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{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox Simpsons episode {{Infobox Simpsons episode
| episode_name = Rosebud | image = Rosebud.gif
| image_size = 250
| image = ]
| caption = Promotional image for the episode, depicting Homer with the ]
| episode_no = 85
| prod_code = 1F01 | season = 5
| airdate = ], ] | episode = 4
| show runner = ] | director = ]
| writer = ] | writer = ]
| director = ] | production = 1F01
| airdate = {{Start date|1993|10|21}}
| couch_gag = The family runs in and sees identical copies of themselves sitting on the couch.
| guest_star = ] as themselves | guests = * ] (], ], ] and ]) as themselves
| couch_gag = The family finds identical copies of themselves sitting on the couch.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season5/page3.shtml |title=Rosebud |access-date=2008-04-12 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
| season = 5
| commentary = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]
| prev = ]
| next = ]
}} }}
"'''Rosebud'''" is the fourth episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It first aired on the ] in the United States on October 21, 1993. In the episode, ] misses his childhood ] Bobo on the eve of his birthday. After ] reveal Bobo's journey through history, the bear ends up in the hands of ], before Burns does everything in his power to get Bobo back.


"Rosebud" was directed by ] and written by ]. It was the first episode to be executive-produced by ], who was the ] for the fifth and ] seasons of the show. Supervising director ] describes the episode as "one of the more challenging ones" to direct. The ] (], ], ] and ]) guest-star in the episode as themselves. The episode is largely a parody of the ] film '']'' and the title references ]'s dying word "Rosebud". The episode contains references to '']'', '']'', ], ], ] and ].
"'''Rosebud'''" is the fourth episode of '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki> ].


Since airing, “Rosebud" has received universal acclaim from fans and television critics. In 2003, '']'' placed the episode in second place on their list of the 25 best episodes of ''The Simpsons''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=Jan 31, 2003 |title=The Family Dynamic |magazine=] |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748~3~0~25bestand1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018160211/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748~3~0~25bestand1,00.html |archive-date=2014-10-18 }}</ref>
==Synopsis==
{{spoiler}}


==Plot==
As a child, Burns lived with his family and cherished his ] '''Bobo''', but abandoned Bobo when he left to live with a "twisted, loveless ]". Bobo lies in the ] until the ], when a thaw washes him downriver to ]. There, he is picked up by ] and flown across the Atlantic Ocean.
] dreams about his early childhood, when he lived with his family and cherished his teddy bear Bobo, which he dropped in the snow when he left home to live with a "twisted, loveless billionaire". Bobo was found by ], then by ], then by ] in the ]. Burns becomes so obsessed with finding Bobo that he cannot enjoy the elaborate birthday celebration ] has arranged for him. After the ] perform a disdainful rendition of "]", and employee ] performs a loutish, derisive ] routine, Burns becomes infuriated, ordering Smithers to have the Ramones killed (mistakenly calling them the ]) and has his security guards break up the party. ] buys a bag of ice to heal a head injury Homer received at the party. Bart finds Bobo in the bag and gives him to ] to play with.


When Homer realizes Maggie is playing with Bobo, he negotiates a deal with Burns to exchange Bobo for "a million dollars and three ] - the ''good'' ones, not the ]". However, Maggie refuses to give up Bobo, and Homer calls off the deal. Burns is outraged and promises vengeance unless he gets Bobo back. After several failed attempts to steal the bear, Burns subjects Homer to harsh work at the nuclear power plant. Additionally, Burns explains through a television broadcast that he is cutting off ]'s beer supply and hijacking its television channels as a way of ] Homer.
Upon arrival in Paris, Lindbergh tosses the bear out the window, where it is caught by a young ]. In his ] in ], ], Hitler blames Bobo for losing the war and tosses him away. In the next scene, Bobo lies onboard the submarine ] headed for the ]. He becomes encased in a block of ] until packed up by an ice-gathering expedition. The bag of ice with him in it is sent to ]'s ] in Springfield. ] buys the bag of ice, finds Bobo, and gives it to ] to play with.


