High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! "Bart Carny" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons` ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on January 11, 1998. Homer and Bart start working at a carnival and befriend a father and son duo named Cooder and Spud. It was written by John Swartzwelder, directed by Mark Kirkland and guest stars Jim Varney as Cooder the carny.