Original air date: 4/18/2000 (produced in 1999)
Production code: 2ACX-07
Chris paints Peter an abstract painting for his birthday, which Peter uses to cover up the broken window in his car. When an art dealer from New York happens upon the painting and declares it a masterpiece, the Griffins are off to New York City, where the art dealer tries to mold Chris into an artist, and Peter (who feels that Chris is too good to be with his family) tries to exploit Meg's talent for bird calling.
This episode contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: How Bing Crosby is portrayed.Bing Crosby: And if your kids give you any lip, you can beat 'em with a sack of sweet Valencia oranges. They won't leave a bruise, and they'll let 'em know who's boss. There's no doubt about it.
- Adam Westing: The cast of Murphy Brown appears to poke fun at their old show.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Bob Funland confronts Peter after he causes a ruckus at his theme park:Bob Funland: This place is my legacy. So what have you done with your life, ya jerk?
- Bait-and-Switch: The episode opens with a black screen as Peter says he doesn't want to take off his blindfold until he reaches his birthday surprise. The next scene shows he's driving down the road with the blindfold on, to Lois's horror.
- Deal with the Devil: Peter would sell his soul to be famous. Satan is about to close the deal, until he's informed that he already sold his soul in 1976 for Bee Gees tickets, and again in 1981 for half a Mallomar.
- Evil Lawyer Joke: In response to the above item, Satan says he needs a lawyer to sort it out. The featured condemned sinners immediately raise their hands.
- Fantastic Racism: Meg's bird calls end up seriously offending some pigeons. And Big Bird.
- I Have No Son!: Peter says this, but admits that he still has Stewie and Meg.
- Incredibly Long Note: Peter holds the last word of his song about Meg ("MEEEEEEE!") through the commercial break and is still holding it at the start of the next act. This joke is ruined a bit on Adult Swim airings, since they put the commercial breaks in a different place.
- Jerkass: A flashback shows Peter making fun of Bob Funland (as a kid) for missing his mommy (which turns out to be Funland grieving over his dead mother in a cemetery).
- Literally Falling Through the Cracks: Supermodel Kate Moss is portrayed as so incredibly thin that she can get sucked out by the draft near an open window, caught up in the brushes of a passing street sweeper, and fall through the tiniest cracks in a wooden floor.
- Not What It Looks Like: A bull was in a china shop looking at a vase when Peter's runaway golf ball crashed through the window and caused a Disaster Dominoes effect that destroyed all the shop's china. The store owner then comes out of his office and sees the bull surrounded by the shattered merchandise.Bull: I know what you're thinking.
- The Other Darrin: In-Universe. The Teaser features a joke of a man named Carter Banks filling in for Brian. He does so poorly that Stewie considers leaving the show.
- Paper People: How Kate Moss is portrayed due to how skinny she is.
- Rule of Funny: Peter somehow sold his soul twice.
- Same Surname Means Related: A brief cutaway reveals that Kathy Griffin was a distant cousin of the show's Griffin family.
- Shout-Out:
- At one point while walking down the streets of New York, the scenery behind Peter and Meg switches to backdrops reminiscent of The Flintstones.
- "I'm Neptune, God of the sea." "No you're not, I am. And you know nothing of my work."
- Peter's song is a parody of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from the musical Gypsy. There's also a shot of Peter and Meg sailing near the Statue of Liberty, which is a nod to Funny Girl.
- Sold His Soul for a Donut: Peter says that he'd sell his soul to be famous. The Devil hears him and is eager to buy, but his assistant tells him that Peter already sold his soul in 1976 for Bee Gees tickets, and again in 1981 for half a Mallomar.
- Stage Mom: Peter pushes Chris to succeed as an artist because of this.Peter: Lois, our son has been blessed with a great gift, and I'm gonna do everything I can to nurture that talent and help him succeed. And I'm gonna use him to live out all my frustrated hopes and dreams because that's good parenting.
- Take That!: To the political reference-laden dialogue on Murphy Brown.
- When Calvin Kline says that Stewie is beautiful Peter responds "You mean Gina Gershon beautiful or beautiful beautiful?"
- Peter casually claims that then-Mayor of NYC Rudy Giuliani is plotting to Kill the Poor (yes, people were mocking Giuliani before he became “the 9/11 guy").
- Women Drivers: Peter claims it's against the law for women to drive.
