The Simpsons | |
---|---|
Created by | Matt Groening |
Original work | The Simpsons shorts from The Tracey Ullman Show |
Owner | 20th Century Studios |
Years | 1987–present |
Print publications | |
Book(s) | List of books |
Comics | List of comics |
Magazine(s) | Simpsons Illustrated |
Films and television | |
Film(s) | The Simpsons Movie |
Short film(s) | |
Animated series |
|
Television short(s) | The Simpsons shorts (1987–1989) |
Games | |
Traditional | Simpsons Jeopardy! |
Video game(s) | List of video games |
Audio | |
Soundtrack(s) | Discography |
Original music | The Simpsons Theme |
Miscellaneous | |
Toy(s) | World of Springfield Lego The Simpsons |
Theme park attraction(s) | The Simpsons Ride Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl |
Official website | |
www.thesimpsons.com |
The Simpsons is an American animated comedy franchise whose eponymous family consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The Simpsons were created by cartoonist Matt Groening for a series of animated shorts that debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into The Simpsons , a half-hour prime time show that was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Alongside the television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including books, comic books, a magazine, musical releases, and video games.
The Simpsons Movie , a feature-length film, was released in 2007 and was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. A variety of merchandise, including T-shirts, DVDs, board games, and action figures have been released. The Simpsons merchandise has sold well, generating $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. In 2003, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to use The Simpsons characters in their advertising. In 2008, $750 million worth of The Simpsons merchandise was purchased worldwide. Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice-president of licensing and merchandising, called The Simpsons "without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film." [1]
In 2002, the property was valued at $5 billion to $6 billion according to Fox. [2]
Matt Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office. Brooks, the producer of the sketch comedy program The Tracey Ullman Show , wanted to use a series of animated cartoons as bumpers between sketches. Groening had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to present his Life in Hell series. When he realized that animating Life in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights for his life's work, Groening decided to go in another direction. [3] He hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family, and named the characters after his own family. [3] [4]
The Simpsons takes place in the fictional American town of Springfield, without any geographical coordinates or references to U.S. states that might identify which part of the country it represents. [5] The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy or "sitcom" as its premise. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town. [6] However, because of its animated nature, The Simpsons' scope is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant, the show can comment on the state of the environment. [7] Through Bart and Lisa's days at Springfield Elementary School, the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features a vast array of media channels—from kids' television programming to local news, which enables the producers to make jokes about themselves and the entertainment industry. [8] Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias. [9] The writer and producer Al Jean admitted in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent." [10] The writers often evince an appreciation for liberal ideals, but the show makes jokes across the political spectrum. [11] Religion also figures as a recurring theme. In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the show has dealt with most of the major religions. [12]
The main characters of the show are the Simpson family. The Simpsons are a family who live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in Springfield. [6] Although the family is dysfunctional, many episodes examine their relationships and bonds with each other and they are often shown to care about one another. [13]
