The Simpsons is the longest-running animated television
series and sitcom series in television history, with 16 seasons and 346 episodes since its debut on December 17, 1989. Highly satirical, the show lampoons many aspects of the human condition, but primarily parodies the "Middle American" lifestyle its titular family exhibits, and
more generally American culture, society, and even television itself. In a recent
Channel 4 programme, the 100 Greatest Cartoons, it was voted into first
place.
Setting, characters, and plot
The characters were originally created by Matt Groening as part of a
series of original animated segments for The Tracey
Ullman Show. Over the course of the series Groening has used many of the themes present in his long-running comic strip series, Life in
Hell. (For instance, the idea of creative school children as constantly being persecuted and suppressed by totalitarian
grown-ups stems from the strip.)
The Simpsons is set in the fictional United States town of
Springfield. Throughout the show's history
fans have tried to determine "where" Springfield is by taking the town's characteristics, surrounding geography and nearby landmarks as "clues." However, both the town itself and its location are fictional.
Nearly every state and region in the U.S. has been both "suggested" and "ruled out" by conflicting "evidence" of a location for
Springfield, so that the town could theoretically be anywhere. For example, in the episode "Behind the Laughter" the Simpsons are described as "[a] northern Kentucky family". In a later airing the location was changed to "southern Missouri." Creator Matt Groening has stated that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon, the town he grew up in (see Matt Groening's
Portland (http://www.portlandtribune.com/simpsons/)), and the name
"Springfield" was chosen because virtually every state has one. (See Where Is The Simpsons' Springfield? (http://www.snpp.com/guides/springfield.list.html) for more information on this issue.)
The show's basic premise centers on the antics of the family: Homer
and Marge, and their children Bart, Lisa and Maggie as well as their pets Santa's Little Helper – the dog – and Snowball II – the cat. (Snowball I was run over and killed earlier in Simpsons history. In a later episode, Snowball II is
killed, along with replacements Snowball III and Coltraine. Snowball V survives and is renamed Snowball II to save money on
dishes.)
Homer, a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, is a generally well-meaning buffoon whose short attention
span often draws him into outrageous schemes and adventures. Marge was once intelligent and sophisticated, but has come to
conform with the stereotype of housewife/mother. Bart, the oldest sibling, is a troublemaker and classroom terror ("a vile burlesque of
irrepressible youth" is how Lisa once described him) who thinks of himself as a rebel while Lisa is a brainy student and jazz music fan who dreams of a better future (she is referred to as "the future of the family").
Maggie is an eternal baby. Despite the fact that numerous years (and birthdays) clearly
pass (for example, many Christmas episodes), the Simpsons do not appear to age. Some characters' ages have fluctuated throughout
the years; this is most likely due to simple oversight on the part of the writers.
The show also has a vast array of quirky supporting characters, including co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended
relatives, and local celebrities. Many of these characters have developed a vast cult following of their own. For a comprehensive
list, see characters from The
Simpsons.
Authority, especially in undeserving hands, is a constant target of the show's often sharp satire. This probably explains the
often strong negative reaction to the show from social conservatives.
Nearly every authority figure in the show is portrayed unflatteringly: Homer is thoughtless and irresponsible, the antithesis of
the ideal 1950s TV father though he always comes through for his family in the end.
Springfield police chief Clancy
Wiggum (voiced by Hank Azaria in an Edward G. Robinson-influenced tone) is obese, stupid, lazy, corrupt and not overly concerned with
constitutional rights (not to mention that he somewhat resembles a pig). Mayor
Quimby – who sounds like John F. Kennedy –
is a corrupt, illiterate, womanizer. Seymour Skinner, the principal
of Springfield Elementary School, is an uptight, humorless bachelor who lives with his domineering mother. He has frequent
flashbacks to his capture and imprisonment by the Viet Cong, and he is repeatedly
likened to Norman Bates in Psycho. Reverend Lovejoy, the pastor of the local
church, is judgemental and moralistic (but only regarding other people). While most of
these characters are more incompetent than truly evil there is one true sadist: Montgomery Burns, owner of the Springfield Nuclear Plant and Homer Simpson's boss; he is often compared to
Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane.
