Where Did THAT Come From – Marge Tetherball

You spin me right round tappers right round like a tetherball going round round round…

But the the ball stops and I’ve lost again… (insert displeased Wookiee noise here)

What is up palereenos, dudes and dudettes!

Level 44 came in the midst of our clone war shenanigans and inserted lots of new stuff into our padular game.  Besides new characters, buildings and decorations, we also got new friendship prizes (woo hoo for friends!).  I thought it’d be fun to take a look at the first and 10th… the Marge Tetherball.

You may have seen this and thought, boy howdy is that ugly and really look nothing like Marge.  Well, it is and doesn’t but there’s a very good reason why. To find out the origin of this beastly hunk of stone, we head back to the glory days of the Simpsons and the episode “Marge in Chains” (S4:E21).

Osaka flu leads to Marge mistakenly shoplifting Kentucky bourbon. Courtesy of an uncharacteristic lack of sympathy from Apu and the legal incompetence of one Lionel Hutz, Marge is sent to the slammer. Fast forward to the Beauty Our Parks Bake Sale and the absence of Marge’s delicious marshmallow squares causes the bake sale to be $15 short. No fancy Abraham Lincoln statue for Springfield. Instead they have to resort to a statue of “history’s greatest monster” aka Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the U.S, which incites a riot.

Well, there’s nothing like a riot caused by mistaken imprisonment to make the citizens of Springfield appreciate beautiful Marge. Upon her release, everyone is there to celebrate and a new statue is unveiled to commemorate Marge’s freedom and new-found respect.  The best use of a statue of Carter with beehive hair? For tetherball of course.

That’s really it my friends. I’d end this post right here but reader JJ Leigh commented earlier about this decoration and I thought I’d share:

“Alright, I’ll admit it. I’m only a semi-geeky Simpsons fan and I don’t get it. What’s the deal with all the various tetherballs?? Wookiee, we need a post! :))”

Well JJ, tetherballs aren’t really that iconic if you don’t include this new friendship prize. They’re just one of those schoolyard items we all know from our childhoods. Frankly, I think of Napoleon Dynamite before The Simpsons when it comes to tetherball but here’s a couple Simpsons references just because.

“Lisa Gets an ‘A’” (S10:E7) – This is the episode where we learn Springfield Elementary was once voted the most dilapidated school in all of Missouri and then moved brick by brick to Springfield. Lisa earns money for the school with a test she cheated on but “Don’t you think those youngsters deserve a regulation tetherball?”

“New Kids on the Blecch” (S12:E14) – He’s smart and soulful… he’s Milhouse. He’ll break your nose, your glasses and your heart… he’ Nelson. Bart’s the bad boy… and then there’s Ralph… he’s a pop sensation.  Gotta love the Party Posse and their “Drop Da Bomb” video. Yvan Eht Nioj is just one of those things Simpsons fans love or hate. This may or may not have to do with similar feelings about boy bands.  No matter your opinion, this episode includes a tetherball sighting and an Iwo Jima satire in the music video.

“Lisa Simpson, This Isn’t Your Life” (S22:E5) – How dare Bart insult Nelson and the rest of the inch worms? It’s enough to make Nelson punch Bart, miss, hit the dodgeball (now regulation) and hit himself in the face.

I’m sure if you watch episodes of the show, the tetherball probably appears in the playground area several times.  I just thought those 3 references were funnier. Sound off if there’s any I didn’t mention you really like.  As for the Marge Tetherball, I like it because it comes from a classic Simpsons episode.  I think I’ll place it in front of the Simpson house.

TTFN… Wookiee out!