Wanting their beer and TV back, an angry mob of townspeople soon attempt to take Bobo themselves, but are coaxed into giving Bobo back to Maggie when they see her sad face. Homer tells Burns that Bobo belongs to Maggie now, and she refuses to give up Bobo even after Burns attempts to directly take him from her. Seeing how distraught Burns is, Maggie lets him have Bobo. He is overcome with joy and promises to be nice to everyone; however, since Smithers is unable to get Burns's statement in writing, it
Burns discovers that Maggie has the bear and goes through incredible feats to get it back, including interrupting all TV shows, and cutting off the beer supply to Springfield, in order to get ] to give it up. Maggie, however, loves the bear, and Homer's conscience prevents him from taking Bobo away from her. Burns becomes deeply depressed and asks Maggie to look after his teddy. Maggie, in an act of pity, lets the desperate Burns have the bear. Burns is overjoyed, but his loving mood does not last.
is implied Burns will soon forget it. Homer is disappointed that the Simpson family did not get a reward even though Burns got Bobo back. He asks ]: "Is this a happy ending or a sad ending?" Marge cryptically replies "it's an ending. That's enough."
{{endspoiler}}


In an epilogue taking place during the year 1,000,000 AD, the Earth is a wasteland ruled by intelligent apes who have seemingly enslaved the remnants of humanity (all of whom strongly resemble Homer); the apes unearth a fossilized Bobo. Burns — with his head in a jar attached to a cybernetic body — snatches Bobo from an ape and vows to never again leave the bear behind, running off into the sunset with Smithers, whose head is attached to a robotic dog's body.
==Trivia==
* This was the first episode executive produced by ], though it was the second that aired.
* Bobo was also the name of a ] that briefly appears in "]" (Season 1)
* A repaired Bobo makes a brief cameo in the end of "]"
*Canada's Global Channel has a warning about offensive language before airing this episode (because of the scene with the Ramones).
* According to DVD commentary, there was a scene where Bobo was in the car during the ]. This was left out because the writers felt it was in bad taste.
* In this episode, it is revealed that Mr. Burns's Birthday is ].
* On a coincidental note, on ], ] (Mr. Burns' birthday), ] (who starred in this episode with ]) died.
* Mr. Burns' brother is named ], a cigar smoking aspiring comedian who breaks the fourth wall by saying he would gain recognition if he is much older.


==Goofs== ==Production==
"Rosebud" was written by ] and was the first episode to be executive produced and ] by ]. Mirkin enjoyed working on the episode so much that he spent "an enormous amount of time on ]" experimenting with various elements of the episode.<ref name="Mirkin">Mirkin, David. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Rosebud", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref> Originally, the backstory for Bobo included several much darker scenes, including one where the bear was involved in the ]. The scenes were cut because the writers felt it was in bad taste.<ref name="Mirkin"/> The ending of the episode was originally longer, but two segments were cut. The first saw ] destroyed by invading Canadian troops, who found Bobo. The second featured the entire planet being overrun by giant ]s and ]s.<ref name="Silverman"/>
*Homer's calendar incorrectly depicts September as having 31 days.
*Bobo wouldn't have been moldy and torn if it spent all of its time between 1957 and 1993 encased in ice.
*Charles Lindbergh actually landed in Paris at night in his famous trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.
*Smithers' reflection on the broken snowglobe isn't reversed the way it should be.


] describes the episode as "one of the more challenging ones" to direct.<ref name="Silverman">Silverman, David. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Rosebud", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref>
==Censorship==
Guest stars ] were "gigantic, obsessive ''Simpsons'' fans" and their characters were designed by ].<ref name="Archer">Archer, Wes. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Rosebud", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref> Drummer ] later called their appearance "a career highlight".<ref>{{cite news |title=They've done it their way \ Can't accuse the ramones of being slaves to fashion |date=1993-11-12 |newspaper=] |first=Sue |last=Smallwood}}</ref>
*The Australian broadcast cuts out two violent scenes: 1) The scene where the guards beat up the audience members after Burns cancels his party because of Homer's tasteless comedy act, and 2) the scene where Barney threatens Homer with a gun (in an attempt to get Homer to return Bobo so Barney can have the beer supply back) and Homer slams the door in his face, causing the gun to go off, a woman to scream (presumably from being shot), and a police siren to be heard.


