Simpsons Mysteries - Ralph the Viking

[@TheRealJims]

This was inspired by Jon Bois' video, "THE DUMBEST BOY ALIVE" which is one of my very favorite things on KZbin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3amm52Cg6aCmpY My project went off in a different direction (because I am no Jon Bois) but I threw in some refs. I have always been fascinated by this Ralph Viking debate that randomly appears on the internet. It's so aggressively pointless and so passionately debated, it's kind of mesmerizing.

[@lanternsown3525]

Thanks for the Great Video! I love your work.

[@dailydoseofsimpsons8880]

Hey @TheRealJims. Are you able to earn revenue from these videos, since you are adding value, for example your commentary? Would you recommend any recourses that I could learn more about this topic? Thank you from a fellow Simpsons channel, and I am sorry if this seems spammy or rude.

[@xp7575]

Clearly it was a metaphor telling us in advance how the Deep State Communist Bankers would steal the election from God's chosen candidate

[@KryptonianBMW]

You look a lot like Tom Holland.

[@Setashi]

I was actually going to point the similarities out! This felt a lot like a Jon Bois video, which says a lot about how great it is.

[@OfficialScottR]

I'm genuinely astonished that people might think he's being metaphorical. I'd never even considered anything but him actually dreaming he's a viking

[@HippoCrisis]

Same. If someone said "I'm a Viking at X" I wouldn't even know what they were on about haha

[@TushCasey]

I didn't give it any thought until this video but I always interpreted it as metaphorical for whatever reason. Not a native english speaker, must have been with Finnish subtitles the first time I saw it years ago on tv, no clue how it was translated.

[@TushCasey]

And after seeing this video I'm actually confused why I interpreted it that way

[@xp7575]

Clearly it was a metaphor telling us in advance how the Deep State Communist Bankers would steal the election from God's chosen candidate

[@timgersh6787]

yea well I breath air all the time, no real skill I just do it or sleep its the same thing

[@Pirateyware]

I'm in camp "Ralph dreams of being a Viking", but I believe that the REAL joke is that he doesn't use the word "dream". It's funny because he chooses the unusual wording of sleep being where he's a Viking as if he doesn't really understand dreams, and it's just Ralphier that way.

[@casualeann]

Your description of it (him not understanding the concept of dreams) is the ONLY way the second argument has even made sense to me. I'm usually solidly in the team Metaphor camp. Congrats, you've done the exact opposite of ruining the joke. 😂

[@sebastiangudino9377]

Best and cleanest argument and joke explaination

[@leaffinite2001]

​@@casualeann its the only version that makes any sense at all... no one has ever once said they were "a viking" at something

[@dswrabkln4900]

THANK YOU. That's so obviously what makes it funny. I'm in disbelief that this is even a debate lol.

[@cillianennis9921]

this is what i needed. Something that properly explains how its funny. Like I find it funny but its hard to put in words why well done.

[@MalcolmCooks]

the joke isn't that he dreams about being a viking, the joke is that he apparantly ALWAYS dreams about being a viking, that he's excited to go to sleep so he can dream about being a viking, and the way he delivers it.

[@ffffffffffffffff5840]

Yes, it's funny to imagine him seeing sleep as a place where he is always a viking

[@masonasaro2118]

makes sense to me. i trained my brain to alway dream im in subcon from mario 2 usa/doki doki panic.

[@carsonlamont8869]

To be honest I always seen it as he doesn't see dreams as him being asleep but actually like he enters a real parallel world where he is a viking instead of a school child

[@a.kelbypetersen9878]

Him only having one dream available to him and still loving it is really funny and honestly makes sense for his character

[@dionysusmclaren12]

Or he could meant "Oh boy sleep! That is to my liking!"

[@poorangus8584]

One aspect that adds to the humor of the first, literal interpretation is the idea that Ralph literally thinks he is a viking when he sleeps. He doesn’t understand that dreams aren’t reality.

[@tinkerer3399]

Its just like another room he goes in.

[@bendeguzkocsis]

Im firmly in this camp. The joke is that Ralph is happy gets to go be a viking, cause sleeping makes him one, because he does not understand what a dream is. He THINKS sleep is a place where he transforms into a Viking Warrior. And yes, he ALWAYS dreams of being a Viking which is also funny

[@tomazing]

This is the correct answer. Him saying "sleep is where I'm a viking" meaning champion is such bizarre and clunky wording. I literally can't imagine it being anything else

[@powergannon]

Is “I’m a viking at that” even a real expression for being good at something? I’ve never even heard of that before, and that interpretation sounds like a reeeeeally big stretch

[@campfortson4387]

Ikr. Ive heard the expression "Im a wizard at that", but viking?

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

That's the joke! Ralph thinks it's a real expression, but it isn't, and he's just an idiot!

[@ulfberht4431]

I’ve heard it at least three times before

[@olenickel6013]

That's what makes it funny and "Ralph"

[@mitchell562]

Yes, once (in this argument)

[@bageltoo]

The funny thing is if you actually asked Ralph what he meant you wouldn’t even get a straight answer

[@jamesdolphin4158]

"Hey ralph, when you said 'Oh boy sleep, that's where I'm a Viking!' did you mean you dream you're a Viking, or that you're good at it?" "Yes!"

[@crunch1757]

"I like vikings cause they have funny hats *imagines self as wearing funny hat before noticing squirrel and leaving*"

[@OfficialCyaned]

@@jamesdolphin4158 "My cats name is Whiskers."

[@SavageBroadcast]

@@jamesdolphin4158 "Uh Ralphie, get off the comments, sweetheart.''

[@usermcskull4713]

"my daddy killed a man" 😊

[@m.conway6647]

This is most likely non-canon, but I had this book called "The Ralph Wiggum Book." In it, there was a section that detailed a typical day for Ralph, in which Ms. Hoover puts him in time-out, where he literally dreams of being a Viking. Because of that, I've always considered the line to be interpreted literally

[@steamedclams5689]

Holy shit I own that book, also in the anatomy of Ralph page, in the brain part it says: “Where dreams of being a Viking and little else reside” checkmate.

