Lisa falls for the teenaged leader of a militant environmentalist group and tries to impress him by living in Springfield's oldest tree in order to keep it from being cut down.
WAR
56.6
Wins Above Replacement
“Lisa The Tree Hugger” ranks #133 of 552 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 82.0 — Elite. The episode packs 64 scored jokes at 3.5 per minute, averaging 6.9 on craft and 6.8 on impact, with Homer landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
Get weekly comedy rankings
Join comedy fans getting new analyses, score drops, and the funniest moments each week. Free, no spam.
Top Jokes
Jesse: I'm a level-five vegan. I won't eat anything that casts a shadow.
Jesse Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Homer: Ah, the Luftwaffe- The Washington Generals of the History Channel.
Homer Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Homer · Jesse: This is your fault, with your nonthreatening, Bobby Sherman-style good looks. No girl could resist your charms. I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. I was lost in your eyes.
Homer · Homer · Homer: This is your fault, with your nonthreatening, Bobby Sherman-style good looks. / No girl could resist your charms. / I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. I was lost in your eyes.
Apu: Leave no footprint, only lunch specials.
Apu Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 64 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Bart: 256? [Groans] And I'm stuck with this useless 252.
Bart Observational Character Comedy Gamestation 252: Don't destroy me. I can still make you happy... to the max! Here's a headline for Jay. 'Ketchup Truck Hits Hamburger Stand.' [Laughs]
Bart: Mom, can I have 200 bucks for a 256-K Gamestation? That's less than a dollar a K.
Bart Character Comedy Observational Marge · Bart: Marge's thrift song about putting money in your cap, interrupted by 'I don't have a cap.'
Marge Bart Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Homer · Bart: You want money? Get a job like your old man. / So now you're smarter than your old man, huh? / I guess. / I like your attitude. Take what you need.
Bart: You're paying me in hair? Are you insane?
Apu: You take these. You hang Thai menu on door. I get more business. Send daughters to small liberal arts college - Swarthmore, maybe Sarah Lawrence. Call professors by first name. Hah!
Apu Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Unnamed character: Hey, hey! No menus- Or I'll cut you like a box along the flaps!
Apu: Now restaurant fail... children go to state college. Serious students powerless against drunken 'jockocracy.' Baseball hats everywhere!
Apu Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Apu: Menu boy no be coward like shrimp. Menu boy be brave like prawn.
Apu Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Apu: Leave no footprint, only lunch specials.
Apu Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Bart · Lisa · Bart: I don't know. A million? / You're ruining the earth! / True, but I 'gots' to get paid.
Bart: Hey, some people in this family are doers, and some are 'don't-ers.'
Bart Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Homer: I knew this day would come. The cows are taking back what's theirs.
Homer Absurdist Character Comedy Police officer: Get back in. It's only funny with a small car.
Police Chief Wiggum: Take out the mother cow. The rest will follow.
Protester · Lou: You can't silence the truth with beanbags! / That's nice work with the 'bag-zooka.' Gotta love what you do, Chief.
Chief Wiggum · Lou · Wiggum: All right, cow boy. I'll see you in 'moo-nicipal' court. / Good one, Chief. / What? What'd I say?
Marge: He'd be cute if he weren't so idealistic.
Marge Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm News Anchor: The group is led by teenage activist Jesse Grass... a 'dreadlocked' dreamboat whose 'Birken stock' is on the rise.
Homer: Ah, the Luftwaffe- The Washington Generals of the History Channel.
Homer Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Bart: First comes love, then comes- Um- Damn it, I know this.
Bart Character Comedy Misdirection Homer: Hey, I get enough flaming toilet paper thrown on me at home.
Homer Absurdist Character Comedy Lisa · Jesse: You do yoga? / Yeah, but I started before it was cool.
Jesse: I'm a level-five vegan. I won't eat anything that casts a shadow.
Jesse Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Jesse · Jesse: Only at home? You mean you don't pocket-mulch? / Oh, it's so decomposed.
Jesse: Well, we might have an opening at the poseur level.
Jesse Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Homer: No. I like to save the environment my own way. [Tires Squealing]
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Visual Gag Apu: 50,000 for Thai menus. Daughter on wait list at Bennington.