The show also routinely mocks and satirizes show business conventions and personalities. Krusty the Clown has an enthusiastic following among Springfield's kids, but offstage he is a jaded,
cynical hack, in poor health from a long history of overindulgence and substance abuse. He will endorse any product for a price.
Kent Brockman is a self-important, spoiled TV news anchorman with little
regard for journalistic ethics possibly thanks to the fact that he won the
lottery in one episode. Viewers also learn that Brockman went by 'Kenny Brockelstein' in the 1960s, but that he anglicized by the time the Simpsons episodes of the 1990s
take place.
The plots of most episodes focus on the adventures of one particular family member, frequently Homer. However the plots have
never been very predictable or constant and tend to be very character-driven. Recurring themes in episodes include:
- Homer gets a new job or attempts to make money in a get-rich-quick scheme.
- Marge attempts to escape the monotony of keeping house by finding
employment or taking up a hobby.
- Bart causes a large problem and attempts to fix it.
- Lisa embraces or advocates the merits of a particular political cause
or group.
- The entire family goes on vacation. (They have visited every continent on
Earth with the exception of Antarctica.)
There are several types of scenes that recur often and have become conventions of the show's storytelling style. Examples of
these stock scenes include:
- A scene at the very beginning of the show in which the family goes somewhere together, like a cartoon festival or a cider
mill. After a few minutes there, the main plot begins.
- A scene, often near the middle of the show, in which Homer and Marge are in bed together discussing the events of the story
so far.
- A scene in which the family is eating dinner together and talking about the events of the plot. Conceptually this is very
similar to the "Homer and Marge in bed" scenes, but including Bart and Lisa.
- A scene in the morning in which Marge is preparing breakfast, and the kids and Homer are eating before going to work or
school as they talk about what they are going to do. This is often near the start of the episode.
- A scene in which Homer is at Moe's Tavern escaping the hassles of
work and family to be with his friends.
- A scene in which one or more Simpsons are watching a TV program, which the viewer watches along with them.
- A crowd scene, in which the entire town of Springfield convenes to witness some notable event, protest something, attend a
civic meeting, or even start a riot. Many recurring minor characters appear and speak.
- TV anchorman Kent
Brockman reporting on the events of the plot.
- Scenes that cut from the main action to show what a secondary character, like Krusty or Mr. Burns, is doing at the time.
- A fantasy in which one of the Simpsons imagines how something might turn out.
See also: List of The
Simpsons episodes by theme
Series history
The Simpson family first appeared in animated form as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, the first short "Good Night" airing on April 19, 1987. Matt
Groening admits the reason why they were so crudely drawn in the beginning was because he could not draw well and the animators
did nothing more than just trace over his drawings. The shorts were never aired by the BBC in
the UK, though some of them, including "Good Night," were included in a
Simpsons anniversary episode. The Simpsons was converted, by a team of production companies that included what is
now the Klasky-Csupo animation house, into a series for the Fox Network in 1989 and has run as a weekly show on that network ever since.
The Simpsons was the first true TV series hit for Fox; it was the first Fox show to appear in the top twenty
highest-rated shows of the time. It also sparked controversy, as Bart Simpson was portrayed as a rebellious troublemaker who
caused trouble and got away with it. Parents' groups and conservative spokespersons felt that a cartoon character like Bart
Simpson provided a poor role model for children. When a Simpsons T-shirt
was marketed featuring Bart and the logo "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')" Simpsons T-shirts and other merchandise was banned from public schools in several areas of the United States.
The outcry against Bart was reflected in the second season opener, featuring an episode called Bart Gets an F where Bart's school wants to make him repeat the fourth
grade. In this episode, the school counselor quotes the controversial T-shirt by stating, "He is an underachiever... and proud of
it."
