The Simpsons and Portland, Oregon

Last updated
Signs for streets in Portland, Oregon which inspired select characters on The Simpsons Simpsons Streets in Portland (31167254075).jpg
Signs for streets in Portland, Oregon which inspired select characters on The Simpsons

There are many connections between the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and the city of Portland, Oregon, the hometown of series creator Matt Groening. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Many characters on the show have names similar to streets in Portland; Burnside, Flanders, Kearney, Lovejoy, Quimby, and Terwilliger inspired Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Reverend Lovejoy, and Mayor Quimby, and Robert Onderdonk Terwilliger Jr. (better known as Sideshow Bob), respectively. [4] [5]

The 2019 episode "Marge the Lumberjill" is set in Portland and includes street signs with the names that inspired the character names. [6]

In early 2021, Groening signed a portrait of Homer Simpson for a fundraising auction for Lincoln High School, his alma mater. [7]

Ned Flanders Crossing (2021), a footbridge spanning Interstate 405 to connect the Northwest District and Pearl District, is named after Ned Flanders. [8]

In 2021, an anonymous artist installed a "Merge Simpson" depicting Marge Simpson near an on-ramp to Interstate 405 in northwest Portland. The sign was displayed below a column of shrubbery resembling Simpson's beehive. City officials removed the sign because of driving safety concerns. [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Groening</span> American cartoonist (born 1954)

Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012) and the television series The Simpsons (1989–present), Futurama, and Disenchantment (2018–2023). The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reverend Lovejoy</span> Fictional character and singer from The Simpsons franchise

Reverend Timothy "Tim" Lovejoy, Jr. is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head".

Springfield (<i>The Simpsons</i>) Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons

Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Flanders</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, cheery next-door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally loathed by Homer Simpson, though there are numerous instances where the two are portrayed as good friends. A scrupulous and devout Evangelical Christian, he is among the friendliest and most compassionate of Springfield's residents and is generally considered a pillar of the Springfield community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpson family</span> Family of five fictional characters in animation series The Simpsons

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 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon)</span> Public high school in Portland, Oregon

Lincoln High School is a public high school located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. It was established in 1869 as Portland High School.

"In Marge We Trust" is the twenty-second episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 27, 1997. It was the first episode of the series written by Donick Cary and was directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode guest stars Sab Shimono as Mr. Sparkle, Gedde Watanabe as the factory worker, Denice Kumagai and Karen Maruyama as dancers, and Frank Welker as the baboons. In the episode, Marge replaces Reverend Lovejoy as the town's moral adviser, while Homer investigates why his face appears on a Japanese detergent box.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 14) Season of television series

The fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002, and May 18, 2003, and was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other episode, "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", was run by Mike Scully. The season was the first to use digital ink-and-paint for most of its episodes, though four episodes were hold-overs from season 13's production run and used traditional ink-and-paint. A fifth season 13 holdover episode, which was the first episode of season 14, used digital ink-and paint like the rest of the season. The fourteenth season has met with mostly positive reviews and won two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, four Annie Awards and a Writers Guild of America Award. This season contains the show's 300th episode, "Barting Over".

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 11) Season of television series

The eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States between September 26, 1999 and May 21, 2000, starting with "Beyond Blunderdome" and ending with "Behind the Laughter". With Mike Scully as the showrunner for the eleventh season, it has twenty-two episodes, including four hold-over episodes from the season 10 production line. Season 11 was released on DVD in Region 1 on October 7, 2008 with both a standard box and Krusty-molded plastic cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest District, Portland, Oregon</span> Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Northwest District is a densely populated retail and residential neighborhood in the northwest section of Portland, Oregon, United States. Craftsman-style and Old Portland-style houses are packed tightly together with old apartment buildings and new condominiums, within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and shops. The Portland Streetcar's first line terminates there, connecting the district to the Pearl District, Downtown Portland and points south to the South Waterfront, and several TriMet bus lines also serve the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asa Lovejoy</span> American politician (1808–1882)