The five family members were given simple designs so that their facial emotions could easily be changed with little effort [35] and so that they would be recognizable in silhouette. [36] They made their debut on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night". [37] In 1989, the shorts were adapted into The Simpsons, a half-hour series airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show. [38]
Series | Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Showrunner(s) | Status | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||||
The Simpsons | 1 | 13 | December 17, 1989 | May 13, 1990 | Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon | Released | |
2 | 22 | October 11, 1990 | July 11, 1991 | ||||
3 | 24 | September 19, 1991 | August 27, 1992 | Al Jean and Mike Reiss | |||
4 | 22 | September 24, 1992 | May 13, 1993 | ||||
5 | 22 | September 30, 1993 | May 19, 1994 | David Mirkin | |||
6 | 25 | September 4, 1994 | May 21, 1995 | ||||
7 | 25 | September 17, 1995 | May 19, 1996 | Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein | |||
8 | 25 | October 27, 1996 | May 18, 1997 | ||||
9 | 25 | September 21, 1997 | May 17, 1998 | Mike Scully | |||
10 | 23 | August 23, 1998 | May 16, 1999 | ||||
11 | 22 | September 26, 1999 | May 21, 2000 | ||||
12 | 21 | November 1, 2000 | May 20, 2001 | ||||
13 | 22 | November 6, 2001 | May 22, 2002 | Al Jean | |||
14 | 22 | November 3, 2002 | May 18, 2003 | ||||
15 | 22 | November 2, 2003 | May 23, 2004 | ||||
16 | 21 | November 7, 2004 | May 15, 2005 | ||||
17 | 22 | September 11, 2005 | May 21, 2006 | ||||
18 | 22 | September 10, 2006 | May 20, 2007 | ||||
19 | 20 | September 23, 2007 | May 18, 2008 | ||||
20 | 21 | September 28, 2008 | May 17, 2009 | ||||
21 | 23 | September 27, 2009 | May 23, 2010 | ||||
22 | 22 | September 26, 2010 | May 22, 2011 | ||||
23 | 22 | September 25, 2011 | May 20, 2012 | ||||
24 | 22 | September 30, 2012 | May 19, 2013 | ||||
25 | 22 | September 29, 2013 | May 18, 2014 | ||||
26 | 22 | September 28, 2014 | May 17, 2015 | ||||
27 | 22 | September 27, 2015 | May 22, 2016 | ||||
28 | 22 | September 25, 2016 | May 21, 2017 | ||||
29 | 21 | October 1, 2017 | May 20, 2018 | ||||
30 | 23 | September 30, 2018 | May 12, 2019 | ||||
31 | 23 | September 29, 2019 | May 17, 2020 | ||||
32 | 22 | September 27, 2020 | May 23, 2021 | Al Jean and Matt Selman | |||
33 | 22 | September 26, 2021 | May 22, 2022 | ||||
34 | 22 | September 25, 2022 | May 21, 2023 | ||||
35 | 18 | October 1, 2023 | May 19, 2024 |
The Simpsons shorts debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987, were featured on the first three seasons of the show. By the fourth and last season of The Tracey Ullman Show the first season of the half-hour show was on the air. In the two first seasons the shorts were divided into three or four parts, [39] but in the third season they were played as a single story. [39] The stories for the shorts were written and storyboarded by Matt Groening. [40] The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead they just traced over his drawings. [3] The animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo, [41] with Wesley Archer, David Silverman, and Bill Kopp being animators for the first season. [40] After season one it was animated by Archer and Silverman. [40] "Georgie" Gyorgyi Kovacs Peluce (Kovács Györgyike) [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] was the colorist and the person who decided to make the characters yellow. [40]
The actors who voiced the characters would later reprise their roles in The Simpsons. Dan Castellaneta performed the voices of Homer Simpson, Abraham Simpson, and Krusty the Clown. [48] Homer's voice sounds different in the shorts compared to most episodes of the half-hour show. In the shorts, his voice is a loose impression of Walter Matthau, whereas it is more robust and humorous on the half-hour show, allowing Homer to cover a fuller range of emotions. [49] Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta as well as Julie Kavner to voice Homer and Marge, rather than hire more actors; Castellaneta and Kavner were already members of the main Tracey Ullman Show cast. [15] Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith performed the voices of Bart and Lisa Simpson respectively. [48]
