Santa's Little Helper because there were animation problems with the others. Jean told the "Houston Chronicle" in 2001 that after the first episode was broadcast and "the next seven didn't have the dog, people wondered why." He also said in 2003 that the staff enjoyed the first episodes that centered on him, particularly "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which is the reason that more episodes about him were written. Writer John Swartzwelder has noted that the staff members of the show write the character Homer in the same way that they write Santa's Little Helper: "Both are loyal. Both have the same
Media in The Simpsons this mocks "how many children's programs have become little more than the ad to the merchandise". Gray also writes that "The Simpsons" "illustrates how the ad as genre has itself already invaded many, if not all, genres. Ads and marketing do not limit themselves to the space between programs; rather, they are themselves textual invaders, and part of "The Simpsons" parodic attack on ads involves revealing their hiding places in other texts." "The Itchy & Scratchy Show" is a show within a show that appears occasionally in episodes of "The Simpsons". They typically appear in the form of 15-60 second