Ha Ha! (sometimes written as Haw Haw!) is Nelson's catchphrase and iconic laugh. Nelson says the laugh with the emphasis on the first "Ha," so it sounds like "Ha-ha!".

Nelson usually uses the laugh when something bad happens to another character. Sometimes, after he uses the laugh, he says why he is laughing at the person. For example, he says, "Ha ha! Your dad's not handy!" to Bart after his ten-speed bike (which Homer had assembled) fell apart while Bart was riding it.^[1]

Sometimes, Nelson laughs for so long at a time that his voice gets really tired and croaky, which was shown in The Simpsons Movie when he laughs at Bart, who was naked at the time.^[2]

Variations[]

Three[]

When Nelson laughs at Martin shortly after punching him in the gut when the latter's birthday party was forced to end early due to the guests falling ill from food poisoning from oysters served by Mrs. Prince, Nelson proceeds to do his trademark laugh, only for his second "ha" to be drawn out into more of a pained groan as he himself succumbs to food poisoning.^[3]In "Bart the General", Nelson's first appearance, he laughs with three "Ha"s, particularly when Bart imagines Nelson as a giant who eventually eats him up, and in "The War of the Simpsons" he laughs like this to Abe Simpson.

Reversed[]

When Nelson laughs at Homer while he (Homer) is having a chili-pepper-induced hallucination, Homer hears the laugh with the emphasis reversed: "Haw-Haw!".^[4]

Four "Ha"s[]

When Nelson appears as a young Beethoven, his laugh has four "Ha"s and he sings it so that it sounds like the opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony: "Ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa, ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa!".^[5]

Crying[]

After Nelson is forced by a tall man to walk down the crowded street with his pants down to his feet as well as humiliate himself to the laughing crowd by waving to the crowd and blowing kisses, he proceeds to say "Waah! Waah!" while crying over his misfortune.

Question[]

Sometimes, Nelson will start the laugh, and then partway through realize that the joke is actually on him, and the laugh comes out sounding like a question: "Ha-Ha?".^[6] In TOHXIV, He said "Ha-huh?".

The contents of this article or section are/can be considered non-canon, and exist outside of the main continuity of The Simpsons.

Battle Cry[]

Nelson uses his laugh as a battle cry when he helps Bart and Lisa defend their box fort from a horde of American Shipping Services delivery people.^[7]

Canadian[]

The Canadian Nelson says "Hoo Hoo!".^[8]

Irish[]

The Irish Nelson says "Har! Har!".^[9]

Spanish[]

The Spanish Nelson says "Hee! Hee!".

See-Saw[]

When Bart jumps on the see-saw and the rubbish bag on the other side lands on him, Nelson says "See-Saw" in the same sort of way as "Ha Ha!."^[10]

Facebook[]

Nelson trips up Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a roller-skating rink. Zuckerberg falls and hurts himself and updates his status on Facebook to "in severe pain". Nelson replies, posting "Haw Haw!".^[11]

Newspaper[]

After Homer's arrest is announced by The Springfield Shopper in "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", a smaller headline says "Local Bully to Homer: Haw Haw" alongside a picture of Nelson.

Hallway[]

In "The Good, the Sad and the Drugly", while Milhouse getting suspended from school, Nelson signs "Ha Ha" at Milhouse.

Confused[]

In "Team Homer", many of the kids were forgetting their trademark characteristics and when he saw Bart unsure on what do with a slingshot, he said "Ha Ho?".

Sick (Version 1)[]

In "Lady Bouvier's Lover", Nelson has gotten sick at the Kwik-E-Mart. He lets out his "Ha" numerous times in a panting, repetitive fashion which Apu construes as an "out-of-body experience."

Sick (Version 2)[]

In "Grade School Confidential", when Martin's birthday is going badly, he starts the laugh, but collapses sick in the process and ends up saying it as "Ha Haggghh!"

Injured[]

In "Moms I'd Like to Forget", Nelson says his first "Ha" before being hit by a dodge ball. He then lets out a weak-sounding "Haaaa..."

Split[]

In "Bart Carny", Bart and Lisa open their back door dressed in a silly way. Nelson says "Ha" before they close the door. When the door is opened again, Nelson says the second "Ha!"

Disappointed[]

In "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", when Nelson sees Bart's scout uniform at class, he calls him Sergeant Dork and laughs the usual way. When Bart told him to enjoy his test, he said "Ha-ha-... aw."

