The Muffin Tops
Encyclopedia
"The Muffin Tops" is the 155th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld
. This was the 21st episode of the eighth season. It aired on May 8, 1997.
watches a bag for a tourist who never comes back, so he starts wearing some of the clothes from the bag, using the rationale that "I'm still watching them." Elaine
tells Kramer
that the stories he sold to J. Peterman were put into Peterman's biography. Kramer goes to the book signing, claiming he is the "real" Peterman. George pretends to be a tourist from Little Rock
, Arkansas
when he meets a beautiful woman (Rena Sofer
) from the tourist bureau on the street. Jerry
shaves his chest hair and worries about it, until he discovers his girlfriend (Melinda Clarke
) likes hairless dogs.
Elaine eats only the tops of muffins
and says that it is a million dollar idea. Mr. Lippman, her former boss, decides to start a business (Top of the Muffin to You!). Kramer starts conducting "Peterman Reality Tours" on a school bus for $37.50 apiece. When the muffin top business doesn't seem to be working, Lippman asks Elaine for advice. She tells him that he must make the whole muffin and then pop the top from the stump; she also demands that he remove the exclamation point from his sign. ("It's not top of the muffin TO YOU!" Elaine says. Lippman replies, "No, it is.") The stumps can be given to the homeless, only they don't want them. In fact, nobody wants them. Jerry continues to shave his chest, despite Kramer's warning about hair growth.
George "moves" to New York and takes a job with the Yankees. Steinbrenner
is led to believe that George is holding down two jobs, and makes a deal to trade George for a fermented chicken drink and some chicken snacks for the stadium. Kramer asks Jerry and his girlfriend to take the tour and, while Elaine enters, she asks Kramer to get rid of the muffin stumps on his tour in return. Jerry's chest begins itching from hair growth, as Kramer searches for a dump that will take the stumps. Jerry's itching makes him run into the forest to scratch his chest; when the moon comes out he howls like the Wolf Man
. Elaine eventually hires a "cleaner" (Newman
, in a Pulp Fiction
spoof) to make the muffin stump problem go away until the store gets private garbage removal.
's role as "The Wolf" in Pulp Fiction
. He is seen driving an Acura NSX when he arrives at the bakery, which is the same kind of car that "The Wolf" drives. There is a character known as "The Cleaner" played by Harvey Keitel
in Point of No Return
. Newman uses a crate of milk bottles to help dispose of the muffin stumps, which is a reference to Jean Reno
's role as "Victor the Cleaner" in the film Nikita (upon which Point of No Return is based), who uses a crate of acid bottles to dispose of murder victims. This also refers to 'The Cleaner' in Leon
(a.k.a. The Professional) where he is a cleaner and he "takes care of problems". There is also a reference to the film Wolf
with Jerry Seinfeld playing the role played by Jack Nicholson
. Kramer's "Peterman Reality Tour" is a direct spoof of "Kramer's Reality Tour," conducted by the real-life Kenny Kramer
, the former neighbor of Larry David
and inspiration for the character Cosmo Kramer. Lippman's reference to "every half-wit and sitcom star ha[ving] his own book out" is a reference to Seinfeld's own book Seinlanguage
. The title of J. Peterman's autobiography, No Placket
Required is a parody of the Phil Collins
album No Jacket Required
. Originally, George was going to claim to be an employee of the real life Tyson Chicken
. However, Tyson Chicken objected to the joke about "alcoholic chicken" and the fictional "Tyler Chicken" was used in its place.
The actor Reuven Bar-Yotam, who is seen on Kramer's "Peterman Reality Tours" bus also appears as Shlomo in season nine's "The Frogger
". The "Jiffy Dump" employee is the same man who was in charge of "Jiffy Park" in the 7th season episode, "The Wig Master
." The conversation even references that episode as George is told to "take it up with consumer affairs" in "The Wig Master" and Kramer can be heard yelling "maybe I will take it up with consumer affairs!" after being turned away.
Elaine's exchange with Lippman regarding the use of exclamation points is a reference to an earlier episode in which Elaine and Lippman had a related dispute while working at Pendant Publishing. Ironically, in the earlier dispute, Lippman was against the use of exclamation points and Elaine was for it. Early in the episode, Kramer mentions that his window is "the one that's covered with chicken wire." Later on, a scene shows the CEO's office at Tyler Chicken. There is the shadow of a window covered with chicken wire.
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. This was the 21st episode of the eighth season. It aired on May 8, 1997.
Plot
GeorgeGeorge Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
watches a bag for a tourist who never comes back, so he starts wearing some of the clothes from the bag, using the rationale that "I'm still watching them." Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
tells Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
that the stories he sold to J. Peterman were put into Peterman's biography. Kramer goes to the book signing, claiming he is the "real" Peterman. George pretends to be a tourist from Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
when he meets a beautiful woman (Rena Sofer
Rena Sofer
Rena Sherel Sofer is an American actress, primarily known for her appearances in daytime television, episodic guest appearances, and made-for-television movies...
) from the tourist bureau on the street. Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
shaves his chest hair and worries about it, until he discovers his girlfriend (Melinda Clarke
Melinda Clarke
Melinda Patrice Clarke is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI...
) likes hairless dogs.