==Cultural references== ==Cultural references==
* The episode title is a reference to ]'s dying word in the ] ] film '']''. Rosebud itself is a ] that Kane had as a child; the teddy bear Bobo is a substitute for Rosebud in this episode. ] film '']'']]
The episode is largely a parody of ]' '']'' (1941). The title is a reference to ]'s dying word, "Rosebud". The teddy bear Bobo is a substitute for Rosebud in this episode; the young Burns discards it in the snow when offered a new life of riches and power.<ref name="BBC"/> The scene where he drops a ] while whispering the name of his lost toy parodies Kane's death scene at the start of the film.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=120}} Smithers fantasising about Mr. Burns singing "Happy Birthday" to him is a reference to ], who ] to ] shortly before their deaths. The guards outside Burns's manor have the same chant as the ]'s guards in '']'' (1939).{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=120}} After the Ramones' performance, Burns orders Smithers to "have ] killed". Smithers reminds Burns of his possessions: "]'s ], the only existing nude photo of ], that rare first draft of the ] with the word 'suckers' in it..."
* The ]s that break up Burns' ] bash are similar to ] ] who busted up groups who were antagonistic to the Party's ].
* In the beginning of the episode, the guards outside Mr. Burns's house parody the ]'s guards from ], from their chanting and attire.
* Mr. Burns and Homer make references to '']''.
* In the last scene where Mr. Burns' robotic body runs off with Bobo is a spoof of '']'' in which herds of ]s are enslaved by apes.
* Mr. Burns mistakenly tells Smithers to have "]" killed, after The Ramones badmouthed him at his birthday party.


Burns and Smithers' attempt to steal Bobo from the Simpsons mirrors '']'', and their sitcom is similar to '']''.<ref name="BBC"/> Both Mr. Burns and Homer make references to the cancellation of the TV series '']''.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=120}} Mr. Burns' brother is revealed to be comedian ],<ref name="BBC"/> and both ] and ] were once in possession of Bobo.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=120}} The last scene where Mr. Burns's robotic body runs off with Bobo is a reference to the film '']''.<ref name="BBC"/>
==Quotes==
*'''Homer:''' I'm Mr. Burns. (''Shakes his butt'') Blah, blah, blah. Do this, do that. Blah blah blah. I think I'm so big. Blah, blah, blah.
*''] greet the crowd...'' <br> ''']''': I'd just like to say this gig sucks! <br> ''']''': Hey, up yours, Springfield! <br> ''They play a punk-rock version of "Happy Birthday." When it's over...'' <br> ''']''': Go to hell, you old bastard! <br> ''The curtain closes.'' <br> ''']''': Hey! I think they liked us!<br>'''Mr. Burns''': (''to Smithers'') Have the ] killed.<br>'''Smithers''': Sir, those aren't...<br>'''Mr. Burns''': Do as I say.
*'''Homer:''' Aw, big deal. Who needs his money? We're gettin' by OK. ''(Abe drives through the wall into the living room)''<br>'''Abe:''' Son! You gotta help me. I hit three people on the way over here and I don't have any insurance! ''(congenially)'' So how's by you?
*''']''': My old man can't get a beer cos his old man won't give a bear to another old man! Let's get him!<br>'''Jimbo Jones''': Wait, why are we gettin' him?
*'''Mr. Smithers''' Mr Burns, I've had the people of ] to spell out your name with candles, here is the satelite hook up if you'll just turn your head this way.


==External link== ==Reception==
In its original American broadcast, "Rosebud" finished 33rd in the ratings for the week of October 18–24, 1993. It acquired a ] of 11.9.<ref name=ratings>{{cite news |title=Blue Jays boost CBS to first-place finish |work=] |date=1993-10-28}}</ref> The episode was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week after '']''.<ref name=ratings/>
{{wikiquote}}
* episode capsule at ]


