Toppa Top 10: The Simpsons’ Best Caribbean References

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +1 +2
September 11, 2014


+1 “Raggamuffin”
burns-lisa

As the scene, from the episode “The Old Man and the Lisa,” goes:

Lisa: “What about recycling, Mr. Burns?”
Mr. Burns: “Re-cy-cling…”
[Mr Burns scans mental dictionary for recycling but comes up blank, the closest word is Ragamuffin.]
Mr. Burns: “Shut up you adorable little raggamuffin”

While the etymology of the word raggamuffin originated in England (where it meant “typically one dressing in ragged clothes”) at some point the term was claimed by Jamaica, its negative connotations covered over by a Jamaican sense of pride. In Flatbush, Brooklyn, Ragga Muffin was the neighborhood spot to cop Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, and Timberland,. Naturally the signage was red, gold, and green symbolizing its connection to the Caribbean.