Lisa's First Word performance as Maggie was praised by critics. She was named the 13th greatest guest spot in the history of the show by IGN. Taylor also appeared on AOL's list of their favorite 25 "Simpsons" guest stars. Todd Everett at "Variety" called the last scene in the episode, where Maggie speaks her first word, "quite a heart-melter". He added that "it is probably no surprise that the casting of Elizabeth Taylor as the voice for baby Maggie Simpson's first word was a publicity stunt [...] No mind, the episode in question delivered well-rounded view of series' multiple attractions." "Total Film"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Nathan
The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase guest stars appear in the episode; Phil Hartman as Troy McClure, Tim Conway as himself and Gailard Sartain as Big Daddy. McClure is used as a host of the episode, something he had previously done in the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular". Conway appears as himself. Conway, a comic veteran, is known for his work on "The Carol Burnett Show", which has a similar format to "The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour". Due to Lisa being substituted for an older teenager (voiced by Pamela Hayden) in the third segment, Yeardley Smith has only one line in the entire episode.