. Muntz being dressed as a princess for her bedtime story). In most episodes that feature a full-length intro, Bart ends up passing Sideshow Bob, Apu, Moe, Helen Lovejoy, Comic Book Guy, Disco Stu, the Crazy Cat Lady, Rich Texan, Chief Wiggum and Hans Moleman.

In Lisa’s version of the intro, the only man seen in the background is Dr. Hibbert, who can be seen bickering with his wife Bernice. The other people she passes include Helen Lovejoy, Lunchlady Doris, Mrs. Muntz, a beaver, Agnes Skinner, Agnes’ rival, and Luigi’s mother. Notably, Helen Lovejoy is the only character who appears in the new version of the intro who is also present when Bart typically skateboards by as well, albeit she is now leering into Moe’s Tavern.

1 Marge Goes To Wine Club Instead Of The Couch

In almost every version of The Simpsons intro, regardless of length or gag content, the sequence ends with the family coming together in their living room and congregating on the living room couch. This is subverted in “Women in Shorts,” with the couch gag instead seeing Marge pull her car into the Van Houten driveway instead of her own. As Marge sprints out of her car and rushes inside, she’s quickly joined by other female characters like Helen Lovejoy, Bernice Hibbert, Ms. Hoover, Sarah Wiggum, Kumiko and Lindsey Naegle.

The punchline is they’re all congregating on the Van Houten couch for their regular book club meting (kicking Krik out of the room in the process), which sets up Luann’s opening segment of the episode. While the intro does move at the usual clip for The Simpsons episodes, the modified intro finds a way to reference plenty of characters who are usually absent from the show’s opening sequence while tweaking the established formula for comedic effect. It’s a fun way to highlight the shifted focus of the episode and highlights the unique qualities and focus of The Simpsons‘ women-heavy episode.

The Simpsons is a long-running animated TV series created by Matt Groening that satirically follows a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield. Homer, a bit of a schmoe who works at a nuclear power plant, is the provider for his family, while his wife, Marge, tries to keep sanity and reason in the house to the best of her ability. Bart is a born troublemaker, and Lisa is his super-intelligent sister who finds herself surrounded by people who can’t understand her. Finally, Maggie is the mysterious baby who acts as a deus ex machina when the series calls for it. The show puts the family in several wild situations while constantly tackling socio-political and pop-culture topics set within their world, providing an often sharp critique of the subjects covered in each episode. This series first premiered in 1989 and has been a staple of Fox’s programming schedule ever since!

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Seasons

35

Network

FOX