In September 1990, Barbara Bush said in an interview for People
magazine that The Simpsons was the dumbest thing she'd ever seen. Later, an episode had George and Barbara Bush move to Springfield and leave after George gets
involved in a feud with the Simpson family (in a style reminiscent of Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wilson). Mr. and Mrs. Bush were
both portrayed by voice actors. One of the Simpsons DVD sets includes a special
feature that presents an exchange of letters between the First Lady and show staff.
The writers have shown a love for cameo appearances by
celebrities and extended pastiches of contemporary and classic movies, as well as subtle visual jokes.
On February 9, 1997 The Simpsons surpassed The
Flintstones as the longest-running prime time animated series in
America; and in January 2003, it was announced that the show had been renewed by Fox
through 2005 – meaning it has replaced The Adventures of Ozzie and
Harriet (1952 to 1966) as longest-running
sitcom (animated or live-action) ever in the United States. In 2004, the series was renewed through its 19th season and if it survives until 2009, it will tie (or will have beaten if The Tracey Ullman Show shorts are counted) Gunsmoke's record as the longest-running prime time series (of any genre) in US
television history.
In its 1998 issue celebrating the greatest achievements in arts and entertainment of the
20th Century, TIME magazine
named The Simpsons the century's best television series. In that same issue, Bart Simpson was named to the Time 100, the publication's list of the century's 100 most influential people. He was the
only fictional character on the list.
Since the series originated as part of The Tracey Ullman Show, it is also considered the longest running and most
successful spinoff of all time.
Over the years, virtually every Simpsons character has appeared on a magazine cover, ranging from TIME to Christianity Today and even
Airliners.
The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 21 Emmy Awards, 22 Annie
Awards, a Peabody and numerous others. On January 14, 2000 the Simpsons were
awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The voice actors have been involved in much-publicized pay disputes with
Fox on more than one occasion. In 1998, the voice actors
stopped working, forcing 20th Century Fox TV to increase their
current salary of $30,000 per episode to $125,000. The actors were supported in their action by series creator Matt Groening.
[1] (http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99e.html) As the revenue generated by the show
continued to increase through syndication and DVD sales, six actors (playing over 50 characters) – Dan Castellaneta, Julie
Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer – stopped showing up for script readings in April
2004 after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with Fox. They
asked for $360,000 per episode, or $8 million for a 22-episode season. On May 2, 2004,
the actors resolved their dispute with Fox after having their demands met. The universally-reported claim that this dispute was
in fact a full-blown strike is denied by Harry Shearer. [2] (http://www.metronews.ca/column_tube_talk.asp?id=2347&cid=650)
Origin of the names
Many of the characters in the Simpsons take their names from important people and places in Groening's life:
- Lisa – Lisa Groening (Matt Groening's sister)
- Marge – Margaret Groening (his mother)
- Homer – Homer Groening (his father and one of his sons)
- Maggie – Maggie Groening (one of his sisters)
- Bart – an anagram for "brat", a reference to Groening himself
- Abraham – picked at random by writers for The Simpsons, but coincidentally was the name of Matt Groening's
grandfather
- 742 Evergreen Terrace is the address of the place where Matt Groening grew up.
- Chief Wiggum – Groening's college love's last name was "Wiggum"
- Miss Hoover (Lisa's teacher) – one of his primary school teachers
- Moe – Matt Groening's former drug rehab counselor
- Apu (Kwik-E-Mart owner) – reference to one of his favorite movies
- Ned Flanders – In NW Portland, Groening's hometown,
there is a Flanders St. (from which one could deduce – Ned Flanders, Saint)
- Reverend Lovejoy - another NW Portland street name
- Mayor Quimby - another NW Portland street name
- C. Montgomery Burns - an abbreviated NW Portland street called
Burnside
Other name origins:
- Seymour Skinner – behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner,
especially considering his Psychoesque relationship with his mother, or a reference to
"see more skin"
- Maude, Rod and Todd Flanders – they all rhyme with "God" (Maude being pronounced 'Mod' in certain North American
accents).
