What the cash register says when Maggie is scanned

The Simpsons Opening features a gag where Maggie is scanned at the grocery store, leaving it unclear what the scanner is saying. As well as the ever-changing running gags (the couch and the blackboard) in the iconic opening, viewers see Homer miss a piece of radioactive material, Maggie appearing to drive a car and Bart landing his skateboard on Homer’s parked car. But one of the cutest visual gags comes when Marge doesn’t notice that Maggie is sitting among her groceries, and the youngest Simpson is scanned by the register, only to pop up harmlessly from a paper bag.

However, Maggie being placed by the cash register is not the only point of interest in this scene, as the price screen quickly flashes a subtle Simpsons Easter egg. In classic seasons of The SimpsonsThe register flashes “847.63” when Maggie passes through, and this is an in-joke aimed at the economists in the crowd. Creator Matt Groening previously confirmed that when The Simpsons First published in 1989, $847.63 was the average monthly cost of raising a child in the US.. The Simpsons was turning his sharp satirical eye to the enormous expense of raising children in modern society.

Maggie’s cash register price was a satirical flourish

The update version continues the joke decades later

Since 2009, The Simpsons Started using an updated intro sequence. This version has the cash register at “243.26,” which changes to “486.52” when Maggie is added to the total—doubling the price. Although Groening has yet to elaborate on this change, it is perhaps logical to assume that the intention was to make the original gag more relevant to the present day. The signs of inflation mean that raising children has become considerably more expensive since 1989 and, therefore, the joke no longer worked in its intended context..

While The Simpsons Opening credits could have changed the cash register display with an updated figure, this too would have been outdated before. The decision to show Marge’s complete doubling could be made to indicate that kids cost a lot, but without committing to a specific number. In a one-off variation of the cash register joke, “Treehouse of Horror XXIV,” directed by Guillermo del Toro, Maggie’s cost gets a temporary satanic update. In the episode’s opening, Stephen King joins Bart for the blackboard gag, groundskeeper Willie is redesigned as Hellboy and Maggie’s price reads “666” to fit the Halloween fun.

The Simpsons “138th Episode Spectacular” also contains a fun parody of the Simpsons Maggie cash register joke. Before the episode commercials, an announcer asks a “trivia question” to the audience: “in The opening credits, which says the cash register when Maggie is scanned?“When the show returns, instead of giving these Real Answer, the announcer claims the screen says “NRA4EVA” and jokes about The Simpsons Being right-wing, parody the show’s true liberal leanings. Over the years, many have fallen for this gag and believe it to be true.

Why the Simpsons Maggie cash register scene is so iconic

The Simpsons is filled with Easter egg gags

The Maggie cash register gag hidden in The Simpsons‘ Opening credits isn’t just a funny or all-too-real moment, it’s also a testament to how much attention to detail the show’s creators paid when they were making it. The Simpsons References and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gags are not only hilarious but very clearly indicative of a project made with love.

The fact that this even extends to the title sequence shows just how thorough it is The Simpsons is when providing its iconic brand of satire and humor. Maggie’s grocery checkout moment may be just one small example of this, but it still supports the idea of ​​just as well The Simpsons Considers itself a landmark of adult animated comedy.

The Maggie Cash Register is far from The Simpsons’ only Easter egg

The Simpsons subtly pays homage to another animated series

The Simpsons‘ Opening has been refreshed with new jokes over the years, and this includes reading the cash register when Maggie is scanned. however, The Simpsons The entire run is littered with fun Easter eggs that will take several rewatches before fans first see them. The animated series often secretly references Futurama With posters in bedrooms and letters wearing Futurama T-shirts. Two characters in the series secretly have five fingers instead of those Simpsons‘ trademark four fingers too; God and Jesus. It’s smaller jokes than those that helped make The Simpsons The juggernaut of animation it has become.

The Maggie joke shows the Simpsons’ timeless nature

The Simpsons’ long legacy on television is reflected in its early gag

Along with a fun Easter egg for fans of the show to dive into, the cash register The Simpsons Highlights the show’s incredible run on TV. since 2024, The Simpsons Enters its 36th season, still cementing its record as the longest-running American animated series. Of course, there was no way to predict that the show would remain so popular for so long when it debuted in 1989, but the cash register gag is a reminder of when it all started and how long it’s been around.

The original meaning behind the joke commented on something relevant to the time the show aired, making it a fun marker of where it all began.. Every time the cash register started the total, it was like the show reminded the audience about its beginnings and how long it had been. But even if the total isn’t accurate, it shows how well the series has aged in general.

The Simpsons is full of jokes that comment on the world at the moment. Although some of the jokes eventually become dated, it’s amazing that a series that’s been around for 35 years has aged so well. The Simpsons Always feels like it belongs in the current pop culture sphere and not like some relic from a different time. Its humor may have shifted over time, but its overall voice and style remained consistent throughout its historic run, making it a timeless piece of television history as well as a modern hit.