| "When Flanders Failed" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Jim Reardon |
| Written by | Jon Vitti |
| Production code | 7F23 |
| Original air date | October 3, 1991 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "Nobody likes sunburn slappers" |
| Couch gag | The Simpsons run into the living room, do a 'Walk Like an Egyptian' shuffle, and finish with a 'ta-da' pose on the couch. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Al Jean Mike Reiss Jon Vitti Jim Reardon |
"When Flanders Failed" is the second episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 3, 1991. In the episode, Homer makes a wish for Ned Flanders' new left-handed store to go out of business. The wish comes true and soon the Flanders family is in financial trouble. When he discovers that Ned's house is about to be repossessed, Homer feels guilty. He helps the store flourish by telling all of Springfield's left-handed residents to patronize it. Meanwhile, Bart takes karate lessons but quits after it does not turn out to be as interesting as he had hoped.
The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Jim Reardon. It had an unusual amount of animation glitches because the animation studio was training a new group of animators. The episode references It's a Wonderful Life. The title is a reference to the poem "In Flanders Fields".
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 13.9, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.