When Flanders Failed

"**When Flanders Failed**"
"When Flanders Failed"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 3
Directed by	Jim Reardon
Written by	Jon Vitti
Production code	7F23
Original air date	October 3, 1991
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"Nobody likes sunburn slappers"
Couch gag	The Simpsons run into the living room, do a 'Walk Like an Egyptian' shuffle, and finish with a 'ta-da' pose on the couch.
Commentary	Matt Groening; Al Jean; Mike Reiss; Jon Vitti; Jim Reardon
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"	Next →; "Bart the Murderer"
	The Simpsons season 3
	List of episodes

"When Flanders Failed" is the third episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 3, 1991. In the episode, Homer makes a wish for Ned Flanders' new left-handed store to go out of business. The wish comes true and soon the Flanders family is in financial trouble. When he discovers that Ned's house is about to be repossessed, Homer feels guilty. He helps the store flourish by telling all of Springfield's left-handed residents to patronize it. Meanwhile, Bart takes karate lessons but quits after it does not turn out to be as interesting as he had hoped.

The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Jim Reardon. It had an unusual amount of animation glitches because the animation studio was training a new group of animators. The episode references It's a Wonderful Life. The title is a reference to the poem "In Flanders Fields".

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 13.9, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.