When Homer Simpson Loses His Pork Rinds
One of the joys of running Hairy Bar Snacks is discovering just how often pork snacks crop up in popular culture. Whether it is vintage advertising, television memorabilia or something especially peculiar found in the depths of the internet, we are always on the lookout for unusual collectables featuring crispy pig skin.
So, when we spotted this 1990 Topps Simpsons trading card on eBay, it was impossible to resist.
After all, anything combining Homer Simpson and pork rinds deserves a place in the Hairy Bar Snacks collection.
“Bart! Did You Eat All the Pork Rinds?”
The card shows Homer confronting Bart over a matter of enormous importance:
“Bart! Did you eat all the pork rinds?”
It is classic Homer. Never mind work, money or the latest disaster unfolding in Springfield: somebody has apparently polished off the pork rinds, and answers are required.
For British snack fans, the wording also raises an important culinary question. Are American pork rinds simply another name for pork scratchings?
Not quite. Although the terms are often treated as interchangeable, American-style pork rinds tend to be lighter and puffier than traditional British scratchings. Our guide to what Americans call pork scratchings explains the differences without requiring a degree in pig-based snackology.
You can also read our full comparison of pork scratchings, pork crackling and pork crunch. Pork crunch is generally the closest British equivalent to the light, airy snack Americans commonly call pork rinds.
An Early Piece of Simpsons Memorabilia
This card comes from the original 1990 Topps Simpsons trading card series, released while America’s favourite yellow family was beginning its transformation into a worldwide television phenomenon.
The Simpsons first appeared as animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show before receiving its own television series in December 1989. The Topps cards therefore capture Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie right at the beginning of their remarkably long stay in popular culture.
The original collection contained 88 trading cards and 22 stickers. The cards featured characters, scenes, jokes and quotations from the programme’s early years, all packaged with the sort of brightly coloured artwork that practically shouts “1990” from across the room.
Topps, Trading Cards and Bubble Gum
Topps is one of the best-known names in trading cards. Although particularly famous for its sports cards, the company has also produced collectables based on films, television programmes, musicians and other bits of popular culture.
Original packs of Simpsons cards also included a stick of bubble gum, which explains why these are sometimes described as Topps trading bubble gum cards.
The card has aged rather well. The gum, one suspects, is now better suited to building repairs than chewing.
Homer Simpson’s Fondness for Pork Rinds
Pork rinds were not merely chosen at random for the card. They became one of Homer’s recurring snacks during the early years of The Simpsons.
In the first-season episode Moaning Lisa, Homer can be seen eating “Pork Rinds Light” while watching television. Pork rinds appear again elsewhere in the series and are also identified in early Simpsons memorabilia as one of his favourite snack foods.
This puts them in illustrious company alongside doughnuts, Krusty Burgers, pork chops, waffles and almost anything else that can be eaten from the sofa.
For a character whose approach to fine dining can often be summarised as “eat it before somebody else does”, a large bag of pork rinds feels entirely appropriate.
Finding the Card on eBay
Like many items in our collection, this card was discovered on eBay’s Simpsons trading card listings.
eBay can be an excellent hunting ground for Simpsons memorabilia, with individual cards, complete sets, stickers, unopened packets and assorted Springfield oddities regularly appearing for sale.
Prices and availability naturally vary, particularly according to a card’s condition and whether it is being sold individually or as part of a complete collection. We bought this one because of its pork rind connection rather than any dreams of retiring on the proceeds.
That is part of the pleasure of collecting these objects. They do not need to be extremely rare or valuable. Sometimes a small, inexpensive item earns its place simply because it is funny, nostalgic and perfectly suited to the collection.
Why This Card Belongs at Hairy Bar Snacks
This tiny piece of cardboard brings together several things we enjoy:
- classic Simpsons humour;
- nostalgic trading card artwork;
- an unnecessary dispute over a bag of snacks;
- and, most importantly, crispy pork skin.
It is further evidence that the history of pork scratchings is not confined to pubs, butchers and snack factories. Pork scratchings, crackling and pork rinds have also found their way into television, advertising and popular culture.
You can find more Springfield-related discoveries in our Simpsons collectables and articles, or explore the wider pork rinds section of Hairy Bar Snacks.
If you spot pork scratchings, pork crackling or pork rinds appearing in a film, television programme, advert or unusual collectable, let us know. We are always ready to investigate important cultural matters involving fried pig skin.
Just make sure Bart has not eaten the evidence first.