Asa Lawrence Lovejoy was an American pioneer and politician in the region that would become the U.S. state of Oregon. He is best remembered as a founder of the city of Portland, Oregon. He was an attorney in Boston, Massachusetts before traveling by land to Oregon; he was a legislator in the Provisional Government of Oregon, mayor of Oregon City, and a general during the Cayuse War that followed the Whitman massacre in 1847. He was also a candidate for Provisional Governor in 1847, before the Oregon Territory was founded, but lost that election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Film Center</span>

PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the Northwest Film Center is a regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utilization of film. The center provides a variety of film and video exhibition, education and information programs primarily directed to the residents of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

The American Advertising Museum was a museum in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1986, the museum displayed advertising from the 18th century to the present day. The museum featured both permanent and traveling exhibits on advertising campaigns, industry icons, and advertising in general. There was also a library and gift shop before it closed by the end of 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gypsy Restaurant and Velvet Lounge</span> Defunct restaurant and nightclub in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Gypsy Restaurant and Velvet Lounge was a restaurant and nightclub established in 1947 and located along Northwest 21st Avenue in the Northwest District neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Popular with young adults, the restaurant was known for serving fishbowl alcoholic beverages, for its 1950s furnishings, and for hosting karaoke, trivia competitions, and goldfish racing tournaments. The restaurant is said to have influenced local alcohol policies; noise complaints and signs of drunken behavior by patrons made the business a target for curfews and closure. Concept Entertainment owned the restaurant from 1992 until 2014 when it was closed unexpectedly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Terwilliger</span> American pioneer (1809–1892)

James Terwilliger was an Oregon pioneer and one of the first residents of Portland, Oregon. He is the namesake of Portland's Terwilliger Boulevard and Terwilliger School.

Stumptown Comics Fest was a comic book convention, held annually in Portland, Oregon from 2004–2013. In the model of the Alternative Press Expo and the Small Press Expo, Stumptown was a forum for artists, writers and publishers of comic art in its various forms to expose the public to comics not typically accessible through normal commercial channels.

Homer Philip Groening was a Canadian-American filmmaker, advertiser, writer, and cartoonist. He was also the father of Matt Groening and inspired the name of Homer Simpson. Groening was known for experimental short films as well as commercials, industrial films, public service announcements, and educational films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Flanders Crossing</span> Bicycle and pedestrian bridge in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Ned Flanders Crossing is a bicycle and pedestrian bridge spanning Interstate 405 to connect Portland, Oregon's Northwest District and Pearl District, in the United States. In 2019, the project's estimated cost was $6 million. It opened in June 2021 and was originally named Flanders Crossing, as it linked the two parts of Flanders Street separated by the interstate, before being re-dedicated to honor The Simpsons character Ned Flanders.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 33) Season of television series

The thirty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons premiered on Fox on September 26, 2021 and ended on May 22, 2022. The season consisted of twenty-two episodes. On March 3, 2021, the season was ordered alongside a 34th season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cafe Nell</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Cafe Nell is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Northwest District, United States. The restaurant is owned by Vanessa Preston.

References

  1. Rose, Joseph (May 4, 2012). "'The Simpsons' map of Portland (What other proof do you need that they're Oregonians?)". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  2. De La Roca, Claudia (May 2021). "Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield". Smithsonian . Smithsonian Institution. ISSN   0037-7333. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  3. Schneider, Michael (April 12, 2012). "Exclusive: Nope, Springfield is Not in Oregon, Clarifies The Simpsons' Matt Groening". TV Guide Magazine. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. Turnquist, Kristi (May 27, 2017). "'The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening returns to Portland to share stories about Bill O'Reilly, more". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  5. Hogan, Michael (December 15, 2014). "25 things you never knew about The Simpsons". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  6. Bereta, Jesse (11 November 2019). "Review: The Simpsons "Marge the Lumberjill"". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. Turnquist, Kristi (February 1, 2021). "Matt Groening creates a special Homer Simpson pandemic portrait for Lincoln High School fundraiser". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  8. McCarter, Reid (September 13, 2021). "Well, hi-diddly-ho, Portland now has a bridge called "Ned Flanders Crossing"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  9. "D'oh! 'Merge Simpson' street sign appears in NW Portland". KATU. October 14, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  10. Ramakrishnan, Jayati (October 14, 2021). "Portland removes 'Merge Simpson' sign from NW Portland freeway ramp". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.