"Marge Be Not Proud" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. In the episode, Marge refuses to buy Bart the new video game Bonestorm, so he steals it from a local discount store. Bart is estranged from his mother after he gets caught, so he works to regain her love and trust. The episode was written by Mike Scully and directed by Steven Dean Moore. Scully got the inspiration for it from an experience in his childhood when he shoplifted. Lawrence Tierney guest-starred in the episode as Don Brodka. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 9.5, and was the fourth highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired. Plot Bart wants the new video game Bonestorm, but Marge refuses to buy it because it is too violent, expensive, and distracts children from their school work. Unable to rent it or play Milhouse's copy, Bart visits the local Try-N-Save discount store, where Jimbo Jones and Nelson Muntz convince him to steal a copy. Bart is caught by security guard Detective Don Brodka, who calls Homer and Marge, but leaves a message because they are not home. Detective Brodka orders him to leave the store and never come back. He threatens Bart by telling him he will face criminal charges and spend the holidays in juvenile hall if he returns to his store again. Bart rushes home and successfully intercepts the message by switching out the answering machine tape with Allan Sherman's "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." Unaware of Bart's crime, Marge takes the family to the same store to get their annual Christmas picture taken. Bart is spotted by Detective Brodka, who shows a disbelieving Marge and Homer the security footage of their son shoplifting. Bart tries to apologize to Marge, but she rebuffs him and sends him to bed. Concerned she may be mothering Bart too much, Marge decides he is old enough to make his own decisions and bans Bart from family activities as punishment for his misdemeanor, such as making snow statues and decorating the Christmas tree. Worried he has lost Marge's love, Bart convinces Milhouse's mother, Luann, to spend time with him. To regain his mother's love, Bart shops at Try-N-Save and