[@ShinFahima]

Omg. There have been so many argunents about this but it's just right there?!? That's mindblowing. XD

[@RunstarHomer]

I've also always considered it to be interpreted literally, you know, because I speak English.

[@sofiyums]

@@ShinFahima Because the book was probably written after, and therefore influenced by, the joke in the show and the debate that followed. Therefore it's tainted evidence.

[@tinkerer3399]

​@@sofiyumsNearest I can tell the book was written before the "debate". It was published within a few months of the debate starting which means it was likely written before it started and definitely before it got popular.

[@dtw1991]

It would be a hilarious opening sequence or general cutscene if they filmed a live action Viking montage and then the lead guy falls asleep and wakes up as Ralph.

[@MemeinAndDreamin]

In The Simpsons Hit and Run, one of the extra missions in Level 3 has Ralph talking about his viking dreams.

[@tarvinneekomainitakaan]

Since this hasn't been brought up yet: The surname Wiggum is originally the maiden name of Matt Groening's mother who had Norwegian ancestry. And Norway is of course one of those countries where the vikings lived. Perhaps Ralph has actual viking ancestors?

[@CrashGordon94]

Clearly a setup for the Assassin's Creed probably nobody wants.

[@emeraldfinder5]

@@CrashGordon94 so, are you going to buy “Assassin’s Creed: Ralph Collection”?

[@byHexted]

There’s a reason nobody brought that up Jesus Christ

[@hayk3000]

R. Wiggum is Woden

[@curbstompzombiekillerz]

maybe hes a viking all the time, including his sleep

[@ToonrificTariq]

This is one of the craziest videos I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I thought this was gonna be another shitpost video like the drinking bird thing, but this is a totally real thing that was debated that I just didn’t know about lol wow. It was a great watch, tbh. And an amazing face reveal.

[@tarzan5932]

What are you talking about? The drinking bird video was extremely serious scientific analysis.

[@TheRealJims]

Tariq, if you think this argument is crazy, you gotta watch the video that inspired this one. It's one of the most ridiculous and amazing things I've ever seen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3amm52Cg6aCmpY

[@crayjev]

@@TheRealJims What on god's green Earth did I just watch.

[@ultralight9625]

Perfection

[@casualeann]

now I want to go back and watch the drinkng bird video! 😆

[@erikm8373]

I have never once heard the phrase "being a viking at (blank)" as a way to express your skill in something, so I never even considered that interpretation. Edit: looks like I accidentally started the argument again.

[@theotakux5959]

Exactly. ANd even if it was a common metaphor, I just can't picture Ralph using a metaphor. Or even knowing what a metaphor is.

[@thetradefedration6663]

Nothing Ralph does is normal so it’s not hard to believe he would make such a weird metaphor up

[@LBJshowedmehisJ]

I always thought that Ralph meant that he's a "king" at sleeping, but he mixed up viking and king because he's stupid.

[@HonkeyKongLive]

It's Ralph.

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

@@thetradefedration6663 he doesn't use metaphor

[@kat8559]

As a native english speaker have never ever ever heard viking used to mean 'proficient.' It's really bizarre to me that any native english speaker would interpret it that way.

[@B_dizzy-l5v]

That's the joke tho.... "me fail English, thats unpossible."

[@zoewells3160]

@@B_dizzy-l5v What does a completely unrelated joke from a separate episode prove?

[@m1j1browning]

It proves that Ralph says things all the time that you’ve never heard and that make no sense. Him using a correct universally accepted metaphor would be weird for the character.

[@zoewells3160]

@@m1j1browning But Ralph isn't real. It would be odd if the writers did that, because it would make the joke harder to understand.

[@m1j1browning]

I disagree. Ralph may not be real but the writers still write him based on who he is as a character- he's not very clever. Him using a perfect metaphor would be weird, but him using a strange metaphor that doesn't really make sense is fine. Personally I don't understand the dream joke. Like, I'll admit it makes more logical sense for him to be talking about a dream, but "little kid dreams of being a viking" has no comedic value at all to me, where as my original interpretation (the Ralph style metaphor) is a lot funnier.

[@ericrakestraw664]

After 30-plus seasons, you'd think The Simpsons would have an episode where Ralph is an actual Viking.

[@northstarjakobs]

I'll be honest, since I'd never heard of this debate that's what I thought this video was about

[@georgieramone]

I never even knew there were more than one interpretation to this joke. I always just thought he dreams of being a viking.

[@RunstarHomer]

Honestly, I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone whose first language is English would interpret it any other way. It seems very obvious what was intended.

[@Rodney17302]

@@RunstarHomer Because of one joke about Ralph having bad grammar, a large group of people with brain rot have convinced themselves that Ralph is just constructing a bad metaphor.

[@1slayer959]

​@@Rodney17302yeah it's dumb. The bad at grammar thing doesn't even work because for the bad grammar interpretation to work, it implies that ralph uncharacteristically has a grasp of metaphors. Wich makes the joke a tangle of different concepts stepping on eachother

[@SquimJim]

A debate I had no idea even existed! I think it'd be cool to see more videos about what the Simpsons fandom of the 90s and early 00s was like and what other contentious topics were at the time.

[@taffyadam6031]

FOUND YOU

[@TheRealJims]

I wish alt.tv.simpsons were archived better, there's gotta be some amazing arguments in there

[@WannabeMarysue]

Simpsons Archive is pretty good, if not itself a relic.

[@Hannie_Bananie]

A mysteries/histories on either Shelbyville or Ogdenville would be good! Or rather just all the inclusive next door towns and the history of them in relation to Springfield. They’re interesting to me because it’s almost like extra world building. They’re all made up and only in the simpsons universe, unlike other cities that have shown up in the show

[@ShamanJeeves]

I second this! North Haverbrook or bust!

