Bart Sells His Soul

"Bart Sells His Soul"
The Simpsons episode
Promotional artwork for "Bart Sells His Soul"
Episode no.	132
Directed by	Wes Archer
Written by	Greg Daniels
Showrunner(s)	Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein
Production code	3F02
Original air date	October 8, 1995
Chalkboard gag	"I am not a lean, mean, spitting machine"
Couch gag	The Simpsons drive to the couch in motorized clown carts
Commentary	Matt Groening Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Greg Daniels Wes Archer David Silverman
Season 7 episodes September 17, 1995 – May 19, 1996 "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" "Radioactive Man" "Home Sweet Homediddly- Dum-Doodily" "Bart Sells His Soul" "Lisa the Vegetarian" "Treehouse of Horror VI" "King-Size Homer" "Mother Simpson" "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" "Marge Be Not Proud" "Team Homer" "Two Bad Neighbors" "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" "Bart the Fink" "Lisa the Iconoclast" "Homer the Smithers" "The Day the Violence Died" "A Fish Called Selma" "Bart on the Road" "22 Short Films About Springfield" "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"" "Much Apu About Nothing" "Homerpalooza" "Summer of 4 Ft. 2"
Seasons
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"Bart Sells His Soul" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' seventh season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 8, 1995. In the episode, while being punished for playing a prank at church, Bart declares that there is no such thing as a soul and to prove it he sells his to Milhouse for $5 in the form of a piece of paper with "Bart Simpson's soul" written on it. Lisa warns that Bart will regret this decision, and Bart soon experiences strange changes in his life. Thinking he has really lost his soul, he becomes desperate to get it back. Lisa eventually obtains it and returns it to a relieved Bart.

"Bart Sells His Soul" was written by Greg Daniels, who was inspired by an experience from his youth where he had purchased a bully's soul. Director Wesley Archer and his team of animators visited Chili's for examples to use in Moe's family restaurant. The episode includes cultural references to the song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", by Iron Butterfly, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and a parody of the book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., by Judy Blume.

Writers from the fields of religion, philosophy, popular culture, and psychology cited the episode in books discussing The Simpsons and the show's approach to the nature of the soul. The episode was positively received by the media, and is regarded as one of the series' best. The creative team of The Simpsons puts the episode among the top five best episodes of the series, and series creator Matt Groening cited "Bart Sells His Soul" as one of his favorite episodes. It has been used by secondary schools in religious education courses as a teaching tool.