The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, The Walt Disney Company, 1990.
The 1990s gave The Simpsons an entire parallel Halloween universe: haunted real estate, cursed objects, alien dinner parties, evil twins, cannibal cafeterias, giant advertising mascots, and enough donuts to sustain a minor religion.
Naturally, all of this also required snacks.
From the first Treehouse of Horror in 1990 through 1999’s Treehouse of Horror X, the decade produced a remarkably thorough catalog of candy, beer, mystery casseroles, suspicious meat, alien cuisine, breakfast cereal, and humans being discussed as food. It ends, appropriately, with “Life’s a Glitch, Then You Die,” a Y2K apocalypse airing just before the real calendar prepared to roll over into 2000, when civilization itself was widely believed to be one malfunctioning coffee maker away from collapse.
The Playlist
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, The Walt Disney Company, 1990.
Treehouse of Horror
Season 2, Episode 3
The very first Treehouse of Horror finds the Simpsons telling spooky stories from Bart’s treehouse on Halloween night. The three segments involve a haunted house, an alien abduction with suspiciously lavish meals, and a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”
Intro
Halloween candy: Homer shows off and shakes his bag of goodies.
Bad Dream House
Orange: Homer throws it into the portal inside the haunted house’s kitchen.
Bologna sandwich: Marge makes what appears to be a late-night bologna sandwich before a family knife fight breaks out.
Hungry Are The Damned
Hamburgers: Homer grills burgers for the family just before they’re abducted by aliens.
Fried shrimp: Pre-vegetarian Lisa is served fried shrimp during the family’s first alien-prepared feast.
Sloppy Joes: Bart gets a plate of appropriately messy sloppy joes.
Smothered pork chops: Homer is served smothered pork chops, then demands applesauce to go with them.
Radish rosettes: While the rest of the family gets heartier fare, Marge is served a plate of beautifully carved radish rosettes. They’re very hard to make.
Unidentified plates of food: During their second feast, the Simpsons are served several generous plates of food that are too indistinct to identify.
Spaghetti: For their third meal, the family appears to be served swirling piles of spaghetti.
Humans?: Lisa discovers a cookbook that appears to explain how to cook humans…
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror II, The Walt Disney Company, 1991.
Treehouse of Horror II
Season 3, Episode 7
After too much Halloween candy, Lisa, Bart, and Homer each have a nightmare. Their dreams involve a cursed monkey’s paw, Bart gaining reality-bending powers, and Mr. Burns turning Homer into a Frankenstein-style monster.
Did you know? Treehouse of Horror II is the only installment in the series whose three stories don’t have individual segment titles.
Intro
Cajun cooking: “CAJUN COOKING” appears on one of the tombstones in the opening, part of the long-running gag where the graveyard marks everything from long-dead ideas to newly expired trends.
Halloween candy: Homer snacks on Halloween candy before the kids return home with their haul. After Bart, Lisa, and Homer all overindulge, the resulting nightmares become the episode’s three Treehouse of Horror segments.
Eggs: Homer tries to turn away the three older bullies who come trick-or-treating, until they reveal a carton of eggs and threaten to redecorate the house if he doesn’t hand over the candy.
Lisa’s Nightmare:
Various dinners and drinks: As the Simpsons arrive at the Gilded Truffle for dinner, the other patrons can be seen eating and drinking while gossiping about them.
Duff Beer: Homer enjoys what appears to be a Duff on the sofa while Marge looks out the window in distress.
Food shops: Candy Most Dandy, Dave’s Donuts, and The Horseradishery appear in the background as Kang and Kodos round up Springfield’s residents.
Bread: A loaf of bread can be spotted sitting on top of the Simpsons’ refrigerator.
Turkey sandwich: Homer uses the final monkey’s paw wish on a turkey sandwich made with rye bread, lettuce, mustard, and specifically no zombie turkey.
Bart’s Nightmare:
Candy necklace: Lisa gives Bart her candy necklace in exchange for letting her sleep in his bed after her nightmare, waking him up and setting off his own.
Chocolate Frosted Frosty Krusty Flakes: The family is eating what appears to be Bart’s favorite cereal when he walks into the kitchen, seemingly another attempt to keep him happy.
