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Hidden meaning in long-running The Simpsons gag shocks viewers-Mel Evans-Entertainment – Metro
Did you know this tidbit about the opening sequence?
Did you know this fun fact about the opening of The Simpsons (Picture: Disney)
Fans of The Simpsons are both shaken and stirred this week after learning the meaning behind one of the most iconic and long-running gags of the beloved series.
Over its 30-plus years on air, the Matt Groening animation has managed to bury many a hidden gem with countless gags and moments referencing society at the time. And while most are picked up by the show’s eagle-eyed viewers, others manage to slip through the cracks.
One such moment is in the animation’s opening credits, which have largely remained the same since its 1989 premiere, in which Maggie – the youngest of the Simpsons family – is accidentally scanned by a zoned-out cashier as Marge Simpson does the grocery shop.
While in a ‘behind-the-scenes’ episode of the series, The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular, you may remember Troy McClure revealed the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tag Maggie was scanned as was actually ‘NRA4EVER’ (‘just one of the hundreds of radical right wing messages inserted into every show by creator Matt Groening, McClure joked) it’s something a lot more rational.
Twitter account @Uberfacts – which does what it says on the tin – shared the hidden meaning behind the moment this week, writing: ‘In the original opening credits for “The Simpsons,” when Maggie is scanned at the grocery store, the price that appears on the cash register is $847.63 (£707).
‘This was the estimated cost of raising a baby for one month in 1989.’
That’s one expensive baby (Picture: Fox)
Adjusting for inflation, that figure is around $1,998 (£1667) by 2022 standards.
Over the years this ‘cost’ of Maggie remained until the newer opening sequence had the baby doubling Marge’s shopping bill from $243.26 (£202) to $486.52 (£405).
Now, we must stress this isn’t new – show creator Groening reportedly confirmed this was the case previously – but that’s not stopped many punters from sharing their shock at the moment (and the cost of raising a baby).
Writer Josh Weinstein recently revealed the meaning behind this joke (Picture: Fox)
While one Twitter user know-it-all used ‘Yep another fact that I’ve already knew,’ another wrote: ‘UberFacts forever spitting good trivial facts.’
‘Laughs in $40 a can formula*,’ one joked, while a fan replied: ‘Finally i learn a reason for one of my childhood’s mysteries.’
Others shard their shock at the figure and asked whether it was actually the yearly cost, rather than monthly.
Does it seem like a steep number? According to a recent article in The Times, the average cost of raising a child to 18 is £202,660 – or more than £900 a month. That figure included housing and childcare costs, which were around £11,250 a year, or £938 a month.
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Knowing all this, it really is quite amazing to imagine in The Simpsons, Homer, a high-school graduate whose single working-class salary at the nuclear-power plant supported a family of five, with a large suburban home, two cars, regular steak dinners, regular doctor’s appointments in the US (suppose we have the DENTAL PLAN to thank for a bit of that, because Lisa needs braces), and plenty of nights out at Moe’s Tavern, with a trip to Capital City sprinkled in.
Perhaps we all need a gig at the power plant…
The Simpsons can be streamed on Disney Plus.
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