Despite having promised themselves to clean up after returning home, two Child Protective Services agents arrive at their house at the worst possible time, finding it under the negligent and incompetent care of Abe Simpson.
They take Bart, Lisa, and Maggie to a foster home, which turns out to be their four next-door neighbors Ned, Maude, Rod, and Todd Flanders.
Bart and Lisa hate living with the Flanders due to all activities being strictly religious, being served bland food, and having to go to bed at only 7 o'clock.
"Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" was the first episode to be made after Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein became show runners of The Simpsons.
Story retreats were held twice a year at a hotel room close to the studio lot, where all the writers gathered to pitch their ideas.
[4] Oakley and Weinstein selected former full-time staff writer Jon Vitti to write the episode, wanting a "heavy hitter", since it was going to start the seventh production season.
Oakley said that this was a mistake because he and Weinstein thought that Springfield was located in Swartzwelder County, incorrectly going off a montage in the season three episode "Dog of Death".
[3] The appearance of the female Child Protective Services agent is based on a high school teacher disliked by both Oakley and Weinstein.
[1] While riding in Flanders's car, Maggie spins her head around with a scary smile on her face to look at Bart and Lisa, as in the 1973 film The Exorcist.
[7] The episode was the fourth highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Melrose Place.
DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson enjoyed the episode, saying that "its best elements come from the amusing bizarreness of the Flanders home, but Homer and Marge’s classes are also fun.
[9] The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "one of the most disturbing episodes, as Bart and Lisa are dragged into the Flanders' sinister lifestyle."