Lunchbox and thermos: Seen aboard
Donuts: Police officers are seen eating donuts while cheerfully waving to Bart.
Milkshake: Sherri and Terri serve Bart a milkshake while fanning him in the classroom.
Beer: Patrons at Moe’s Tavern are seen drinking beer.
Soda: Bart drinks a soda while watching The Krusty the Clown Show.
Homer’s Nightmare:
Donuts and coffee: Donuts and coffee are scattered around Homer’s workspace at the plant. Later, after being turned into Burns’ Frankenstein monster, Homer spots donuts through the wall.
Purple dish and bacon: At the Simpsons’ breakfast table, we see bacon alongside an unidentified purple dish.
Coke: Burns realizes Homer is alive and tells Smithers, “I guess I owe you a Coke.” Burns and Smithers make a similar Coke wager a few seasons later in “The Shinning.”
Oatmeal and orange juice: Marge appears to be seasoning a bowl of oatmeal on the kitchen counter, with another bowl on the table and what looks like orange juice nearby.
All-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner: In the episode’s closing teaser, Lisa reminds Homer that her class is having an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner that night.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror III, The Walt Disney Company, 1992.
Treehouse of Horror III
Season 4, Episode 5
At the Simpsons’ Halloween party, three more spooky stories unfold: an evil Krusty doll terrorizes Homer, King Homer climbs the Empire State Building, and Bart accidentally raises the dead with a book of spells.
Intro
Platter of snacks: Marge carries a platter of party snacks through the living room during the Simpsons’ Halloween gathering.
Party drinks: Nelson holds a drink while bullying Martin at the party.
Grapes, spaghetti, and steak: Marge starts a classic Halloween touch-and-feel game using grapes for eyeballs, spaghetti for hair, and steak for a brain.
Clown Without Pity
Frogurt: While shopping for a last-minute gift for Bart at the House of Evil, Homer is tempted by the promise of free frogurt before buying the cursed Krusty doll.
Popcorn: Homer appears to be eating a bowl of popcorn while sitting on the sofa.
Chicken dinner: Patty, Selma, and Marge are eating chicken drumsticks, potatoes, and a green vegetable when Homer runs past, pursued by the Krusty doll.
Pretzels, chips, pizza, pork rinds, and soda: Once the Krusty doll is switched from Evil to Good, it dutifully brings Homer an impressive spread of junk food.
King Homer
Candy apple: Candy apples only enter the episode as part of a joke about Candy Apple Island, where the apes are plentiful but, unfortunately for the crew, “not so big.”
Monkey stew: Burns considers a backup plan for King Homer if show business fails: selling monkey stew to the army.
Vegetables and people: Marge encourages King Homer to eat more vegetables and fewer people.
Wedding cake: King Homer and Marge celebrate their wedding with a cake.
Wraparound
Fresh fruit: Back at the Halloween party between stories, Marge serves the kids fresh fruit instead of candy. It’s nature’s candy.
Dial “Z” for Zombies
Apple: An apple appears in the pop-up book Bart reads to his class.
Lobster: A pet cemetery gravestone reveals that one unfortunate lobster was “eaten by mistake.”
Brains: Springfield’s newly risen zombies roam town in search of brains.
Pork rinds and Buzz Cola: Homer snacks on pork rinds with a a can of Buzz Cola, a refreshing break from Duff.
Popcorn, soda, and milk: At the end of the episode, the family sits zombie-like in front of the television with popcorn, soda, and a bottle of milk.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror IV, The Walt Disney Company, 1993.
Treehouse of Horror IV
Season 5, Episode 5
Bart introduces three spooky stories from an eerie art gallery: Homer sells his soul to the Devil for a donut, Bart faces a gremlin terrorizing the school bus, and the Simpsons discover that Mr. Burns is a vampire.
The Devil and Homer Simpson
Donuts: Homer dreams about donuts in a fashion show, then wakes to find the office supply gone. Later in Hell, he’s strapped into a torture device that force-feeds him an endless stream of donuts. And at the end of the episode, Homer’s head is turned into a giant one.
