Customer Reviews

The Simpsons - The Complete Sixth Season

5 star:		(263)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(46)

 

 

I work in a music store and had the package in my hands tonight. The case is made of cheap, *cheap* plastic, hinged at the bottom in a clamshell design, and held together with nothing more than tape, which means that shoplifting of the DVDs is going to be a major concern with retailers. The head is covered in a plastic slipcase that mimics the previous seasons' design on the side. The slipcase doesn't fit very well, and doesn't improve the look of the case at all.

There is NO second box inside. However-- here's the good news. There is a card inside the box with a phone number you can call to get a regular box for the discs-- this is probably where the "Green box" pictures have come from. The clamshell won't last very long-- the plastic isn't sturdy enough-- so I suspect many, *many* people will be taking advantage of this offer sooner or later.

Worst. Packaging. Ever. But at least we can send off for a real box. Hopefully they won't repeat this nonsense.

If it weren't for the episodes I'd be giving this a 1 star rating. But I can't bring myself to do that because this was one of the best years of the show IMO. But this plastic Homer head that falls apart once you touch it was a bad idea. And calling people anal retentive just because they want something sturdy that will protect their DVDs is really out of line.

Hey you Fox marketing "geniuses"... If you had limited this silly head design to a special collector's version and released the regular boxes to the masses in the first place, you could have saved yourselves (and us consumers - who pay your salaries, by the way) a lot of time, money and aggrivation. So drop the sarcastic attitude and just admit you made a mistake.

Save the gimmicky packages for action figures and sex toys.

Who could complain about The Simpsons sixth season finally being available on DVD? Me, a little bit. I must complain about the completely unnecessary packaging gimmick. Why do the fools marketing this stuff think that a holding-case in the shape of Homer's head is more likely to make me buy this DVD set over, say, a set with a case that conforms with all the previous seasons? I mean, really, why would I want to be able to put season six on the same shelf as the rest of my Simpsons DVD collections? I guess I'm just weird that way. Seriously, marketing geniuses, if I bought all the rest of the DVD sets, why wouldn't I buy this one too? And if I hadn't bought all the rest, do you really think a case shaped like Homer's head is going to make any difference? I guess it's my rant about what these marketing "creative" types refuse to believe: Familiarity is preferable to "New & Improved." Other than the case debacle though, the DVD set and all the extras are "Super Nintendo Chalmers."

Who cares about packaging?!? As a Simpsons's lover, I do not need my cases to match! I have tapes upon tapes of recorded VHS of old Simpson's I recorded with meticulous care deleting commercials long before the advent of mass produced TV series'. I do not care that the 6th season deviates in design from the previous 5. OR DO I? I received the new season today and instantly hated the new design. In short it is a piece of cr@p which might easily be marketed by the genius' at Wal-Mart or any given "dollar" store. The packaging is cheesy and plastic. The whole schmel falls apart when you open to enjoy the pleasure which is the Simpson's. I for one am extremely dissapointed and will take advantage of the package offered by Fox. They knew their product was a piece before selling to eager consumers! Shame on them (haha)!

We all know and love the season 6 episodes. I want to talk about how horrible the packaging is.

The whole big yellow monstrosity comes in a flimsy clear plastic sleeve. By the time mine arrived it was already splitting slightly at the seams. The head itself opens like a bigmac container and feels incredibly flimsy.

Here's the good news...sort of

You can order a replacement case from Fox. You have to pay 3 dollar shipping, for something you should have gotten originally, but the big yellow head packaging is so horrible it's worth it.

I give the actual show content 5 stars, and the packaging 1 star, for an average of 3.

As soon as I get the DVD, I place it up on my video shelf, and a few seconds later I hear a thud from the other room. The crappy DVD case fell off the shelf as it couldn't stay up and the case fell, one of the CDs fell out of their jewel case and got scratched a bit- GREAT JOB FOX!!!

But onto what is actually relevant...the episodes from this season are some of the best ever...this is about three years before the show stopped being funny or even remotely amusing (in my honest opinion), and the episodes from this season are great- "Bart of Darkness" is amusing in it's parody of 'Rear Window', "Itchy and Scratchy Land"' s biting commentary on amusement parks, the gang from Archie kicking Homer out of their gang in one of the funniest scenes in the series' history ("Sideshow Bob Roberts"), one of the best parodies in Simpsons Holloween history ('The Shining') ("Treehouse of Horror V")...I could go on and on, but that's just for Disc One!

In closing, the absolutely PITIFUL packaging is FAR, FAR outweighed by the incredible episodes...I will be paying a call to the toll free number to PAY for packaging that I should have begun with...oh well...BUY THIS DVD, and prepare to shell out more money for decent packaging, or do what I'm doing right now and put them in empty jewel cases...