In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The team included what is now the Klasky Csupo animation house. [50] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", a Christmas special. [51] "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990 because of animation problems. [52] The Simpsons takes place in the fictional American town of Springfield, without any geographical coordinates or references to U.S. states that might identify which part of the country it represents. [53] For The Simpsons, Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria were added as cast members. [48] In addition to the main cast, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Marcia Wallace, Maggie Roswell, and Russi Taylor voice supporting characters. [48] From 1999 to 2002, Maggie Roswell's characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven. Karl Wiedergott has appeared in minor roles, but does not voice any recurring characters. [54] Repeat "special guest" cast members include Albert Brooks, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Joe Mantegna, and Kelsey Grammer. [55]
The Simpsons was the Fox network's first TV series to rank among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows. [56] While later seasons would focus on Homer, Bart was the lead character in most of the first three seasons. In 1990, Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Bartmania". [57] [58] [59] [60] On February 9, 1997, The Simpsons surpassed The Flintstones with the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" as the longest-running prime-time animated series in the United States. In 2004, The Simpsons replaced The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952 to 1966) as the longest-running sitcom (animated or live action) in the United States. [61] In May 2007, The Simpsons reached their 400th episode at the end of the eighteenth season. Hallmarks of the show include the opening sequence; [62] its theme song, composed by Danny Elfman in 1989; [63] Treehouse of Horror episodes, which have themselves inspired an offshoot of merchandise; [64] its use of cultural references; [65] sight gags; [66] and the use of catchphrases, [67] such as Homer's annoyed grunt "D'oh!". [68]
The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 24 Primetime Emmy Awards, [69] 26 Annie Awards [70] and a Peabody Award. [71] In a 1998 issue celebrating the 20th century's greatest achievements in arts and entertainment, Time magazine named The Simpsons the century's best television series. [72] On January 14, 2000, the Simpsons were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [73]
In September 1994, 20th Television began syndicating reruns of The Simpsons to local stations throughout the United States. [74] As of 2003, syndication reruns of The Simpsons have generated an estimated one billion dollars in revenue for Fox. [1] In 2008, advertisers spent $314.8 million to advertise during the primetime show and subsequent reruns, down 16.8% from 2007. [75] Since August 2014, every episode of the show has aired on FXX. From 2014 until 2019, all episodes were available on-demand via the Simpsons World website. All of the episodes have since been moved to the Disney+ streaming service since November 12, 2019. [76] [77] [78]
Throughout its run, The Simpsons has featured characters from different series. The first such instance was in the season six episode "A Star is Burns", which featured characters from The Critic ; due to it being produced by staff who had worked on The Simpsons, including former writers Al Jean, Mike Reiss and producer James L. Brooks, Matt Groening publicly criticized the episode and Brooks, going on to remove his name from the opening credits.
Further episodes with crossovers include season 8 episode "The Springfield Files" with The X-Files , and season 26 episode "Simpsorama", which is a full-length crossover with Futurama , another show created by Matt Groening. Also in season 26, the episode "Mathlete's Feat" featured a crossover couch gag with Adult Swim series Rick and Morty .
Fellow Animation Domination series Family Guy would have a crossover with The Simpsons titled "The Simpsons Guy", which is part of Family Guy season 13.
Following the addition of The Simpsons to the Disney+ streaming service, co-creator and executive producer James L. Brooks suggested the creation of a series of short films in which the Simpsons would "invade the rest of Disney+" as a way to promote The Simpsons and reach viewers who may not have been familiar with the series. [79] So far, nine shorts have been released, the most recent being The Most Wonderful Time of the Year on October 11, 2024.
