Lisa the Vegetarian facts for kids

"Lisa the Vegetarian" is a famous episode from the seventh season of the TV show The Simpsons. It first aired in the United States on October 15, 1995. In this episode, Lisa decides to stop eating meat. This happens after she feels a special connection with a lamb at a petting zoo.

At first, her friends and family make fun of her choice. But with help from Apu and the famous musicians Paul and Linda McCartney, Lisa learns to stick to her new vegetarian lifestyle. This episode was directed by Mark Kirkland. It was also the first full episode written by David S. Cohen for The Simpsons.

The show's boss at the time, David Mirkin, really liked the idea. He had just become a vegetarian himself! Paul and Linda McCartney, who were part of the famous band The Beatles, agreed to be in the episode. They had one rule: Lisa had to stay a vegetarian forever in the show. This was one of the few times a character changed permanently in The Simpsons. The episode also includes some fun nods to Paul McCartney's music.

"Lisa the Vegetarian" was watched by many people when it first aired. It also won two awards. It received an Environmental Media Award for its message about the environment. It also won a Genesis Award for showing how important animal issues are.

Story of the Episode

The Simpson family goes to a petting zoo. There, Lisa meets a cute lamb and really likes it. That night, Marge makes lamb chops for dinner. Lisa feels sad because she connects the lamb chops to the living lamb she just met. So, she announces that she will now be a vegetarian.

Bart and Homer tease her a lot about not eating meat. Things are not much better at school. When Lisa asks for a meat-free meal, Principal Skinner calls her a "troublemaker." Her class then has to watch a video from the Meat Council. This video, starring Troy McClure, tries to make vegetarianism look bad. After this, Lisa's classmates make fun of her and avoid her.

Homer decides to have his own barbecue because he's jealous of Ned Flanders' party. He even roasts a whole pig. Lisa makes a cold soup called gazpacho as a meat-free option. But Homer's guests laugh at her food. Later, Homer accidentally flips a burger onto Lisa's face. This makes Lisa very angry.

To stop everyone from eating the roasted pig, Lisa uses a riding mower to drive away with it. Homer and Bart chase her. Lisa pushes the pig down a hill. It rolls into a river and then shoots into the air from a dam's spillway.

Back home, Homer is very mad that Lisa ruined his party. Lisa tells him off for serving meat. The next morning, Lisa runs away after Homer calls her a "prehistoric carnivore." She feels like she can't take it anymore. Lisa almost gives up and bites into a hot dog at the Kwik-E-Mart. But Apu, who is a strict vegan, tells her it's actually a tofu dog.

Apu then takes Lisa through a secret path to the Kwik-E-Mart roof. There, they meet Paul and Linda McCartney. They are also vegetarians. The McCartneys explain that they know Apu from when Paul was in India. Apu asks Lisa why she ran away from home. After she explains, he helps her understand that it's important to be tolerant of others' choices.

Lisa then realizes she was also being intolerant of others' views. She decides to stay a vegetarian. But she also learns that she shouldn't force her animal rights ideas on others. On her way home, Lisa finds Homer, who was looking for her. She says sorry for ruining his barbecue. Homer forgives her and offers her a "veggie back" ride home.

Making the Episode

Writing the Story

This was the first full-length episode David X. Cohen (then known as David S. Cohen) wrote.

"Lisa the Vegetarian" was the first full episode that David X. Cohen wrote for The Simpsons. He got the idea while working on another script. He was waiting for lunch and wrote "Lisa becomes a vegetarian?" on the back of his paper. He showed it to another writer, Brent Forrester, who liked it.

Then, the show's boss, David Mirkin, approved the idea. Mirkin had just become a vegetarian himself. He said that many of Lisa's experiences in the episode were like his own. Writer Bill Oakley suggested the barbecue scenes. Cohen's first idea had a deeper talk between Lisa and Homer about eating meat. But Oakley said the story needed a more specific reason for their argument.

George Meyer, a writer known for funny physical jokes, thought of the pig flying into the air from the dam. Cohen also said that writer John Swartzwelder inspired the scene where Homer can't believe bacon, ham, and pork chops all come from the same animal. Cohen said Swartzwelder really did say something similar about how amazing pigs are for all the different meats they provide.

Voice Actors and Guests

Paul and Linda McCartney guest starred in the episode.

