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159-557: This article features the recurring characters from the series outside of the five main characters ( Homer , Marge , Bart , Lisa and Maggie Simpson ). Each of them are listed in order by their first name. Agnes Skinner (voiced by Tress MacNeille in most appearances, Maggie Roswell in " Lisa's Rival ") is the mother of Principal Skinner and first appears in the first-season episode " The Crepes of Wrath " as an old woman who embarrassingly addresses her son as "Spanky". However, as episodes progress, her character turns bitter. She

318-554: A Channel 4 poll of the greatest television characters of all time. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly placed Homer ninth on their list of the "50 Greatest TV icons" and first on their 2010 list of the "Top 100 Characters of the Past Twenty Years". Homer was also the runaway winner in British polls that determined who viewers thought was the "greatest American" and which fictional character people would like to see become

477-457: A MasterCard Priceless commercial that aired during Super Bowl XXXVIII . In 2001, Kelloggs launched a brand of cereal called "Homer's Cinnamon Donut Cereal", which was available for a limited time. In June 2009, Dutch automotive navigation systems manufacturer TomTom announced that Homer would be added to its downloadable GPS voice lineup. Homer's voice, recorded by Dan Castellaneta, features several in-character comments such as "Take

636-410: A Young Artist Award for "Most Popular Mom & Dad in a TV Series". In 2005, Homer and Marge were nominated for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Parental Units". Various episodes in which Homer is strongly featured have won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program , including " Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment " in 1991, " Lisa's Wedding " in 1995, " Homer's Phobia " in 1997, " Trash of

795-401: A bumblebee costume and performs Slapstick comedy. In the episode " Team Homer ", his bowling shirt suggests that his name is " Pedro ", though he is informally referred to as " Chespirito ". He works at the same studio as Kent Brockman . His first appearance was in " Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie ". Bumblebee Man never takes off his costume in public, and almost never in private, except for

954-625: A $ 1 million offer to spend a weekend at his mansion, in order to pay for an operation needed to cure Homer's extremely loud snoring . Homer assumes the two are having an affair, but Artie admits that he could not win her over. Artie begins to acknowledge that his selfishness is to blame. In " The Ziff Who Came to Dinner " (2004), the Simpsons discover Artie hiding in their attic after he squandered his money and started an accounting scandal at his company Ziffcorp. Artie manages to scapegoat Homer by deliberately letting Homer win 98% of Ziffcorp stocks in

1113-419: A 2008 article, Entertainment Weekly named Winona Ryder 's role as Allison Taylor as one of the sixteen best The Simpsons guest stars, while IGN placed her sixth on their list of the "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Stars". They also highlighted Ralph's "classic" lines: "I bent my Wookiee ", and "My cat's breath smells like cat food". Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's

1272-574: A Clown ", and in 2009 for " Father Knows Worst ". However, in the case of "Today I Am a Clown", it was for voicing "various characters" and not solely for Homer. In 2010 , Castellaneta received a fifth Emmy nomination for voicing Homer and Grampa in the episode " Thursdays with Abie ". In 1993, Castellaneta was given a special Annie Award , "Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Field of Animation", for his work as Homer on The Simpsons . In 2004, Castellaneta and Julie Kavner (the voice of Marge) won

1431-557: A Rattle Snitch on Peekimon Get on Frank Grimes ' grave. The Capital City Goofball (voiced by Tom Poston ) is the mascot for Capital City. His appearance seems to have been inspired by the mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, the Phillie Phanatic . The costume is a creature with a baseball body, with a blue Capital City T-shirt, yellow arms and legs, a long flat-ended nose, tufts of fur at

1590-570: A Republican or a Democrat. Oscar " Bleeding Gums " Murphy (voiced by Ron Taylor in " Moaning Lisa " and " 'Round Springfield ", Daryl L. Coley in " Dancin' Homer ", Harry Shearer in " Lisa's Pony ", Kevin Michael Richardson in " The Sound of Bleeding Gums ") is a jazz musician, idol, and mentor of Lisa Simpson . His real name was Oscar as mentioned by his nephew in " Lisa Gets the Blues ". In his first appearance, Murphy explains

1749-632: A brief appearance in " The Front ") is a narcissistic Internet entrepreneur who is obsessively infatuated with Marge Simpson, his former high school classmate. Animator David Silverman based Ziff's appearance and body language on a former high school classmate. Ziff first appears in the episode " The Way We Was " (1991), in which he takes a young Marge Bouvier to senior prom. When Artie tries to grope her in his car, Marge rejects him and drives off, encountering Homer on her way home. In adulthood, Artie tries repeatedly to coerce Marge into choosing him over Homer, with Patty 's encouragement as she saw him more as

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1908-664: A brother named Stevie. Akira Kurosawa (voiced by George Takei in "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Bluefish" and "What Animated Women Want", Hank Azaria voice-matching the latter in "When Flanders Failed", "In Marge We Trust" and "Guess Who’s Coming to Criticize Dinner?") works as a waiter at The Happy Sumo, a Japanese restaurant in Springfield . He first appears in the second season episode " One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish ". Actor George Takei originally voiced Akira in "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish". Since Akira's speaking role in " When Flanders Failed " where

2067-522: A calculator on his belt, Doug is overweight and wears a pocket protector, and Gary wears horn-rimmed glasses and uses ear medicine. The writer of " Homer Goes to College ", Conan O'Brien partially based them on three guys he went to college with, who, he said, were "incredible nerds". Director Jim Reardon used a caricature of animator Rich Moore and colored it black for Gary. Bernice Hibbert (voiced by Tress MacNeille from 1999 to 2019, Maggie Roswell in " Bart After Dark ", Dawnn Lewis since 2021)