Elaine eats only the tops of muffins
Muffin
A muffin is an American English name for a type of quick bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist...
and says that it is a million dollar idea. Mr. Lippman, her former boss, decides to start a business (Top of the Muffin to You!). Kramer starts conducting "Peterman Reality Tours" on a school bus for $37.50 apiece. When the muffin top business doesn't seem to be working, Lippman asks Elaine for advice. She tells him that he must make the whole muffin and then pop the top from the stump; she also demands that he remove the exclamation point from his sign. ("It's not top of the muffin TO YOU!" Elaine says. Lippman replies, "No, it is.") The stumps can be given to the homeless, only they don't want them. In fact, nobody wants them. Jerry continues to shave his chest, despite Kramer's warning about hair growth.
George "moves" to New York and takes a job with the Yankees. Steinbrenner
Steinbrenner
Steinbrenner may refer to:*Gene Steinbrenner, baseball player*George Steinbrenner , American businessman, former New York Yankees owner*George M...
is led to believe that George is holding down two jobs, and makes a deal to trade George for a fermented chicken drink and some chicken snacks for the stadium. Kramer asks Jerry and his girlfriend to take the tour and, while Elaine enters, she asks Kramer to get rid of the muffin stumps on his tour in return. Jerry's chest begins itching from hair growth, as Kramer searches for a dump that will take the stumps. Jerry's itching makes him run into the forest to scratch his chest; when the moon comes out he howls like the Wolf Man
Wolf (film)
Wolf is a 1994 American horror film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick, and an uncredited Elaine May, with music by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno....
. Elaine eventually hires a "cleaner" (Newman
Newman (Seinfeld)
Newman is a recurring character on the television show Seinfeld, played by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.-Background:...
, in a Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
spoof) to make the muffin stump problem go away until the store gets private garbage removal.
Cultural references
Newman's role as "The Cleaner" is a reference to Harvey KeitelHarvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
's role as "The Wolf" in Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
. He is seen driving an Acura NSX when he arrives at the bakery, which is the same kind of car that "The Wolf" drives. There is a character known as "The Cleaner" played by Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
in Point of No Return
Point of No Return (film)
Point of No Return is a 1993 American action film directed by John Badham and starring Bridget Fonda. It is a remake of Luc Besson's 1990 film Nikita.-Plot:...
. Newman uses a crate of milk bottles to help dispose of the muffin stumps, which is a reference to Jean Reno
Jean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
's role as "Victor the Cleaner" in the film Nikita (upon which Point of No Return is based), who uses a crate of acid bottles to dispose of murder victims. This also refers to 'The Cleaner' in Leon
Léon (film)
Léon is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson...
(a.k.a. The Professional) where he is a cleaner and he "takes care of problems". There is also a reference to the film Wolf
Wolf (film)
Wolf is a 1994 American horror film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick, and an uncredited Elaine May, with music by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno....
with Jerry Seinfeld playing the role played by Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
. Kramer's "Peterman Reality Tour" is a direct spoof of "Kramer's Reality Tour," conducted by the real-life Kenny Kramer
Kenny Kramer
Kenny Kramer is an American stand-up comedian and is the real-life inspiration for the character of Cosmo Kramer from the television sitcom Seinfeld.-Pre-Seinfeld:...
, the former neighbor of Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
and inspiration for the character Cosmo Kramer. Lippman's reference to "every half-wit and sitcom star ha[ving] his own book out" is a reference to Seinfeld's own book Seinlanguage
Seinlanguage
Seinlanguage is a 1993 book written by Jerry Seinfeld, chronicling his sitcom Seinfeld into a bestselling paperback.Seinlanguage was critically acclaimed and scored a spot on the New York Times Best Seller list.-Plot:...
. The title of J. Peterman's autobiography, No Placket
Placket
A placket is an opening in the upper part of trousers or skirts, or at the neck or sleeve of a garment. Plackets are almost always used to allow clothing to be put on or removed easily, but are sometimes used purely as a design element...
Required is a parody of the Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
album No Jacket Required
No Jacket Required
The album is named after an incident at The Pump Room restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. Collins , was denied admittance because he did not meet the restaurant's dress code of "jacket required" for dinner, while Plant was allowed in. Collins was wearing a jacket, and argued about it. The Maître d'...
. Originally, George was going to claim to be an employee of the real life Tyson Chicken
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. is a multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork only behind Brazilian JBS S.A., and annually exports the largest percentage of beef out of...
. However, Tyson Chicken objected to the joke about "alcoholic chicken" and the fictional "Tyler Chicken" was used in its place.
The actor Reuven Bar-Yotam, who is seen on Kramer's "Peterman Reality Tours" bus also appears as Shlomo in season nine's "The Frogger
The Frogger
"The Frogger" is the 174th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 18th episode for the 9th and final season. It first aired on April 23, 1998.-Plot:...
". The "Jiffy Dump" employee is the same man who was in charge of "Jiffy Park" in the 7th season episode, "The Wig Master
The Wig Master
"The Wig Master" is the 129th episode of the NBC situation comedy Seinfeld. This was the 19th episode for the 7th season. It aired on April 4, 1996.-Plot:...
." The conversation even references that episode as George is told to "take it up with consumer affairs" in "The Wig Master" and Kramer can be heard yelling "maybe I will take it up with consumer affairs!" after being turned away.
Elaine's exchange with Lippman regarding the use of exclamation points is a reference to an earlier episode in which Elaine and Lippman had a related dispute while working at Pendant Publishing. Ironically, in the earlier dispute, Lippman was against the use of exclamation points and Elaine was for it. Early in the episode, Kramer mentions that his window is "the one that's covered with chicken wire." Later on, a scene shows the CEO's office at Tyler Chicken. There is the shadow of a window covered with chicken wire.