After Bart nurses an injured bird back to health, Homer enters it in a race.
WAR
54.9
Wins Above Replacement
“How Munched Is That Birdie In The Window” ranks #119 of 552 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 82.5 — Elite. The episode packs 61 scored jokes at 4.1 per minute, averaging 7.0 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.
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Top Jokes
Homer: Hmm. Backyard, backyard, toilet, ocean, don't know, backyard, Flanders' mailbox, Lenny's freezer, tire fire.
Homer Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Homer: Is he good at tic-tac-toe, like that chicken I played, lost to, and ate at the State Fair?
Homer Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Nelson: My mom ran off with my birthday clown.
Nelson Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Nelson: Haw-haw. Man, you were not into that. What's wrong?
Nelson Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Homer · Marge · Homer: Marge, listen to the man; he pays Bart's salary. No, he doesn't. Why can't you support my gibberish?
All Jokes — 61 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Marge: Oh, don't be scared, boys. That's just the angels bowling.
Marge Character Comedy Observational Homer: And so The Bloody Hangman, his hair sticky with blood, skittered along the cobblestones, gunk dripping from his one good eye, singing his evil land chantey.
Homer Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Homer: ♪ Ker-shaw, ker-shew ♪ ♪ I'm after you ♪ ♪ With my bloody noose ♪ ♪ Strong enough to hang ten moose ♪
Homer Absurdist Wordplay/Pun Marge · Homer: Homer, are you scaring those kids? No, I'm not! Yes, I am.
Child · Homer: You said it was Boston. Did I?
Homer: Bodies piled up like those stackable plastic chairs.
Homer Observational Character Comedy Child · Homer: Like those chairs in the music room? Possibly!
Homer: The Hangman's here! ♪ Ker-shaw, ker-shew, my lies have come true! ♪
Homer Meta/Self-Referential Absurdist Homer: Huh. It's a pigeon.
Homer Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Bart: I bet it's a combination to a safe!
Bart Character Comedy Misdirection Bart: Ask about the safe. No, better yet, act like you know about the safe.
Bart Character Comedy Escalation Pigeon Owner: He's a homing pigeon, girlie. Why don't you let him fly home? Unless you want to spring for a limo.
Pigeon Owner: Wherever I go, 200 birds gotta come with me. And they all want to sit in the front seat with Daddy.
Bart: Me? Just what in my long, sad history with frogs makes you think I can take care of a bird?
Bart Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Lisa: Listen, don't tell anyone, but... I can't stand pigeons! They're like rats with wings!
Lisa Character Comedy Observational Bart: He's crawling on your arm.
Bart Reaction Beat Visual Gag Lisa: Oh! No! No! No! Get off! Get off! Get off!
Lisa Physical/Slapstick Escalation Bart: You and I have shared too many seed bells to just walk away from this.
Bart Character Comedy Observational Bart: Go ahead, make fun of me. I lost my heart to a bird.
Bart Character Comedy Observational Nelson: Haw-haw. Man, you were not into that. What's wrong?
Nelson Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Nelson: My mom ran off with my birthday clown.
Nelson Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Lisa · Homer: That coop looks a little flimsy. Flimsy? This gentle pat says different.
Bart: But don't feel bad. You're ahead of Milhouse.
Bart Character Comedy Running Gag Milhouse: I thought your race car was a Transformer! Nothing's one thing anymore!
Milhouse: Now? Do you forgive me now?
Milhouse Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick TV Announcer: Bored by black and white footage of World War II? Recently uncovered color footage will get you back in the game!
TV Announcer: Order this DVD now, featuring dictator commentary by Hitler and Mussolini.
General Patton (TV): There's a bomb in my helmet.
General Patton (TV): Caesar can have his eagle, Alexander the Great his gryphon... I'll take the American fighting pigeon any damn day!
Homer: Is he good at tic-tac-toe, like that chicken I played, lost to, and ate at the State Fair?
Homer Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Lisa: Mom, why am I so repulsed by pigeons? It doesn't make any sense. I'm a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Amoebas, The League of Women Vultures, the NAAC Porcupines, Kids For Squids, the ACL Unicorns, Clamnesty International
Lisa Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Marge: Indiana Jones had snakes, the Grizzly Man had grizzlies, and... you know, I'm not crazy about opossums.
Marge Observational Escalation Marge Physical/Slapstick Callback Callback Edna (via note): Every day since we broke up is the greatest day of my life.
Chalmers: She was on the rebound from Willie.
Mr. Burns: Perhaps an update on the siege of Khartoum. 'Do a ballet dance without no clothes on.'
Mr. Burns: Bad grammar, good advice.
Mr. Burns Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Moe · Homer · Moe: Hey, if it moves, you can bet on it. What about the Detroit Lions? Now, now, lay off Detroit. Them people is living in Mad Max times.
Homer · Danica Patrick: Danica Patrick in my thoughts! That's right, Homer. I'm contractually obligated by my sponsors to appear in random fans' fantasies.
Marge: You Brickyard bimbo!
Marge Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Homer: What they don't suspect is that I'm into this.
Homer Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Moe: There's no such thing as a Birditarod. It was just a trick to scam you out of your house.
Moe Misdirection Character Comedy Marge: Well, ask your new father.
Marge Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Homer: This funeral just got depressing.
Homer Observational Deadpan/Understatement Lisa: It's from Bye Bye Birdie.
Lisa Meta/Self-Referential Observational Principal Skinner: Not only have his grades gone up, but the enthusiasm has gone out of his pranks.
Homer · Marge · Homer: Marge, listen to the man; he pays Bart's salary. No, he doesn't. Why can't you support my gibberish?
Marge: I'd do it if you were stupid.
Marge Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Therapist · Homer: Hey, in this economy, I'll even remove tattoos. Even my tramp stamp?
Marge: I bought it because Catherine Zeta-Jones told me to.
Marge Character Comedy Observational Santa's Little Helper: See? He's a questionable character. He used to hang around racetracks, you know.
Therapist · Homer · Therapist: As sure as I am that I'll be billing you for that torn magazine. Oh, that's pretty sure. Subscription rate, right? Newsstand.
Bart: And for once, I'm not talking about Lisa.
Bart Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Lisa: It's amazing how I can feel sorry for you and hate you at the same time. I'm sure there's a German word for it.
Lisa Observational Character Comedy Homer: Hmm. Backyard, backyard, toilet, ocean, don't know, backyard, Flanders' mailbox, Lenny's freezer, tire fire.
Homer Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Homer · Homer: Well, 'ditching' is a harsh word. Enough chitchat. Time for Operation Dog Dump.
Bart: We've shared a lot of great memories, like the time we got our picture in the paper with the caption 'Who's walking who?' I mailed them the answer, but they never printed it.
Bart Character Comedy Observational Homer · Ostrich: All right, you, give me back my phone and nobody gets hurt! You said nobody gets hurt! Those were your exact words!
Homer · Bart: Help! Kill the bird! Never kill a bird! Never kill a bird!
Bart · Santa's Little Helper: Well, boy, I guess I owe you an apology. Who's a bird-eating monster? You are! You are! Yes, you are.
Marge: Well, Bart learned a lesson, and most important of all, we don't have to stop and pick up dinner.
Marge Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Top Episodes — The Simpsons