Pink soul donut: Ned the Devil offers Homer a pink-frosted donut in exchange for his soul.
Refrigerator findings: A look inside the Simpsons’ refrigerator reveals Leftover chicken, sandwich, pickles, butter, hot dogs, green Jell-O, and “daddy’s soul donut”, the partially eaten donut tied to Homer’s soul.
Hot dog meat: In Hell, Homer is chopped up and processed into ol’ tube steaks.
Wedding cake: A photo reveals that Homer once ate the entire wedding cake, then promised his soul to Marge from his hospital bed as an apology.
Coffee: Police officers waiting outside the Simpsons’ house are seen drinking coffee.
Terror at 5 ½ Feet
Oatmeal: After waking from his nightmare about the school bus crashing, Bart joins the family at breakfast, where Marge appears to be serving oatmeal.
Vengelerstrasse bar and Marzipan JoyJoys: On the bus, Üter offers Milhouse a Vengelerstrasse bar and Marzipan JoyJoys (mit Iodine) from his stash of German sweets.
Flavor wax: While restrained on the bus, Bart tries to win Üter over by accepting a lick of his flavor wax.
Apple core: An apple core flies out the bus window during Bart’s confrontation with the gremlin.
Bart Simpson’s Dracula
Blood: The segment opens with Kent Brockman reporting that another victim has been found drained of blood, while Springfield authorities conclude a mummy is responsible. Later, Mr. Burns serves what appears to be punch, but Lisa quickly realizes it’s actually blood. But, it’s free.
Midnight dinner: Mr. Burns invites the Simpsons to a midnight dinner at his country house in Pennsylvania, requesting that everyone wash their necks beforehand.
Garlic: A “NO GARLIC” sign provides another not-so-subtle clue that Burns may have something vampiric going on.
Roast chicken: What appears to be a roast chicken sits on the dinner table, identifiable by its visible ribcage.
Breakfast cereal: A cereal box can be seen on the Simpsons’ breakfast table after the family returns home.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror V, The Walt Disney Company, 1994.
Treehouse of Horror V
Season 6 Episode 6
Treehouse of Horror V sends Homer into a murderous spiral at a remote hotel, turns a broken toaster into a time machine, and puts Springfield Elementary students on the cafeteria menu.
The Shinning
Haggis: Willie warns Bart that Homer is going to go crazy and “chop them all into haggis.”
Duff Beer: Burns and Smithers take the lodge’s entire beer supply with them when they leave, part of Burns’ plan to force an honest winter’s work out of Homer.
Coke: After Smithers suggests that depriving the caretakers of TV and beer may be what drove previous families insane, Burns wagers him a Coke that the Simpsons will survive.
Potato chips: Homer snacks on potato chips in front of the TV, then discovers there isn’t a single beer in the house. Later, Moe’s ghost offers him one on the condition that he murder his family.
Chili and orange drink: Marge decides chili would be good for dinner, and the family is later seen eating it with glasses of an orange-colored drink.
Canned and packaged foods: After being locked away by Marge, Homer helps himself to the lodge’s stash of canned and packaged goods.
Time and Punishment
Mystery meal #1: The family is eating an indistinct meal at the dinner table when Homer gets his hand stuck in the toaster, setting the whole time-travel mess in motion.
Test toast: After “repairing” the toaster, Homer puts in a slice of bread for a test toast and accidentally travels back to prehistoric times.
Mystery meal #2: Homer returns to an alternate present where the family is gathered around another unidentified meal… and Ned Flanders is the unquestioned lord and master of the world.
Warm milk: Flanders’ re-Neducation program promises a nice glass of warm milk, a little nap, and a total frontal lobotomy.
Wieners: While escaping Flanders’ forces, Homer gobbles down wieners for the “quick energy” he needs to get away.
Mystery meal #3: In another alternate reality, a meal appears on the table as giant versions of Bart and Lisa prepare to squish tiny Homer.
Bacon and eggs: Homer lands in a seemingly perfect universe where the family serves him a breakfast of bacon and eggs, the house is fabulous, and Patty and Selma are dead.
