Spinal Tap hits Springfield, and Otto the bus driver hits the skids after being fired, taking refuge in the Simpsons' garage.
Otto's introduction yields 62 jokes in 22 minutes, anchoring the show's character-driven golden age.
Directed by Wes Archer · Written by Jeff Martin
WAR
58.9
Wins Above Replacement
“The Otto Show” ranks #72 of 552 The Simpsons episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 84.0 — Elite. The episode packs 62 scored jokes at 4.0 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.8 on impact, with Otto 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
Bart · Otto: Otto man? You're living in a Dumpster? Oh, man, I wish. Dumpster brand trash bins are top-of-the-line. This is just a Trash-co waste disposal unit.
Bart Otto Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Otto: Wow. I've never been called an adult before. I've been tried as one, but...
Otto Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Homer: Of course I'm not mad. If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing. You just stick that guitar in the closet... next to your shortwave radio... your karate outfit, and your unicycle... and we'll go inside and watch TV.
Homer Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Otto: It's a miracle... no one was hurt. I stand on my record-- 1 5 crashes and not a single fatality.
Otto Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Homer: But doesn't the Bible also say... ''Thou shalt not take... moochers into thy... hut''?
Homer Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 62 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Homer Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Barney: I want to whip eggs at the warm-up act
Barney Absurdist Character Comedy Homer: Wow, my concert-going jacket still fits. And this is where I used to hide my beer.
Homer Character Comedy Observational Homer Observational ★ Rewatch Marge: My little guy's first rock concert. I hope the Spinal Taps don't play too loud.
Marge Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Homer: Oh, I went to thousands of heavy metal concerts... and it never hurt me.
Homer Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Marge Reaction Beat Irony/Sarcasm Homer: There goes Davy Crockett... in his bald-skin cap.
Homer Wordplay/Pun Observational News Anchor: ''Tapping'' into the ''spines'' of young voters, huh?
Bart · Milhouse: Hey, Milhouse, cool jacket. It cost me 50,000 Bazooka Joe comics.
Homer: Boy, some of the best times I've ever had... were in the back seat of a car.
Homer Physical/Slapstick Visual Gag Vendor: Official tour '92 T-shirts, $31. Check it out-- Spinal Tap kicking Moammar Khadafy... in the butt. A timeless classic.
Spinal Tap member: After the Berlin Wall fell our records started selling... on the dismal side of the Iron Curtain. That gave us a boost. We're big in Bulgaria, and the other Garia.
Spinal Tap member: Hungaria?
Spinal Tap members: Who's benefited... more from the death of communism than us? Maybe the people who live in communist countries.
Spinal Tap member: But we each just bought our own soccer team. How many Hungarios can say that?
Spinal Tap member: We don't know that. What if somebody rocks as good as you? Or better. We don't want to look stupid.
Venue manager: Well, I don't want to lie. Six days a week the place is a hockey rink.
Spinal Tap member: Well, this is a rock concert... not the bleedin'... splish-splash show.
Spinal Tap member: Medium setting.
Audience member: That's only four miles from my house!
Spinal Tap member: Well, it seems some silly twit... did not get a big enough oxygen pump... but that's supposed to be a devil. Filled with air, it's very evil and impressive. We salute you, our half-inflated dark lord!
Spinal Tap member: People think there are only five members of Spinal Tap... but they're wrong. Could we turn up the house lights? That was the cue to turn up the lights... so we can tell the audience... they're the sixth member of the freakin' group!
Spinal Tap member: Aah! My vision. That's it. Show's over. Good night, Springden. There will be no encores.
Bart: They were only on for 20 minutes. What a gyp.
Bart Observational Character Comedy News Anchor: Tonight the city weeps... as for the first time ever... a hockey arena becomes the scene of violence... following a concert by Spinal Tap.
News Anchor Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch News Anchor: It would be wrong to suggest... this sort of mayhem began with rock and roll. After all, there were riots... at the premiere of Mozart's The Magic Flute. So, what's the answer-- ban all music? In this reporter's opinion, the answer is yes.
