Episode 2F18
Written by Mike Scully
Directed by Bob Anderson
Also starring: Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker

Premise: Santa's Little Helper is restless, but when he meets a female greyhound, She's The Fastest, he falls in love. Before long, the Simpsons have twenty-five puppies to contend with - until Mr Burns sees a good opportunity to increase his winter wardrobe.

Features: Mr Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Chief Wiggum, Eddie, the van Houtens, Grampa, Jasper, Rev. Lovejoy.

Couch: The sofa and living room vanish into the distance, chased by the family.

Trivia:

• Brockman presents a cookery show called Kent's Kitchen.
• The puppies whose names we see are Rover, Rover II, Fido, Fido II, Rex, Rex II, Spot, Cleo, Dave, Dave II, Jay, Jay H, Paul, Paul II, Branford, Branford II, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, Grumpy II, Donner, Blitzen, King, Queenie, Prince and the Puppy Formerly Known as Prince.
• Mr Burns calls one of the puppies Monty.

Homage: One Hundred and One Dalmations provides the title and some of the iconography - 'He wants to be one of the Models Inc!' says Bart as the pups watch TV. Star Trek (the pet shop clerk's Vulcan mind-meld with Santa's Little Helper). The two dogs get free food from Luigi's restaurant, and their spaghetti-sucking antics are a lift from Disney's Lady and the Tramp (1955).

Song: Mr Burns puts on a rollicking musical number celebrating his capture of the puppies.

Notes: A great one for animal lovers, with Santa's Little Helper getting some good moments - as does Snowball II when he gets jealous about the puppies. We would have loved to see a Simpsons character as Cruella De Ville, though.