The book was highly successful, selling over 203,000 copies, making it the best selling book in the Open Court Publishing's Popular Culture and Philosophy series. The book was also critically successful, highlighting the philosophical themes that the book was able to make with "The Simpsons", such as "Booklist", who wrote, "[...]these pieces make erudite concepts accessible by viewing things through the lens of a great cartoon series," or "Publishers Weekly" who wrote, "Fans of The Simpsons are certain to find this book to be the perfect rebuttal for those who dismiss the show as a no-brainer."