30 years ago, The Simpsons introduced a Planet of the Apes to a new generation of fans

At its peak, The Simpsons excelled at speaking to two audiences at once: adults who appreciated the whip-smart comedy on every level, and kids who enjoyed cartoons and emulated Bart Simpson. For a large chunk of the ’90s, I sat firmly in that second camp. I watched reruns religiously every day after school, but looking back, a lot of it flew right over my head. It took me years to understand why Homer laughed when Bart bought a “cool pencil holder” at the flea market, and my father had to explain why it was funny when a tidal wave of blood surged out of Mr. Burns’ elevator in “Treehouse of Horror V.” But there’s one Simpsons pop culture reference that I appreciated the first time I saw it, even if I didn’t really get the joke at the time: the Planet of the Apes musical.