"Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 20, 1990. In the episode, which is a satire of censorship issues, Maggie bullies Homer by attacking him with a mallet and Marge blames The Itchy & Scratchy Show for Maggie's actions. It was written by John Swartzwelder and was the first episode to be directed by Jim Reardon. Alex Rocco makes his first of three guest appearances as Roger Meyers, Jr. Plot As Homer clumsily attempts to build a spice rack for Marge, Maggie suddenly knocks him out by hitting him on the head with a mallet. Puzzled why Maggie would attack Homer, Marge notices that she imitates the violence depicted on The Itchy & Scratchy Show. She blames the show's producers for inspiring senseless violence and forbids Bart and Lisa to watch it; Bart and Lisa continue watching the show at their friends' homes. Marge writes a letter asking the cartoon studio to tone down the show's violence, but chairman Roger Meyers, Jr. writes a dismissive reply, goading Marge into forming a protest group. Marge organizes Springfieldians for Nonviolence, Understanding, and Helping (SNUH), and forces her family to picket outside the studio. SNUH gains momentum and residents boycott The Krusty the Clown Show, which airs Itchy & Scratchy cartoons. After Marge appears on the panel discussion show Smartline, concerned parents send thousands of angry letters to Meyers. He agrees to eliminate violence from Itchy & Scratchy and solicits story ideas from Marge. The children dislike the rather schmaltzy format change and abandon the cartoons to play outside instead. Some time later, a traveling exhibition of Michelangelo's sculpture David schedules a stop in Springfield. Other SNUH members urge Marge to protest the exhibition due to its nudity, but Marge, an artist herself, considers David a masterpiece. During another Smartline appearance, Marge concedes it is hypocritical to censor Itchy & Scratchy and not David, realizing that her protests have done more harm than good. Now free of public negativity, Itchy & Scratchy quickly returns to its old format after SNUH disbands, prompting the town's children to stop going outside and resume watching the show. While Marge and Homer view David at an art museum, Marge laments that the children would rather watch violent cartoons than see