[@Hannie_Bananie]

@@ShamanJeeves “North Haverbrook….where have I heard that name before?….OH NO!”

[@ethansloan]

I think it's been a long time since the show referenced Capitol City. Whatever happened to it?

[@thatoneguy8512]

Shelbyville? In my day it was called Morganville.

[@sully....]

YES PLS

[@Cartoonizando]

In the Brazillian dub, they also translated it as being good at sleep. "Caramba, Dormir! Nisso eu sou fera!" Or in English "Oh boy, Sleep! I'm great at it!".

[@RogerHeathers]

That's just cause some Brazilian knucklehead did the subs

[@nightframes7336]

Very similar translation too in the non-latino spanish

[@NahtGallardo]

@@nightframes7336 And for the latino spanish too "Dormir? Perfecto, me encanta, me encanta!"/"Sleep? Perfect! Love it, love it!" it's just interesting that it seems that many dub companies ALSO didnt understand how to do the joke and just went with a simple "Ralph likes sleep"

[@ivorydungeon909]

@@NahtGallardo Yeah, I guess they weren't vibing with Ralph's non-sequitur and thought they could get him to say something a bit more relevant

[@masaru2560]

@@NahtGallardo There's also the castillian dub "Como mola dormir, eso se me da de muerte" (Sleeping is great, it's something I'm good at)

[@avaevathornton9851]

If he meant it literally, I think the way he phrased it was pretty cute and interesting. It almost sounds like he doesn't regard dreams as being less real than waking life.

[@matityaloran9157]

He doesn’t know where the world goes when you close the curtains

[@Chuggaacrayz]

The interpretation that I like is that Ralph is just saying he dreams about vikings as an extra detail that didn't need to be said, he just felt that others should hear that he dreams about vikings. He could've just stopped at "Oh boy, sleep!" but no. It's crazy where debates can spring up from, sometimes. This is no exception, wild stuff.

[@TheGenoYoshi]

With such a deep cut like this I'm fully expecting a theory vid on whether or not Mr Snrub and Mr Burns are actually the same person sometime in the near future

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

That would seriously be funny.

[@Venemofthe888]

of course they arent the same person one of them has a moustache :P

[@richardarriaga6271]

Simpsons Theory did a video

[@ItsBrendo]

Of course they're different people. Just like homer and Guy Incognito.

[@BrendanJSmith]

That would be a GREAT April Fools Day video!

[@53xy83457]

Here's one I had wrong for a... few years. Remember when Homer was in jail with the guy playing the harmonica? Homer: "That's sorta nice. What are you in for?" Prisoner: "Atmosphere." I figured he meant public indecency or something- disrupting the atmosphere. It struck me about a decade ago that it was a forth wall break, he's there to add atmosphere to the scene in the TV show.

[@ferghalicious1480]

But couldn’t he also mean he’s in prison because he enjoys the atmosphere? Like it was a voluntary choice? Oh no.

[@rewcalYT]

@@ferghalicious1480 it is almost certainly this one.

[@53xy83457]

Holy shit!

[@tiablue9106]

@@ferghalicious1480 in-universe it could be that he intentionally got arrested bc he likes the prison atmosphere. but the joke was def for there to be a guy playing harmonica just to add to the prison atmosphere while homer is there. It's also a clever response to the "what are you in for?"--rather than "what'd you get arrested for?" the guy answers as if homer asked him "what're you in this scene for/what purpose do u serve in this scene?"

[@CaptainQuo]

It means he's there to provide other prisoners with atmosphere by playing the harmonica. It's a fourth wall break. 100% how I've always taken it.

[@Porenz7291]

This is the kind of quality content I expect from this channel

[@Ivan_Ooze]

Tackling the big questions

[@britanimations2002]

The fact that two people in the writing room believed it to be literal and then one other revealed he thought it was metaphor is ironically the perfect metaphor of the who sorted mess

[@FrankUnknown]

"This line makes no sense in German because 'sleeping like a Viking' isn't an idiom there." It's not an idiom anywhere!

[@candelorimoraglia]

Wow, esoteric Simpsons lore, (rightfully) bashing Dan Synder, and a RealJims FACE REVEAL?! Best video I've watched on KZbin in a longgggggg time

[@TheRealJims]

My dad is a Washington fan, which means it got passed down to me. I hate Dan Snyder, really really hoping the other owners boot him soon. I couldn't resist taking a random shot at him 😆

[@McForkCoverup2005]

I'm a german and during the whole video, I also thought, the viking line was meant literally. I completely forgot about the german translation and was shocked at the end, when they went with the metaphorical version, along with every other translation as well. I guess that just goes to show, that this is an international debate and the individual camps are much bigger than anyone originally thought.

[@_Moralle]

The german translation seems really weird anyway. Like, it's not only that we don't have that idiom, but just the way it's worded barely makes any sense. Maybe that's how people talked back then and I'm just too young to know about it, but nowadays nobody would word it like that. (And no, it doesn't read as Ralph's "Random = Funny" either, it's just... plain weird.)

[@Filomovie]

Italian here and same! I forgot my language went with the metaphor route in the official dub. I guess it may be because spoken it sounds more plausible that he dreams of beinga a viking while written down (as I imagine is done while translating scripts) you notice the grammar and that supports the"I'm great at it" angle a bit more.

[@seharzt2729]

@@_Moralle Well, there were quite a few really bad translation errors in the german version of the Simpsons, especially when Ivar Combrinck was in charge. A now infamous example would be the phrase "the fabric of the universe" translated to " die Fabrik des Universums" meaning "the factory of the universe"

[@zero_foxpants]

Granted, we are talking about a dub that also translated "KILL-BOT Factory" into "Flaschenhalsbrecherfabrik", so I don't have too much faith in their ability to consistently apply context and logic. 🥴 I assume the same is true for other countries.