The Complete Sixth Season of The Simpsons ran from September 1994 through until May 1995 and is another classic collection of episodes in the much-loved 'Golden Era' of the show. This era, I would guess, is from around 1992 until 1998 where The Simpsons fast became the most important show on television. The sheer wit and social satire in this season is incredible. The writers are perhaps the most talented on this show over any other in America, which is saying a lot for an animated show. Anyway the superlatives keep on coming for The Simpsons and, even though the show has lost a lot of its sheen that made it so groundbreaking in the Nineties, it's still held as a national treasure. Season Six is superb, but I'd say just slightly less superb than Season Five which is probably my favourite.

The season opens with the brilliant "Bart Of Darkness," in which Homer installs a pool in the back yard during a heat wave. Bart breaks his leg trying to dive into it, and has to spend the summer indoors. He witnesses Flanders burying something in the back yard and soon believes that he's killed his wife Maude. In "Lisa's Rival," a new student arrives at the school and is better at everything than Lisa. She soon turns to the dark side, however, and enlists Bart's help to destroy her. "Another Simpsons Clip Show" sees Marge inspired by a book to teach her children about romance, which leads to flash backs from all members of the family. In "Itchy And Scratchy Land," the Simpsons take a trip to Itchy And Scratchy Land, billed "the violentest place on earth." Robots soon malfunction and start attacking the family. "Sideshow Bob Roberts" sees Sideshow Bob call into a radio station to secure a release from prison. He runs for mayor and wins as head of the Republican party, then tries to build a freeway overpass over the Simpsons residence, until Lisa reveals how he won the election. "Treehouse Of Horror V" is brilliant and sees the family employed by Burns, Homer attempting to repair a toaster that leads him back into the past, and school children start mysteriously disappearing when the cafeteria turns to an unusual source for food.

In "Bart's Girlfriend," Bart begins a romance with Jessica Lovejoy, the mischievous daughter of the local minister. He is blamed for her theft of money from the church collection plate, leaving Lisa to clear his name. "Lisa On Ice" sees Lisa get an F in sport, a subject she doesn't care for, but is devastated about getting such a poor grade. She takes up ice hockey and is surprisingly good, until a match between her team and Bart's raises conflict. In "Homer Badman," Homer is accused of sexual harassment after peeling a sweet off Bart and Lisa's babysitter's bum. The town turns against him, but luckily a tape provided by Groundskeeper Willie proves Homer's innocence. "Grampa Vs. Sexual Inadequacy" sees Homer and his dad sell off a revitalising tonic to the townspeople after Homer and Marge's sex life hits the rocks. "Fear Of Flying" sees Marge enlist the aid of a therapist after the family discover she is afraid of flying. In "Homer The Great," Homer becomes the leader of a Masonic cult known as The Stonecutters. However, the group soon become bored of Homer and ban him from their activities. "And Maggie Makes Three" sees Homer explain, in flashback, the reason why there are no photos of Maggie in the family album. In "Bart's Comet," Bart discovers a comet while on early morning detention with Principle Skinner which is on a collision course with earth.

In "Homie The Clown," Krusty opens up a clown college to get more money after advice from his accountant. Homer makes a poor clown but looks remarkably like Krusty, leading to his capture by mobsters who have loaned money to Krusty. "Bart Vs. Australia" sees Bart run up a $900 phone bill to Australia. He is then forced to go to Australia and apologize in public and receive a boot up the butt. Instead he moons the Prime Minister and makes matters a lot worse. In "Homer Vs. Patty And Selma," Homer borrows money from Marge's sisters in a bid to keep his debt problems a secret from her. They soon have him performing humiliating tasks until he find a way to get them to forgive the loan. "A Star Is Burns" sees a film festival come to Springfield. Entries come from Mr. Burns who produces an ego-driven propaganda piece, Hans Moleman getting hit in the groin by a football and a touching piece by Barney. "Lisa's Wedding" sees the Simpson family visit a local fortune teller, who describes Lisa's wedding in the future. She winds up engaged to a British man who can't accept Lisa's family, leaving the present-day Lisa to invest more faith into her family. In "Two Dozen And One Greyhounds," the Simpson dog impregnates another greyhound, leaving the family with a litter of 25 puppies. Mr. Burns steals them for his own evil plans, leaving Bart and Lisa to get them back.

