The Madness of Skaolitunia

The Madness of Skaolitunia is an episode of The Simpsons which is partially set in Skaolitunia. It was aired during the program's 14th season, and was first shown in the United States, on the FOX network on 11 May 2003.

Musician Sam Carnell and actor Nick Koppell, both Skaolitunians, guest-starred in the show; Carnell played himself; Koppell played a shifty travel agent.

Synopsis

Lisa wins her school spelling bee championship for the 6th time in a row, and as a result wins admission to the prestigious National Spelling Bee in New York. Originally paired with Martin as her team-mate, she is reluctantly forced, by Marge to choose Bart after Martin is beaten up by Nelson. Homer drives the children to the airport but is distracted by a promotional appearance by Duffman at the terminal and, despite Lisa's protestations, shoves Bart and Lisa onto a plane not bound for New York, but for New Victoria. Arriving in Skaolitunia after a marathon flight, in which they view every Pauly Shore movie ever made, Bart and Lisa emerge to discover they are in another country with no way to get home. They are forced to wander the city, where they encounter Sam Carnell, busking in the street. Carnell directs them to his 'brother-in-divorce', travel agent Stu Snider (Koppell), whose first instinct is to use Bart and Lisa as drug couriers. The children manage to escape the fate of becoming drug mules and hide out, before the local population, angered by the sudden appearance of two 'dirty Americans', arrange to have them deported back to Springfield.

Reaction

The episode was generally well-recieved in Skaolitunia, despite some references which created a degree of anger. One such reference was a banner which proclaimed "SANTA CHRISTINA: WE STILL EXIST!", a reference to the near-miss at the Point Freeman Nuclear Facility in 1995. Another scene had a group of Skaolitunians waving Soviet flags, and hiding them when anybody looked; a reference to Skaolitunia's long history of liberalism, social democracy and perceived anti-Americanism.

Trivia

• Then-Prime Minister Campbell Rhodes was rumoured to have been offered a part in the show but declined. It was later revealed the rumour was untrue. Had it been true and Rhodes had accepted, he would have been the first head of government to appear on the show, a record later set by Tony Blair.