[@mittelz5976]

@@_Moralle Interesting I think it´s worded clunky but perfectly legible. In our translation you are basically forced to accept the metaphorical emaning and just assume Ralph thinks that´s a common saying. I say it counts as patented Ralp random humour.

[@NICKtendoReviews]

The real debate is actually over if you always have those Yoshi and Itchy stuffed animals on your desk or if you just put them up for this video

[@TheRealJims]

Not to ruin the magic, but where Itchy is sitting is usually full of empty Dr Pepper cans I drank while editing. I had to clean up a little for the vid so I added Itchy, lol (But the Yoshi is always sitting by my speakers)

[@professorhaystacks6606]

@@TheRealJims Now you just need to give totally the opposite answer in 24 hours.

[@L1am21]

I always think your some gamer youtuber when I see your picture when I get a notification from you. forgetting your the Simpsons guy. Are you going to review the Mario movie?

[@TheRealJims]

@@L1am21 Perhaps, depends how interesting it turns out 🤔

[@countrystud1986]

Your ability to find the perfect slide that correlates the Simpsons character/theme to your topic is absolutely stunning. "The Bart, The!" Keep up the great work!

[@Dracinard]

It was the slide just before that, "Bonne-jouerrr", that got me. Could hear it in Willie's voice and everything, and it nailed the "bad foreign translation" representation.

[@El_Dominar]

I believe your next simpsons histories episode should be on Graggle Simpson. He is by far my favourite obscure simpsons character

[@kennylauderdale_en]

I'm glad somebody is addressing this important question. Now explain the first non Brazilian person to go back in time line.

[@shorewall]

That's a good choice. I heard it as "the first non-brazilliant person to go back in time", being that Homer botched "non-brilliant" with some added gibberish, thus proving his point. Then the dog corrects him, since his little boy companion is also stupid, and travelling through time.

[@LucasCarvalho-hn4dx]

Santos-Dumont joke, right?

[@Gojiro7]

it was originally "I'm the first non-fictional character to travel backwards through time" only for Peabody and Sherman to arrive and prove homer wrong, but it was rewritten because of some fart sniffing obscure reference that they decided was more accurate since it came first (I'm not gonna pretend to know what reference that was, but its where the brazilin thing comes from) and Matt Groaning in the audio commentary berated them for choosing that over something funny.

[@ZiggyMandarr]

I think we all know it's time to address the Sneed question.

[@TheAlexSchmidt]

The official guidebook said it was a reference to Carlos Castañeda even though he's not Brazilian.

[@higginswalsan]

The funniest thing is that the Ralph being good at sleep camp’s best argument is just that it’s not a funny joke as if it’s impossible for The Simpsons to have a joke that isn’t funny

[@user-hu3iy9gz5j]

Also as if no joke that isn't absolutely hilarious can't be funny by degree or in a context. They unrealistically make it appear as if they want to slap their knees or crawl around on the floor at every utterance

[@MLittleBrony]

also also as if Ralph saying he's good at sleeping is any funnier than Ralph saying he dreams about being a viking

[@buddermantheamazing]

​​@@MLittleBronyyeah that's the part that gets me, him saying he's a Viking in his dreams is just a Ralph thing, he has an active imagination and he just says random shit sometimes. What exactly is funny or even like, discernable as a phrase about "I'm a Viking at sleeping" meaning "I'm good at sleeping"

[@lucatriunfo8023]

​@@buddermantheamazingtheres literally nothing funny in him dreaming of being a Viking? I dreamed to be a milkman once, I wouldnt Say It was that funny. But in the context of the episode him being called out for his stupidity and immediately told go take a nap Is funny when he answer "hell yeah, Im a champ at sleeping", because being "good at sleeping" Is pretty much mesningless and not a real skill. Thats the joke. That Is very obviously the joke.

[@buddermantheamazing]

@@lucatriunfo8023 being good at sleeping is also not funny.

[@NeoRazor]

No one in the history of the Earth has used "that's where I'm a Viking" to mean doing something well. Some people just had broken brains when they watched it, including Scully.

[@glitchedoom]

Seriously, I feel like I'm going crazy when people act like it's a normal, everyday phrase. Ralph is going to sleep. You dream when you sleep. Ralph dreams he is a viking. He announces his excitement to everyone because he is Ralph. It's not that complicated.

[@shorewall]

For real. :D

[@SocieteRoyale]

that's the point though, he uses the word entirely wrongly, that's what makes the joke

[@Daneoid81]

You know how there are sports teams named 'Vikings' and 'Raiders' because they represent strong warriors and conquerors?

[@alexmammoth2916]

No one on earth has ever said they have a dog that wags its tail to fly. That's just how Ralph works, baby.

[@BokBarber]

You realize the irony here: you've rekindled this debate, but now with perhaps the biggest audience ever. You have become the very thing you hate: the master Viking debater. And yeah, it's the literal meaning of course.

[@TheRealJims]

I blame Mike Scully. He did this to me.

[@Colonel_RamRod]

Or just a master-debater, if you like 👌

[@55404x]

@@TheRealJims I'd like to think he only said that as a troll. Because it would be a masterful one.

[@v553]

@@Colonel_RamRod A master-bater

[@LongLiveRockAnRoll]

I never knew this was a debate. Ralph always seems like he'd take things literally, plus the thought of him being a fearsome viking warrior is funny cause it's so different to how he is normally.

[@SonicRooncoPrime]

So all it took for a face reveal was breaking Jim? If only we'd known sooner! Seriously though, great as always, Jim! Keep up the great work!

[@TheRealJims]

Haha, technically my face reveal was in my Universal Studios vid (pouring a drink)

[@crunchy687]

It's always neat to learn of intense fan dialogues like these that I never would have imagined existing. You are a Viking of delivering interesting content.

