
Deliberate mistake: The mouth on the panda costume is in a constant smile and at no point does Homer change it, even when he is in pain. However, when he is being pulled back under the curtain the mouth is open and the mask has a frightened expression. I suppose this was done on purpose, but it's still a continuity error of sorts.
Answer: I'm not sure if this is the one you're thinking of, but an episode of "Ray Bradbury Theatre," called "A Sound of Thunder," dealt with a similar matter: a group of hunters travel back in time to hunt dinosaurs, only to find things have changed when they get back because someone stepped on a butterfly.
Xofer