Bart the Genius

"**Bart the Genius**"
"Bart the Genius"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 2
Directed by	David Silverman
Written by	Jon Vitti
Production code	7G02
Original air date	January 14, 1990
Running time	23 minutes
Guest appearances
	Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel and Ms. Melon;
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"I will not waste chalk" (while writing this Bart uses different chalk for each letter)
Couch gag	The family hurries on to the couch, and Bart is flung into the air. He comes down during the shot of the TV.
Commentary	Matt Groening; James L. Brooks; David Silverman; Jon Vitti
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"	Next →; "Homer's Odyssey"
	The Simpsons season 1
	List of episodes

"Bart the Genius" is the second episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1990.^[4] It was the first episode written by Jon Vitti. It is the show's first normal episode as well as the first to use the signature title sequence, though this version is much different from the one subsequently used, from the second season to the twentieth season. In the episode, Bart cheats on an intelligence test and is declared a genius, so he is sent to a school for gifted children. Though he initially enjoys being treated as a genius, he begins to see the downside of his new life.

It marks the first use of Bart's catchphrase "Eat my shorts". As the second episode produced, directly after James L. Brooks' personal displeasure at the animation of "Some Enchanted Evening", the future of the series depended on how the animation turned out on this episode.^[5] The animation proved to be more to his liking and production continued.^[6]

^ Groening 2010, p. 27.
^ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 18.
^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Groening 2010, p. 25.
^ Brooks, James L. (2001). The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[FOOTNOTEGroening201027-1] Groening 2010, p. 27.

[FOOTNOTERichmond_&_Coffman199718-2] Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 18.

[BBC-3] Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FOOTNOTEGroening201025-4] Groening 2010, p. 25.

[5] Brooks, James L. (2001). The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

[6] Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

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