Do you know the NJ connection to this classic ‘Simpsons’ character?

Super fans of "The Simpsons" will remember the running joke in the early seasons where Bart pranks calls Moe the bartender, it gave us some of the classic moments of the show.

Hell, I still can’t hear the name Amanda without hearing Hank Azaria as Moe asking for “Amanda Hugginkiss.”

For anyone who needs a reminder, Bart would call Moe’s Tavern asking for a fake patron with a misleading name that would sound like a word or phrase making Moe sound foolish.

Moe: Hello, Moe's Tavern. Birthplace of the Rob Roy.

Bart: Is Seymour there? Last name: Butz.

Moe: Just a sec. Hey, is there a Butz here? Seymour Butz? Hey, everybody! I want a Seymour Butz!

— Episode “One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish

After realizing what was happening Moe would threaten Bart in increasingly creative and violent ways. For instance, he says he’d rip out Bart’s tongue and use it to paint his boat.

You may remember the scenes but did you know the joke has Jersey roots?

The prank calls are an homage to a series of prank calls that were made in the ‘70s to the since-closed Tube Bar in Jersey City by Jim Davidson and John Elmo to the proprietor Louis “Red” Deutch.

Red had a gruff voice just like Moe, and after catching on to Elmo and Davidson’s games, he would respond with threats such as:

"I'll break dem bones on you, on your feet, you'll never be able to walk for the rest of your life!"

He even offered them money to show up to the bar in person but for obvious reasons, they didn’t take him up on the offer.

Tapes of these calls were recorded and passed around, becoming known as the Tube Bar Tapes. They’re still available to hear on YouTube.

Some of the jokes used on The Simpsons were the same ones used on Red, like in season one’s episode “Some Enchanted Evening” where Bart asks Moe to look for an “Al Choholic” at the bar.

Creator Matt Groening has said that he’s a fan of the recorded pranks. Bart’s calls were also confirmed to be a parody of the Tube Bar calls by co-developer, Sam Simon, on The Howard Stern Show.

So next time you rewatch old Simpsons episodes, you can have a sense of Jersey pride as you hear Moe saying he wants “Jacques Strappe.”

Lord knows we have worse claims to fame.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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