In 2003, '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s placed "Rosebud" second on their top 25 ''The Simpsons'' episode list, writing that "It begins with 'Citizen Kane,' ends somewhere near the 'Planet of the Apes,' and in between, manages to find time to include Hitler, the Ramones, and 64 slices of American cheese. But despite being one of ''The Simpsons''{{'}} most spectacularly overstuffed episodes, 'Rosebud' has plenty of heart".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/02/02/best-simpsons-episodes-nos-1-5/ |title=The best ''Simpsons'' episodes, Nos. 1-5|access-date=2022-01-01 |date=2003-01-29 |magazine=] |archive-date=2014-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018160211/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748~3~0~25bestand1,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2007, '']'' named it the best episode of the show, calling it, "A perfect episode. Mr. Burns's lamentations for his childhood bear, Bobo, lead to a show-long parody of ''Citizen Kane''. At once a satire and a tribute, the episode manages to both humanize Mr. Burns and delve deep into Homer's love for his oft-forgotten second daughter, Maggie."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=John Orvted |title=Springfield's Best |magazine=] |date=2007-07-05 |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/08/top10simpsons200708 |access-date=2022-01-16}}</ref> In 2019, '']'' ranked the episode tenth in its list of 10 best ''Simpsons'' episodes picked by ''Simpsons'' experts.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Raisa Bruner |title=We Asked Experts for 10 of Their Most Memorable Simpsons Episodes of All Time |magazine=]|date=2019-12-10 |url=https://time.com/5743465/best-simpsons-episodes/|access-date=2019-12-11}}</ref> In his book '']'', author ] listed "Rosebud" as one of his five favorite episodes of ''The Simpsons'', calling the episode "genius". He added that the Ramones gave "possibly the finest guest musical performances ever."{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=70}}
]


] and ] describe the sequence where Homer eats 64 slices of ] as "one of the most hilarious segments ever done".<ref name="Silverman"/><ref name="Groening">Groening, Matt. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Rosebud", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' . 20th Century Fox.</ref> When ''The Simpsons'' began streaming on ] in 2019, former ''Simpsons'' writer and executive producer ] named this one of the best classic Simpsons episodes to watch on the service.<ref>{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Mathew|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/best-classic-simpsons-episodes-disney-plus/|title=The best classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ |work=] |date=2019-11-11 }}</ref>
]

The episode's reference to ''Citizen Kane'' was named the 14th greatest film reference in the history of the show by '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Nathan Ditum.<ref name="totalfilm">{{cite news |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/ |title=The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References |last=Ditum |first=Nathan |date=June 6, 2009 |work=]|publisher=GamesRadar|access-date=2022-01-16}}</ref> '']'' ranked The Ramones's performance as the fifteenth best guest appearance in the show's history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/04/top-25-simpsons-guest-appearances |title=Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances |access-date=2022-01-16 |author1=Goldman, Eric |author2=Iverson, Dan |author3=Zoromski, Brian |website=]|date=4 January 2010 }}</ref>

] writes, "As Marge notes, 'Rosebud' has a weirdly ambiguous ending. A horrible man gets what he wants and instead of $1 million and a big chunk of Hawaii, the Simpsons end up with nothing but the satisfaction of doing the right thing... 'Rosebud' is as much an homage to ''Citizen Kane'' as a spoof. The more you know about ''Citizen Kane'' the more you get out of it, even if a lot of the most brilliant scenes and gags aren’t ''Citizen Kane''-based... As the first episode of Mirkin’s term as showrunner, 'Rosebud' established an almost impossibly high standard the rest of the season remarkably maintained."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan |date=December 9, 2012 |title=The Simpsons (Classic): "Rosebud" |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-rosebud-1798175240 |website=The A.V. Club}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal|last=Gray |first=Jonathan, ] |title=Imagining America: The Simpsons Go Global |journal=Popular Communication |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=129–148 |publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. |location=] |year=2007 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15405700701294111|doi=10.1080/15405700701294111 |s2cid=143311566 }}
*{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family |title-link=The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}}}}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation |others=Foreword by ]. |title-link=Planet Simpson |edition=1st |year=2004 |location=Toronto |publisher=] |oclc=55682258 |isbn=978-0-679-31318-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_5#Rosebud|"Rosebud"}}
{{Portal|The Simpsons}}
*{{Snpp capsule|1F01|Rosebud}}
*{{IMDb episode|0701202|Rosebud}}

{{Ramones}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|5}}
{{Teddy bears}}

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Latest revision as of 02:45, 16 December 2024

