The Call of the Simpsons episode, along with his four other appearances on "The Simpsons", the best guest appearance in the show's history. "The Call of the Simpsons" received mixed reviews from critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book "I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide", both criticized and praised the episode saying: "This episode is a bit less than the sum of its parts. The early stuff at the RV Round-Up is much better than the main camping story, although there's some nice Marge-Lisa bonding, and who could resist Maggie and the bears?" In a
The Psychology of The Simpsons editors, the interviewer noted: "Get past the goofy cover, with its illustration of Homer’s beer- and TV-saturated brain, and you find analysis aimed at both TV viewers and students of psychology." The book also received positive mention in "The Times", where Andrew Billen wrote: "I can commend "D'Oh!: The Psychology of The Simpsons" and "Reading The Sopranos", since both shows are sturdy enough to support the intellectual studies." An article at "The Simpsons Archive" also wrote positively of the work: "The connection to the show and its events is solid and psychological points are illustrated using explanatory snippets from the