[@concretel10n]

A Viking at sleeping to describe being good at something is probably the furthest reach from anything I've ever heard about something that really doesn't matter...

[@fknrat]

I always saw the joke as being, Ralph is so simple minded that he doesn't quite get how dreams work. He thinks just the very act of falling asleep transports him to a place where he is inexplicably a Viking. He doesn't take this as dreaming, he just thinks he's literally transported to a land named Sleep. Since he's constantly told to just "go to sleep, Ralph." "Go to Sleep, got it. That's (the place) where I'm a Viking, instead of plain ol' Ralph!" Ralph takes some shortcuts in his language to convey this.

[@harley8047]

I mean... Reoccurring dreams are a thing. Maybe he has a Reoccurring dream of being a Viking.

[@ethansloan]

I remember a while ago one of the Simpsons writers did a reddit AMA, and I got so excited to learn a ton of new Simpsons trivia. What I actually learned was that a large portion of the audience does not understand how jokes work. So many questions were based on people bending over backwards apply some sort of logic to a joke that was clearly based on absurdism. It almost makes me wonder how they can enjoy a show like this. Does every joke just become a new puzzle to figure out? That sounds like a lot of work.

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

Just like the internet where people think everything is somehow a joke. They don't make sense.

[@meltymetroid253]

I can't believe some people really decided that it can't have been literal because "who dreams of the same thing every night?" as if how dreams work in the real world applies to any cartoon, let alone The Simpsons

[@TrumanTheGrayMerchant]

I saw something similar with a debate about a joke where Marge doesn't recognize Oregano. To me, the interpretation is pretty straightforward. Marge is a small town, White housewife. Her palette is so bland that even Oregano is foreign to her. But there are apparently people who think the joke is that as a cartoon character, Marge isn't used to seeing non-generically labeled spice containers? I feel like the most obvious interpretation of a Simpsons joke is usually the intended one.

[@davidb4165]

Care to give some examples? I'm kinda in the mood for getting angry at my screen for no reason.

[@ethansloan]

@@TrumanTheGrayMerchant I'm right there with you. That was basically the tone of the questions being asked. The obvious joke was that a character was stupid, but so many fans had concocted a bizarre interpretation that involved meta-analysis, or unexpected cleverness, or veiled metaphors, etc. etc. I know The Simpsons is a smart show with a bunch of Harvard-educated writers, but a lot of times, things are meant to be dumb.

[@GregKeaton]

I hadn’t heard of this debate! I’ve heard of the Hank Scorpio “ever see a man say goodbye to a shoe?” debate many a time. Could that be the next Simpsons mysteries….?

[@zoewells3160]

The writers actually confirmed that one. It was actually a historical reference to the massacre of Jews by Hungarian Fascists on the River Danube. The Fascist first forced the Jews to take their shoes off and leave them on the bank before the Fascists murdered them, so they were saying "goodbye" to their shoes. The joke is that Homer laughs as he says it, despite the historical tragedy he's referring to being no laughing matter at all, because Homer is stupid and often reacts inappropriately.

[@GregKeaton]

@@zoewells3160 quality

[@devilord3271]

​@@zoewells3160 you've brought this up a couple times in the comments but you're just straight up lying, both Hank Scorpio's shoe line and Homer's response were both improvised

[@NimbleTack]

I see what you're saying here, but what if, and hear me out on this one, what if Ralph is actually a viking who occasionally dreams of being a small child?

[@boarfaceswinejaw4516]

"Gunnar, i had an awfully strange dream again." "of ravens and one-eyed men? of ill omens for our journey?" "nay, i dreamt of being a small mentally challenged yellow boy being belittled by his peers" "Thats it. no more mushrooms".

[@gonzalez878]

Well, I'm from Utica and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "to be a viking at something"

[@elliottheward2372]

Oh not in Utica no, it’s an Albany expression.

[@porygon0842]

I see

[@Bronze.]

you could go for the worst possible answer and say that Ralph is a viking and only when he sleeps is when he returns to that reality.

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Okay, real talk: Who the heck decided "Viking" meant the same as "Master" or "King"? I've never heard that, but I consulted with my friend, who immediately went with Option B. He afterwards decided Option A, my choice, which he'd never considered before, was "more logical". It's a Ralph non-sequitor imo, end of. And I always saw it as "That's where I'm a Viking (among other cool things!)" not that he's constantly having a Viking dream.

[@shorewall]

Yeah, and that he considers dreams as an alternate reality, not a dream. He thinks he becomes those things in the dream world, even though its just in his head.

[@ohnoitschris]

I've never heard that either

[@floyd2386]

Vikings were conquerors. Ralph conquers nap time. Not a hard association to make.

[@Daneoid81]

@@floyd2386 It's so straight forward. How is it that people are so mystified by this simple metaphor?

[@bigredjanie]

@@Daneoid81 The problem is that no one knows if this metaphor existed before all this weird Simpsons discourse- it could go either way.

[@Darksomnium]

Your channel is doing so well! I'm so happy to see that, you make awesome videos and it's about time you get more recognition by the algorithm!

[@TheRealJims]

Thanks! 2022 has been kind of a sleepy year for the algorithm, glad it's finally kicking into a higher gear!

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

Back in the day, we used to call this a "Cow Tools moment": Where people will over analyze a joke to the point they look at an entire work different. Named after a Gary Larson comic that was so obtuse, real news stations and doctors dedicated real time and effort to decipher the joke. Yeah...

[@MacDougalPuppy]

If you pause the video at 5:03, someone brings up the Cow Tools comic.

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

@@MacDougalPuppy Good *God* man, how did you catch that?

[@pepetorra]

In the Latin American Dub he says "Dormir, perfecto. Me encanta, me encanta" "sleep?, perfect. I love it! I love it!" which is why this video was so confusing, yet great. I loved "The dumbest boy alive" and this was a great crossover of two of my favorite youtubers.

