To date Michael Jackson is the only celebrity who has appeared in the series with his name unaltered. In his entrance on page 4 he is wearing the outfit from the Bad music video, though his pose (and especially where he's got his hand at) is more at Black or White. A bit further down the page he mentions Bubbles, the famous chimp who was The King of Pop's pet and frequent traveling companion. (It is rumored that there were several Bubbleses.) On page eight he rattles off a number of his successful albums: Bad, Black or White, In the Closet, Remember the Time, and a few others. Finally, the famous incident where Jackson's hair was set on fire by a malfunctioning prop while shooting a Coca-Cola commercial in 1984 is parodied/referenced on page 9. (A line originally scripted, but cut, had Josh saying his catch phrase "Great fagots afire!"--punning on both faggot, a derogatory slang term for gays--a reference to rumors about being homosexual that have dogged the singer for some twenty years--and fagot, a bundle of sticks for burning.)

Josh's comment in the middle of page 8 refers to the hoary (and thankfully untrue) old myth that excessive masturbation causes hair growth on the palms of one's hands.

page 10. The musical number Jon and Ben perform is one made famous by Hee Haw in its "Pfft! You Were Gone" sketch. The setup was deliberately simple: two fellows in overalls (Gordie Tapp and Glenn Campbell, usually, although sometimes a guest star or another show regular) would stand, one facing the audience and holding a pitchfork, the other facing away, before a fence. The one looking at the crowd would sing a verse, then nudge his partner, who turned about and joined him on the refrain:
          "Where, oh, where, are you tonight?
          Why did you leave me here all alone?
          I searched the world over and thought I found true love;
          You met another and...."
     The bit ended with one doing a loud raspberry into the other's face--phfft!--on the final verse, and then concluding "...you were gone". Ben, however, performs his own unique (and disgusting) variation on the last part.
     The song is credited in the official show liner notes to one Susan Heather. It was likely originally intended to be a love ballad, or perhaps even a gospel song, though the tune and style were freely adapted by Misters Campbell and Tapp.

Look carefully: One of the pictures on the wall is the kitten print seen in both "Misadventures in Baby-Sitting" and "Inferior Decorators" (page 12).

The "Thyme" Magazine (a parody of Time Ben reads on page 13 has former President Richard Nixon on the cover--a dig at the old convention that the magazines in doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms are frequently old and out-of-date--and next to it the caption "Dick Head".

Among the patients in Houser's waiting room are a capuchin monkey (page 12) and a chicken (page 16).

It's revealed that Brandy has been fixed and, therefore, cannot have puppies (page 15).

page 16. Will and Dewitt is a cartoon that airs at 7 AM Saturdays on the CW. It's about the adventures of a wildly imaginative six-year-old boy named Will and his make-believe friends: a morphing green frog named Dewitt, a talking turtle, a nervous yellow racoon, a trio of singing coy fish, and a band of Rat Pack-style frogs. The program carries an E/I rating bug, indicating it is geared towards teaching very young children. With its fast-paced kinetic movement, psychedelic color pallet, and catchy tunes, the show is a favorite of both preschoolers and stoners.

____________________________________________________

Title: "Gross-ery Shopping"

(Please Note: As the title panels are done in the style of the title cards used by Columbia for the Three Stooges films, no writers or artists are credited for this issue, only the actors.)

Story (out of 24 pages): 8 p.

Writer: J. M. Sweet and Jack Staten Monahew

Penciller: Scott J. Hanna

Letterer: J. Antwon Shea

Colorist: Theo A. "Jet" Swann

Summary:

The Trio's final stop is the supermarket, where they have to pick up some groceries. But between Ben's relentless sampling of products and a precariously-stacked display of tin cans, it isn't hard to see where this story is going....

Notes:

The hapless stockboy (credited as Nate Stockman in the title card) has previously been seen as a movie house usher in "Little Romeoh-no" and a pizza boy in "Whacky Dracky".

page 17. The store's name is "Apal-Mart", a portmanteau of "Apex Corp." and "Wal-Mart". The first half is pronounced similarly to the word "appall".

Among the products carried at this store are "Bee-O's" (a parody of Cheerios, with a cartoon bee on the box), "Ice Wipe" beer, "Cleveland Steamers", and "Alabama Hot Pockets".

page 20. Cinammon Toast Crunch (here called "Crunchie Toast") is a breakfast cereal made by General Mills, with pieces shaped and made to taste like sweetened toast. Originally there were three bakers--their names were Wendell, Quello, and Bob--as mascots, though the latter two eventually were dropped, with no explanation. The cutaway makes reference to, and slightly paraphrases, the famous line "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" in Dirty Dancing.

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