Marge's line "All our children are smart. Some are just smarter than others" is a reference to "Animal Farm's" "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Marge giving Lisa the paper quoting "You are Lisa Simpson" is a reference to the season two episode, "Lisa's Substitute", where the character Mr. Bergstrom gave her a similar paper - which Lisa shows framed next to her bed. Lisa's black and white nightmare of her pushing Maggie down the stairs in a wheelchair is a reference to the 1962 film "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?".