The Simpsons: 10 Moments More Important Than You Realised
9. Tom Landry's Hat
In the classic Season 8 episode You Only Move Twice, Homer gets a new job in the town of Cypress Creek. His new boss is none other than Hank Scorpio, business tycoon and the world's greatest supervillain.
Despite his dastardly intentions, Scorpio inspires a new level of confidence in Homer, and this, in turn, inspires him to make an extravagant purchase.
He buys himself a hat that is signed (and was once worn) by legendary NFL player and coach Tom Landry. He then wears the hat while working, instructing his colleagues as if he were Landry coaching a team.
It's a funny gag and a neat easter egg for American football fans, but who would've guessed that this hat would become a recurring figure in the show?
The hat turns up in Season 9's Bart Star, where Homer becomes the coach of his son's little league team. It appears again in numerous sports-themed episodes, including when Marge wears it to make Homer's fantasy football picks for him.
Used as a motif by the writers when they want to show a character taking sport seriously, the Tom Landry hat has far surpassed its predicted lifespan.