Donuts: The perfect universe has one major flaw: nobody knows what a donut is. Homer leaves moments before discovering that donuts literally rain from the sky.
McDonald’s: In one of Homer’s rapid-fire alternate universes, the Simpsons’ house has been transformed into a retro McDonald’s.
Mystery meal #4: Homer finally reaches a universe similar to his own and sits down to an unidentified family meal, only to discover that everyone has long, forked tongues. Eh, close enough.
Nightmare Cafeteria
Grade “F” meat: Thanks to budget cuts, Lunchlady Doris is down to using Grade F meat “mostly circus animals, some filler.”
Green sauce: Jimbo spills a tray of green sauce on Mrs. Krabappel, prompting Skinner to send him to help Lunchlady Doris in the cafeteria.
Sloppy Jimbos: After Jimbo disappears into the kitchen, the cafeteria suddenly starts serving Sloppy Jimbos, described as tasting “young and impudent.”
Üterbraten: Üter is sent to detention after cutting in line, and soon afterward the cafeteria introduces a suspicious new dish called Üterbraten.
Chocolate cake: A chocolate cake can be seen among the food laid out in the cafeteria.
Wendell: Wendell is among the students sent to detention as Skinner’s supply of cafeteria meat continues to grow.
Children: Skinner keeps students in cages and checks on his “free-range children” as the cafeteria operation expands.
Lisa, Bart, and Milhouse: The three are next on the chopping block, herded toward a giant blender as the remaining students are processed into lunch.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VI, The Walt Disney Company, 1995.
Treehouse of Horror VI
Season 7, Episode 6
Springfield its pitted against giant advertising mascots, Groundskeeper Willie invades students’ dreams, and Homer is trapped inside a strange three-dimensional world.
Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores
Lard Lad Donuts: Homer sets the whole disaster in motion by stealing the giant donut from the Lard Lad sign after discovering the real shop doesn’t actually sell a “colossal” donut. The mascot and its sprinkle-covered donut loom over much of the segment.
Beer: Homer drinks a beer while lounging on top of the stolen giant donut in his living room.
Fat-free fudge cake: During Kent Brockman’s report on the rampaging mascots, he speculates that the destruction might be promoting “a fat-free fudge cake that doesn’t let you down in the flavor department.”
Bottle: A Marlboro Man-style advertising mascot uses a giant bottle as a weapon during the attack on Springfield.
Mr. Peanut: The Mr. Peanut-style mascot reaches into a car and eats the occupants as if they were peanuts.
Brown liquor: A glass of brown liquor sits on the advertising executive’s desk while he explains how to make the mascots disappear.
Your family: Kent warns viewers that the next advertisement they see could “destroy your house and eat your family.”
Nightmare on Evergreen Ter.
Casserole or lasagna: Marge sets what appears to be a casserole or lasagna on the dinner table just as Bart and Lisa rush in with news about Martin’s death.
Spaghetti: During the flashback to Willie’s death, Kirk Van Houten complains that parents should see the cafeteria menu in advance so Milhouse doesn’t end up eating two spaghetti meals in one day. Reasonable.
Coffee and Buzz Cola: Bart and Lisa load up on caffeine and soda in an attempt to stay awake and avoid another encounter with Willie in their dreams.
Homer³
Meatloaf: Selma announces that she’s “baking like a meatloaf under this wet wool” when she arrives at the Simpsons’ house.
Unprocessed fish sticks: Wandering through the third dimension, Homer spots a school of fish and calls them “unprocessed fish sticks.”
Erotic cakes: After escaping into the real, three-dimensional world, Homer spots an erotic cake shop and immediately perks up.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VII, The Walt Disney Company, 1996.
Treehouse of Horror VII
Season 8, Episode 1
Treehouse of Horror VII introduces Bart’s evil twin, puts Lisa in charge of a tiny civilization growing in a tooth, and sends Kang and Kodos into the 1996 presidential election.
The Thing and I
Cereal: The family appears to be eating cereal at the breakfast table before Bart and Lisa start asking about the noises coming from the attic.
Refrigerator finds: A look inside the refrigerator reveals turkey, grapes, soda, and the bucket of fish heads Homer grabs for Hugo.
