Bart Simpson is a lovable little menace if there ever was one on television. Despite all of the unethical and mischievous acts that the rascally 10-year-old digs himself into, Bart has a heart of gold. More often than not, Bart's troublemaking leaves him feeling guilty, extending to the audience strong messages about consequences or redemption. That being said, over The Simpsons' 31 Season run, some of Bart's pranks have certainly been worse than others, and some of them have brought about some pretty dire outcomes.
Nevertheless, even in these most extreme circumstances, Bart's mistakes yield powerful lessons. Here are ten of the biggest mistakes that Bart has made throughout the show that we can still learn something from.
10 Cheating His Way Into A Gifted School
In The Simpsons' very second episode, Bart cheats on an IQ Test, replacing his paper with that of class smartypants, Martin Prince. When the results come in, it appears as if Bart is a genius and the school psychologist suggests that he transfer to an accelerated school for gifted children. Upon arriving, however, it does not take long for Bart to realize he does not belong there. He cannot keep up with his classmates, becomes a social outcast, and eventually damages the school with an experiment gone wrong. In the end, he opts to return to Springfield Elementary, embracing his normalcy.
9 Cutting The Head Off Jebediah Springfield
This cornerstone Bart Simpson mistake takes place in a later season 1 episode titled, "The Telltale Head." In this classic episode, Bart beheads the statue of Springfield founder Jebediah Springfield in the town's center. While Bart does this in the hopes of impressing some older rebellious kids, his act shocks the entire town, including those very rebels he sought the approval of. Ultimately, he returns the head and apologetically explains his actions to everyone in town. The episode is such a staple that it is now referenced in the show's updated intro and has been parodied by the likes of South Park.
8 Taking Advantage Of Ralph Wiggum
Much like his police chief father, Ralph Wiggum is one of the more dim-witted, yet sweet characters on The Simpsons. Thus, Ralph and Bart's friendship, which sparks in the season 9 episode "The Little Wiggy," is an unlikely one forged by Marge's good nature. While Bart is initially embarrassed to be seen with Ralph, he develops an insincere liking for him upon discovering Chief Wiggum's master key, which opens any door in Springfield. Using Ralph's access to his father's key, Bart breaks into some of Springfield's most hallowed places, impressing some of the town's cooler kids at Ralph's expense. After those very same kids turn on him, though, Bart realizes the irony and mends his relations with Ralph. It is a heartwarming ending that epitomizes Bart's latent goodness.
7 Ruining Lisa's Thanksgiving Centerpiece
In The Simpsons' season two Thanksgiving special, Lisa creates a magnificent centerpiece for the Simpson's festive dinner. In an obnoxious effort to make room for the turkey, Bart aggressively tries removing the centerpiece from the table. The siblings play Tug-of-War with the piece until it ends up flying from their hands and landing in the fireplace, burning to a crisp. Bart refuses to apologize and runs away.
Upon returning later that night, he realizes how much the centerpiece meant to his sister and says sorry. Lisa forgives him, and the family happily sits down for some leftover turkey sandwiches. This demonstrates that even if his moral and intellectual compass may be a bit behind his sister's, deep down, Bart is a truly compassionate older brother.
6 Burning Down The Christmas Tree and Lying About It
Thanksgiving isn't the only holiday that Bart ruined with fire. During the season 10 episode, "Miracle On Evergreen Terrace," Bart wakes up early to open presents on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, he ends up accidentally burning down the Christmas tree along with all of the gifts. Rather than admit to his mistake, Bart lies and says that everything was stolen. This brings the family grief, but it only gets worse when all of Springfield rallies around the Simpsons' sob story and pitches in to reimburse them for their losses. Feeling guilty, Bart eventually comes clean and the town turns against the Simpsons, only to forgive them in the end by communally robbing their house. It's an unconventional Christmas special for sure, but it has a strong message: honesty is the best policy.
5 Causing Socio-Political Strife With Australia
On more than one occasion, Bart's misdeeds have extended beyond Springfield's humble borders. In season 6, for example, he instigates an interactional conflict by making a hefty collect phone call to Australia. Bart initially calls the random Australian number to find out which way the water spins when they flush toilets in the southern hemisphere, not believing Lisa that it runs clockwise beneath the equator. Consequentially, Bart must to go Down Under to apologize for his rashness in lieu of a fraud indictment. Albeit, Bart never actually apologizes for this one and only further embarrasses the Aussies upon his visit. Nevertheless, the entire overblown debacle illustrates a lesson against stubbornness. Everything could've been avoided if he just trusted Lisa.
4 Sending His Teacher Fake Love Letters
Bart is no model student at Springfield Elementary, and he often poses immense difficulty for his fourth grade teacher, Miss Krabappel. However, he goes an extra mile in the season 3 episode, "Bart The Lover," when he starts sending the single and lonely teacher phony love letters to make her think she has a secret admirer. He has fun with it at first, but feels regretful after seeing Miss K get so upset when her imaginary correspondent does not show up for their supposed first date. Bart never comes clean to his teacher, but with the help of his family, he writes her one final letter, letting her down gently and gracefully.
3 Getting Principal Skinner Fired
More so than Miss Krabappel, Principal Skinner is probably Bart's arch nemesis at Springfield Elementary. Multiple times a season, Bart finds himself in Skinner's office, answering for his juvenility.
In the season 5 episode, "Sweet Symour Skinner's Baaadasssss Song," Bart actually gets the Principal fired after bringing his dog in for show-and-tell, who runs amuck in the school's air ducts. Bart feels terrible about what happened and actually starts a sympathetic friendship with the fired Skinner. By the end of the episode, he is instrumental in getting Skinner his job back, even if it means that they must go back to their original tumultuous relationship.
2 (Nearly) Killing Martin
While most of the entries on this list come from The Simpsons' first ten seasons, Bart pulls one of his most appalling mistakes in the season 19 episode, "Dial 'N' For Nerder." Here, Bart pulls a prank on Martin that goes awry. In Springfield National Park, he trips Martin, unintentionally sending him off a ledge and (presumably) to his death. Bart thinks himself a murderer and even tires turning himself in, but Lisa (deeming herself an accomplice) deters him. Luckily, it ends up that Martin survived the fall, but for three days, Bart showed unprecedented shame and paranoia.
1 Decimating The Town With Megaphones
This Bart Simpson prank is so iconic that it has been cemented in meme culture. In season 8's "The Secret War Of Lisa Simpson," Bart lines up a bunch of megaphones, turns them on, and sends a sonic wave throughout the entire town, shattering all of the glass in Springfield. Storefronts break, the beer bottles in Homer's fridge explode, and lab equipment splinters, causing an escaped octopus to attack Professor Fink. As punishment, Homer and Marge send Bart to military school, where he endures hazing and bullying. Happily, his term at the school wraps up before the episode ends, but not without Bart earning a bit of militaristic discipline first.
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