Apu Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Rich Texan: Sold to the rich Texan. Yee-haw! [Whooping]
Jesse: Not for a Phish concert, not even for Burning Man.
Jesse Observational Character Comedy Homer · Marge · Homer: Look at these refugees. How about a smile? / They've undergone terrible hardships. / Well, moping won't make it better.
Homer · Marge · Homer: Marge, she's gonna narc on our stash. / We don't have a stash. / No. Of course not.
Lisa: Maybe I could just circulate a petition.
Lisa Character Comedy Reaction Beat Lisa: Oh, I didn't think it would be so high. Maybe I could just circulate a petition.
Lisa Character Comedy Reaction Beat Jesse · Lisa · Jesse: Hang in there, Laura! / It's Lisa! / Right! Lisa. You're hard core.
Homer · Homer · Homer: This is your fault, with your nonthreatening, Bobby Sherman-style good looks. / No girl could resist your charms. / I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. I was lost in your eyes.
Homer · Jesse: This is your fault, with your nonthreatening, Bobby Sherman-style good looks. No girl could resist your charms. I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. I was lost in your eyes.
News Anchor: Excuse me. That's 'littlest' tree hugger. And whether you love or hate her politics... you've gotta go gawk at this crazy idiot.
News Anchor: Excuse me. That's 'littlest' tree hugger. And whether you love or hate her politics... you've gotta go gawk at this crazy idiot.
Bart (reading letter): Mom is calling rescue agencies... Dad is building a giant ladder... but it is of poor quality.
Lisa: Ew. Someone's been marking their territory.
Lisa Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Reporter · Kent Brockman · Reporter: We found her sleeping bag right here. Our working theory is that the lightning exploded her. / You don't get to say that! / Back to you, Kent.
Field Reporter: I'm afraid it doesn't look good, Kent. We found her sleeping bag right here. Our working theory is that the lightning exploded her.
Jesse: I loved Lisa Simpson- Loved her like a shrub. And I would give anything to see her sweet face again.
Jesse Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jesse: But in death, she will do more for our cause than she ever could have done in life.
Jesse Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jesse: But in death, she will do more for our cause than she ever could have done in life.
Jesse Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Rich Texan: That's why in memory of that poor little girl... I'm turning this entire forest into the Lisa Simpson Wilderness Preserve.
Marge: This family has had nothing but bad luck when it comes to farce.
Marge Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Homer: [High-pitched Voice] Come in.
Homer Physical/Slapstick Visual Gag Principal Skinner · Bart · Skinner: So, Bart, our school policy... is to give students in your situation straight A's. / Get out! What's the catch? / The tragic loss of your sister.
Principal Skinner · Bart: So, Bart, our school policy... is to give students in your situation straight A's. / Get out! What's the catch? / The tragic loss of your sister.
Moe: Homer, uh, booze is on the house... seeing as how Lisa is, um- Oh, how do I put this? Ridin' the midnight train to slab city.
Moe Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Lisa's Voice (Homer): Dear Moe, if anything should ever happen to me... I want you to tear up my dad's tab... and pour cocktail onions... down your pants.
Moe: Well, I ain't never said no to a dead girl yet.
Moe Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Homer: Don't touch it! They can clone her from the spit.
Homer Absurdist Character Comedy Rich Texan: the world's 'rootin'est,' 'tootin'est,' 'pollutin'est' amusement park!
Apu: [Apu] It was Lisa's dream.
Apu Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Lisa: I'm not dead-And neither is my sense of moral outrage.
Lisa Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Lisa · Bart · Lisa: I don't get it. / What? / Oh, right- I don't have super powers... just yet.
Apu: No! It was finger Ling-Ling good.
Apu Wordplay/Pun Visual Gag Rich Texan: Yee-haw! Score one for the bad guys. [Laughs]
Jesse · Death Row Inmate: I even got 'em to install a solar-powered electric chair. / Dude, we've been here all morning. Could you at least re-moisten my head sponge?
Chorus: The song with multiple puns: 'This log is your log / When lightning struck it / It kicked the bucket / I poured some onions / Inside my trousers'
Chorus Wordplay/Pun Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — The Simpsons