20th Century Fox, Gracie Films, and Film Roman produced an animated Simpsons film, titled The Simpsons Movie , that was released on July 27, 2007. [80] The film was directed by long-time Simpsons producer David Silverman and written by a team of Simpsons writers comprising Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean, George Meyer, Mike Reiss, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti, David Mirkin, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, and Ian Maxtone-Graham. [80] Production of the film occurred alongside continued writing of the series despite long-time claims by those involved in the show that a film would enter production only after the series had concluded. [80] There had been talk of a possible feature-length Simpsons film ever since the early seasons of the series. James L. Brooks originally thought that the story of the episode "Kamp Krusty" was suitable for a film, but he encountered difficulties in trying to expand the script to feature-length. [81] For a long time, difficulties such as lack of a suitable story and an already fully engaged crew of writers delayed the project. [82] After winning a Fox and USA Today competition, Springfield, Vermont hosted the film's world premiere. [83]
The Simpsons Movie grossed a combined total of $74 million in its opening weekend in the United States, taking it to the top of the box office, [84] and set the record for highest grossing opening weekend for a film based on a television series, surpassing Mission: Impossible 2 . [85] It opened at the top of the international box office, taking $96 million from seventy-one overseas territories—including $27.8 million in the United Kingdom, making it Fox's second highest opening ever in that country. [86] In Australia, it grossed A$13.2 million, the biggest opening for an animated film and third largest opening weekend in the country. [87] The film closed on December 20, 2007, with a worldwide gross of $527,068,706, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2007. [88]
A 3D short-film entitled The Longest Daycare , focusing on Maggie, was shown in theaters before the 2012 film Ice Age: Continental Drift . [89] It received an Academy Award nomination in the category of best animated short film. [90] [91]
On February 27, 2020, it was announced that a new short-film titled Playdate with Destiny would be screened in theaters with Pixar's Onward . The short-film starred Maggie Simpson. Onward was released on March 6, 2020, [92] [93] with a release on Disney+ on April 10, 2020. [94] [95] [96]
Milhouse makes a cameo appearance in the 2014 film The Lego Movie as a Master Builder in Cloud Cuckoo Land. [97]
Bootleg versions of Homer and Bart, as well as background characters based on the series' animation style, have cameo appearances in the 2022 film Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers . [98]
Dozens of books featuring or about the Simpsons have been released by Fox. The Simpsons Library of Wisdom series each relate to a character from the show and two per year are released.
A series of episode guides has been published, starting with The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family . The guides feature quotes, trivia, and cultural references for each episode. [99]
The final issue of Simpsons Illustrated was a one-shot comic edition titled Simpsons Comics and Stories . The overwhelming success of this seemingly one-shot book led to the creation of Bongo Comics Group, which has gone on to publish numerous Simpsons-related comic books since 1993. [100]
Numerous Simpson-related comic books have been released over the years. So far, nine comic book series have been published by Bongo Comics since 1993. [101] The first comic strips based on The Simpsons appeared in 1991 in the magazine Simpsons Illustrated , which was a companion magazine to the show. [102] The comic strips were popular and a one-shot comic book entitled Simpsons Comics and Stories , containing four different stories, was released in 1993 for the fans. [103] The book was a success and due to this, the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, and his companions Bill Morrison, Mike Rote, Steve Vance and Cindy Vance created the publishing company Bongo Comics. [103] Issues of Simpsons Comics , Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror and Bart Simpson have been collected and reprinted in trade paperbacks in the United States by HarperCollins. [104] [105] [106]
Simpsons Illustrated was a companion magazine to The Simpsons. [107] It was produced by Matt Groening, Bill Morrison, Cindy and Steve Vance, [108] and Katy Dobbs was editorial director. [107] It ran for 10 issues from 1991 to 1993. Welsh Publishing Company issued it four times a year. [109] The magazine had a circulation of 1 million. [110] Features included in-depth articles and interviews with the cast and crew, comics, and fanart. [109]
The video game industry was very quick to adapt the characters and world of Springfield into games. Some of the early games include Konami's arcade game The Simpsons (1991) and Acclaim Entertainment's The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants (1991). More modern games include The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001), The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003) and The Simpsons Game (2007). Two Simpsons pinball machines have been produced; one that was available briefly after the first season, and another that is still available for purchase. [111] Since 2005, Electronic Arts have global exclusive rights to develop and publish any games based on the franchise. [112]
