Plot
Dr. Hibbert introduces a frail Ben Matlock to a crowd of excited seniors at the Grand Opening of the Center for Geriatric Medicine. After seeing his idol mobbed to the ground by fans, Abe becomes aware of his mortality and gives the family their inheritances early. He leaves the family a box of old silver dollars that they decide to spend at the mall right away. At the mall, Lisa sees the new talking Malibu Stacy doll in a toy store. Lisa is anxious to hear what the talking Malibu Stacy has to say, but is disappointed with her sexist phrases (such as "Don't ask me, I'm just a girl" and "Thinking gives you wrinkles"). Throughout the trip, Abe will not stop telling stories and spouting useless advice, making the family shun him. Lisa is angry that no one else, friends or family, can see the ridiculousness of the doll. Back home, she and Abe sit at the kitchen table, bemoaning how they are treated because of their age while people 18-49 are revered to the point that some company released Homer's idea for a snack treat called "Nuts and Gum: Together At Last." Abe decides to get a job, and Lisa decides to find Malibu Stacy's creator, Stacy Lovell.
Lisa visits Waylon Smithers, owner of the world's largest Malibu Stacy collection, and asks for help in finding Lovell, who was ousted from the Malibu Stacy company in 1974 as her way of thinking "wasn't cost-effective" (and she was "funneling profits to the Viet Cong"). She bikes to Lovell's house and plays the doll's phrases over the intercom. The gate immediately opens. Lisa and Lovell decide to create a new talking doll, Lisa Lionheart, voiced by Lisa herself. The doll is quietly released, but the executives of Malibu Stacy view Lisa's doll as a real threat because it might hurt the sales of their doll. Meanwhile, Abe struggles with his new job at Krusty Burger, suffering a war flashback at the drive-in and losing his false teeth making burgers. He soon becomes angry at the way seniors are treated, and quits. After a slow initial release, Lisa Lionheart suddenly gains popularity among the fans of the Stacy Malibu after being featured in Kent Brockman's news show. At the mall, as kids rush out to buy Lisa Lionheart, a cart of new Malibu Stacy dolls with new hats is wheeled right into the path of the group running for the Lisa display. Lisa appeals to them that it is just the same doll with a new hat, but they all prefer to stick with Malibu Stacy, largely due to the encouragement of Smithers, except for one little girl, who leaves with a Lisa Lionheart doll. Despite the fact that the doll is a failure, Lisa takes heart that her message was able to get through to at least one little girl.
Read more about this topic: Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy
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