Homer · Marge: I meant a real guitar. This is real.
Homer: We spent a lot of money... so you get real good, real fast, or pow.!
Homer Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Bart: I'd like to play me latest chart topper. It's called... ''Me Fans Are Stupid Pigs.''
Bart Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Bart · Lisa: Slag off. You've changed, man. It used to be about the music. I said slag off!.
School kids · Bart: Hey, Simpson... what are you trying to play? ''Polly-wolly Doodle.'' Oh, yeah? Well, it sounds Polly-wolly crappy.
Otto: That's all I did in high school. My old man said I was wasting my time... and I'd never amount to anything. I, uh... Hmm.
Otto Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Kids · Otto: We don't have seat belts. Uh... Well, then just try to go limp.
Otto: It's a miracle... no one was hurt. I stand on my record-- 1 5 crashes and not a single fatality.
Otto Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Police officer · Otto: Let's see your license, pal. No can do. Never got one. If you need proof of my identity... I wrote my name on my underwear. Oh, wait-- these aren't mine.
Bart · Lisa: Where's Otto? That's one palindrome you won't be hearing for a while.
Bart Lisa Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Grandpa Simpson: Nonsense. One of our good citizens will slow down and wave me in. Nope.
Kids: I was thinking about the time... Homer caught his nose in the toaster. We'll watch the tape tonight.
Patty: My name's Patty. I'll be testing you. When you do good, I use the green pen. When you do bad, I use the red pen. Any questions?
Patty Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Otto: Yeah, one: Have you always been a chick? No offense, but you were born a man, weren't you? You can tell me. I'm open-minded.
Otto Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Patty · Otto: Well, you failed every segment... and misspelled ''bus'' on your application. Drag.
Landlord · Otto: All I found in there was a jar of mustard... and a couple of old Cycle magazines. Wow! I had mustard?
Bart · Otto: Otto man? You're living in a Dumpster? Oh, man, I wish. Dumpster brand trash bins are top-of-the-line. This is just a Trash-co waste disposal unit.
Bart Otto Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Bart · Marge: Mom, I thought... you might forget... our conversation this afternoon... so I took the precaution of recording it. What conversation? Mom, can Otto live in our garage? He sure can.
Otto: The admiral and I don't get along.
Homer: But doesn't the Bible also say... ''Thou shalt not take... moochers into thy... hut''?
Homer Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Homer · Otto: The can of corn costs... 57 ¢! I could sure go for a can of corn.
Otto · Marge: Uh, you got any of those Where's Waldo? books? No. - Anything from the vampire's point of view? - No. Anything where guys... send in naked pictures of their chicks?
Homer: Of course I'm not mad. If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing. You just stick that guitar in the closet... next to your shortwave radio... your karate outfit, and your unicycle... and we'll go inside and watch TV.
Homer Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Otto · Homer: Hey, Pop-N-Fresh! You're supposed to giggle. Gyyaaagh!!
Lisa · Otto: Did the maniac kill her? Natch. You know how I know? How? Because... I was that maniac.
Homer · Otto: This is not Happy Days, and he is not the Fonz. Hey-y-y, Mr. S.
Otto: There's plenty of money out there... for a guy who knows how to fake his own death.
Otto Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Otto: Wow. I've never been called an adult before. I've been tried as one, but...
Otto Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Otto: ''Alcohol increases your ability to drive.'' False?! Oh, man!
Otto Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Bart · Otto: He didn't call you a bum. He called you a sponge. Sponge?! Does this look like something a sponge would do?! I'll show him... who's a sponge.
Otto: So I can staple my license... to Homer Simpson's big bald head!
Otto Character Comedy Visual Gag Bus kids: Homer had a piece of food on his face for three days. It wasn't little either. It was a chicken wing.
Bus kids Absurdist Character Comedy Callback Kids singing: Yes, hail to the bus driver... bus driver man.
Top Episodes — The Simpsons