2226-599: A cartoon. ... Episodes that once would have ended with Homer and Marge bicycling into the sunset ... now end with Homer blowing a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck ." Fans have dubbed this incarnation of the character "Jerkass Homer". At voice recording sessions, Castellaneta has rejected material written in the script that portrayed Homer as being too mean. He believes that Homer is "boorish and unthinking, but he'd never be mean on purpose." When editing The Simpsons Movie , several scenes were changed to make Homer more sympathetic. The writers have depicted Homer with

2385-607: A chapter analyzing Homer's character from the perspective of Aristotelian virtue ethics . Raja Halwani writes that Homer's "love of life" is an admirable character trait, "for many people are tempted to see in Homer nothing but buffoonery and immorality. ... He is not politically correct , he is more than happy to judge others, and he certainly does not seem to be obsessed with his health. These qualities might not make Homer an admirable person , but they do make him admirable in some ways, and, more importantly, makes us crave him and

2544-413: A cow's heart. When Principal Skinner discovers the cow's heart diorama, he humiliates Allison in front of the students and faculty. Overcome by guilt, Lisa retrieves Allison's real diorama from its hiding place under the floor. However, Skinner is unimpressed by both Allison and Lisa's entries and gives first prize to Ralph 's collection of Star Wars figurines. Lisa apologizes to Allison for sabotaging

2703-419: A declining intelligence over the years; they explain this was not done intentionally, but it was necessary to top previous jokes. For example, in " When You Dish Upon a Star ", ( season 10 , 1998) the writers included a scene where Homer admits that he cannot read. The writers debated including this plot twist because it would contradict previous scenes in which Homer does read, but eventually they decided to keep

2862-549: A few occasions, Gerald has been shown being pushed in a stroller by his mother outside the Simpson house as in " Lady Bouvier's Lover ", as the two toddlers glare at each other. He was also featured in the Simpsons theatrical short, " The Longest Daycare ." The character's name was revealed in the episode " The Canine Mutiny ". In " The Blue and the Gray " and " Papa Don't Leech ", a possible romantic attraction between Maggie and Gerald

3021-414: A fish bowl on Jrrr's desk. Mr. Burns' Lawyer , also known as The Blue-Haired Lawyer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta ), is Springfield's most prominent and powerful lawyer . His name has never been revealed. He first appeared in the second season episode " Bart Gets Hit by a Car ". He is known for his blue hair, authoritarian nature and nasal New York City accent . He also occasionally appears to serve as

3180-502: A fit of egomaniacal boasting when Lisa accuses Bob of being Barlow's puppet. Barlow appears in the episode " We're on the Road to D'ohwhere " as a customer at Marge's prescription drug -laden "yard sale", a reference to Limbaugh's Oxycontin addiction . Most recently Barlow appears with other Springfield Republicans in the episode " E Pluribus Wiggum ", in which he tells Lisa to make Ralph Wiggum decide whether he wants to run for president as

3339-567: A fuller range of emotions. He has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons —including video games, The Simpsons Movie , The Simpsons Ride , commercials, and comic books—and inspired an entire line of merchandise. His signature catchphrase, the annoyed grunt " D'oh! ", has been included in The New Oxford Dictionary of English since 1998 and the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001. Homer

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3498-424: A good father, but he never gives up trying, and in some basic and important sense that makes him a good father." The Sunday Times remarked "Homer is good because, above all, he is capable of great love. When the chips are down, he always does the right thing by his children—he is never unfaithful in spite of several opportunities." Homer Simpson is one of the most popular and influential television characters by

3657-490: A jazz musician or some such. Oh well, bye-bye!" Each fails to recognize the other. The episode "The Sound of Bleeding Gums" reveals that Bleeding Gums Murphy has a deaf son named Monk (voiced by John Autry II). His ghost gives advice to Lisa on how to see eye to eye with Monk. When Monk gets a cochlear implant , Lisa plays his father's song which he states that he can finally hear. Bleeding Gums Murphy's ghost thanks Lisa for helping his son to hear his song. Bleeding Gums Murphy

3816-407: A large pile of sugar from a crashed truck and sell it door-to-door . This episode was originally going to air as part of Season 5 but aired as a season six episode due to 1994 Northridge earthquake. The episode was written by Mike Scully and directed by Mark Kirkland . "Lisa's Rival" was the first episode written by Scully. The episode was originally pitched by former writer Conan O'Brien , while

3975-454: A leave of absence to get a sex-change operation and returns as "Mr. Pommelhorst" (implying that Pommelhorst is a transgender man), the new shop teacher. She is replaced by Coach Krupt . Despite this, the character has appeared in later episodes as a woman. Bumblebee Man (voiced by Hank Azaria from 1992 to 2020, Eric Lopez since 2020) is the star of a Mexican Spanish-language television sitcom on Channel Ocho in which he dresses in

4134-454: A little bit. My father was an athletic, creative, intelligent filmmaker and writer, and the only thing he had in common with Homer was a love of donuts." Although Groening has stated in several interviews that Homer was named after his father, he also claimed in several 1990 interviews that a character called Homer Simpson in the 1939 Nathanael West novel The Day of the Locust as well as in

4293-407: A new building for a year, and much of the animation for the episode was done by people at their own homes. The day after the earthquake, the only staff members who turned up for work were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein . Overall production of The Simpsons was disrupted for six months, with a month of production time being lost. Although written by Mike Scully , the episode's original concept

4452-520: A new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show , the Simpsons received their own series on Fox , which debuted on December 17, 1989. Homer is the patriarch of the Simpson family . He and his wife Marge have three children: Bart , Lisa and Maggie . As the family's provider, he works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as

4611-463: A poker game, thus making Homer legally liable for Artie's deceit. However, he eventually confesses his guilt to the authorities after Marge berates Artie for his poor character, revealing that his own selfish behavior is the real reason no one likes him. After that, Artie is comforted by Selma and they spend the night together. As a result, Artie turns himself in. He was last seen about to be assaulted by angry prisoners after he doused their cigarettes with

4770-508: A poor relationship with his father Abraham "Grampa" Simpson , whom he placed in a nursing home as soon as he could while the Simpson family often do their best to avoid unnecessary contact with Grampa, Homer has shown feelings of love for his father from time to time. Homer is "a (happy) slave to his various appetites". He has an apparently vacuous mind, but occasionally exhibits a surprising depth of knowledge about various subjects, such as

4929-573: A prosecutor. Unlike Lionel Hutz or Gil Gunderson , he is competent, although not necessarily ethical. He has served as Mr. Burns ' head lawyer, helping him out with threats of the Power Plant closing down and of Burns losing his money. He is a member of the Springfield Republican Party . His clients tend to be antagonists to the Simpsons, although he has also defended them on occasion. The Blue-Haired Lawyer also played

List of recurring The Simpsons characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

5088-439: A radical who went into hiding in 1969 following a run-in with the law; " The Way We Was " ( season two , 1991) shows Homer falling in love with Marge Bouvier as a senior at Springfield High School in 1974; and " I Married Marge " ( season three , 1991) implies that Marge became pregnant with Bart in 1980. However, the episode " That '90s Show " ( season 19 , 2008) contradicted much of this backstory, portraying Homer and Marge as

5247-483: A resemblance to the cartoon character Adamsson , created by Swedish cartoonist Oscar Jacobsson in 1920. Homer's physical features are generally not used in other characters; for example, in the later seasons, no characters other than Homer, Grampa Simpson , Lenny Leonard , and Krusty the Clown have a similar beard line. When Groening originally designed Homer, he put his initials into the character's hairline and ear:

5406-466: A safety inspector. Homer embodies many American working class stereotypes: he is obese, balding, immature, outspoken, aggressive, lazy, ignorant, unprofessional, and fond of beer, junk food, and television. However, he is fundamentally a good man and is staunchly protective of his family, especially when they need him the most. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had several remarkable experiences, including going to space, climbing

5565-426: A show on Fox News , and serves as a parody of Fox News' conservative bias . On his radio show , he declares himself to be "the fourth branch of government " and "the fifty-first state ". He authored the book Only Turkeys Have Left Wings . Barlow plays an important part in the episode " Sideshow Bob Roberts ", in which Sideshow Bob , while jailed, calls Barlow on his radio show, giving Bob an outlet to voice how

5724-457: A squirt bottle. In " Treehouse of Horror XXIII " (2012), Bart time-travels to 1974 and meets Marge, who is still a high school student. After he warns her not to marry Homer, Bart returns to 2012 and finds that Marge has married Artie, with Bart now named Bartie Ziff, and having inherited Artie's curly hair. Marge leaves Artie after she instantly falls in love with a host of time-traveling Homers. She says seeing them made her realize she had married

5883-430: A television series to receive this recognition while the show is still in production. The stamps, designed by Matt Groening, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2009. Homer has appeared, voiced by Castellaneta, in several other television shows, including the sixth season of American Idol where he opened the show; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno where he performed a special animated opening monologue for

6042-532: A third child, Maggie; while the episode " And Maggie Makes Three " suggests she is the chief reason Homer took and remains at his regular job ( season six , 1995). While Homer's thoughtless antics often upset his family, he on many occasions has also revealed himself to be a caring and loving father and husband: in " Lisa the Beauty Queen ", ( season four , 1992) he sold his cherished ride on the Duff blimp and used

6201-436: A twentysomething childless couple in the early 1990s. The episode " Do Pizza Bots Dream of Electric Guitars " ( season 32 , 2021) further contradicts this backstory, putting Homer's adolescence in the 1990s. Showrunner Matt Selman has explained that no version was the "official continuity." and that "they all kind of happened in their imaginary world, you know, and people can choose to love whichever version they love." Due to

6360-490: A variety of standards. USA Today cited the character as being one of the "top 25 most influential people of the past 25 years" in 2007, adding that Homer "epitomized the irony and irreverence at the core of American humor". Robert Thompson , director of Syracuse University 's Center for the Study of Popular Television, believes that "three centuries from now, English professors are going to be regarding Homer Simpson as one of

6519-595: A very important role in Bart's emancipation in " Barting Over ". The character's demeanor and Castellaneta's voice for the character are based on Roy Cohn , best known as Joe McCarthy 's chief counsel during the Second Red Scare of the 1950s, and later legal advisor and mentor to Donald Trump . Animator Jim Reardon modeled the character's appearance on actor Charles Lane . Barbara Rellalinsky , more commonly known as Booberella (voiced by Tress MacNeille ),

List of recurring The Simpsons characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

6678-809: A world!" when the sugar melts is from the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The speech patterns of the beekeeper voiced by Hank Azaria are based on Adam West 's portrayal of Batman . At Allison's house, the family plays a game of anagrams , rearranging the letters in a person's name to make a description of that person. Allison's father gives her Alec Guinness and she comes up with "Genuine class". He gives Lisa Jeremy Irons and she comes up with "Jeremy's iron". Lisa imagines herself playing with "The Second Best Band in America", featuring

6837-516: Is 6' (1.83 m), and his weight is between 239 and 260 lbs (108–120 kg). Naming the characters after members of his own family, Groening named Homer after his father , who himself had been named after the ancient Greek poet . Very little else of Homer's character was based on him, and to prove that the meaning behind Homer's name was not significant, Groening later named his own son Homer. According to Groening, "Homer originated with my goal to both amuse my real father, and just annoy him

6996-692: Is Dr. Julius Hibbert 's wife and is loosely based on the Clair Huxtable character from The Cosby Show . The Hibberts have three children, two boys and a girl. Nevertheless, her marriage is on the rocks; she refuses to kiss her husband, even in front of an entire audience. Her drinking has been joked about on several occasions. She fainted when she read that "Prohibition" had been introduced to Springfield and attends Springfield Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Bill and Marty (voiced by Harry Shearer and Dan Castellaneta ) are two radio show hosts and DJs on Springfield 's own radio station KBBL . Bill

7155-615: Is Homer's friend and co-worker (sometimes identified as his supervisor) at the Nuclear Power Plant and is often seen with Lenny. He likes to call himself "an urban Lenny." He attended Springfield A&M University . Carl is an Icelandic -African American, with a master's degree in nuclear physics , fond of bowling and drinking at Moe's Tavern . Carl is frequently said to be among the most attractive men in Springfield; in " Principal Charming ", Homer concludes that Carl

7314-519: Is a robot that Martin Prince built in " Fat Man and Little Boy " for a science fair at Springfield Elementary School. In " Future-Drama " Martin dances with it at the prom in the future and the robot activates the self-destruction mechanism . In " Gorgeous Grampa ", Bart hit C.H.U.M. over the head with a folding chair and then proceeded to climb to the blackboard ledge and jump on the robot, breaking it. In " Looking for Mr. Goodbart " appears catching

7473-484: Is a buxom television host who dresses like a female vampire and speaks with a Romanian accent. She is a parody of Cassandra Peterson and her character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Booberella is proud of her ample breasts and takes every chance to mention "her boobs", stretching out the "oo". Booberella's television show is a spoof of Elvira's Movie Macabre , a horror film anthology series . Booberella first appears in

7632-571: Is alive in her, and honors his memory by having his album played at a local radio station. Murphy appears from the Heavens thanking Lisa for that. It is strongly hinted in the same episode that Murphy and Dr. Julius Hibbert are long-lost brothers by Murphy's quote: "I don't really have a family. All I had was a little brother who grew up to become a doctor. He used to laugh at the most inappropriate times." Hibbert laughs inappropriately and says, "Hey, I've got an older brother that I'll never see! He's

7791-600: Is easily enraged by Bart . Homer will often strangle Bart on impulse upon Bart angering him (and can also be seen saying one of his catchphrases, "Why you little—!") in a cartoonish manner. The first instance of Homer strangling Bart was in the short "Family Portrait". According to Groening, the rule was that Homer could only strangle Bart impulsively, never with premeditation, because doing so "seems sadistic. If we keep it that he's ruled by his impulses, then he can easily switch impulses. So, even though he impulsively wants to strangle Bart, he also gives up fairly easily." Another of

7950-399: Is funnier. [...] Homer is launching himself headfirst into every single impulsive thought that occurs to him." Homer's behavior has changed a number of times through the run of the series. He was originally "very angry" and oppressive toward Bart, but these characteristics were toned down somewhat as his persona was further explored. In early seasons, Homer appeared concerned that his family

8109-520: Is hinted at. In the non-canonical future of " Days of Future Future ", Gerald and Maggie are married. It is implied in " Holidays of Future Passed " that he is the father of Maggie Jr. and of whom her family knows except Abe. Baby Gerald appears in the show's current title sequence (as of 2014). Benjamin , Doug , and Gary (voiced by Dan Castellaneta , Hank Azaria , and Harry Shearer , respectively) are geeks that were once Homer Simpson's dormitory roommates at Springfield University . Benjamin carries

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8268-567: Is in Lisa's class but skipped a grade and has a lot in common with Lisa. She first appeared in " Lisa's Rival ", in which Lisa feels threatened by Allison's talents and abilities. During a school competition, Lisa has Bart sabotage Allison's Tell-Tale Heart diorama with a cow's heart in a box and hide the original diorama beneath a floorboard. Wracked with guilt, Lisa returns Allison's real diorama. Lisa and Allison both lose to Ralph Wiggum and his Star Wars figurines. Afterwards, Lisa apologizes, and

8427-510: Is instant gratification. And, you know, has good dog qualities, too. I think, loyalty, friendliness, and just kind of continuous optimism." Homer's influence on comedy and culture has been significant. In 2010, Entertainment Weekly named Homer "the greatest character of the last 20 years". He was placed second on TV Guide 's 2002 Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters, behind Bugs Bunny ; fifth on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, one of only four cartoon characters on that list; and first in

8586-469: Is just original Star Wars action figures: his collection includes Luke Skywalker , Obi-Wan Kenobi , and Chewbacca . In its original American broadcast, "Lisa's Rival" finished tied for 23rd place (with Dateline NBC ) in the weekly ratings for the week of September 5 to September 11, 1994, with a Nielsen rating of 9.9. It was the second highest rated show on the Fox Network that week. In

8745-614: Is later seen again in later episodes like " Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish' " . Episodes have portrayed Blinky as iconography for Springfield, such as appearing on maps. Blinky also made a brief appearance in an underwater section of the tube-way Fry travels through in the pilot episode of the animated series Futurama , which was created by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening . Blinky also appears in an episode of Futurama ' s seventh season titled " T.: The Terrestrial ", on

8904-463: Is loosely based on Blind Willie Johnson , at whose feet the young Bleeding Gums character learned. His saxophone playing is provided by Dan Higgins . In " The Great Wife Hope ", Carl mentions he met Drederick Tatum while he was at a party with Dr. Hibbert at Murphy's house. In " Whiskey Business ", Murphy appears as a hologram, causing Lisa to protest against his record label's use of his image for commercials. He appears in other episodes such as " Bart

9063-445: Is middle-aged and balding , while Marty is younger and has a full head of hair. They are responsible for giving Bart his elephant, Stampy , although they were surprised when Bart wanted Stampy, because they thought he would choose the other prize, $ 10,000. When Mr. Burns monopolized the local media in " Fraudcast News ", he fired the duo, but they returned to the job in later episodes. Billy (voiced by Nancy Cartwright in " Lisa

9222-603: Is never try", from " Burns' Heir " ( season five , 1994) as well as "Kids are the best, Apu. You can teach them to hate the things you hate. And they practically raise themselves, what with the Internet and all", from " Eight Misbehavin' " ( season 11 , 1999). Both quotes entered the dictionary in August 2007. Homer's inclusion in many Simpsons publications, toys, and other merchandise is evidence of his enduring popularity. The Homer Book , about Homer's personality and attributes,

9381-601: Is not mentioned until " The PTA Disbands " (when a little girl left hanging on the gymnastic rings after the teachers walk out due to a strike calls for "Mrs. Pommelhorst" to let her down). Pommelhorst's name is a play on pommel horse and she has blond hair and usually wears a whistle. She takes a tough-as-nails approach to teaching. In " Little Girl in the Big Ten ", Pommelhorst decides to fail Lisa because of an oath she took on Xena but allows her to make it up by taking private lessons. In " My Fair Laddy ", Pommelhorst takes

9540-410: Is often ignored and completely forgotten by his boss Mr. Burns , and he constantly falls asleep and neglects his duties. Matt Groening has stated that he decided to have Homer work at the power plant because of the potential for Homer to wreak severe havoc. Each of his other jobs has lasted only one episode. In the first half of the series, the writers developed an explanation about how he got fired from

9699-410: Is one of the most influential characters in the history of television and is widely considered an American cultural icon . The British newspaper The Sunday Times described him as "the greatest comic creation of [modern] time". He was named the greatest character of the last 20 years in 2010 by Entertainment Weekly and the second-greatest cartoon character by TV Guide (behind Bugs Bunny ), and

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9858-523: Is overweight and bald, except for a fringe of hair around the back and sides of his head and two curling hairs on top, and his face always sports a growth of beard stubble that instantly regrows whenever he shaves. The entire Simpson family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette. 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. By coincidence or not, Homer's look bears

10017-450: Is overweight, and "is devoted to his stomach". His short attention span is evidenced by his impulsive decisions to engage in various hobbies and enterprises, only to "change ... his mind when things go badly". Homer often spends his evenings drinking Duff Beer at Moe's Tavern , and was shown in the episode " Duffless " ( season four , 1993) as a full-blown alcoholic . He is very envious of his neighbors, Ned Flanders and his family, and

10176-524: Is performed by Dan Castellaneta , who voices numerous other characters, including Grampa Simpson , Krusty the Clown , Barney Gumble , Groundskeeper Willie , Mayor Quimby and Hans Moleman . Castellaneta had been part of the regular cast of The Tracey Ullman Show and had previously done some voice-over work in Chicago alongside his wife Deb Lacusta . Voices were needed for the Simpsons shorts , so

10335-463: Is provided by a member of The Dapper Dans . The Dapper Dans had recorded the singing parts for all four members of The Be Sharps. Their singing was intermixed with the normal voice actors' voices, often with a regular voice actor singing the melody and the Dapper Dans providing backup. Until 1998, Castellaneta was paid $ 30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace

10494-406: Is said to "let his I.Q. go". While in this state, he has ad-libbed several of Homer's least intelligent comments, such as the line "S-M-R-T; I mean, S-M-A-R-T!" from " Homer Goes to College " ( season five , 1993) which was a genuine mistake made by Castellaneta during recording. Castellaneta likes to stay in character during recording sessions, and he tries to visualize a scene so that he can give

10653-555: Is shown fighting in the Iraq War . She comes back revealing Cletus is the father of only two of the kids, casting doubt over the paternity of all the other children. Assuming that all of the children believed to be Cletus' are also hers, Brandine has 45 specifically named children. Brandine and Cletus were married by Homer during his brief stint as a minister. On April 27, 2008, more is revealed about Cletus and Brandine in an episode entitled " Apocalypse Cow "; Brandine had married Cletus at

10812-483: Is teased by students who mock her interests. Allison invites Lisa for a play date at her house, where Lisa's insecurity increases further due to Allison's cultured family and her vast number of academic awards. Prior to Springfield Elementary's annual diorama competition, Bart offers to help Lisa sabotage Allison's well-constructed entry. Bart distracts the teachers and other students, allowing Lisa to switch Allison's diorama of " The Tell-Tale Heart " with one featuring

10971-657: Is the protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons . He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of the Simpsons, in The Tracey Ullman Show short " Good Night " on April 19, 1987. Homer was created by the cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks 's office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead created

11130-551: Is the episode that has a part where he anchors the news with an English accent, filling in for Kent Brockman, who would not report the news because he did not get his Danish pastry , which Bart stole to give to Krusty. Bumblebee Man is a caricature parody of El Chapulín Colorado , a character created and portrayed by Mexican television comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños (a.k.a. "Chespirito"), and his show consists of simple skits, often involving heavy slapstick . The staff have said that whenever they watched Univision , this character

11289-497: Is the second episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 11, 1994. Winona Ryder guest stars as Allison Taylor , a new student at Springfield Elementary School . Lisa Simpson begins to feel threatened by Allison because she is smarter, younger, and a better saxophone player. The episode's subplot sees Homer steal

11448-666: Is too attractive for Selma . According to " They Saved Lisa's Brain ", he might be diabetic , while according to "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" he might be severely schizophrenic . In " 'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky ", it was revealed that Carl spent at least part of his boyhood in Iceland. The episode " The Saga of Carl " provides his origin story, describing how he was raised in Iceland. The episode includes his reunion with his Icelandic parents, who adopted him at an unspecified age from an unspecified nation. The episode's plot revolves around

11607-436: Is very controlling of her son and often treats him as if he is a child, insulting and ridiculing him every chance she gets. She hates Edna Krabappel due to her son's feelings for the other woman. Agnes has been married four times and has dated Comic Book Guy and Montgomery Burns . Many Springfield residents, including the Simpsons, are afraid of her. When "the real Seymour Skinner" arrives in Springfield in " The Principal and

11766-575: The President of the United States . His relationship with Marge was included in TV Guide 's list of "The Best TV Couples of All Time". In 2022, Paste writers claimed that Homer is the second best cartoon character of all time. Dan Castellaneta has won several awards for voicing Homer, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for " Outstanding Voice-Over Performance " in 1992 for " Lisa's Pony ", 1993 for " Mr. Plow ", in 2004 for " Today I Am

11925-416: The fourth season , Homer increasingly became the focus. According to Matt Groening, this was because "With Homer, there's just a wider range of jokes you can do. And there are far more drastic consequences to Homer's stupidity. There's only so far you can go with a juvenile delinquent. We wanted Bart to do anything up to the point of him being tried in court as a dad. But Homer is a dad, and his boneheaded-ness

12084-454: The school band . Lisa, overcome with jealousy, plays her saxophone so intensely she passes out. To Lisa's horror, Allison wins first chair. Meanwhile, Homer finds an overturned sugar truck and steals large amounts of sugar. Homer hatches a scheme to get rich by selling sugar door-to-door . He keeps the sugar piled in his backyard, where he obsessively guards it. Marge grows annoyed by Homer's scheme and paranoia and tells him to get rid of

12243-399: The season seven (1995) episode " Treehouse of Horror VI ", Homer was computer-animated into a three-dimensional character for the first time for the "Homer " segment of the episode. The computer animation directors at Pacific Data Images worked hard not to "reinvent the character". In the final minute of the segment, the 3D Homer ends up in a real world, live-action Los Angeles. The scene

12402-574: The Bat ". Homer is an " everyman " and embodies several American stereotypes of working class blue-collar men: he is crude, overweight, incompetent, dim-witted, childish, clumsy and a borderline alcoholic. Matt Groening describes him as "completely ruled by his impulses". Dan Castellaneta calls him "a dog trapped in a man's body", adding, "He's incredibly loyal – not entirely clean – but you gotta love him." In his book Planet Simpson , author Chris Turner describes Homer as "the most American of

12561-461: The Carlson family curse, which had tarnished their reputation in Iceland for centuries. In the early seasons, Carl was rarely seen with Lenny and did not have a consistent voice – on some occasions, he can be heard with Lenny's voice and vice versa. One example of Carl having Lenny's voice is in " Brush with Greatness ". In an early 1991 episode, " Principal Charming ", Carl's name is spelled "Karl",

12720-791: The Cosby children's grandfathers, but he quickly lost his money feeding his addiction to purchasing Fabergé eggs . Murphy teaches Lisa to display her emotions through music, prompting Lisa to hold him as an important figure in her life. His last appearance was in " 'Round Springfield", when, after Bart ends up in the hospital, Lisa wanders off to find Murphy in a nearby ward. He explains about his life, family, and work to her, as well as giving her advice for her upcoming school performance, giving her his saxophone. When Lisa returns, she finds out that Murphy has died from circumstances which are never revealed. No one, except for Lisa, attends Murphy's funeral. Lisa realizes that despite being gone physically, he still

12879-525: The Daredevil " (where he is yellow), "Dancin' Homer", " Old Money ", " Flaming Moe's ", " Bart Gets an 'F' " , " Radio Bart ", and "Lisa's Pony". Blinky is a three-eyed orange fish featured primarily in " Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish ". Likely mutated by toxic waste from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant pouring into the river, Blinky became a major news story when he

13038-475: The Homer Simpsons of this world." In 2008, Entertainment Weekly justified designating The Simpsons as a television classic by stating, "we all hail Simpson patriarch Homer because his joy is as palpable as his stupidity is stunning". In the season eight episode " Homer's Enemy " the writers decided to examine "what it would be like to actually work alongside Homer Simpson". The episode explores

13197-560: The July 24, 2007, edition; and the 2008 fundraising television special Stand Up to Cancer where he was shown having a colonoscopy . On February 28, 1999, Homer Simpson was made an honorary member of the Junior Common Room of Worcester College, Oxford . Homer was granted the membership by the college's undergraduate body in the belief that ″he would benefit greatly from an Oxford education″. Homer has also been cited in

13356-667: The Kitchen with DNA ". A similar child named Jimmy (who at one point McClure also calls Billy) appears in "The Meat Council Presents: 'Meat and You: Partners in Freedom ' " in the episode, " Lisa the Vegetarian ". Birchibald "Birch" T. Barlow (voiced by Harry Shearer in " Sideshow Bob Roberts " and " You Kent Always Say What You Want ") is a conservative talk show host on the radio station KBBL , modeled after Rush Limbaugh . As of "You Kent Always Say What You Want", he also has

13515-504: The Pauper ", Agnes ends up rejecting him, in part because he stands up to her but also because, unlike Skinner/Tamzarian, her biological son is independent and does not need her anymore, while Skinner immediately reverts to a good-for-nothing without her. Agnes's first name was revealed in the seventh-season episode " Bart the Fink ". Before that, the character was known as "Mrs. Skinner". In

13674-552: The Simpson " and Russi Taylor in " Bart the Mother ") is Troy McClure 's assistant who appeared in " Lisa the Simpson ", and " Bart the Mother ". He was supposed to appear in more episodes, but due to the death of McClure's voice actor Phil Hartman , he was retired along with McClure. Billy is a child who appears in Troy McClure's educational films. He appears in the films "Birds: Our Fine Feathered Colleagues", and "Someone's in

13833-548: The Simpsons window alongside Mr Largo when Lisa talks about TV shows rewriting or dropping characters that appear early on. In " Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade ", the Capital City Goofball represents Capital City in the state legislature; he spent $ 80 million out of his own pocket to win the seat, and now is leading an effort to change the state's embarrassing flag, a Confederate battle flag set between

13992-569: The Simpsons" and believes that while the other Simpson family members could be changed to other nationalities, Homer is "pure American". In the book God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture , the authors comment that "Homer's progress (or lack thereof) reveals a character who can do the right thing, if accidentally or begrudgingly." The book The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer includes

14151-575: The Time of Cholera . Milhouse's sub-story is a reference to The Fugitive (1993). It is principally parodied in the scene where Milhouse is at the end of a dam drainpipe and dives into a waterfall when being held at gunpoint by an FBI agent resembling Tommy Lee Jones , who uses the film's famous line "I don't care". Homer's "In America" speech while guarding his sugar pile is a reference to Tony Montana 's speech in Scarface (1983), and his line "Oh what

14310-708: The Titans " in 1998, " HOMR " in 2001, " Three Gays of the Condo " in 2003 and " Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind " in 2008. In 2000, Homer and the rest of the Simpson family were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2017, Homer Simpson was celebrated by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, to honor the 25th anniversary of the episode " Homer at

14469-554: The age of 13, having been married four times previously. Brandine has had several low-level jobs, such as working for Dairy Queen , a strip club , and an infantryman for the U.S. Army . She has also been in prison, where she developed a liking for indoor plumbing , which the Spuckler homestead lacks. Brunella Pommelhorst (voiced by Tress MacNeille ) is the gym teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Pommelhorst first appeared in " Stark Raving Dad ", although Pommelhorst's name

14628-432: The annoyed grunt "D'oh!", is typically uttered when he injures himself, realizes that he has done something stupid, or when something bad has happened or is about to happen to him. During the voice recording session for a Tracey Ullman Show short, Homer was required to utter what was written in the script as an "annoyed grunt". Dan Castellaneta rendered it as a drawn out "d'ooooooh". This was inspired by Jimmy Finlayson ,

14787-599: The audience. His stunts often end in disaster, such as in "Viva Ned Flanders", and "Bart the Daredevil", where he states that he has broken every bone in his body after a failed stunt (he did have one unbroken bone, his thumb, but broke it when trying to give Bart a thumbs-up). His signature bike is the Suicycle and he has his own action figure complete with an ambulance. Carlton Carlson (voiced by Harry Shearer in " Homer's Night Out " and " Brush with Greatness "; Hank Azaria from season 2 to 31; Alex Désert since season 32)

14946-431: The bar, thus making Agnes lose and crushing her dreams (contradicting the earlier episode in which Seymour is not her birth son). In " Grade School Confidential ", it is revealed that Agnes enjoys collecting pictures of cakes that she cuts out of magazines, a hobby she began in 1941. However, she does not care for the dessert itself, finding it "too sweet". In the 26th-season episode " Sky Police ", she mentions that she has

15105-510: The beginning of the series, the writers make several references to Agnes and Seymour's unhealthily close relationship as similar to that of Norman Bates and his mother. In " Boy Meets Curl ", it is revealed that Agnes's resentment toward Seymour may have begun even before her son was born – during the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Agnes competed in the pole vaulting event while nine months pregnant. When Seymour makes his first kick, he hits

15264-631: The black one!" When Mr. Burns appears on a radio show in an attempt to boost his popularity in " Monty Can't Buy Me Love ", Homer tells him that he has a list of jokes explaining the differences between white and black people; Homer later states, "White guys have names like Lenny, whereas black guys have names like Carl." Lenny and Carl work at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant alongside Homer Simpson. Lenny and Carl together rank sixth on IGN 's Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters. Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson

15423-595: The character is depicted as a karate teacher, Hank Azaria has voiced the character, doing an impression of Takei for the voice. Takei returned to voice Akira in season 24's " What Animated Women Want ". The character's name is a reference to the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa . Allison Taylor (voiced by Winona Ryder in " Lisa's Rival ", Maggie Roswell in " Lard of the Dance ", Tress MacNeille in " Moe Goes from Rags to Riches ", and Pamela Hayden in later episodes)

15582-464: The composition of the Supreme Court of the United States , Inca mythology , bankruptcy law, and cell biology . Homer's brief periods of intelligence are overshadowed, however, by much longer and consistent periods of ignorance, forgetfulness, and stupidity. Homer has a low IQ of 55, which would actually make him unable to speak or perform basic tasks, and has variously been attributed to

15741-411: The contest; Allison forgives Lisa, and they become friends again. Ralph trips over his action figures, and Lisa and Allison invite him to play with them. Production of the episode was disrupted by the 1994 Northridge earthquake , which also affected the previous episode " Bart of Darkness ". The Film Roman building used by the staff was so badly damaged it had to be condemned. They were relocated to

15900-452: The crayon reinserted. Homer often debates with his own mind, expressed in voiceover. His mind has a tendency to offer dubious advice, which occasionally helps him make the right decision, but often fails spectacularly. His mind has even become completely frustrated and, through sound effects, walked out on Homer. These exchanges were often introduced because they filled time and were easy for the animators to work on. They were phased out after

16059-599: The duo with a comeback special. The pair are later reduced to low-paying work such as a show at an Indian casino . Arthur Crandall maintains the illusion Gabbo is a person even without an audience, even having conversations with him when the camera is off. The pair mainly appeared in season four's " Krusty Gets Kancelled ", but they also appeared in " Bart to the Future ", " Homerazzi ", " All About Lisa " and The Simpsons Movie . (See The Great Gabbo .) Artie Ziff (voiced by Jon Lovitz in most appearances, Dan Castellaneta in