- Kang and Kodos (aliens) – In the original Star Trek, Kang is a Klingon,
and Kodos ("The Executioner") is a human villain.
- Barney Gumble (Homer's drinking buddy) – Barney Rubble from The Flintstones.
- Troy McClure (actor) – B-movie actors Troy Donohue and Doug
McClure.
- Dr. Nick Riviera (enterprising physician) – Elvis
Presley's physician, George C. Nichopoulos, was called Dr. Nick.
- Milhouse Van Houten – notorious 1960's figures Richard Milhous
Nixon and Manson Family member and convicted murderer Leslie Van
Houten (or, possibly Van Houten Avenue in Portland, Oregon).
- KMEX-TV – KMEX-TV, a Spanish-language television station in Los Angeles, California.
See also: Who's Who in Springfield (http://www.snpp.com/guides/whoiswho.html)
Opening sequence
The Simpsons opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable trademarks. Almost every episode opens with a title
shot coming through the cumulus clouds and into the school where Bart is writing
sentences on the class chalkboard, presumably set as a punishment by one of his
teachers for some mischievous deed or wayward comment; Marge and Maggie are shown checking out at the supermarket with Maggie
travelling across the scanner, ringing up at $847.63(although the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" jokes that the
registers says "NRA4EVER"). The sequence then introduces Lisa (who leaves a band recital) and Homer (who is leaving the power
plant), where the family is on their way to their house at 742 Evergreen Terrace (the address varied in the beginning, but the
writers now use 742 Evergreen Terrace exclusively). The members of the family weave dangerously through traffic and in between
fellow (and, from the second season onward, familiar) Springfield denizens, miraculously reaching home at the exact same time.
Upon entering, they all speed towards the family room couch where, in comedic parallel with the audience, they settle to watch
their "must-see" TV show.
For each episode, the sequence includes four variations: Bart writes something different on the chalkboard, Lisa plays a different solo on her saxophone, Homer screams in a differing way (only done in the first couple of seasons),
and the family attempts to sit on the couch as something goes awry in an often surreal manner.
In the syndicated version, all or part of the opening sequence is
usually not broadcast in order to include more commercials in the show's allotted timeslot.
The "couch gag" sequence is frequently used to help show
staff make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself. Most couch gags last only about five
seconds, but the longest one on record lasted 46 seconds.
The first season opening sequence featured a number of differences from the later seasons, including a shot of Lisa riding her
bike on the way home and Bart's way home consisting of snatching a bus stop sign, forcing several dazed Springfieldians to chase
the bus, rather than just riding past a number of well-known characters.
The series' distinctive theme tune was composed by musician Danny Elfman. The current arrangement was
orchestrated by Alf Clausen.
Halloween episodes
See main article: List of The Simpsons
episodes
An annual tradition is a special Halloween episode consisting of three
separate, self-contained pieces, although there are sometimes running gags between them. The tradition began in the second season
episode Treehouse of Horror (broadcast as The Simpsons Halloween Special), with Bart and Lisa telling scary stories
to each other in their treehouse while Homer secretly listened in. Neither Bart
nor Lisa was scared, but Homer was terrified. In later years the episode dropped the treehouse storytelling "frame", but kept the
Treehouse title; for several years the characters broke the fourth
wall and introduced their pieces directly to the audience. These pieces usually involve the family in some fantasy setting,
and always takes place outside the normal continuity and rules of the show. Regular Simpsons characters play humorous special
roles, and the two space aliens Kang and Kodos, featured in the
original Treehouse episode, always make an appearance, albeit sometimes at the last minute and for no reason but simply to
continue the tradition of their appearances. These Halloween segments have parodied many classic horror and science fiction films, and one
segment is often a parody of a classic Twilight Zone or
Night Gallery television episode.
In Treehouse of Horror II the writers decided to give everyone scary names in the opening and closing credits. This
also became a tradition, and has been done in every halloween episode except I, XII and XIII. The names have
changed in subsequent seasons.
