The Telltale Head
"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons first season. It was first shown on February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In this episode, Bart cuts the head off of the statue in the center of town to impress Jimbo Jones, Kearney Zzyzwicz, and Dolphin "Dolph" Starbeam, three children Bart likes. When the children tell Bart that they would "break every bone in the body of the person who cut the head off the statue" (not knowing Bart stole the head), Bart sees the mistake of his ways. After telling his family, Homer and Bart head to the center of town, where they are met by angry people of Springfield. After Bart tells the angry group of people he has made a mistake, the townspeople forgive Bart. The episode's title is a reference to the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.