When this episode was being written, Paul McCartney was the only living member of The Beatles who hadn't been on The Simpsons. Ringo Starr and George Harrison had already appeared. The show's team wanted McCartney to be on the show. David Mirkin thought "Lisa the Vegetarian" would be a good fit because McCartney is a vegetarian.

McCartney agreed to be in the episode. But he asked that Lisa stay a vegetarian for the rest of the series. The show's team promised she would. This led to one of the few times a character's traits changed permanently in the show. McCartney's wife, Linda, also joined the episode. She told Entertainment Weekly that it was a chance for them to "spread the vegetarian word." Both Paul and Linda were big fans of The Simpsons.

Mirkin later said recording with the McCartneys was amazing. He flew to London and met them at Paul McCartney's music studio. They spent an hour recording their lines. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was supposed to go but missed his flight. Groening said having the Beatles members on the show was "a dream come true."

Linda McCartney sadly passed away on April 17, 1998. The Simpsons episode "Trash of the Titans" was dedicated to her memory.

Directing and Animation

The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland. He found the story interesting because not many TV shows talked about vegetarianism. The way Paul and Linda McCartney were drawn for The Simpsons was special. Their characters have brown and blue eye colors, which is different from most Simpsons characters who usually have black eyes.

In one scene, Homer sprays a lot of lighter fluid on his grill. Viewers expect a big explosion when he throws a match. But when he does, the grill barely lights up. A similar joke was in an older Simpsons episode called "Treehouse of Horror". In that one, Homer used less fluid and caused an explosion. Mirkin liked the joke so much that he used parts of it again in "Lisa the Vegetarian," adding new twists to make it even funnier. The old drawings from "Treehouse of Horror" helped the animators create the scene.

Episode Release and Awards

"Lisa the Vegetarian" first aired on Fox in the United States on October 15, 1995. About 14.6 million people watched it. It was the fourth most-watched show on Fox that week.

The episode was later released in a video collection in 2000 called The Simpsons – Raiders of the Lost Fridge. It was also part of The Simpsons season seven DVD set, released on December 13, 2005.

This episode won an Environmental Media Award. This award is given to TV shows or movies with a good environmental message. It also won a Genesis Award. This award honors works that help people understand animal issues better. The Humane Society of the United States gives out this award every year.

What Critics Thought

"Lisa the Vegetarian" is one of David Mirkin's favorite episodes. He was showrunner of The Simpsons when it was produced.

"Lisa the Vegetarian" has been highly praised by TV critics and the people who work on The Simpsons. Many of the show's staff, including David Mirkin, Mark Kirkland, Matt Groening, and Ian Maxtone-Graham, say it's one of their favorite episodes.

David Mirkin loved the opening scene at the petting zoo. He called it "absolutely hilarious" and praised the animation. Mirkin also liked how Apu helped Lisa. He felt Apu showed Lisa that "the way to get people to change is through tolerance and understanding." Matt Groening thought the joke where the family forms a conga line was a "high-point" for the show.

Critics also loved the humor in the episode. John Serba from the Grand Rapids Press called it his favorite episode. He said it had more funny scenes than any other. Matthew Singer from the Ventura County Reporter thought it had "great individual scenes." He especially liked Troy McClure's Meat Council video, calling it "the funniest isolated segment in the history of the show."

Patrick Enright from Today listed it as his second favorite episode. He pointed out the "You don't win friends with salad!" song. He said it was a classic Simpsons moment where a joke gets funnier the longer it goes on.

Reviewers also liked how the characters grew in the episode. Todd Gilchrist from IGN said that The Simpsons stays popular because it tells stories that are emotional but not overly sweet. He used "Lisa the Vegetarian" as an example. He noted that Lisa ruins Homer's barbecue, but the writers build a story around it. This makes the jokes even better because viewers care about the characters.

Phil Dzikiy from the Niagara Gazette said the "character development and storytelling is perfect." He added that the episode was "equally hilarious, touching and satirical."

The McCartneys' guest appearance got mixed reviews. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, who wrote a book about The Simpsons, called it a "superb" performance. But Matthew Singer thought their appearance didn't fit well into the show. Phil Dzikiy felt it seemed "a little forced."

IGN ranked the McCartneys' performance, along with other Beatles members' appearances, as one of the top ten guest roles in The Simpsons history. They said that having the most popular band ever on the show showed how popular The Simpsons was. Simon Crerar of Times Online named Paul and Linda McCartney's performance as one of the "funniest Simpsons cameos ever."

See also

In Spanish: Lisa, la vegetariana para niños