Bart Simpson has pulled off many pranks over the years on The Simpsons, and with many more years to come for the Fox animated comedy, he'll pull off many more. In fact, his name is an anagram of the word "brat," and it clearly defines him.
Many ten-year-old boys (at least in my experience) are mischievous, and Bart is no exception to the rule. His pranks are one of the several fantastical elements of The Simpsons, as each one tends to open up a storyline for that episode.
A majority of the pranks are done on good ol' dad Homer, but his other choice of antagonization is Principal Skinner. Bart always set some aside just for him because he gets a kick out it.
Since The Simpsons is returning on Sunday, March 30th, to complete season 36, we're looking at five of Bart Simpson's classic pranks.
5 Bart Simpson pranks that kept us laughing on The Simpsons
"I am Bartron"
"Radio Bart" (season 3)
Homer gifts Bart a radio with an accompanying microphone so he can perform on AM broadcasting. At first, the 10-year-old is unfazed, but after Marge shows him how to properly play with it, Bart soon makes his own fun with the electronic.
It's to be expected that he'll pull pranks with the radio. And he did. Twice.
For his first prank, he pretends he's the Martian leader, "Bartron," and has invaded Earth. Naturally, Homer doesn't think the ordeal through and acts out of it, even going as far as grabbing his shotgun for protection. Once he realizes that it was his boy who did the scare, he strangles him, but he is also warmed by the fact that Bart loves his present.
The second prank backfired on Bart, as he pretended to be a boy trapped down the well, only to find himself eventually trapped.
Beer explosion
"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" (season 4)
April Fool's Day, or the Pagan New Year, according to Lisa, Homer sets off pranks on Bart, each one more annoying than the last. Bart gets back at Homer by severely shaking up his can of Duff, only to have said can blow up the house and lads Homer at the hospital.
The situation leads to previous clips of The Simpsons' past episodes and when recalling important moments, Bart confesses that he was the one who shook up the beer and feels utmost remorse. He didn't mean for Homer to get hurt, only to retaliate, but the confession dd resuscitated him and lose 5% of his brain.
"$900 Dolladoos?!"
"Bart vs. Australia" (season 6)
Prank calls are one of Bart's expertises, but he might gone too far with them when he makes international calls. Back then, international calls were expensive and even now, depending on your plan. After a call goes wrong to Australia, Bart and his family visit the land down under to issue an apology. The Australians have a different standard of punishment, and the Simpsons are not accepting of it.
This leads to yet another country banishment, and I have to side with the Aussies on this one. If I was charged $900 "dolladoos" ($566 in USD) for a call, I'd be mad too.
Additionally, "Bart v. Australia" inspired the ever-popular Bluey series, and that's awesome. One last thing: Phil Hartman was hilarious, and all the episodes he's in make them even better.
"Did I?"
"The Secret World of Lisa Simpson" (season 8)
Bart is sent to military school after deafening the town, so he has to make the best out of an environment he doesn't want to be a part of. At target practice, he gets all the goals; by that, I mean he gets one unmarked goal.
Bart just loves harrasing Skinner and he finds a way to make his day sour. By shooting at his car and detonating it. Now, how he did it without visually seeing it is beyond me, but Bart is a genius when it comes to pranking.
And Nelson haw-haw'ing at the principal's despair is just too much.
Bart gets "LEGO'ED"
"Brick Like Me" (season 25)
In this family-friendly episode, The Simpsons' universe becomes LEGOS, and everyone is a plastic version of themselves. It's rather fun to see from their 2D animation counterparts.
But becoming a block doesn't stop Bart from his pranks, as he brings a skunk to school, and when released, the stinky creature dissembles the school. As punishment, Bart has to rebuild Spring Elementary piece by piece. However, he builds a much cooler creation from the LEGO sets.