In a section of Treehouse of Horror VI called Homer³ , Homer and Bart go into a three-dimensional world created by Pacific Data Images, a computer animation company. This was one of the few times The Simpsons have strayed from their
traditional 2D animation, along with a live action cameo by Regis and Kathie Lee in Treehouse of Horror IX, a couple of claymation scenes in 'Tis The Fifteenth Season featuring The California Prunes and Jimmy Stewart, and a live action couch gag consisting of a sketchbook being
flipped by a hand to make the characters run towards the couch and sit down. Another recent episode featured a CGI trailer for a
comedy about humanoid playing cards.
Voice actors and their characters
- Dan Castellaneta: Homer Jay Simpson, Abraham "Grampa"
Simpson, Santa's Little Helper, Barney Gumble, Krusty The Clown, Groundskeeper Willy, Mayor
Quimby, Gil, Sideshow Mel, Stratchy, Hans Moleman, Scott Christian, Kodos, Arnie
Pie, Louie, Bill, Leopold, Luigi, Squeaky-voiced Teen, Crazy Old Man, and
others.
- Julie Kavner: Marjorie "Marge" Bouvier Simpson , Patty
Bouvier, Selma Bouvier, Mrs. Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier.
- Nancy Cartwright: Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz,
Todd Flanders, Ralph Wiggum, Kearney, Database, Jimmy, and others.
- Yeardley Smith: Lisa Simpson.
- Hank Azaria: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Chief
Clancy Wiggum, Comic Book Guy (Jeff Albertson), Officer Lou, Carl Carlson, Dr. Nick Riviera,
Snake, Bumblebee Man, Captain McCallister, Akira, Professor John Frink, Cletus Spuckler (or
Delroy), Kirk van Houten, Superintendent Chalmers, Drederick Tatum, and others.
- Harry Shearer: Charles Montgomery Burns, Waylon J.
Smithers, Ned Flanders, Principal Seymour Skinner, Otto Mann, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Dr.
Julius Hibbert, Jasper, Lenny Leonard, Officer Eddie, Rainier Wolfcastle a.k.a. McBain,
Itchy, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Kang, Kent Brockman, Herman, and others.
- Marcia Wallace: Mrs. Edna Krabappel.
- Maggie Roswell: Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy,
Miss. Elizabeth Hoover, Luann van Houten, and others.
- Pamela Hayden: Milhouse van Houten, Rod Flanders,
Jimbo "Corky" Jones, and others.
- Tress MacNeille: Lindsay Naegle, Mrs. Agnes
Skinner, Cookie Kwan, Dolph, Brandine Del Roy, Mrs Glick, Ann Landers, and others.
- Phil Hartman: Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure; (both characters
were 'retired' after his death)
Guest celebrities
Many episodes feature celebrity guests contributing their voices to the show,
as either themselves or fictional characters.
See List of celebrities on
The Simpsons
Production history
The series has gone through numerous executive producers,
also known as showrunners, throughout its run. The showrunner is in charge of
every aspect of the show for the season(s) he is currently serving as.
Memes
Several memes (often neologisms) that
started on The Simpsons have now become mainstream words or sayings. The most famous of which is Homer's saying: "D'oh!", which is referred to in scripts, as well as three episode names, as "annoyed grunt".
D'oh is now listed in the OED, but without
the apostrophe. "D'oh" is the accepted spelling, and is certainly the most common; the closed captions for the program (at least in the U.S.), however, spell it "D-OHH".
Groundskeeper Willy's phrase, "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", used to describe the French, was picked up by US politicians and publications in 2003, after
European and especially French opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq.
The expression "excellent" – drawn out as a raspy "eeeexcelllent..." in the style of Montgomery Burns –
has also entered popular use.
The show's creators also take pride in having passed on schoolyard rhymes to a new generation of children who otherwise may
not have heard them.
