Origin of "The Moops"?

[Leslie E. Frates]

In the episode entitled "The Bubble Boy", first broadcast on 10/7/92,
George plays Trivial Pursuit with an obnoxious boy who is confined to a
germ-free plastic bubble. During the game, a dispute arises as to who
invaded Spain in the 8th century. The "bubble boy," with historical
correctness, answers "the Moors." However, the game card is misprinted
to read "the Moops," and George therefore declares the bubble boy to be
wrong. A scuffle ensues, the bubble rips, and George is chased out of
town for endangering the local lad.

So what?, you may ask. Well, it just so happens that I own a copy of the
9th Edition of the Jeopardy! home game, which was issued in 1972. It
contains the following $100 answer/question combination (in Double
Jeopardy Game #16, Category: Columbus):

Answer: Only after she defeated them could Isabella consider
Columbus' requests.
Question: Who are the Moops?

Gentlemen and ladies of the jury, I submit that Larry Charles and Larry
David, the writers of the episode, also own, or at least have played, the
same Jeopardy home game. The coincidence is just too weird.

(Trivial subplot: I first came across the Jeopardy/Moops question in
1991, while studying for an appearance on the real Jeopardy! Tournament
of Champions. I laughed my head off then, and once again when I saw the
Seinfeld episode.)

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Leslie E. Frates (lfr...@cello.gina.calstate.edu)
Lecturer, California State University, Hayward
Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures
"I'll Take Foreign Phrases for $1,000, Alex"
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