When Miss Hoover asks her students to research their family history, Lisa is horrified to discover that most of her ancestors were bad people – a motley crew of horse thieves and deadbeats. But while rummaging through the attic, Lisa happens upon a diary kept by her ancestor, Eliza Simpson. As Eliza’s story unfolds, Lisa learns that her family was part of the Underground Railroad, a group that helped slaves escape to freedom. Eliza recounts liberating a slave named Virgil, but when Lisa presents her findings at school, some of her classmates refute it, leaving Lisa determined to exonerate her family’s name.
WAR
27.5
Wins Above Replacement
“The Color Yellow” ranks #454 of 552 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 73.9 — Solid. The episode packs 44 scored jokes at 2.4 per minute, averaging 6.7 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.
Get weekly comedy rankings
Join comedy fans getting new analyses, score drops, and the funniest moments each week. Free, no spam.
Top Jokes
Grampa: Adam and Eve Simpson, or as you may know them, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Grampa Absurdist Dark/Subversive Grampa: Maybe the nicest was Abigail Simpson, who you know as the Pittsburgh Poisoner.
Grampa Misdirection Dark/Subversive Grampa: D-Day is June 6th. Repeat: June 6th. Allied forces will land on the beaches of Normandy in the following order-- Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno. Are you writing this down, Fritz?
Grampa Absurdist Character Comedy Homer: (whispering): ...alcoholics.
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Lisa · Homer · Marge: We've regained our family honor, and we're 1/64th black. So that's why I'm so cool. That's why my jazz is so smooth. And that's why I earn less than my white co-workers.
All Jokes — 44 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Groundskeeper Willie: I'm blowing up the stump, not the school.
Homer · Groundskeeper Willie: Wait, here comes the 'mykeeyah.' What's a mykeeyah? My Kia!
Homer: I'm laughing to fit in, but I still don't get it.
Homer Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Ralph: Miss Hoover, what's our lesson today? Is it school?
Ralph Absurdist Character Comedy Homer: horse thieves, deadbeats, horse beats, dead thieves
Homer Wordplay/Pun Escalation ★ Rewatch Homer: (whispering): ...alcoholics.
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Grampa: Maybe the nicest was Abigail Simpson, who you know as the Pittsburgh Poisoner.
Grampa Misdirection Dark/Subversive Grampa: Adam and Eve Simpson, or as you may know them, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Grampa Absurdist Dark/Subversive Lisa Reaction Beat Visual Gag Eliza · Lisa · Marge · Homer: ...because tomorrow I shall get my very first slave. (all gasp) I can't believe we're descended from slave owners. Me neither. For once, the Simpsons were in management.
Homer: For once, the Simpsons were in management.
Homer Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm Eliza · Martha: What's for dinner? Possum. Oh, can't we have opossum? Not on your salary.
Hiram: I can't believe I buttoned my britches for this.
Bart: Then they should've called it the Aboveground Normal-Road.
Bart Observational Character Comedy Homer: Good point, Bart. Absolutely. Hadn't thought of that before. Very good, Bart.
Homer Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Marge: It's like when your father and I left the movie Carrie right after she was crowned prom queen. She was so happy. She had a lot of problems, but they were all behind her.
Marge Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Colonel Burns: I don't like this new Viennese dance craze, 'the waltz.' One, two, three, one, two, three... Where's the 'four'? All music needs a four!
Eliza · Virgil: Actually, I'm here to help you. Follow me north to freedom. I don't think so. Why? Because I'm young and I'm a woman? No, because you're pointing south.
Eliza · Virgil: (sheepish chuckle) Oh, right, right. Sorry. It's my first time. That's all right. It's my 14th.
Slave catchers: After them! Obviously. Well, you didn't say it.
Homer · Bart: Bart, can you believe we're married to those nerds? (both laugh)
Homer Bart Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Old clown: Rule number one: never be better than me. And I'm pretty bad.
Old clown: Why do I always ask for a nickel? That's like 20 bucks in 2010 money.
Mabel · Hiram: Maybe you'll change your mind about me after you try some of my wheel cakes. Wheel cakes? They're just honey-sweetened batter... Go on. ...deep-fried in hog lard. Lard, you say. Then dusted with powdered sugar. (muffled): You can stay.
Ralph: Martin Luther King had a dream. Dreams are where Elmo and Toy Story had a party and I went there. Yay. My turn is over.
Ralph Absurdist Character Comedy Lisa: No, no, no, not now! Quit, quit! No, don't quit the program, just the update, you stupid... (awkward chuckle) Computers, right?
Milhouse: I hold in my hand another diary. That of my great-great-great... (takes hit from inhaler) ...great-great grandfafa, Milford van Houten.
Milhouse Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Colonel Burns · Hiram: I would say your price is... a pleasant surprise. That's exactly my price.
Colonel Burns: From the day you were born, you were brought up to crave the approval of a man. And I know you really want to be a good girl, and good girls are seen and not heard.
Colonel Burns · Hiram: Your surprise is a new pair of shoes. Oh, my God, that surprise is so pleasant.
Milhouse: It didn't help that the next day, he drank bad well water and went blind.
Students: And so many Obamas. (all impersonating Obama) Yes, we can. Audacity of hope. Let me be clear.
Librarian · Library patron: We have a film vault? It's where we hooked up during the Christmas party. Oh.
Grampa: I'll take that secret to my grave-- or urn, or medical school dissecting table, or wherever you're dumping me.
Grampa Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Grampa: D-Day is June 6th. Repeat: June 6th. Allied forces will land on the beaches of Normandy in the following order-- Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno. Are you writing this down, Fritz?
Grampa Absurdist Character Comedy Colonel Burns: Very well. You may have won this round, but someday my history will be told by my descendants Ken and Ric Burns.
Virgil: You defied your husband for me? Man, this is the '60s. Now let's take you to a place where a black man can blend in-- Canada.
Mabel: Man, this is the '60s. Now let's take you to a place where a black man can blend in-- Canada.
Abraham Lincoln · Mabel: It makes you look like a potbellied stove. (annoyed grunt) Hey, hey, 'Honest Abe.' (laughs) Oh, I'm a riot.
Grampa: Mabel she divorced Hiram and got one of his shoes in the settlement.
Grampa Absurdist Escalation Callback Grampa: They got married, and since Virgil had no last name, they both took the name Simpson so that Mabel could keep all her monogrammed table linens.
Grampa Character Comedy Observational Lisa · Homer · Marge: We've regained our family honor, and we're 1/64th black. So that's why I'm so cool. That's why my jazz is so smooth. And that's why I earn less than my white co-workers.
Grampa · Lisa: Well, it's hard to explain this to a young person, but people of my generation are, you know... Racists? That's it.
Marge · Homer: I don't know what the big deal is. I mean, it never bothered any of you that my father's French. You know, Bouvier? So that's why I love drinking so much. I'm French, not you.
Top Episodes — The Simpsons
