The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Ervin . The idea for the episode was pitched by the Simpsons writing staff , who wanted to make an episode in which Mr. Burns become a " thrillionaire " , a millionaire who go on thrilling adventures . Although it would originally be green , a mistake in the overseas animation led to the Loch Ness monster looking pink , a mistake that was ultimately too expensive to fix .