In its original American broadcast , " Brother , Can You Spare Two Dimes ? " finished 31st in the ratings for the week of August 24 – 30 , 1992 , with a Nielsen rating of 10.7 , equivalent to approximately 9.76 million viewing households . It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week following the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards . Since airing , the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics . The authors of the book '' I Ca n't Believe It 's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide '' were positive of the episode , particularly praising the scenes involving Homer 's fixation for vibrating chairs and Maggie speaking to the family through the baby translator . '' The Guardian '' 's David Eklid said episodes such as " Brother , Can You Spare Two Dimes ? " , " Lisa 's Pony " and " Stark Raving Dad " make season three " pretty much the best season of any television show , ever . " The episode 's reference to '' 2001 : A Space Odyssey '' was named the 27th greatest film reference in the history of the show by '' Total Film '' 's Nathan Ditum
44th Primetime Emmy Awards
44th Primetime Emmy Awards
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?