In 1991 Michael Jackson guest-starred in The Simpsons episode Stark Raving Dad, which was written specially for him after he offered to appear. He asked to go uncredited, so he appears in the closing credits as John Jay Smith, and his singing was performed by a soundalike, Kipp Lennon, who recorded lines alongside him and fooled Jackson's own brothers. The show was legally unable to confirm his appearance, though most viewers assumed it was really him. Jackson also co-wrote the song Do the Bartman, which was released around the same time, though he could not take credit for it because of contracts. The episode aired over a year after it was finished, because it was completed as the last episode of season two.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.