play on the Detroit, Michigan, based hip hop group, the Insane Clown Posse, and Krusty's line "do you want to get down with the clown?" is a reference to an Insane Clown Posse lyric. Krusty's performance at the USO show is a parody of Bob Hope who is famously known for his USO Shows. Originally Moe was supposed to say "Anny Deskanko" in a reference to Ani DiFranco. As in some previous episodes, there is a song featuring NRBQ. Fat Tony's real name is Marion, as was actor John Wayne. In one scene, Krusty comes in with a problem and Homer asks Marge to play "devil's advocate". However, instead of taking up an argument, the next scene shows Homer playing a pinball game called "Devil's Advocate". Reception The episode has received negative reviews from critics. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a negative review saying "After two pretty good shows, Season 12 encounters mediocrity with “Poppy”. At no point does the program become poor, but it just lacks many real laughs. Outside of some amusing book fair cameos, this one fails to deliver much zing, and it tends to drag." Mark Naglazas of The West Australian called the episode "disappointing". He remarked that it and "A Tale of Two Springfields" (which premiered the same night in Australia) were "so surreal they would have Salvador Dalí scratching his head". However, he identified John Updike's guest appearance as an example of "sophisticated comedy". The Daily Telegraph said, "The episode gets lost in a quagmire of guest stars. The names range from the sublime to the ridiculous, or to be exact, from Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike to actor Drew Barrymore. The script seems designed only to fit in as many big names as possible. Oh for the days when it was the other way round and guest stars fitted in with the script." Judge Mac McEntire of DVD Verdict said the best moment in "Insane Clown Poppy" was Fat Tony and the violin. John Updike's reflection John Updike described the experience of appearing on The Simpsons to a crowd at the University of Cincinnati in 2001, and his reflections were recorded in the book Updike in Cincinnati. Updike exclaimed vigorously, "I can't claim to be a morbidly avid fan, but I'm basically well-disposed toward The Simpsons, and was flattered to be asked to be one of the many voices