The early years of The Simpsons were truly a golden age for the show, producing some of its best and most iconic episodes. However, in one bizarre instance, an episode of The Simpsons was so impactful that it changed the course of legislation in Queensland, Australia. Remember the classic Simpsons episode, “Whacking Day?” It’s the episode where Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith) attempts to put a stop to a cruel holiday called “Whacking Day,” which involves Springfield townspeople gathering together to kill innocent snakes. Lisa seeks to save the snakes from being clubbed, and she even gets help from singer Barry White. The episode proved so inspirational and exemplifies that often, the truth is stranger than fiction… or The Simpsons. It’s time to unpack how the “Whacking Day” episode altered the course of history in Australia.
‘Whacking Day’ Was Inspired by Real-Life Whacking Days
The “Whacking Day” plot involves an annual holiday in Springfield appropriately called Whacking Day, where the townspeople chase the snakes into the town square and everyone clubs and kills as many as they can. The fictional holiday was inspired by some real-life historical Whacking Days. Uproxx reports that historical records indicate that real-life whacking days took place in Eastchester, New York, going as far back as 1665, where people would target rattlesnakes.
Sweetwater, Texas, has a similar holiday called the Rattlesnake Roundup, which started in 1958. The three-day event is held in March and involves gathering and killing rattlesnakes at the town coliseum. The snakes are shown to the crowd, milked of venom, killed, skinned, and fried. Per Green Source Texas, although the holiday has received opposition from wildlife and conservation groups, it continues to this day. Also, the rounding up of snakes, including the use of gas to flush snakes out of their natural habitats to gather them, has gone unregulated. In short, The Simpsons episode uses real-life instances of similar holidays as a means of satire, and the show takes a clear pro-wildlife stance on the issue.
‘Whacking Day’ Inspired Toad Day Out in Queensland, Australia
Years after the episode originally aired, “Whacking Day” would later inspire the people of Queensland, Australia to start the annual event called Toad Day Out. The gathering has Queenslanders coming together to humanely destroy Cane Toads because they are an invasive species that’s not native to Australia. The event was created in 2009 by Queensland state MP for Dalrymple, Shane Knuth, and according to The Sydney Morning Herald, it was directly inspired by the classic Simpsons episode. Toad Day Out seeks to halt the spread of the invasive toad species, which was estimated to be at about 200 million back in 2009. Scientists also believe that evolution enabled the spread of the species, likely making the effort futile.
Unlike “Whacking Day,” where Springfielders sought to brutally harm and club snakes to death, on Toad Day Out, the Cane Toads are bagged, gassed with CO2, and then frozen. According to Mr. Knuth, “it’s a very quick death.” Rather than beating and whacking the Cane Toads to death, the pests that are unnatural in the region are eradicated more humanely. According to a March 2009 article by The Guardian, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has applauded the holiday’s efforts, but only with the caveat that the Cane Toads are disposed of humanely, since Cane Toads are harmful to species and predators native to the region. The society’s Spokesman, Michael Beatty, said at the time, “We’re only supportive of the plan if the toads are killed humanely – in other words, they’re not hit with baseball bats or cricket bats and golf clubs.” In 2024, CNN reported that scientists had more recently focused on a more efficient method to eradicate Cane Toads by targeting the tadpoles that hatch from their clutches of eggs. Over fifteen years have passed since the start of Toad Day Out, and Cane Toads remain a serious environmental issue in Australia to this very day.
Toad Day Out Recalls Another Classic Episode of ‘The Simpsons’
Queenslanders holding a national holiday to exterminate an invasive species of toads recalls the ending of another classic episode of The Simpsons, where the family was forced to go to Australia. The Season 6 episode, “Bart vs. Australia,” featured Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright) causing an international incident by making some troublesome long-distance phone calls to Australia. Ultimately, the episode ends with the Simpsons evacuating Australia. However, Bart’s pet bullfrog, which he introduced to the region, has reproduced. The ending shows the frogs multiplying, wreaking havoc on Australia’s ecosystems, and eating the crops. It’s much like the problem with the invasive Cane Toad species, which began in the 1930s, when they were introduced to Queensland as a means to eat and control scarab beetles that were infesting sugar cane. The episode perfectly illustrates how The Simpsons uses real-life historical bases as exceptional social commentary for its hilarious storylines.
Leave it to The Simpsons to not only satirize real-life history but to influence history as well, as it has done for decades. It’s pretty wild, though, how “Whacking Day” inspired Queensland politicians to dedicate an entire annual holiday to killing off a species of animal, even though Cane Toads are invasive. The main takeaway from “Whacking Day” is that the Cane Toads should be eliminated “humanely” rather than getting whacked to death with clubs. The episode satirizes the absurdity of a holiday dedicated to the extermination of a generally harmless species of animal that does not hurt anybody. Lisa, as an animal rights proponent and activist, would probably not support an event such as Toad Day Out, even if Cane Toads are considered harmful to Australia’s natural environment. However, the instance of “Whacking Day” inspiring Queensland’s Toad Day Out demonstrates that yet again, as Dougie (Trey Parker) on South Park would say, “Simpsons did it!”
Classic episodes of The Simpsons, such as “Whacking Day” and “Bart vs. Australia,” are available to stream now on Disney+ in the U.S.
The Simpsons
- Release Date
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December 17, 1989
- Network
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FOX
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Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)
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Julie Kavner
Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