"The PTA Disbands!" sees the teachers go on strikes when Skinner implements new budget cutbacks on the school. Lisa and even Bart start to miss school, leaving local parents to step in and teach classes. In the end the teachers return after Skinner allows local convicts to share school space. "'Round Springfield" sees Bart get ill from a box of cereal. Lisa visits him in hospital and discovers Bleeding Gums Murphy, her beloved jazz singer. In "The Springfield Connection," Marge gets a job as a police officer after a thrilling confrontation with a street hustler who takes $20 from Homer. Life as a cop isn't much fun, though, and she is forced to arrest Homer. "Lemon Of Troy" sees the children of Springfield come into conflict with the kids of Shelbyville who steal a lemon tree. Homer helps the kids get the tree back after many high-edge thrilling moments. The final episode of the season is the genius "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" which is arguably the most notorious episode in The Simpsons history. The fact that this show produced a cliffhanger - for a cartoon! - was genius and groundbreaking, not least of all because the dialogue and story is so complex and perfectly executed.

Many people have complained about the packaging of this season because the plastic is shoddy and cheap. I can't really comment because I bought the re-released version that is in the box of the same size and shape as the previous five seasons. They did release the limited edition Homer Head one in the UK, but brought out the one with the normal box a few weeks later - I assume it's the box that Americans can send off for by filling out the order form on the website. The episode guide booklet is also much better than the previous five, much thicker and more detailed. I also like the police theme that dominates the whole box set, obviously based around the Who Shot Mr. Burns? episode. All in all another great addition to any Simpsons fan's collection.

Everything has already been said about this season and box set. I am calling the 1-800 number. Shame that we all have to shell out more dough for what we should have gotten to begin with. I have noticed that some folks have speculated that this packaging issue will be fixed with 7th season. Sorry to bear bad news, but seasons 6 thru 10 will all be these horrible heads. Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa & Bart will each get a shot at annoying folks. I can only imagine how Marge, Maggie & Lisa will teater on the shelf (Bart's hear may actually stay in place). I saw a picture online last week for the packaging of the next 5 sets. I was so dismayed. I guess that I will be calling that number, at the release of each set. Kudos to Groening & company. D'OH!!! to the boneheads at Fox. --- P.S. This packaging fiasco should make for humorous commentaries on the future box sets.

The episodes are great (some of the best), no argument.
It is hands down the worst packaging out of any of my box sets and I have about 25 box sets. You'd figure the packaging would get better as the seasons go? To make it even worse they give you an offer to send in $3.00 for a good package. I have no idea what these people are/were thinking when dealing with this packaging. Yes you'll have to send in $3.00 for a quality box, but once it's done you'll have one of the best box sets to date. I hope they learn their lesson for season 7.

Sorry for all those that are finding this annoying, but there is a very real reason people are having such problems with the atrocious packaging provided by the rocket scientists at the Fox marketing department.

I, like anyone in pretty much any country in the world, can watch Simpsons Season 6 on TV ad naseum. I can tape them, Tivo them, DVR them, watch them over and over till my eyeballs fall out. So why in the name of all that is holy would anyone buy free TV shows for 40 bucks a pop on DVD? The answer is pretty simple beyond the people who like the commentaries...and that is TO COLLECT THEM. That is why I buy my favorite show, as a collection, that I can put on my big beautiful DVD racks with my other 1000 DVDs, and look at how special and wonderful they are and revel in all the boxes that are of a similar height and stature and fit in that rack with some measure of consistency.

Now, some sub-intellectual nimrod from Fox's DVD marketing department got a great idea while other people in other departments were doing real work one day. That was to put the DVDs in the next 5 seasons in cute little plastic heads instead of standard DVD boxes for box sets. Im sure as the Mensa candidates were having their double lattes that morning this sounded like a wonderful idea to ensure years of pointless expenditures on the most useless of all corporate departments...Marketing.

So, here are the real problems with this non-functional design they came up with.

1) Doesn't stand up (unlike the misleading pic you see above), due to the fact the plastic lip leads all the way around the box.

2) Cheap see through plastic. Yeah, they sure spent all of Rupert's extra busks on that one.

3) Non standard size. I need to stack my DVDs in my rack to get them to fit, this oversized box with an irregular size disallows that.

4) DVD are not sealed in the box. When you open this piece of garbage, the whole DVD set falls right out. Not even enough for some stick-um on this one huh Fox?

5) Opens from top to bottom, not left to right, like every other box in the world.

So, people have a right to complain. These are for peoples collections and they have a right to assume and expect similar and useful packaging for all the seasons of a set of shows. Period. People are not whining, but rightfully expressing derision for pure marketing stupidity on the behalf of Fox.

And asking someone to send in 3 bucks and wait 4-6 weeks to get a replacement is not an acceptable solution. The acceptable soultion is, if you want to sell this stuff to people, to provide both boxes in retail so one can choose which one he wants.