Tired[]

In "Little Girl in the Big Ten", Nelson laughs at Bart when he is forced to live in a plastic bubble to avoid spreading his illness to others. As Bart walks, Nelson runs from one streetlight to another and laughs again, this time slow and interspersed with panting since he is out of breath.

Elderly[]

In a computer projection of the Simpsons' future in "Homer vs. Dignity", an elderly Nelson kicks Homer's gravestone before using his laugh, this time in a wheezy voice and followed by coughing.

Out-of-Tune[]

In "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky", Nelson attempts his laugh, but it comes out slightly off-sounding. He then breathes into a tuning breather, and laughs the usual way.

Mouth Full[]

In "The Fat and the Furriest", Nelson's arms are tied up after he tries to shoplift at Sprawl-Mart. However, he manages to shoplift by sucking up products with his mouth. After doing this, he attempts his laugh while his mouth is still full.

Written[]

In "Coming to Homerica", Nelson is inside the bus while Bart is outside of it. After Bart humiliated himself skateboarding, Nelson holds up a paper sign with "Haw Haw" written on it.

Carved[]

In "500 Keys", Nelson carves "Haw Haw" out of wood.

Formal[]

In "Treehouse of Horror XXIII", when Nelson is serving milk as Bart's butler, he asks Bart, "Will that be ha ha, sir?"

The Human Donkey[]

In "Treehouse of Horror XXIV", Nelson is a "Human Donkey" and his laugh is rendered as "Hee-Haw!" to invoke a braying donkey.

Turkey[]

In "Thanksgiving of Horror", Nelson is a turkey that says "Gobble, Gobble!"

Uses by Other Characters of Simpsons[]

• Mrs. Muntz has been known to use the laugh.^[2]
• Nelson's son in the future also uses the laugh, though this occurrence isn't considered canon.^[12]
• Cypress Hill member B-Real says "Ha-ha!" when he overhears Marge referring to Bart wetting his pants at the Christmas play. ^[13]
• Lisa also says it in the episode "The Haw-Hawed Couple" after discovering that Bart and Nelson are best friends.
• In "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)", Nelson laughed at Santa's Little Helper's misfortune at the vet, and his parrot also uses the laugh.
• In "A Milhouse Divided", Nelson mentions the divorce of Milhouse's parents. Milhouse imitates the laugh asking whether Nelson will use it; instead, however, Nelson gives Milhouse reassurance about his difficult situation.
• In "G.I. D'oh", Mr. Burns says "and a ha-ha to you too!" when talking on the phone to Nelson.
• Milhouse also uses the phrase more genuinely in "Thanksgiving of Horror", after the cranberry sauce monster kills Nelson.
• In "Grift of the Magi", Funzo says "Ha-ha!" presumably because the toy company heard Nelson saying it.
• In "HOMЯ", after the newly intelligent Homer tricks Nelson into embarrassing himself in the Springfield Elementary School auditorium, the kids in the auditorium all say "Ha-ha!" to him.
• An unidentified newspaper sales kid utters the laugh shortly after conning a guy into buying a newspaper that he claimed had the Be Sharps revival (when in reality it doesn't mention anything about the Be Sharps at all, much less their revival), and then being chased by the guy.^[14]
• In "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star", Edna Krabappel voices the laugh after assigning Nelson with a role in a performance that he doesn't want.
• In "Treehouse of Horror XVI", Rabbit form Apu says "Ha-Ha! You can't kill a Hindu!" Before getting stuck in a bear trap.
• In "Stealing First Base", Kevin says it at Nelson's instruction.
• In "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade", Bart says "Ha-Ha!" when he and Lisa were left behind by the school bus.
• In "Thanksgiving of Horror", Millhouse says it after the jelly monster eats Nelson's bones.
• In "22 Short Films About Springfield", the Springfield onlookers after a tall man points out Nelson (the boy who laughs at everyone) and suggest they laugh at him for a change upon forcing him to march down the street with his pants down his legs, the onlookers use Nelson's trademark laugh.
• In "The Wreck of the Relationship", Martin Prince beats up Nelson, and declares, "Today, I wear the vest! Ha! Ha!"
• In "Three Dreams Denied", Bart uses the laugh when imitating Nelson.

Appearances[]

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Citations[]