Other memes are listed on the article Made-up words in The Simpsons
Comics
Numerous different Simpsons related comic book series have been published by
Bongo Comics since 1993.
The Simpsons and Futurama comics are also reprinted in the UK, under the same titles, with
various stories from the other Bongo series reprinted in the main Simpsons comic.
Music
Music has been a recurring theme in The Simpsons with virtually all members of the cast breaking into song at least once
during the course of the series. Perhaps the best known song is "Do the Bartman", released as a single and becoming an
international success.
DVDs and Videos
Many episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS over the years. In particular, these DVDs have been released in North America (Region 1) and Europe (Region 2):
Box sets
Individual DVDs
Video games
Movie
Talk about a possible feature-length Simpsons movie has been going on since the early days of the series. The episode
Kamp Krusty was originally going to be a movie. However, it became a regular episode in the end. Rumors have circulated on the
internet about a movie already being in development, none of which have ever been confirmed.
In 2004, the producers announced that a theatrical movie is in fact in the very early
stages of development, and will not be released until after the series ends. With the series being renewed for nineteen seasons,
an estimated premier date was set for the summer of 2008. However, this has yet to be
confirmed by 20th Century Fox. Just like the series, the movie will
be animated (Matt Groening recently turned down a proposal to make a live action film based on the characters, as this would
likely ruin the franchise and anger fans) and will star the six principal voice actors: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy
Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, and most likely Marcia Wallace, Maggie Roswell, Pamela Hayden, and Tress
MacNeill. It is speculated that there will also be guest stars appearing in large roles or cameos.
Trivia
- KBBL is a fictional talk radio
station in Springfield, used in the show. The call letters represent the word "babble."
- Groening named many of the characters in the show after his own family members, and some after streets in Portland, Oregon, where he grew up.[3] (http://www.portlandtribune.com/simpsons/)
- The Alternative Queen's Christmas
Message, 2004 of the United Kingdom was given by Marge Simpson
- The Simpsons is executive produced and developed by: The Mary Tyler Moore Show producer James L. Brooks, Cheers writer Sam Simon, and of course Matt Groening.
- The Simpsons have created their own line of Parker
Brothers and Milton Bradley board games, including
Simpsons Clue (with Homer as Mr. Green, Bart as Professor Plum, Krusty as Col. Mustard,
Marge as Ms. Peacock, Lisa as Ms. Scarlet, and Smithers as Mrs. White), Simpsons Monopoly, Simpsons Life,
Simpsons Jeopardy!, and Simpsons Chess
TV series within The Simpsons
- California Prunes (parody of The California
Raisins)
- Channel 6 News
- The Christmas That Almost Wasn't (and then Was)
- Don't Go There (parody of Friends)
- Do Shut Up (Claimed to be a British show that's broadcast on PBS. "Not hard to see why it's England's longest running
series, and today, we're showing all seven episodes!")
- Ethnic Mismatch Comedy #644
- Eye on Springfield (parody of Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood)
- The Gabbo Show
- Itchy and Scratchy (parody of
Tom and Jerry)
- Steamboat Itchy, first Itchy and Scratchy cartoon (parody of Steamboat Willie)
- That Happy Cat, first Scratchy cartoon
- The Stingy and Battery Show (extremely low-budget version of Itchy and Scratchy)
- Worker and Parasite (the eastern European version
of Itchy and Scratchy that Krusty the Klown had to air after
Itchy and Scratchy was signed over to a competing show)
- Japanese Friends
- Knightboat, the crime-solving boat (parody of Knight
Rider)
- The Krusty the Klown Show
- The Sideshow Bob Cavalcade of Whimsy (name of the show when Sideshow
Bob takes over)
- My Two Cents
- Nookie in New York (parody of HBO's Sex and the City)
- Padz (parody of MTV Cribs)
- People Who Look Like Things (show where a man interview up to 5 people who have an appearance resembling an
object)
- Police Cops (parody of Miami Vice)
- Rock Bottom (parody of Hard
Copy)
- Secrets of National Security Revealed
- Smartline (parody of ABC's Nightline)
- Springfield Squares (parody of Hollywood
Squares)
- Touch the Stove
- When Buildings Collapse
- When Dinosaurs Get Drunk
- When Animals Attack Magicians
Movies within The Simpsons
Websites within The Simpsons
- WhatBadgersEat.com (http://www.whatbadgerseat.com/) - In "A Tale of Two Springfields" Lisa, while trying to get rid of a badger, visited this website to see what badgers ate. As an extra joke,
the site actually exists in reality and is registered to 20th Century
Fox. It has the same dialogue that was read on the show as well as a "Feed the Badger" game. The site's registration expires
August 9th, 2005.
