I'm In Danger: Ralph Wiggum's Meme Doesn't Actually Come From The Simpsons - The Origin Explained

Summary The iconic Ralph Wiggum "I'm in danger" meme actually comes from a Family Guy episode, not The Simpsons.

Despite mixed reviews, "The Simpsons Guy" crossover episode generated the popular Ralph Wiggum meme.

The meme has gone viral, used in various contexts to depict a sense of knowing something is wrong.

"I'm in danger," Ralph Wiggum says, smiling on a school bus, in the meme just about everyone knows, but few know that scene does not actually come from The Simpsons. Ralph Wiggum in The Simpsons may not be the most sophisticated of characters on the show, but that's alright with fans because his childlike innocence and naïveté have made him a fan favorite since his first credited introduction in season 1, episode 6, "Moaning Lisa". His blissful ignorance and bizarre non-sequiturs have led to some of the funniest moments on the show.

Whether he's crying because Lisa did not "choo-choo choose" him to be his Valentine or he's laughing as he recalls the time an imaginary Leprechaun told him, "To burn things," every moment of Ralph in The Simpsons is bound to be a riot. His propensity for saying off-the-wall quotes has made Ralph Wiggum an easy mark for memes, and he's featured in many. The Simpsons' eclectic cast of characters may only be matched by that of Family Guy, a show so intertwined with The Simpsons that even the Ralph "I'm in danger" meme can't be extricated from it.

Related The Simpsons: 15 Funniest Ralph Wiggum Quotes Classic Simpsons character Ralph Wiggum has had some great quotes over the show's long run, but these are the funniest.

Ralph Wiggums' "I'm In Danger" Scene Actually Happens In A Family Guy Episode

"The Simpsons Guy" Is A Family Guy Season 13 Crossover

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As it turns out, the scene of Ralph saying, "I'm in danger" comes from a Family Guy episode, not a Simpsons episode. The ambitious 2014 crossover episode, "The Simpsons Guy" is the Family Guy season 13 premiere and decidedly not a Simpsons episode. In the episode, Peter and the Griffins flee Quahog after another of Peter's endeavors goes wrong, and end up breaking down in Springfield, where they meet the denizens of the Simpsons' hometown. For a while, the two families get along.

However, this is a Family Guy episode at its core and the good times have to end eventually. Peter and Homer end up engaging in an epic Family Guy-style fight, à la the many battles between Peter and the Giant Chicken. The fight takes the animated dads onto a school bus, where Homer points out that there's a kid on the bus. Cut to Ralph smiling innocently, saying, "I'm in danger." It's a funny scene, but it's a bit ironic that the most memorable Ralph meme came from an episode widely derided as a failure.

"The Simpsons Guy" only received a handful of reviews that didn't criticize it vehemently and the best reviews essentially called it "fine". Vox, wrote a review outlining the nine ways the crossover was a "Blight on humanity",

"The Griffins have to escape Quahog because Peter has riled up a bunch of bloggers with his occasionally misogynistic comic strip. It's meant to be a commentary on the easy offense taken at shows like Family Guy by people on the internet, but it mostly comes off as pointless gloating by a show that seemingly can't believe it's crossed the decade mark."

The AV Club called the episode the worst crossover of the year,

"Given the years of playful rivalry between the shows, the novelty of a Simpsons/Family Guy crossover episode should have been enough to carry 'The Simpsons Guy,' in which the Griffins flee Quahog and wind up in Springfield. From the lazy, awkward results, it seems the Family Guy writers were hoping fan service could substitute for actual quality."

Despite the episode's poor reception, "The Simpsons Guy" now lives on longer than better crossovers thanks to the meme it generated.

How Ralph's "I'm In Danger" Meme Went Viral

"I'm In Danger" Can Be Used In A Variety Of Contexts

The first known use of the meme came on Reddit by user FlimFlambadam, who posted on the subreddit /r/me_irl (via Know Your Meme) and has since taken off as a popular way to depict the feeling of knowing something is going wrong but not necessarily being worried about it, or accepting it with grim humor. The Simpsons meme has been used for everything from poking fun at gamers taking advantage of the autosave feature to explaining bits of history.

The Simpsons Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available The Simpsons is a long-running animated TV series created by Matt Groening that satirically follows a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield. Homer, a bit of a schmoe who works at a nuclear power plant, is the provider for his family, while his wife, Marge, tries to keep sanity and reason in the house to the best of her ability. Bart is a born troublemaker, and Lisa is his super-intelligent sister who finds herself surrounded by people who can't understand her. Finally, Maggie is the mysterious baby who acts as a deus ex machina when the series calls for it. The show puts the family in several wild situations while constantly tackling socio-political and pop-culture topics set within their world, providing an often sharp critique of the subjects covered in each episode. This series first premiered in 1989 and has been a staple of Fox's programming schedule ever since. Cast Tress MacNeille , Julie Kavner , Harry Shearer , Pamela Hayden , Nancy Cartwright , Hank Azaria , Dan Castellaneta , Yeardley Smith Release Date December 17, 1989 Seasons 35