In July 2007, shortly before the release of The Simpsons Movie , it was officially announced that The Simpsons Ride , a simulator ride, would be implemented into the Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. [113] It officially opened May 15, 2008 in Florida [114] and May 19, 2008, in Hollywood. [115] In the ride, patrons are introduced to a cartoon theme park called Krustyland built by Krusty the Clown. However, Sideshow Bob is loose from prison to get revenge on Krusty and the Simpson family. [116] It features more than 24 regular characters from The Simpsons and features the voices of the regular cast members, as well as Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, and Kelsey Grammer. [117] Harry Shearer decided not to participate in the ride, so none of his characters have vocal parts. [118] James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean, collaborated with the Universal Studios creative team, Universal Creative, to help develop the ride. [119] The six-minute ride uses 80-foot IMAX screens and Sony Projectors. [120] There are 24 ride cars, each seating eight people, [117] and approximately 2000 people can ride it per hour. [116] The animation in the ride uses computer generated 3D animation rendered by Blur Studio and Reel FX, [121] rather than the traditional 2-D animation seen on The Simpsons. [122] The Universal Studios Florida version of the ride hosted its one millionth rider on July 14, 2008, reaching the milestone faster than any other attraction in the resort. [123]
In August 2018, The Simpsons in 4D opened at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, housed in a replica of The Azteca theater from the series. [124] Next door, a gift shop modeled after Kwik-E-Mart sells in-series merchandise such as Buzz Cola, Krusty burgers, Lard Lad doughnuts, and Squishees. [125]
The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising industry. [24] The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. [24] In 2008, $750 million worth of The Simpsons merchandise was purchased worldwide. [75] In 2003, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to use Simpsons characters in their advertising. [1] In 2003, Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice president of licensing and merchandising, called The Simpsons "without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film." [1]
Many episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS over the years. When the first season DVD was released in 2001, it quickly became the best-selling television DVD in history, although it was later overtaken by the first season of Chappelle's Show . [126] In particular, seasons one through seventeen and twenty have been released on DVD in the U.S. (Region 1), Europe (Region 2) and Australia/New Zealand/Latin America (Region 4). [127] In 2015 it was announced that Fox was discontinuing home video releases of The Simpsons. [128] Two years later, however, on July 22, 2017, it was announced that Season 18 would be released on December 5, 2017, on DVD. [129] Another two years later, on July 20, 2019, it was announced that Season 19 would be released on December 3, 2019, on DVD. [130]
Collections of original music featured in the series have been released on the albums Songs in the Key of Springfield , Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons and The Simpsons: Testify . [131] Several songs have been recorded with the purpose of a single or album release and have not been featured on the show. The album The Simpsons Sing the Blues was released in September 1990 and was a success, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200 [132] and becoming certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. [133] The first single from the album was the pop rap song "Do the Bartman", performed by Nancy Cartwright and released on November 20, 1990. The song was written by Michael Jackson, although he did not receive any credit. [134] While the song was never officially released as a single in the United States, it was successful in the United Kingdom. In 1991 it was the number one song in the UK for three weeks from February 16 to March 9 and was the seventh best-selling song of the year. [135] It sold half a million copies and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on February 1, 1991. [136]
In the early 1990s, millions of T-shirts featuring Bart were sold; [137] as many as one million were sold on some days. [138] Believing Bart to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Bart next to captions such as "I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')". [24] [139] [140]
McFarlane Toys released a line of action figures based on the film. [141]
According to Bricklink, The Lego Group released a total of 2 Lego sets as part of Lego The Simpsons theme. [142] The product line was eventually discontinued by the end of 2015. [143] [144]
In 2014 and 2015, Lego sets based on The Simpsons were produced, including The Simpsons House [145] and a set of Collectible Lego Minifigures. [146] In 2015 a Simpsons level and fun pack were released under the Lego Dimensions line [147] [148]
Reference | Name | Released | Pieces/Note |
---|---|---|---|
71005 | Minifigures – The Simpsons™ Series 1 | 2014 | 16 different minifigures including Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, Grampa, Ned Flanders, Krusty the Clown, Milhouse, Ralph, Apu, Nelson, Itchy, Scratchy, Chief Wiggum, and Mr. Burns. |
71006 | The Simpsons™ House | 2014 | 2523 |