- Mr. X's Web
Page (http://www.mrxswebpage.com/) - A satire of internet journalist
Matt Drudge, Homer creates this website in "The Computer Wore
Menace Shoes" to spread dirty rumors about the people of Springfield. This site also actually exists and is registered to
20th Century Fox and will expire November 10th, 2005.
- OldCoot.com - Grampa Simpson uses this site to express his anger towards the world. The actual website oldcoot.com (http://www.oldcoot.com/) leads to the official website of Granpa Cratchett
Corporation (http://www.granpabusiness.com/), a puppeteering company.
- www.betterthantv.com - Bart sells his "Angry Dad" cartoon to this Internet company, which goes bankrupt alongside other dot-com startups.
- www.nuclear-secrets.com - Homer consults this site when he's trying to build a nuclear reactor for Lisa in "Fat Man and Little Boy".
- Dorks-Gone-Wild.com (http://www.dorks-gone-wild.com/) - Jeff Albertson, the "Comic Book Guy", created this site, which appeared in the episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass". He calls
this the "Best Website Ever", with pictures including "Boxer Shot by Wife", "Lute Fruit" (a picture of Martin playing the lute), "Beauty Pageant Diarrhea", and "Big-Ass Baryshnikov".
This is an actual site that is registered to 20th Century Fox.
- www.springfieldisforgayloversofmarriage.com - Springfield legalizes
gay marriage in an effort to attract tourists in "There's Something About Marrying".
References to The Simpsons in pop culture
- An episode of South Park entitled "Simpsons Already Did It" involves
a plot in which Butters devises a series of seemingly original
diabolical schemes, only to find out that Simpsons episodes have already done them. This episode also features many
South Park characters appearing in the Simpsons unique drawing style.
- Let's Save Tony Orlando's House, a telethon mentioned by Troy McClure, is the
inspiration for the name of a song by the band Yo La Tengo, who
coincidentally once did a rendition of the Simpsons theme song for the show's closing credits.
- Stargate SG-1 commonly makes references to The Simpsons, most
notably in the episode titled Citizen Joe where Dan
Castellaneta makes a guest apperance. The Simpsons is also the character Jack O'Neills favorite show.
Many childrens cartoons have been accused of "stealing" episode ideas from The Simpsons, especially Arthur, which has been accused of using most of it's episode ideas
(especially more recently) being taken from various Simpsons episodes.
TV channels that air The Simpsons
See: List of TV
Channels that air The Simpsons
Academia
Serious academic work has been done on the show. Among the publications that deal with it are:
- Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation by Chris Turner ISBN 0679313184
- Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture (Contemporary Film and Television
Series) by John Alberti ISBN
0814328490
- The Simpsons And Society: An Analysis Of Our Favorite Family And Its Influence In Contemporary Society by Steven
Keslowitz ISBN 1587362538
- The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Leaders Guide for Group Study by Mark I. Pinsky, Samuel F. Parvin ISBN 066422590X
- The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer by William Irwin (Editor), Mark T. Conard (Editor), Aeon Skoble
(Editor) ISBN 0812694333
- The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family by Mark I. Pinsky
ISBN 0664224199
- The Gospel According to Bart: Examining the Religious Elements of The Simpsons by Beth L. Keller
Related topics
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