Original air date: 4/13/1997
Production code: 4F16
Bart commits credit card fraud again — this time, by filling out a credit card application under Santa's Little Helper's name and going on a catalogue shopping spree — which leads him to buy a wonder dog named Laddie and send Santa's Little Helper to the repo depot when everything he bought on the card gets taken back due to lack of payment.
This episode contains examples of:
- Alliterative List: The list of comics Bart tries to buy with his credit card includes items like Zebra Girl, the Zillionaire, and Zoidzilla, with the implication that he had just gone through the entire alphabet.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- When Bart sees the price of the "World's Best Dog".Bart: Twelve hundred dollars?! Eh, I'd better just get one.
- After Bart recovers Santa's Little Helper from the blind man, it looks like Laddie wishes to be with him and they get along...until it sniffs out a marijuana bag from his pockets in front of the police, who decide to arrest him until he lies that it's medicinal marijuana. After Bart leaves, instead of arresting the blind man, Chief Wiggum and his friends decide to mess around with the marijuana and invite girls for a party at his house.
- When Bart sees the price of the "World's Best Dog".
- Bilingual Bonus: At the beginning when Lisa is reading from her German verb wheel, she says "ich esse" (I eat), "er isst" (he eats), and "wir essen" (we eat) to which Homer replies "When? When? Ich bin hungrig" (I am hungry).
- Bowdlerization: After Laddie sniffs out the blind man's marijuana, Channel 4's airing of the episode removes the whole exchange about the fact that it could be medicinal, cutting to Wiggum advising Bart to go home.
- Buy or Get Lost: When Bart goes looking for Santa's Little Helper he eventually tracks him down to the church, where Reverend Lovejoy informs Bart that SLH was removed due to his bad behavior, and as he gives him the address of the parishioner that took him in, Agnes Skinner, who was working the register at the church's gift shop, tells Bart: "Now, either buy something, or get OUT! (Sees Lovejoy’s Disapproving Look) Angel."
- Couch Gag: The couch is folded out into a bed with Grampa sleeping on it. The Simpsons fold the couch in (with Grampa in it) and sit.
- Credit Card Plot: Bart gets a credit card issued to the family dog (again the dog...) and goes on a spending spree - including buying a much more impressive dog. When the repo men come, he convinces them that Santa's Little Helper is the dog they want, but eventually realizes the error of his ways.
- Expy: The dog "Laddie" is a play on Lassie, in terms of name, appearance and uncanny intelligence.
- Gaslighting: Played for laughs when Milhouse recalls how Santa's Little Helper ate his goldfish, and Bart tried to convince Milhouse he never had a fish at all.Milhouse: But then why did I have the bowl, Bart? Why did I have the bowl?
- Graceful Loser: Mr. Mitchell, after Santa's Little Helper chooses Bart over him.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The episode starts off with Bart's credit card fraud, then moves to him buying another dog. The third act focuses on Bart trying to retrieve Santa's Little Helper back from a blind man's house.
- Imagine Spot: Bart wonders what happened to Santa's Little Helper, imagining that he's being used for fuel for a Victorian-era ocean liner. He eventually concludes that this isn't likely.
- Licked by the Dog: Laddie's affection towards Mr. Mitchell appears to be this... until he pushes the marijuana out of his pocket.
- Logo Joke: After the song "Jamming" is cut off by the "Shh!" in the Gracie Films logo, Chief Wiggum shouts "Jammin'!" over the last note of the jingle.
- Noodle Incident:
- When Bart reveals that he gave Laddie to the police Homer mumbles that Laddie "better know how to keep his mouth shut". We never learn what Homer is referring to.
- Santa's Little Helper runs away, and Bart is looking for him; Bart has followed the trail to the church, where Rev. Lovejoy and Mrs. Skinner admit he'd been there but had to be turned out because of some mischief. Mrs. Skinner snaps, "He UN-HOLY'ED the HOLY water!"note
- Out-of-Character Moment: At one point in the episode, Lisa mentions that Homer and Marge went for a walk with the Flanders family. Exactly why Homer, who hates the Flanders' family, would go on a walk with them goes completely unexplained. One likely explanation is that Marge made him go.
- Pair the Spares: Subverted. With the police (to whom Bart gave Laddie earlier) already on their way to Mr. Mitchell's house after he called them to report a home invasion and Santa's Little Helper having chosen Bart, Bart wishes there was a way for each of them to have a dog. Laddie enters and walks straight for Mitchell...to retrieve the marijuana he has in his pocket.
- Police Are Useless: Chief Wiggum, instead of taking Mr. Mitchell to prison for uncovering his marijuana stash, invites women and other friends to his house for a late night party.
- Earlier, Wiggum kicks Mitchell's door down—you know, the guy who called the police in the first place—then rings the doorbell.
- Ridiculous Repossession: Bart goes to the Repo Depot to locate Santa's Little Helper and we discover that the repo men have repossessed the floor of Moe's Tavern, which is seen stacked against the wall at the depot
.Moe: You got to give me back my floor! All my customers are walking around on the pipes!
Repo Man: Hey, next time, pay your bills.
Moe: But I don't want to! - Shout-Out:
- The design of the "Repo Depot" is based very loosely on the repossession agency from Repo Man.
- The address of Mr. Mitchell's house, 57 Mt. Auburn Street, is one of addresses of The Harvard Lampoon.
- Mr. Mitchell having a dead parrot that he believes to still be alive references the "Dead Parrot" Monty Python sketch.
- Special Guest: Animal noise extraordinaire Frank Welker as Laddie, Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: When one of the cops suggests Mr. Mitchell's marijuana stash is for medicinal purposes, he plays along and, after taking time to come up with an excuse, claims he needs it to prevent his blindness from becoming worse.
- Undying Loyalty: Santa’s Little Helper displays this towards Bart, with Marge even noting that the family never took him to dog parks because SLH was usually just happy being with Bart.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: Invoked with Willie when Bart asks him for SLH.Willie: Yeah, I bought yer mutt... and I 'ate 'im! (holds and then eats a chicken leg)
Bart: (Gasp)
Willie: I 'ate 'is little face, I 'ate 'is guts... and I 'ate the way 'e's always barkin', so I give 'im to the church! (throws the chicken leg on the floor and licks his fingers)
Bart: (Relieved) Oh, I see. You hate him so you gave him to the church. (Bart leaves)
Willie: Oi. I also 'ate the mess he left on me rug. (Bart turns at him in surprise) Ya 'eard me!
