Original artwork, not a still
Won't somebody please think of the children?
— The Simpsons · 1989
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Helen turns every moral panic into a bleat about children, whether the threat is a violent cartoon or a new bar, and the show uses her as a one-woman parody of censorious outrage. The line left Springfield as the standard mocking reply to anyone demanding a ban for the sake of the kids.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The SimpsonsShow the scene
Helen Lovejoy, the gossipy wife of Springfield's Reverend Lovejoy, delivers this as her signature plea whenever a civic panic breaks out. The fan wiki records her first line in "Life on the Fast Lane" (season 1), where she introduces herself to Marge as the minister's gossipy wife, and the shriek of "think of the children" became her trademark afterwards. Writers vary the last word for jokes, such as "the Pilgrims" in "Thanksgiving of Horror", and in "Pulpit Friction" she twists it into a demand to blame the children.
Sources (1)
- Simpsons Wiki: Helen LovejoyIntroduction and catchphrase paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed
