-- edited by Jan De Volder
August 1 1997 - The Simpsons, created by cartoonist Matt
Groening (and named to the members of his family -- except for Bart, which is an anagram
for Brat), appeared in 1897 as a serie of 30-second spots produced for the FOX Emmy
Award-Winning variety series The Tracey Ullman Show. The Simpsons premi�red on FOX as a
half hour-comedy on January 14, 1990. Confirmed by fans and critici to be the most hilaric
and lifelike portraits of the average American family, the series received the 1990 and
1991 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program.
The Simpsons, living in the community of Springfield, include Homer, a father wo gives bad
advice and works as safety inspector at the nuclear power plant; Marge, a loving mother
and wife who tries to reserve the peace in the family; Bart, a ten year old anarchist;
Lisa, a smart, philosophical girl of ten years old, who loves to play the saxophone; and
Maggie, the baby, who sucks her pacifier while watching the rest of the family quarrel.
THE SIMPSONS has a more colorfull history and a bigger influence on the world than any
other television series. The show carries catchy phrases as "Cowabunga",
"Aye Caramba", "D'oh!", "Eat my shorts!" and "Don't
have a cow, man!" which has become part of the daily vocabulary of many viewers.
The biggest compliment the show ever received is the political
disorder it produced and still produces, of which former Vice President Dan Quayle is
painfully aware. While visiting the New Yersey Elementary School (6/15/92), the vice
president corrected a young student's spelling of the word "potato" by making it
"potatoe", only to find that the student was right and he was wrong! The opening
credits of The Simpsons on June 25 1997 showed Bart, writing a sentence over and over
again on the blackboard as a punishment for a prank he played. This time Bart wrote:
"Potatoe, not potatoe"
According to Matt Groening, it was Bart's idea.
Of course, the show has received a lot of criticism. Politically that is. Former first
lady Barbara Bush said in an interview appearing in "people" magazine
(september, 1990) that The Simpsons was the dumbest thing she's ever seen. Marge Simpson
wrote mrs. Bush a letter give her a piece of her own mind. Surprisingly enough, mrs. Bush
responded in two weeks with a letter asking for forgiveness for "a loose
tongue".
In a speech of "The National Religious Broadcasters convention" (01/27/92),
former president George Bush said: "The nation should mirror itself more to the
Waltons, instead of The Simpsons". This time Groening responded: "Hey, The
Simpsons are just like The Waltons, both families spend a lot of time praying for the end
of the depression!" His response appeared in newspapers all over the world.
In January '95, a group of parents in Greenwood, S.C., protested against the decision of
the school council to let the school to be built there, be named Springfield Elementary.
That happened because the school council let the students pick the name of the school. The
parents accused Bart Simpson to be a bad example for the youth and that the district
should not honor the name of Bart's school. The school council, who previously was not
aware of the background of the school's name, stayed with their decision; the name was
chosen: Springfield Elementary.
The Simpsons also have a couple of good deeds on their name. A mother in Auburn,
Washington, says that The Simpsons saved her son's life. Karen Beneze tells us that eight
year old Alex was choking on an orange. Chris, his brother, performed the
Heimlich-manoeuvre, removed the orange and Alex' breathing returned to normal. Karen
claims that her son used this technique because he saw an episode of Homer eating a donut
and choking on it. Actually, the Heimlich manoeuvre was never really performed in the
show. Homer managed to cough up the donut himself while his collegues were watching a
poster projecting the steps of the manoeuvre.
Naturally, animated characters depend upon voices to help bring them to life, and The
Simpsons are no exception. The voices behind these characters include Dan Castellaneta as
Homer, Julie Kavner as Marge, Nancy Cartwright as Bart, Yeardley Smith as Lisa and series
regulars HarryShearer and Hank Azaria who play a variety of roles... Troughout its first
100 episodes, The Simpsons has attracted nearly as many celebrity guest voices to its
ranks. These famous guests have included Elizabeth Taylor, Sting, Johnny Carson, Michael
Jackson, Bette Midler, Luke Perry, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Penny Marshall and Bob Hope.
The series has spawned an abundance of merchandice bearing the likenesses of
Groening’s creations.
One would have to look far and wide to find a place where there is not a mug, beach towel,
t-shirt, board game, wristwatch, puzzle, notebook, pencil or backpack with Homer, Bart,
Lisa and Maggie proudly telling the world that the owner is a certified fan. There is even
a platinum ( sales of bigger than one million copies ) recording entitled "THE
SIMPSONS SING THE BLUES". Now there is also a CD called "Songs in the key of
Springfield : original themes from the show".
Winner of the 1990 and 1991 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program ( and winner of a
nomination in 1992 ), THE SIMPSONS is executive produced by three time Academy Award and
eleven-time Emmy Award winner James L. Brooks and Matt Groening, along with David Mirkin,
Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. THE SIMPSONS is a Gracie Films Production in association
with Twentieth Television.