Ep. 2 Extras - Bartman: Into the Miyagiverse
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A 1987 VHS Clamshell of The Karate Kid (1984).
In episode 2 of Springfield Googolplex (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify), Nate introduces Adam to The Karate Kid (1984), one of his favorite childhood movies.
Read on to see every reference to The Karate Kid on The Simpsons, plus some movies to check out if you liked this one, and links to further reading and viewing.
Every Simpsons Reference to ‘The Karate Kid’ (1984)
Homer bets Flanders that Bart can beat Todd in a mini golf tournament.
Mr. Miyagi bets Sensei Kreese that Daniel can beat Johnny in a karate tournament.
Dead Putting Society (S2E6): The plot of this entire episode borrows heavily from The Karate Kid. Much like in the movie, two adults strike a wager on a childen’s sports tournament, but whereas Mr. Miyagi’s deal with Sensei Kreese is to fend off Daniel’s bullies, Homer’s bet with Flanders is mostly about petty jealousy.
“What’s the sound of one hand clapping?”
“Wax on, wax off.”
Dead Putting Society (S2E6): Much like Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel karate reflexes using household chores, Lisa draws on some ancient Buddhist wisdom to help Bart tap into his intuitive mini-golf skills: “What’s the sound of one hand clapping?” (Given his answer, Bart is either an idiot or a genius.)
Bart practices his crane technique on a garbage can in the front yard.
Daniel practices his crane technique on a stump on the beach.
Dead Putting Society (S2E6): Leading up to the day of the tournament, we are treated to a classic John G. Avildsen-style training montage, in the spirit of Rocky (1976), The Karate Kid, Lean on Me (1989), and countless imitators. It culminates in Bart striking the famous “crane technique” pose on top of a garbage can.
"Mercy is for the weak, Todd!"
“We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition: A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy.”
Dead Putting Society (S2E6): As homer gets under Flanders’ skin In this episode, we get a preview of his eventual breakdown in “Hurricane Neddy” (S8E8). In the heat of the tournament, Flanders even channels the villainous Sensei Kreese by yelling, “Mercy is for the weak, Todd!”
“Come on, Karate Kid. Waste me.”
"How about you, hero? Had enough?"
When Flanders Failed (S3E3): When Lisa tells the school bullies that Bart will beat them up with the help of his martial arts classes (which he has been secretly skipping), Kearny skeptically calls Bart “karate kid.”
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Extra Credit
Enjoyed this movie? Here are a few others we would recommend:
Rocky (1976): In many ways, Sylvester Stallone’s breakout film (also directed by John G. Avildsen) provides the template for The Karate Kid. The story of an underdog training hard to not only “go the distance” but overcome their personal challenges is one that still resonates through almost every sports movie today.
Karate Kid Part II (1986) & Part III (1989): If you want more of the friendship between Mr. Miyagi and Daniel, these two decent sequels will deliver. The continuity of direction by Avildsen and the fact they pick up one after the other make it feel more like a TV miniseries than other movie franchises of the same era.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002): While The Next Karate Kid (1994) and The Karate Kid (2010) tried to recapture the magic of the original, Bend It Like Beckham hits closer to the mark. While it follows a similar formula, it also keeps things fresh by changing up the sport, setting, gender, and family dynamics.
Cobra Kai (2018–): In a sea of reboots and revivals, Cobra Kai stands out for the balance it strikes between deep, deep cuts from the source material and surprisingly unvarnished takes on many of the original characters. Johnny grows up to become a nostalgic good-for-nothing, while Daniel becomes a pretentious jerk. The question is whether they can overcome their macho childhoods to keep growing as people. That said, something is definitely missing without Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi, including a meaningful connection to Japanese culture.
Plus, here’s some further reading and viewing we came across in our research:
Article: “Editor’s Table,” The Chautauquan, June 1883, Volume 3, Issue 9, p. 543. This is one of the first mentions in writing of the “tree falling in the woods” quandary featured in “Dead Putting Society” (according to Wikipedia). Ironically, it includes a pretty clear answer.
Ephemera: The Karate Kid VHS Clamshell (1987), VHS Collector, 2016. For our summary of the film, we turned to this questionable 1987 VHS clamshell. Did they actually watch the movie?
Visualization: “Rocky Morphology,” Fathom, December 2013. The Karate Kid borrows heavily from the "morphology” of the Rocky series, a pattern of fights, training, montages, and pre-fight pep talks. Based on the work of Vladimir Propp’s studies of Russian folklore, this visualization shows how these elements play out in every Rocky movie side by side.
Definition: "Koān," Encyclopedia Britannica, Apr. 24, 2017. Even before Lisa decided to become a Buddhist in “She of Little Faith” (S13E6), she often showed an affinity for Buddhist philosophy as “Dead Putting Society” (S2E6) demonstrates. When looking into the origin of “one hand clapping” in this episode, we came across this useful entry on Buddhist koāns.
Documentary: Derek Wayne Johnson, John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs, Aug. 1, 2017. While it sometimes feels embarrassingly congratulatory, King of the Underdogs does a great job of revealing Avildsen’s influences and process as a director. If you want to understand where the naturalism and emotional highs of The Karate Kid come from, start here.
Article: Alex Prewitt, “The Crane Kick is Bogus: A Karate Kid Oral History,” Sports Illustrated, May 1, 2018. This is a fun behind-the-scenes look at one of the most iconic moments in The Karate Kid. It’s always good to be reminded that movies with huge success and longtime cultural influence rarely feel like a sure thing in the moment.
Article: Ashley Amber, “Ashley Amber, “9 Ways ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Karate Kid’ Are Connected,” Collider, Feb. 13, 2022. Beyond just the plot similarities, The Karate Kid and Rocky have some more specific shared DNA, from music to an unmade crossover movie.
Wiki Entry: “Training Montage,” TV Tropes, 2022. Perhaps one of Avildsen’s biggest contributions to moviemaking is the popularization of the training montage. Just check out that list of imitators and parodies!
