Insane Clown Poppy

The episode features guest stars Jay Mohr as Christopher Walken, Stephen King as himself, Amy Tan as herself, John Updike as himself and Joe Mantegna as recurring character Fat Tony.

Krusty proves a distant and unemotional father, and on a trip to the beach, he sees Homer playing with the kids and asks him for advice on how to be a good parent.

That night, Krusty plays in a poker game with Fat Tony, where he is dealt four aces with a king kicker, but is forced to bet Sophie's violin after running out of money and betting his Rolex watch, and loses the hand to Fat Tony, who had a straight flush (2-3-4-5-6 of diamonds).

They attempt to sneak out with the cases, but they fall to the ground and a mob shootout erupts around them; Krusty finds the violin, and the two escape.

[1] Originally, Homer Simpson was the one who was surprised to have a long-lost daughter, but this was changed to Krusty as a suggestion from Mike Scully.

[2] During production Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge Simpson, went to Stephen King's radio station to record lines.

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a negative review saying "After two pretty good shows, Season 12 encounters mediocrity with “Poppy”.

He remarked that it and "A Tale of Two Springfields" (which premiered the same night in Australia) were "so surreal they would have Salvador Dalí scratching his head".

The names range from the sublime to the ridiculous, or to be exact, from Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike to actor Drew Barrymore.

"[8] Judge Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict said the best moment in "Insane Clown Poppy" was Fat Tony and the violin.

Updike exclaimed vigorously, "I can't claim to be a morbidly avid fan, but I'm basically well-disposed toward The Simpsons, and was flattered to be asked to be one of the many voices that they work into the endless saga of Springfield ...