71009 | Minifigures – The Simpsons™ Series 2 | 2015 | 16 different minifigures including Date Night Homer, Date Night Marge, Pajamas Lisa with Snowball II, Maggie with Santa's Little Helper, Bartman, Milhouse as Fallout Boy, Comic Book Guy, Martin Prince, Professor Frink, Hans Moleman, Selma, Patty, Groundskeeper Willie, Edna Krabappel, Smithers, and Dr. Hibbert. |
71016 | The Kwik-E-Mart | 2015 | 2179 |
71211 | Bart Fun Pack | 2015 | Lego Dimensions fun pack |
71202 | The Simpsons™ Level Pack | 2015 | Lego Dimensions level pack based on "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)" |
71227 | Krusty the Clown Fun Pack | 2015 | Lego Dimensions fun pack |
The Simpsons has inspired special editions of well-known board games, including Clue, [149] Scrabble, Monopoly (both for The Simpsons and for Treehouse of Horror), [150] Operation, Chess, Checkers, Pictionary, Battle of the Sexes, Jeopardy, The Game of Life, [151] Don't Panic, Magic 8-Ball, Othello, Scrabble, SORRY!, Poker, Darts, and Wheel of Fortune are all examples of games that have release Simpsons-related content, as well as the trivia games What Would Homer Do? and Simpsons Jeopardy!. Several card games such as Top Trumps cards and The Simpsons Trading Card Game have also been released. There have also been a few card games and board games unique to The Simpsons. Some examples are: The Simpsons Loser Takes All!, [152] the Don't Have A Cow dice game, The Simpsons Mystery of Life, The Simpsons Lost and Found!, and The Simpsons Guessing Game (similar to Guess Who?).
As a promotion for The Simpsons Movie , the convenience store chain 7-Eleven transformed 11 of its stores in the U.S. and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts, at the cost of approximately $10 million. [153] [154] 7-Eleven also sold Simpsons-themed merchandise in many of its stores. This included "Squishees", "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's" Cereal, and "Pink Movie Donuts". [154] This promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the altered 7-Eleven stores. [155]
On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44 cent stamps featuring Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, to commemorate the show's twentieth anniversary. [156] "The Simpsons" is the first television series to receive this recognition while the show is still in production. [157] [158] The stamps, designed by Matt Groening, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2009. [159] Approximately one billion will be printed. [160]
Microsoft produced a limited edition The Simpsons Movie Xbox 360. [161] Samsung released The Simpsons Movie phone, however the quality of build on the phone left it prone to screen damage although the company denied this and claimed any screen damage was 'user related' and denied warranty claims in Australia. [162] Ben & Jerry's created a Simpsons-themed beer and donut-flavored ice cream, entitled "Duff & D'oh! Nuts". [163]
Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series The Simpsons (1989–present), Futurama, and Disenchantment (2018–2023), and the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012). The Simpsons is the longest-running American primetime television series in history and the longest-running American animated series and sitcom.
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Set in the fictional town of Springfield, it caricatures society, Western culture, television and the human condition.
Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier) is a character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Marge was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He based the character on his mother Margaret Groening. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, the Simpson family received their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.
Homer Jay Simpson is the protagonist of the American animated television series The Simpsons who is part of the Simpson family. Homer made his television debut in the short "Good Night" on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Homer while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office. Initially called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell, Groening instead developed a new set of characters. After two years on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family received their own series, which premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989.
Margaret Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the youngest member of the Simpson family. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. She received her first name from Groening's youngest sister. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family was given their own series on the Fox Broadcasting Company which debuted December 17, 1989.
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television sitcom series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed her while waiting to meet James L. Brooks. Groening had been invited to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic Life in Hell, but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the older Simpson daughter after his younger sister Lisa Groening Bartlett. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family were moved to their own series on Fox, which debuted on December 17, 1989.
Abraham Jay "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa Simpson, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled "Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on The Tracey Ullman Show, before the debut of the television show in 1989.
Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character from the American animated television series The Simpsons who is part of the Simpson family. Bart made his television debut in the short "Good Night" on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Bart while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office. Initially called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell, Groening instead developed a new set of characters. Unlike the other Simpson family members, who were named after Groening's relatives, Bart's name is an anagram of brat. After two years on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family received their own series, which premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989. Bart has appeared in every episode of The Simpsons except "Four Great Women and a Manicure".
Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky, better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown, is a recurring character on the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the long-time clown host of Bart and Lisa Simpson's favorite TV show, a variety show consisting of various kid-friendly sketches and often highly violent cartoons, most notably The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Despite his cheery onscreen persona, Krusty is actually a cynical, burnt-out, addiction-riddled smoker who is made miserable by show business but continues on anyway. He has become one of the most frequently occurring characters outside the main Simpson family and has been the focus of many episodes, some of which also feature Sideshow Bob.
Ralph Wiggum is a recurring character in the animated series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Ralph is characterized largely by his frequent non-sequiturs which range from nonsensical and bizarre to profound. His dim-witted behavior lends him an air of blissful ignorance.
Dr. William MacDougal, better known as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the head groundskeeper and Janitor at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is almost feral in nature and is immensely proud of his Scottish origin. He is easily identifiable by his red hair and beard, as well as his aggressive temperament and thick, stereotypical Scottish accent.
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a fictional animated series featured on The Simpsons. The cartoon depicts a sadistic mouse named Itchy who repeatedly maims or murders a black cat named Scratchy. It is typically presented as 15- to 60-second sketches that are a part of The Krusty the Clown Show. Itchy & Scratchy is filled with graphic violence, unsuitable for children, that almost invariably prompts laughter from The Simpsons characters, especially Bart and Lisa.
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the Fox animated sitcom The Simpsons created by Matt Groening. The film was directed by series veteran David Silverman and stars Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, and other recurring actors reprising their roles from the series, with Albert Brooks joining for the film. The plot follows Homer Simpson as he attempts to save Springfield when it is imprisoned under a glass dome by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after Homer irresponsibly pollutes the town's local lake.
The Simpsonsshorts are a series of animated short films that aired as a recurring segment on Fox variety television series The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, before the characters spun off into The Simpsons, their own half-hour prime-time show. They feature Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, and a few secondary characters. The series was created by Matt Groening, who designed the Simpson family and wrote many of the shorts. The shorts first aired on April 19, 1987, starting with "Good Night". The final short to air was "TV Simpsons", originally airing on May 14, 1989. The Simpsons later debuted on December 17, 1989, as an independent series with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
The Simpson family are the main fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of married couple Homer and Marge and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town of Springfield, United States, and they were created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted on Fox on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" and were later spun off into their own series, which debuted on Fox in the U.S. on December 17, 1989, and started airing in Winter 1990.
The first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons premiered on the Fox network on December 17, 1989, with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", with the rest of the season airing from January 14 to May 13, 1990. The executive producers for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television.
Treehouse of Horror is a series of annual Halloween-themed anthology episodes of the animated sitcom The Simpsons. Also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, each episode typically consists of three separate, self-contained segments. Each segment involves the Simpson family in some comical horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting; plot elements operate beyond the show's normal continuity, with segments exaggeratedly more morbid and violent than a typical Simpsons episode. With 35 episodes as of 2024, each Treehouse of Horror episode is numbered in Roman numerals, one less than the respective season it is in.
The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom starring the animated Simpson family, which was created by Matt Groening. He conceived of the characters in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and named them after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show called The Simpsons, which debuted on December 17, 1989. The show was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the top 30 ratings in a season (1990).
The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening that has aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company since December 1989. It is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, and many aspects of the human condition. The popularity of The Simpsons led to the release of the 1990 double platinum album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, which contains original songs performed by the cast members of the show as their characters. The album spawned two hit singles—"Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble". A less successful sequel, The Yellow Album, was released in 1998.