[@spacepope7867]

Honestly, i gotta agree that i dont see this being an argument. If i had EVER heard somebody say "im a viking at ____" about anything before maybe, but it just is not a phrase i have ever heard.

[@finchvink]

All jokes aside, though - as someone who's not a native English speaker, nor an American - and the Simpsons being usually pretty sophisticated in its writing - I could have totally interpreted it both ways. Though, Ralph being Ralph, I just assumed he was a viking in his dreams. Loved this video, and the amount of research behind this one silly quote from that silly little Wiggum boy. Had no idea it was so widely debated. Maybe the real vikings are the Ralphs we made along the way.

[@midshipman8654]

the thing is though, viking is never really used as a general superlative. so the obvious implication is he’s dreaming of being a viking.

[@Setashi]

This is kind of hard hitting investigative journalism that I crave. Great work as always.

[@june_v_bloom597]

This is genuinely one of my favorite Real Jims videos. I cant hear the word viking without thinking about this video, and without thinking about it in a metaphorical sense.

[@jamesfarmer1777]

never ever stop making these videos. Videos are where you're a viking

[@frogmouth2]

I like how at one point as the next part starts, your voice just keeps droning on and fades away, alike how the arguments drone on into more abstract and less Ralph related arguments overtime. Very cool.

[@fernandoluna6589]

In méxico and other latin american contries Ralph just say he loves sleeping, to be exact he says -"sleeping?!, perfect!, i love it!, i love it!" They changed completely the viking thing.

[@kangthedestroyer5863]

I didnt imagine there would be so much of a history about this, but I'm not complaining 😂

[@IvanMoncure]

It’s literally just funny that he gets excited to go to sleep at a weird time because of the prospect of dreaming of being a Viking. Can’t imagine this

[@zoewells3160]

Yes!

[@ZombifiedNappa]

WAIT! They're both wrong! Ralph dreams of being a Minnesota Viking. As revealed in "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace," Bart states that his normal dream is to win the Super Bowl with Krusty. Thus, Ralph similarly has the normal dream to never win the Super Bowl.

[@LeoOrientis]

I'm a little disappointed that the French version went with what I would call the _easy_ joke: Ralph is excited that sleep is something he can finally excel at. No mention of Vikings at all. However, you make a good point about the _chaotic nightmare_ of the English language... It's true that as a language, it can tolerate a pretty high degree of ambiguity relative to others. The result is that in English, the speaker doesn't have to do quite so much work, but the listener has to do a bit more. This situation puts some bonus humour within reach. For example, take the joke that 90% of English-language viewers apparently understood. To do the same line in French, it would have to come out something like: _"Sleep! Yay! In my dreams, I'm a Viking!"_ (Although come to think of it, Vikings don't feel nearly as funny in French. Probably 'cuz they're less of a cultural touchstone. Here's my revised - albeit lazy - submission: _"Sleep! Yay! When I dream, I'm Obélix!"_ ) But now the joke loses something fundamental because the French language forces Ralph to acknowledge that he is dreaming. (And I'd imagine other languages are like this too.) Whereas in English, the fact that you can ambiguously say _that's where..._ allows the writers to imply that Ralph is so dumb, he can't even differentiate dreams from anything else he experiences. (And for me, that's always been the main joke. But I'm in apparently in a narrow 90% majority.) And then of course, there's the old saying... _Analyzing a joke is like dissecting a frog in biology class... Nobody's that interested, and the frog has to die._ So I'm going to stop this senseless slaughter of amphibians and go enjoy some ice-cold gazpacho.

[@TheRealJims]

Great writeup!

[@limelantern5637]

The part where he's going through the forum and reacting to each new stage of the debate like he's watching a bunch of rats scuttle around in a building about to be demolished is the funniest thing to me

[@ig-8887]

Ive always thought it was literal. Like, the whole joke with Ralph being a sociopath who wants to set things on fire, and he has a reoccurring dream where he's a skull splitting, rampaging viking.

[@anubusx]

Ralph Love And Thunder.

[@GMRay739]

I never knew this debate existed, and it's caused me so much Internal strife in the last 16 minutes that I'm not sure I'll ever sleep again. I've only ever interpreted it as Ralph dreaming of being a viking. The mental image of him being a berserker juxtaposed to his utterly silly, lighthearted personality is the source of humour for me. Much like "he tells me to burn things" when we hear of Ralph's imaginary friend. I just don't get how essentially saying "I'm a viking at X" would work as a comparative statement, outside of the context of what vikings are good at (marauding, pillaging etc). But then it would be funny for Ralph to consider Vikings as the pinnacle of awesomeness at everything. WHY?!? What is happening to me?!?

[@23Scadu]

Just give it a few days and you'll be sleeping like a viking again.

[@GMRay739]

@@23Scadu *sobs gently *

[@lemerdeposteur]

I've never read Ralph as being remotely capable of metaphor.

[@billyweed835]

I think the first option is the intended one, but the second one is also just as funny, if not more so. Ralph not only describing his prowess at sleep but seemingly making up an idiom by which to do so is hilarious, as is Ralph thinking of sleep as a place wherein he becomes a Viking because he is too dumb to understand what dreams are.

[@Club_Weeg]

The chaos of this topic is like one of my fav areas for Simpsons Mysteries. I feel like the entirety of "Who REALLY Shot Mr. Burns" is a tier or 2 below it in terms of zaniness and it gives me a good laugh and time listening. Also that musical timing with the DK94 Battle on the Tower remix JUST MWAH beautiful. Also helps that remix is one of my all time faves soooo Yeah.

[@grapeshot]

This is the first I've heard of this debate. Although if he dreams of Vikings having horns in their helmets that's historically inaccurate.

[@nicolebee3283]

Very Ralph like

[@shaunm6383]

No one cares.

[@labetenoire]

Ralph has actually been dreaming about being a Goth this whole time...

