When Homer refuses to pay a five dollar airport tax to fly to Delaware, the family is forced to ride in a livestock car of a train instead. There they meet a singing hobo who tells three tall tales: Homer as Paul Bunyan. Lisa as Connie Appleseed, a parody of Johnny Appleseed. Bart as Tom Sawyer with Nelson as Huckleberry Finn.
WAR
30.5
Wins Above Replacement
“Simpsons Tall Tales” ranks #464 of 552 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 73.2 — Solid. The episode packs 61 scored jokes at 3.6 per minute, averaging 6.5 on craft and 6.5 on impact, with Homer landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Homer as Paul: This one's for the little crippled boy... that I crippled.
Townsperson: Same way we got rid of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Bart: Calm down, Pa. There's two left.
Bart Dark/Subversive Misdirection Homer: Stupid anti-fist-shaking laws!
Homer Absurdist Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Hobo: And that's how Paul Bunyan started the great Chicago fire.
Hobo Absurdist Dark/Subversive All Jokes — 61 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Homer Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Bart: I wanna visit a screen door factory
Bart Observational Absurdist Homer: Well, we are not boarding that plane unless you waive that tax. Waive it!
Homer Character Comedy Escalation Homer: Stupid anti-fist-shaking laws!
Homer Absurdist Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Bart Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Hobo: I'm not a stabbin' hobo. I'm a singin' hobo.
Hobo Misdirection Setup/Punchline Hobo: # Stabbin' folks with my hobo knife #
Hobo Misdirection Irony/Sarcasm Hobo: I was just having a little fun with you 'nobos.'
Hobo Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hobo: # His body grew big but his brain stayed small #
Hobo Observational Character Comedy Townsperson: Yuck! All right, uh, let's get started on lunch.
Townsperson Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Lenny: Can anybody hear me? I think I found a way out. It's not pretty, but it'll do.
Lenny Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Townsperson: Same way we got rid of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Homer as Paul: Aw, you guys are the greatest friends a giant doofus could have.
Townsperson: Good Lord! Brought down by one beer? And a couple of these babies.
Lisa: Paul Bunyan never fought Rodan.
Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Observational Hobo: Hey, hey, hey! Who's the hobo here?
Hobo Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Paul's girlfriend: I just need a few more yoga classes.
Paul's girlfriend: Pain in the glayvin!
Reverend Lovejoy: God has sent this fiery kill rock to show us his love.
Homer as Paul: When I'm crushing and killing you, you don't like me. But when I can save your life, suddenly I'm Mr. Popular.
Homer as Paul: This one's for the little crippled boy... that I crippled.
Hobo: And that's how Paul Bunyan started the great Chicago fire.
Hobo Absurdist Dark/Subversive Hobo: But first, who wants to give me a sponge bath? I'm filthy.
Hobo Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Hobo: But first, who wants to give me a sponge bath? I'm filthy.
Hobo Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Hobo as Southside Jake: Who put the beans in my bindle?
Hobo: It's the tale ofJohnny- No. Connie Appleseed.
Hobo Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Lisa · Homer: Why'd you kill another one? Dessert.
Homer: Dad, you just killed a poor defenseless buffalo. A poor, delicious buffalo.
Homer Character Comedy Misdirection Townsperson: Wipe out an entire species? Why, that's impossible.
Lisa/Connie: Of course! Apples!
Homer: Oh, boy! Buffalo testicles!
Homer Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Hobo: And her family changed theirs to Bufflekill.
Hobo Wordplay/Pun Callback Callback Homer: how about whipping up some buffalo sausage... huevos buffaleros, and some fresh-squeezed buffal-O. J?
Homer Escalation Wordplay/Pun Bart: Calm down, Pa. There's two left.
Bart Dark/Subversive Misdirection Townsperson: It's like a hootenanny in my mouth!
Townsperson: So now we're not eating Homer?
Homer: Apple wine, apple whiskey... apple schnapps, apple martinis... uh, Snapple with vodka in it... apple nail polish remover-
Marge · Homer: Don't forget applesauce. Yeah. I suppose you could grind some pills into it.
Homer: Yeah. I suppose you could grind some pills into it.
Homer Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Lisa: That's not a tall tale. It's a book by Mark Twain.
Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Observational Lisa: That's not a tall tale. It's a book by Mark Twain.
Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Observational Huck/Bart: Whitewashing sucks, Tom. It powerful sucks.
Bart as Huck: I'd just get a new neck off n a cat.
Huck/Bart: I was gonna let go by-and-by.
Marge: When are you gonna put down that gun?
Marge Running Gag Absurdist Townsperson: Hey, they done switched the groom with a pig!
Townsperson: Hey, they done switched the groom with a pig!
Townsperson: No wonder he was pooping so much.
P.A. Announcer: Please do not exit the raft... until it has come to a complete stop.
Tom and Huck: fatback, hardtack, fat pone, 'corntack.' Any 'tackback'? 'Tackback'? I mean 'backtack.'
Store owner: Aw, donkey butter!
Pursuer: Well, dog my cats. They's dis-apporated.
Pursuer Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Bar patron: This ain't no five-X whiskey. I can still see.
Barkeeper: Now let's just put 'em away. Nobody here is a cheat.
Townsperson: Man, those derringer bullets are weak. Powerful weak.
Hobo: And that was Tom and Huck's last adventure.
Hobo Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Homer: We're gonna visit the place where JCPenney sends their damaged merchandise.
Homer Observational Absurdist Callback Hobo: swappin' stories for sponge baths.
Hobo Callback Character Comedy Callback Homer: Oh, boy! Buffalo testicles!
Homer Callback Character Comedy Callback Homer: Oh, boy! Buffalo testicles! [Chomping Sound]
Homer Callback Cringe/Discomfort Callback Top Episodes — The Simpsons
