"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons' first season, and it originally aired February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off of the statue in the center of town to impress Jimbo Jones, Kearney Zzyzwicz, and Dolphin "Dolph" Starbeam, three children Bart admires. When the children tell Bart that they would "break every bone in the body of the person who cut the head off the statue" (unaware Bart stole the head), Bart sees the error of his ways. After telling his family, Homer and Bart head to the center of town, where they are met by a mob. After Bart tells the mob he has made a mistake, the townspeople forgive Bart. The episode's title is a reference to the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.[3] The episode has withstood the test of time, with many reviewers giving the episode positive reviews. The episode also has a legacy, being referenced twice in the television show South Park.++++++++++++++++Plot Homer and Bart are chased through the streets of Springfield by an angry mob while carrying the head of the statue of their town founder. Someone has sawn off the head of the statue of town founder Jebediah Springfield. Surrounded by the surly crowd, Bart pleads for understanding and relates the events of the previous day. The tale begins when Bart sneaks a radio into church which is quickly caught by Marge. Homer who is still in the car listening to the football game decides to sneak the radio himself and embarrasses the whole family. Afterwards, Bart borrows US$5 from Homer and sneaks away to see Space Mutants IV at the local movie theater. On his way to the movie he runs into a gang of troublemakers. One of them, Jimbo, invites Bart to sneak into the movies with him and his buddies. Later, as the boys throw rocks at Jebediah's statue and watch clouds, Jimbo wishes someone would cut off the statue's head. When Bart tries to defend the town's hero, Jimbo and the boys laugh at him and say "I thought you were cool." Later during the night Bart sneaks out of the house that and saws the statue's head off. The next day, all of Springfield grieves the horrible deed done on the town founder. Bart finds Jimbo and his pals and discovers they are as distraught as everyone else. Jimbo tells Bart that the decapitating was just cloud talk and they hope to meet the one who done this, so they can break every bone on his body. Feeling scared, Bart decides not to tell. Feeling remorse, Bart returns home and confesses to his family. As Homer, who also feels more than a little responsible for this incident, takes Bart to place the head back on the statue, they are confronted by the angry mob. Bart tells the crowd that his act has united the town and taught people to appreciate their heritage. The townspeople agree, the head is placed back onto the statue, and Bart is forgiven.
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