The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons Season 35 Episode 16, “The Tell-Tale Pants,” now streaming on Hulu

The Simpsons set up a beat poking fun at Barbenheimer, but failed to capitalize on the concept as well as it could have. Released on the same day in 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer was a surprisingly effective pairing that took pop culture by storm. The result was plenty of jokes and references to the phenomenon. As with any event in pop culture, The Simpsons seemed poised to poke fun at the concept in season 35’s “The Tell-Tale Pants.”

However, the episode only really goes halfway with the idea. While The Simpsons‘ villainous Mr. Burns and his longtime lackey Mr. Sithers reference Barbenheimer, it doesn’t name one of the films and instead leans into several jokes directed at the other. Given the characters the bit is centered around, it feels like a particularly wasted opportunity to reference earlier episodes, while still poking fun at one of the biggest cinematic double-headers in modern film history.

The Simpsons Season 35’s Barbenheimer Reference Doesn’t Go Far Enough

The Simpsons Mocks Oppenheimer But Doesn’t Do Enough With Barbie

“The Tell-Tale Pants” references Barbenheimer but only really has fun with Oppenheimer, which feels like a wasted opportunity given Waylon Smithers’ history with The Simpsons‘ Barbie stand-in. One of the gags in “The Tell-Tale Pants” revolves around Mr. Burns and his jealousy over the popularity of Robert Oppenheimer. This sets up several gags, such as Burns’ intention to produce a film (like he did in season 6’s “A Star is Burns”) based on his life starring “a skinnier actor.” It’s a solid couple of jokes, all connected to the episode’s story through Homer’s assistance in preventing an Oppenheimer-inspired nuclear disaster.

However, the episode barely mentions the other half of Barbenheimer, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Smithers notes there was another massive film released at the same time as Oppenheimer, and that he even dyed his hair pink in honor of the film. However, Burns refuses to hear anything else about the film. The problem is that Smithers’s love for Barbie makes perfect sense given the history of the character and his love for Malibu Stacy, an ideal joke set-up that’s never utilized.

The Simpsons Missed An Opportunity To Reference A Previous Storyline

Smithers Being A Huge Fan Of Barbie Makes Perfect Sense, Given His Love Of Malibu Stacy

Malibu Stacy has been a recurring element of The Simpsons for years. While Malibu Stacy has largely been referenced with Lisa, the doll’s connection to Waylon Smithers has fallen by the wayside. In previous seasons, Smithers was revealed to be one of the world’s most avid collectors of Malibu Stacy, and even wrote a musical based on the character in season 12’s “Homer vs. Dignity.” Smithers subsequently being a die-hard fan of Barbie makes a lot of sense, and could have allowed the show to poke fun at the film.

Burns simplying brushing aside the reference feels like a missed opportunity. While “The Tell-Tale Pants” was already overstuffed to its own detriment, a better showcase poking fun at Barbie alongside Oppenheimer would have been a welcome addition if the episode’s Springy Awards sequence had been cut. It could have been a fun comic showcase for Smithers and Burns, instead of being a singular beat about Burns and his one-sided rivalry with Oppenheimer. It’s a rare missed opportunity from The Simpsons to poke fun at a major pop-culture hit, and would have fit in perfectly alongside the episode’s Oppenheimer riff.