Breakfast: Another breakfast scene shows the family with assorted bowls, plates, and glasses of milk.
Bones: Bones are scattered beneath Hugo’s chains in the attic, with more collected in a bowl nearby.
Bottle-feeding: During the flashback to Bart and Hugo’s birth, Marge takes one look at the more violent twin and says, “I think I’ll bottle-feed that one.”
Fish heads and milk: Left alone with Bart, Hugo prepares himself a plate of fish heads with a glass of milk.
Turkey dinner: Once Hugo is welcomed into the family, he’s served a turkey drumstick with mashed potatoes and green beans, while Bart is stuck with the fish heads.
The Genesis Tub
Chinese food and soft drinks: Lisa notes that science has already proven the dangers of smoking, alcohol, and Chinese food, so she decides to ruin soft drinks for everyone instead.
Buzz Cola: Lisa uses Buzz Cola to dissolve a tooth for her science fair experiment, accidentally helping create the tiny civilization in her petri dish.
Square pancakes: Marge announces waffles for breakfast, but Lisa quickly discovers they’re just square pancakes because the waffle iron is still in the shop. That waffle iron's been in the shop forever.
Milk carton ukulele: Martin’s science fair entry is a ukulele made from a milk carton, which Skinner cites as the runner-up to Bart’s stolen miniature universe.
Citizen Kang
Fish: Homer is fishing at the old fishing hole when Kang and Kodos abduct him.
Rum: After Homer learns about the aliens’ plan, they douse him in rum so no one will believe his story.
Breakfast: Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are shown eating an indistinct breakfast at the kitchen table.
Long protein strings: Kang and Kodos, disguised as Clinton and Dole, explain that their constant hand-holding is simply how they exchange “long protein strings.” If you can think of a simpler way, I'd like to hear it.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VIII, The Walt Disney Company, 1997.
Treehouse of Horror VIII
Season 9, Episode 5
Homer finds himself seemingly alone in Springfield after a nuclear blast, Bart accidentally swaps bodies with a fly, and Marge is accused of witchcraft in colonial Springfield.
Homega Man
Chinese food and soft drinks: Lisa notes that science has already
Frog’s legs: The whole nuclear crisis begins with Mayor Quimby’s “frog’s legs” insult aimed at the French.
Canned steak: Homer stocks canned steak in his fallout shelter and later eats it after the blast.
Hot dog: Comic Book Guy is seen eating a hot dog while walking through Springfield shortly before the bomb hits.
Popcorn and soda: Believing himself to be the last man alive, Homer enjoys popcorn and soda while watching a movie alone in the theater.
Flesh: Springfield’s surviving mutants chase Homer in hopes of eating his skin.
Fly vs. Fly
Duff Beer and potato chips: Homer sips on Duff and snacks on potato chips while using the matter transporter to grab more beer, only to accidentally retrieve the cat’s ear medication instead.
Pancakes and syrup: The family eats pancakes for breakfast after deciding to accept Bart’s fly-headed form, with Marge offering him more syrup.
Sugar: Fly Bart helps himself to sugar while lounging on the sofa.
Garbage: Bart tries to coax Fly Bart back through the transporter by promising he’ll soon be back to eating garbage.
Easy-Bake Coven
Sheep’s milk: Marge admits that, as a witch, she soured Springfield’s sheep’s milk.
Turnips: Marge is accused of destroying the turnip crop, though she points out that it was gophers.
Cauldron brew: Marge and her sisters gather around a bubbling cauldron while arguing over the recipe.
Eye of newt: Selma insists the brew needs more eye of newt, prompting Patty to complain that she always wants to add too much.
Baked cat: When Marge arrives at the witches’ gathering, Selma jokes that she would have baked a cat if she’d known Marge was coming.
Children: The witches decide to go door to door eating children after overhearing Ned and Maude worry about exactly that.
Gingerbread children: Maude offers the witches gingerbread children instead of the real thing, pointing out that they’re boneless.
Candied apple: Marge receives a candied apple while collecting treats from the townspeople.
Caramel cod: Patty gets a caramel cod as part of her trick-or-treat haul.
