Oh yes, those are awful (one of my least favorite Jean-isms). We don't need a parade of wacky backgrund gags when characters are having a talk, especially not during plot-important discussions. The 'Stranger Things' biking gag is a perfect example of one of those horrid "jokes", but I also remember a similar parade of wackiness in 'Mother And Child Reunion' during Marge & Lisa having a talk (had Santa's Little Helper outfitted with robot spider legs among others). It takes focus away from the dialogue and is always a bad idea (and kinda makes it feel like Jean is not trusting the audience. If he did he wouldn't juxtapose dialogue with "Look at this silly thing!" gags happening at the same time).