4th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons
"Rosebud"
The Simpsons episode
Promotional image for the episode, depicting Homer with the Ramones
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 4
Directed byWes Archer
Written byJohn Swartzwelder
Production code1F01
Original air dateOctober 21, 1993 (1993-10-21)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Couch gagThe family finds identical copies of themselves sitting on the couch.
CommentaryMatt Groening
David Mirkin
Wes Archer
David Silverman
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Homer Goes to College" 		Next →
"Treehouse of Horror IV"
The Simpsons season 5
List of episodes

"Rosebud" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 21, 1993. In the episode, Mr. Burns misses his childhood teddy bear Bobo on the eve of his birthday. After flashbacks reveal Bobo's journey through history, the bear ends up in the hands of Maggie Simpson, before Burns does everything in his power to get Bobo back.

"Rosebud" was directed by Wes Archer and written by John Swartzwelder. It was the first episode to be executive-produced by David Mirkin, who was the show runner for the fifth and sixth seasons of the show. Supervising director David Silverman describes the episode as "one of the more challenging ones" to direct. The Ramones (Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, C. J. Ramone and Marky Ramone) guest-star in the episode as themselves. The episode is largely a parody of the 1941 film Citizen Kane and the title references Charles Foster Kane's dying word "Rosebud". The episode contains references to The Wizard of Oz, Planet of the Apes, George Burns, Charles Lindbergh, The Rolling Stones and Adolf Hitler.

Since airing, “Rosebud" has received universal acclaim from fans and television critics. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly placed the episode in second place on their list of the 25 best episodes of The Simpsons.

Plot

Mr. Burns dreams about his early childhood, when he lived with his family and cherished his teddy bear Bobo, which he dropped in the snow when he left home to live with a "twisted, loveless billionaire". Bobo was found by Charles Lindbergh, then by Adolf Hitler, then by ice cutters in the North Pole. Burns becomes so obsessed with finding Bobo that he cannot enjoy the elaborate birthday celebration Smithers has arranged for him. After the Ramones perform a disdainful rendition of "Happy Birthday To You", and employee Homer Simpson performs a loutish, derisive stand-up routine, Burns becomes infuriated, ordering Smithers to have the Ramones killed (mistakenly calling them the Rolling Stones) and has his security guards break up the party. Bart buys a bag of ice to heal a head injury Homer received at the party. Bart finds Bobo in the bag and gives him to Maggie to play with.

When Homer realizes Maggie is playing with Bobo, he negotiates a deal with Burns to exchange Bobo for "a million dollars and three Hawaiian Islands - the good ones, not the leper ones". However, Maggie refuses to give up Bobo, and Homer calls off the deal. Burns is outraged and promises vengeance unless he gets Bobo back. After several failed attempts to steal the bear, Burns subjects Homer to harsh work at the nuclear power plant. Additionally, Burns explains through a television broadcast that he is cutting off Springfield's beer supply and hijacking its television channels as a way of extorting Homer.

Wanting their beer and TV back, an angry mob of townspeople soon attempt to take Bobo themselves, but are coaxed into giving Bobo back to Maggie when they see her sad face. Homer tells Burns that Bobo belongs to Maggie now, and she refuses to give up Bobo even after Burns attempts to directly take him from her. Seeing how distraught Burns is, Maggie lets him have Bobo. He is overcome with joy and promises to be nice to everyone; however, since Smithers is unable to get Burns's statement in writing, it is implied Burns will soon forget it. Homer is disappointed that the Simpson family did not get a reward even though Burns got Bobo back. He asks Marge: "Is this a happy ending or a sad ending?" Marge cryptically replies "it's an ending. That's enough."

In an epilogue taking place during the year 1,000,000 AD, the Earth is a wasteland ruled by intelligent apes who have seemingly enslaved the remnants of humanity (all of whom strongly resemble Homer); the apes unearth a fossilized Bobo. Burns — with his head in a jar attached to a cybernetic body — snatches Bobo from an ape and vows to never again leave the bear behind, running off into the sunset with Smithers, whose head is attached to a robotic dog's body.

Production

"Rosebud" was written by John Swartzwelder and was the first episode to be executive produced and run by David Mirkin. Mirkin enjoyed working on the episode so much that he spent "an enormous amount of time on post production" experimenting with various elements of the episode. Originally, the backstory for Bobo included several much darker scenes, including one where the bear was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The scenes were cut because the writers felt it was in bad taste. The ending of the episode was originally longer, but two segments were cut. The first saw Washington D.C. destroyed by invading Canadian troops, who found Bobo. The second featured the entire planet being overrun by giant redwoods and spotted owls.