Eggs: During the epilogue, Homer eggs his own house when no one answers the door to give him candy.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror IX, The Walt Disney Company, 1998.
Treehouse of Horror IX
Season 10, Episode 4
Homer receives a hair transplant from executed criminal Snake, Bart and Lisa are trapped inside an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, and Maggie is revealed to have an extraterrestrial connection to Kang.
Hell Toupée
Nacho cheez: Snake casually dips his comb into the Kwik-E-Mart’s nacho cheese before getting arrested.
Breakfast cereal for people with syphilis: Moe asks Apu whether the Kwik-E-Mart carries a breakfast cereal for people with syphilis.
Kwik-E-Mart snacks and drinks: The store is stocked with the usual convenience-store fare, including a Squishee machine and Buzz Cola dispenser. Apu is later found murdered beside the Squishee machine.
Pizza and Buzz Cola: Homer has pizza and Buzz Cola at Dr. Nick’s office before his hair transplant, and Dr. Nick even uses a pizza cutter during the procedure.
Chips and a Squishee: At Apu’s crime scene, Ed and Lou snack on chips while Chief Wiggum drinks a Squishee.
Terror in Toontown
Eggs: Bart has half a carton of eggs on the floor, ready for some Halloween night egging.
Canned beans: Homer, looking like a hobo, eats beans straight from the can.
Halloween candy: In the Itchy & Scratchy Halloween special, Itchy offers Scratchy candy before attacking him and turning his head into a jack-o’-lantern.
Soup: Regis and Kathie Lee are shown with soup during the cartoon chaos, with Regis praising what he thinks is cilantro before the situation gets considerably worse.
Bart: Bart is briefly devoured by cartoon piranhas while trapped inside the Itchy & Scratchy world.
Starship Poopers
Breakfast: The family is eating breakfast while Marge feeds Maggie what appears to be oatmeal. After Lisa loses her appetite, Homer happily finishes hers.
Blood: At the end of the segment, Maggie speaks in an alien voice and announces, “I need blood.”
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror X, The Walt Disney Company, 1999.
Treehouse of Horror X
Season 11, Episode 4
The Simpsons accidentally kill Ned Flanders and try to cover it up, Bart and Lisa become superheroes after an X-ray mishap, and Homer’s failure to fix the Y2K bug sends the world into technological chaos.
Starship I Know What You Diddly-Iddly-Did
Super Sugar Crisp cereal: The Simpsons are driving home after retrieving their Super Sugar Crisp cereal, with Homer singing the jingle just before Marge hits Ned with the car.
Pies: While the Simpsons attempt to cover up Ned’s death, Maude announces that her pies are done, conveniently missing the activity happening outside.
The Simpsons: Werewolf Ned reveals that he had been stalking the family with plans to kill and eat them. He eventually gets his teeth into Homer.
Desperately Xeeking Xena
Halloween candy: Springfield police run trick-or-treat candy through an X-ray machine, uncovering hazards including a razor blade and a syringe, plus the apparent offense of white chocolate.
Rolo: After kidnapping Lucy Lawless, the Collector offers her a Rolo while showing off his lair.
Life’s a Glitch Then You Die
Champagne and chips: Marge passes around champagne at the New Year’s celebration while bowls of chips are set out nearby.
Dixie Brand Mayonnaise: Dick Clark’s New Year’s broadcast pauses to thank sponsor Dixie Brand Mayonnaise, praised as “what a mayonnaise.”
McDonald’s: A McDonald’s sign resets its customer counter to zero as the Y2K glitch spreads.
Milk: Homer pours a glass of milk, only to discover the carton contains a computer chip.
Coffee: A coffee maker begins overflowing as everyday appliances start malfunctioning.
Waffle batter: A waffle maker loaded with batter turns on the Simpsons during the Y2K chaos.
Jack’s Diner: The Simpsons pass Jack’s Diner while making their way through the collapsing town.
Nectar: When Krusty’s pacemaker malfunctions, he cries out that he needs to drink his weight in nectar.
Drink: Ross Perot is seen holding a glass aboard the second rocket.
Canned peaches: Tom Arnold eats peaches straight from a can aboard the rocket headed for the sun.