[@TmsTanim]

The barely-contained resignation in the narrator's voice adds so much to the hilarity of this debate.

[@AGS363]

No matter if literal or metaphorical, it is really strange that Ralph knows what a viking is.

[@boonski]

I have NEVER heard about this debate. To weigh in, Literal. Since when does Viking mean "The best at ____"? If it was a Metaphor he would say "I'm the Viking of Sleep" (King would make even more sense).

[@ChickenGeorgeClooney]

After this, I'm team "It's intended literally, but it's funnier metaphorically." I really want to incorporate "That's where I'm a viking!" into my regular vocabulary now.

[@108asf]

"funnier"

[@adrianaslund8605]

Now that's a fair interpretation.

[@sugarfrosted2005]

I've never heard of this before... But I can't imagine someone actually believes it's metaphorical. It feels like a contrarian position.

[@exa_eille]

There's a surprising amount of people who, when given a question that they have never actually considered before, will on-the-spot side with the less popular side to seem different. And not as a troll. They do this totally earnestly. Their brains are wired to seek the less popular choice and turn that into their opinion,

[@xp7575]

Clearly it was a metaphor telling us in advance how the Deep State Communist Bankers would steal the election from God's chosen candidate

[@camelopardalis84]

I always understood it to be metaphorical. That being said, this may be the case because the first several times I saw the episode, it was in the German dub. And it's possible that I assumed that they had just translated some saying/phrase/idiom literally from English into German that shouldn't have been translated literally. (Wouldn't have been the first time.)

[@srstriker6420]

Nether did I

[@davidk7212]

I naturally thought it was metaphorical because i assumed he was referring to sleep as an action, not a place. But now I'm having second thoughts.

[@GM-it5rj]

This is the best vid you've ever done.

[@17Hisagi99]

Oh boi, that "Español" without specifying if it was Spain Spanish or LatinAmerican Spanish reignited the Dubs vs Dubs fighting in my heart. A classic Homer vs Homero.

[@ritavermilyea5848]

i have never in my life heard "like a viking" used in this context?? what the hell

[@robh678]

I've never heard anyone describe being good at something as a viking.

[@ulfberht4431]

I have so it isn’t entirely impossible! Plus people use weird and strange analogies and metaphors before.

[@RunnerX13]

That’s why people thought that was the joke. It makes no sense.

[@emeraldfinder5]

I use that like atleast once a week, it’s just always been part of my vernacular

[@Gasp31619]

If anyone is wondering why the Spanish line is different than they remember it, it is because there are 2 spanish dubs for The Simpsons: One from Spain and one from Latin America. He took the Spain one, in the Latin America one he says: "¡Dormir! ¡Me encanta, me encanta!" Which translates to "Sleep! I love it, I love it!"

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

So they just cut the Viking talk out completely

[@Tuero_]

Well nope, I don't know where the hell did Jim took that translation from, but in Spain he says "¡Cómo mola dormir! Eso se me da de muerte" ("Sleep rules! That's something I am great at") I love how both versions completely rule the viking out and take the sentence metaphoricaly.

[@curbstompzombiekillerz]

there is no way the metaphor camp isnt ragebaiting

[@silverstar8868]

Wow, I actually can't imagine this being a real thing. It is literally a perfect mix of so many things into on point in human history to create such a divisive thing.

[@WolfWalrus]

Until I saw this video I had never interpreted it any other way than "When I sleep, I dream about being a Viking," I've never heard anyone use "viking" to mean "really good at something" But damn if I'm not super invested by the end of it

[@RunnerX13]

It’s a perfectly cromulent saying.

[@benjaminolson7206]

I took it metaphorically in part because I was 12 at the time and was used to encountering idioms for the first time, particularly on the Simpsons, which always loved an obscure cultural reference. It makes sense that foreign translators would also assume it was just an idiom they had never encountered before. If you are taking it metaphorically the likely meaning of such a metaphor is obvious, so they all translated it exactly as I would have.

[@SevenJetC]

I looked it up in Czech and in that one, Ralph says: "A hurá, spaní, to mi jde, v tom jsem dobrej!" meaning "And hooray, sleeping, I'm good at that, I'm good at that!" But it is not exactly known for its stellar translation, especially in the earlier seasons, so it may have just been the translator not being sure how to take the line, so instead going with something that would "make sense". Personally, upon watching this video, having no recollection of the scene from my childhood and listening to the line basically for the first time, the first thing that popped in my mind was Ralph being happy he can go back to being a Viking in his sleep, because that is something that would feel to fit his personality.

[@TheRealJims]

Thanks for this. It's interesting how all the other languages I've heard about have all had similar translations so far (in terms of intent)

[@SevenJetC]

@@TheRealJims I think that it may stem from the human need to make sense of things. It seems natural that Ralph would react positively that he is allowed to do something he is good at. Not everything is always done by the same translator and not every translator might know that Ralph tends to talk in non-sequiturs. So considering that the episode was released in 1996 in Germany and in 1997 in Czechia, we can go on the assumption that at least in these two cases internet connection wasn't common in households until early 2000s, making research to any translation problem a tedious thing (as a translator, I often find myself often looking up possible idioms and meanings online, if a sentence seems to be nonsensical). Then the translators usually went one of the two routes - the literal translation that would make some sense (I am a viking in that regard!), assuming it might be some sort of an idiom, or just making up something that would make sense (seems to be the case with French and Czech).

[@alexanderchippel]

The teacher says "go to sleep." In this case, "sleep" is the noun, and "go" is the verb. Ralf says "Sleep, that's where I'm a viking." "Sleep" is used again as a noun, and "where" is used as an conjunctive to denote the location of where he is a viking. Like imagine if he said "Home, that's where I'm a pirate!" You wouldn't say that he's good at being home, you'd say that while he is at home, he's acting/playing with a pirate. It's a non sequitur, not a metaphor.