David Silverman describes the episode as "one of the more challenging ones" to direct. Guest stars the Ramones were "gigantic, obsessive Simpsons fans" and their characters were designed by Wes Archer. Drummer Marky Ramone later called their appearance "a career highlight".

Cultural references

Much of the episode is a parody of the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane

The episode is largely a parody of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941). The title is a reference to Charles Foster Kane's dying word, "Rosebud". The teddy bear Bobo is a substitute for Rosebud in this episode; the young Burns discards it in the snow when offered a new life of riches and power. The scene where he drops a snow globe while whispering the name of his lost toy parodies Kane's death scene at the start of the film. Smithers fantasising about Mr. Burns singing "Happy Birthday" to him is a reference to Marilyn Monroe, who famously sang the song to John F. Kennedy shortly before their deaths. The guards outside Burns's manor have the same chant as the Wicked Witch of the West's guards in The Wizard of Oz (1939). After the Ramones' performance, Burns orders Smithers to "have The Rolling Stones killed". Smithers reminds Burns of his possessions: "King Arthur's Excalibur, the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain, that rare first draft of the Constitution with the word 'suckers' in it..."

Burns and Smithers' attempt to steal Bobo from the Simpsons mirrors Mission: Impossible, and their sitcom is similar to The Honeymooners. Both Mr. Burns and Homer make references to the cancellation of the TV series The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. Mr. Burns' brother is revealed to be comedian George Burns, and both Charles Lindbergh and Adolf Hitler were once in possession of Bobo. The last scene where Mr. Burns's robotic body runs off with Bobo is a reference to the film Planet of the Apes.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Rosebud" finished 33rd in the ratings for the week of October 18–24, 1993. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 11.9. The episode was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week after Married... with Children.

In 2003, Entertainment Weekly's placed "Rosebud" second on their top 25 The Simpsons episode list, writing that "It begins with 'Citizen Kane,' ends somewhere near the 'Planet of the Apes,' and in between, manages to find time to include Hitler, the Ramones, and 64 slices of American cheese. But despite being one of The Simpsons' most spectacularly overstuffed episodes, 'Rosebud' has plenty of heart". In 2007, Vanity Fair named it the best episode of the show, calling it, "A perfect episode. Mr. Burns's lamentations for his childhood bear, Bobo, lead to a show-long parody of Citizen Kane. At once a satire and a tribute, the episode manages to both humanize Mr. Burns and delve deep into Homer's love for his oft-forgotten second daughter, Maggie." In 2019, Time ranked the episode tenth in its list of 10 best Simpsons episodes picked by Simpsons experts. In his book Planet Simpson, author Chris Turner listed "Rosebud" as one of his five favorite episodes of The Simpsons, calling the episode "genius". He added that the Ramones gave "possibly the finest guest musical performances ever."

David Silverman and Matt Groening describe the sequence where Homer eats 64 slices of American cheese as "one of the most hilarious segments ever done". When The Simpsons began streaming on Disney+ in 2019, former Simpsons writer and executive producer Bill Oakley named this one of the best classic Simpsons episodes to watch on the service.

The episode's reference to Citizen Kane was named the 14th greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film's Nathan Ditum. IGN ranked The Ramones's performance as the fifteenth best guest appearance in the show's history.

Nathan Rabin writes, "As Marge notes, 'Rosebud' has a weirdly ambiguous ending. A horrible man gets what he wants and instead of $1 million and a big chunk of Hawaii, the Simpsons end up with nothing but the satisfaction of doing the right thing... 'Rosebud' is as much an homage to Citizen Kane as a spoof. The more you know about Citizen Kane the more you get out of it, even if a lot of the most brilliant scenes and gags aren’t Citizen Kane-based... As the first episode of Mirkin’s term as showrunner, 'Rosebud' established an almost impossibly high standard the rest of the season remarkably maintained."

References

  1. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Rosebud". BBC. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  2. "The Family Dynamic". Entertainment Weekly. January 31, 2003. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014.
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