Steamed Hams: how ‘The Simpsons’ accidentally created one of the internet’s most remixable jokes, 30 years later

On a day like today in 1996, The Simpsons aired one of the most iconic episodes of its seventh season: 22 Short Films About Springfield. The episode stands out for many reasons, but above all for its unconventional structure. Rather than telling a single story, it presents a collection of short vignettes—sometimes loosely connected—that shift the spotlight away from the yellow family we know so well and onto the broader cast of Springfield. The result is a sharp mix of original ideas and parody that still delivers laughs nearly three decades later.

What ultimately cements it as one of the most important episodes in the show’s history, however, is the sheer number of jokes that escaped the confines of television and evolved into memes that remain part of everyday internet culture. And no segment from the episode has had a greater or more lasting cultural impact than the one centered on Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers.

30 Years of Steamed Hams

The segment officially known as Skinner and the Superintendent, written by Bill Oakley, who worked as a writer on the show from 1992 to 1998 and served as co-showrunner between 1995 and 1997, brings together two of Springfield’s most serious characters in a scenario that functions as a perfect parody of the classic sitcom setup: the boss is invited over for dinner, but the meal is ruined... or in this situation, Skinner burns a roast and attempts to pass off Krusty Burgers as his own “steamed hams.” The twist lies in how Skinner continuously escalates his lies as everything goes wrong, turning what should have been an innocent dinner into a house fire—or rather, an Aurora Borealis localized entirely within Skinner’s kitchen.

While The Simpsons is full of moments that have transcended generations to become something close to a universal language, Steamed Hams boasts a distinction few other segments can claim. Its short runtime has made it endlessly remixable. Over the years, fans have mashed it up with video games like Metal Gear Solid and Ace Attorney, or mixed with songs like Take on Me, or Feel Good, Inc. There is even a particularly notable tribute in which the animation style changes every 13 seconds, resulting in something as bizarre as it is memorable—and further proof that the segment’s cultural impact is anything but isolated.

In an interview with Mel Magazine, Oakley reflected on the segment’s legacy: “I’m delighted that people actually did think the sketch was funny, because it took me approximately 20 years to find out that people liked it.”

As a lifelong Simpsons fan who grew up in an era when constant reruns made the series to live rent-free in my head—accessible purely through the power of imagination—Steamed Hams is more than just a reference to a single episode. It’s an inside joke. It’s shorthand for suggesting burgers when you go out with friends, something that, if you’re from Upstate New York, needs no explanation at all… unless, of course, you’re from Utica.

Follow MeriStation USA on X (formerly known as Twitter). Your video game and entertainment website for all the news, updates, and breaking news from the world of video games, movies, series, manga, and anime. Previews, reviews, interviews, trailers, gameplay, podcasts and more! Follow us now!