[@atruepanda1782]

I always thought it was the first one. Using "Viking" to mean "really good at" is just something I've never heard of before.

[@rotallyPumpered]

I didn't think I'd be into this video when I saw the title, as I just thought it was another dumb Ralph joke that gets too much attention, but this has been handled terrifically. A laughed multiple times at the scrolling thread.

[@EthanWasHere]

I've been watching Jims for years, and I think this the first time he "consulted a panel of experts" , this time being foreign language speakers, and it wasn't a joke.

[@TheRealJims]

Foreign language speakers are much more understanding than physicists, lol

[@deep_dusk]

Definitely camp literal but dang if that end twist didn’t come out of nowhere

[@kangthedestroyer5863]

I know, right!

[@mytimetravellingdog]

he was trolling people, for sure.

[@michaelbarker6732]

I don’t see how it could possibly be anything other than: Ralph goes to sleep and dreams about being a viking. It’s Ralph, he doesn’t really seem prone to using metaphors. Also, it’s just so much more random and silly if he is just always a viking in his dreams.

[@mungsmemekitchen6277]

Ralph isn't exactly the metaphor kind of person. He has tenuous enough of a grasp on literal language as it is, I don't think he's getting fancy with his speech.

[@thunderring3932]

I’ve never in my life once heard someone use the word “Viking” as a way saying that they’re good at something…like who says that? And it’s Ralph why would he use the word “viking” to describe something he’s good at.

[@SocieteRoyale]

it's funny because no one ever describes something as "viking" yet Ralph does here

[@SineN0mine3]

@@SocieteRoyale that's not how jokes work unless you're 4 years old. My cousin used to crack us up with a knock knock joke like: knock knock. who's there? raspberry! (starts laughing hysterically) That was funnier than any actual knock knock joke, but nobody would try to argue it is a good joke. Its simply intended as a non sequitor because Ralph is naive about what is interesting or relevant to talk about and so thinks other people care what he dreams about.

[@floyd2386]

@@SineN0mine3 Ralph mentioning that he's a Viking in his dreams isn't funny. I saw another person comment that Ralph may have gotten Viking mixed up with King and that would make sense as people do say they're the King at something they're good at.

[@zoewells3160]

@@floyd2386 That seems a bit esoteric and unintuitive. I know The Simpsons often did subtle humour or two jokes in one, but this is just a throwaway silly one-liner. We're not supposed to work out two layers to it, that a) Ralph is proud of being good at sleeping and b) he mixed up Viking with King. It's not even funny.

[@sebastianb4357]

This is the first time I’ve heard of this debate I never even thought this line could be a metaphor either people don’t really say their Vikings to say they are good at something

[@floyd2386]

It's Ralph Wiggum, he's not a Viking of the English language.

[@zoewells3160]

@@floyd2386 Yes, but The Simpsons isn't real. I agree that, if we were talking about a real person, Ralph Wiggum could have meant anything, but it's clear what the WRITERS wanted us to take away from that.

[@StillOnFire]

I've always thought it meant he's a viking in his dreams, never thought it was he's a viking at sleeping. Never knew of this huge debate. I like a joke that can apparently be taken in various directions than i realised. Just a bit sad to debate it, take it how you want as long as you get something from it

[@midshipman8654]

yah, like who uses viking as a general superlative?

[@floyd2386]

@@midshipman8654 People use the word conquer in such a way and Vikings were conquerors. It's Ralph, don't expect him to utilize the English language as others do.

[@zoewells3160]

@@floyd2386 Ralph isn't real. This debate is about what the writers meant, not what Ralph meant.

[@MunkiZee]

It's sad to debate The Simpsons? Seriously though, if you are watching this channel's content then you must believe the Simpsons is worthy of some discussion

[@floyd2386]

@@zoewells3160 If you're going to write for a character, you have to think as the character.

[@sheriffmouser7569]

This feels like a video that should have at least several hundred thousand views

[@QuintMarvel]

Also, the only reason this debate is only happening because we're talking about sleep. If Ralph said, "Oh, boy, Dancing. That's where I'm a viking." Context clues would tell you - he probably means he's really good at dancing.

[@scrooge200]

Interestingly enough, this joke made it into Kingdom of Loathing, where one skill has the description, "Sleep is where you're a disco Viking." I heard the joke there first but wasn't exactly sure what it meant.

[@TJDious]

I love that game. All hail the Naughty Sorceress.

[@proa007]

This must be the line between sanity and madness. People who care about this and people who don't. I guess if you do, then we know what kind of Simpsons fan you are.

[@bowsmed]

Personally, as someone who experiences recurring dreams, I never even thought about how strange it would be that he dreams of being a viking every time, and I'd never heard someone say they're a viking at something to mean they're good at it, or at all really. But the most important thing of all, and something barely anyone seemed to take into account, is that it hardly matters. It means what it means to the person interpreting it. Ralph isn't a real person with thoughts and intentions that can exactly be made clear by delving into his psychology or anything like that. He's a cartoon character written by a number of people who, evidently, had their own varying ideas on what he meant, so really, Ralph is saying exactly what you interpret him to be saying, regardless of what it is. If your first thought is that he meant it literally, then he meant it literally, and if your first thought is that it was a metaphor, it was a metaphor. If you and another person disagree, that's totally fine, you can both still be right and disagree. Interpretations are not solid facts, and a lot of discourse, especially online, seems to come from people treating interpretation as if it is fact, which is why arguments can go on for hundreds upon thousands of pages without a clear decision being made. They're all right, but they think the other is wrong.

[@GrumpyTy34er]

If you keep looking at the thread, the head writer says he would’ve fired the other writer if he knew that’s how he interpreted the line

[@teusaurus]

I've always thought it was metaphorical and never thought of the alternatives, but literal makes a lot of sense. Checked the Swedish subtitles and they say "Sleep! That is what I'm the best at!", so that's probably why I've always thought of it as metaphorical.