The Mansion Family

Britney Spears as herself

"The Mansion Family" is the twelfth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 23, 2000, and was watched in around 11.3 million homes during the broadcast. In the episode, Mr. Burns goes to the Mayo Clinic for a check-up after being declared the oldest man in Springfield at an awards ceremony. He leaves the Simpson family to house-sit his mansion for him. When Homer throws a party on Burns' private yacht in international waters, the party goers are captured by Chinese pirates.

American pop singer Britney Spears guest starred in "The Mansion Family" as herself. She appears as the host of the awards ceremony. The episode, which was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Michael Polcino, features several cultural references. Many parts of the story were inspired by real-life events experienced by some of the staff members of the series. Since airing, the episode has received generally mixed reviews from critics. It was released on the DVD collection The Simpsons Gone Wild in 2004, and The Simpsons – The Complete Eleventh Season in 2008.

At the annual Springfield Pride Awards hosted by Kent Brockman and Britney Spears, awards are given to prominent Springfield citizens for their achievements. They present the award for the oldest man in Springfield to Cornelius Chapman, who is 108 years old. Chapman comes up to accept his award, but when Spears gives him a congratulatory kiss on the cheek, he dies of a heart attack. The award is therefore given to the now oldest Springfieldian in the crowd, Mr. Burns. After Burns wins, he realizes he is not a young man anymore, so he and his assistant Smithers go to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for a check-up. Burns decides to give the Simpson family an opportunity to house sit his private mansion while he is being tested for various diseases.