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
Gone Maggie Gone "Margaritaville" and "Legend of the Seeker", respectively. It was also nominated for the Annie Award for "Best Writing in an Animated Television Production." Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham have been nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award in the Animation category in 2010 for writing the episode. "The Simpsons" was the only show to be nominated in the category, with the other nominated episodes being "The Burns and the Bees", "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe", "Take My Life, Please" and "Wedding for Disaster" (the winner). Gone Maggie Gone "Gone Maggie Gone" is the thirteenth episode of "The Simpsons"<nowiki>'</nowiki> twentieth season.