16218-550: The episode " 22 Short Films About Springfield ", in which his private life is shown. In this short segment, he is portrayed as very clumsy rather than simply acting as such. In general, Bumblebee Man only speaks in simple, over-enunciated (and often inaccurate) Spanish sentences. His catchphrases of choice are typically "¡Ay, ay, ay, no me gusta!" ("I don't like it!"), "¡Ay, no es bueno!" ("That's not good!") and "¡Ay, Dios no me ama!" ("God doesn't love me!"). Quite commonly, his phrases will be intentionally sloppy Spanish. For example, in

16377-445: The episode " 22 Short Films About Springfield ", there are several words used that are not real (such as "wudpequero" for " woodpecker ", rather than the correct pájaro carpintero ). The crude Spanish is used so that English-speaking viewers would still understand it audibly rather than subtitled. However, the sole examples that feature him speaking English are briefly in " Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington " and in " Bart Gets Famous ", which

16536-435: The episode " I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can ", in which Bart and Homer watch her show. Booberella's name alludes to Vampirella ( Forrest James Ackerman 's comic book vampire character) and to the 1968 cult film Barbarella , which stars Jane Fonda in the title role. Brandine Spuckler (voiced by Tress MacNeille ) is married to Cletus Spuckler . Brandine and Cletus are depicted as stereotypical hillbillies . Throughout

16695-579: The eponymous 1975 movie, was the inspiration. In 2012 he clarified, "I took that name from a minor character in the novel The Day of the Locust ... Since Homer was my father's name, and I thought Simpson was a funny name in that it had the word "simp" in it, which is short for "simpleton"—I just went with it." Homer's middle initial "J", which stands for "Jay", is a "tribute" to animated characters such as Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show , who got their middle initial from Jay Ward . Homer made his debut with

16854-418: The floating timeline, Homer's age has changed occasionally as the series developed; he was 34 in the early episodes, 36 in season four , 38 and 39 in season eight , and 40 in the eighteenth season , although even in those seasons his age is inconsistent. In the fourth season episode " Duffless ", Homer's drivers license shows his birthdate of being May 12, 1956, which would have made him 36 years old at

17013-657: The greatest creations in human storytelling." Animation historian Jerry Beck described Homer as one of the best animated characters, saying, "you know someone like it, or you identify with (it). That's really the key to a classic character." Homer has been described by The Sunday Times as "the greatest comic creation of [modern] time". The article remarked, "every age needs its great, consoling failure, its lovable, pretension-free mediocrity. And we have ours in Homer Simpson." Despite Homer's partial embodiment of American culture, his influence has spread to other parts of

17172-419: The hairline resembled an 'M', and the right ear resembled a 'G'. Groening decided that this would be too distracting and redesigned the ear to look normal. However, he still draws the ear as a 'G' when he draws pictures of Homer for fans. The basic shape of Homer's head is described by director Mark Kirkland as a tube-shaped coffee can with a salad bowl on top. During the shorts, the animators experimented with

17331-452: The hereditary " Simpson Gene " (which eventually causes every male member of the family to become incredibly stupid), his alcohol problem, exposure to radioactive waste, repetitive cranial trauma , and a crayon lodged in the frontal lobe of his brain. In the 2001 episode " HOMR ", Homer has the crayon removed, boosting his IQ to 105; although he bonds with Lisa, his newfound capacity for understanding and reason makes him unhappy, and he has

17490-467: The ideal husband for her sister. It is also implied that former principal Harlan Dondelinger favored Artie over Homer, believing that he would be a multimillionaire and do tasks that Homer and even Barney would never do. In " Half-Decent Proposal " (2002), Marge learns that Artie is extremely wealthy, having made his fortune in computers by inventing an adapter that turns dial-up modem handshaking noises into easy-listening music. Marge reluctantly accepts

17649-416: The job back in " Trust But Clarify " was a resigned "Go on, go do whatever it is you do" before sulking away from the set. Arthur Crandall and Gabbo (both voiced by Hank Azaria ) are a ventriloquist and his ventriloquist puppet who star in a children's TV show that is in direct competition with Krusty the Clown 's. The show is a huge hit that ruins Krusty's career, but Bart and Lisa help Krusty outdo

17808-474: The joke because they found it humorous. The writers often debate how far to go in portraying Homer's stupidity; one suggested rule is that "he can never forget his own name". The comic efficacy of Homer's personality lies in his frequent bouts of bumbling stupidity, laziness and his explosive anger. He has a low intelligence level and is described by director David Silverman as "creatively brilliant in his stupidity". Homer also shows immense apathy towards work,

17967-425: The less-famous halves of pop music duos: Art Garfunkel of Simon & Garfunkel , Jim Messina of Loggins and Messina and John Oates of Hall & Oates . Allison's diorama is based on Edgar Allan Poe 's " The Tell-Tale Heart ", and Lisa's hiding of it under the gym floorboards is a parody of Poe's tale. For her diorama, Lisa constructs "all 75 characters from Oliver Twist . Ralph's diorama contest entry

18126-484: The money to enter Lisa in a beauty pageant so she could feel better about herself; in " Rosebud ", ( season five , 1993) he gave up his chance at wealth to allow Maggie to keep a cherished teddy bear; in " Radio Bart ", ( season three , 1992) he spearheads an attempt to dig Bart out after he had fallen down a well; in " A Milhouse Divided ", ( season eight , 1996) he arranges a surprise second wedding with Marge to make up for their unsatisfactory first ceremony; and despite

18285-552: The mustachioed Scottish actor who appeared in 33 Laurel and Hardy films. Finlayson had used the term as a minced oath to stand in for the word " Damn !" Matt Groening felt that it would better suit the timing of animation if it were spoken faster. Castellaneta then shortened it to a quickly uttered "D'oh!" The first intentional use of D'oh! occurred in the Ullman short "The Krusty the Clown Show" (1989), and its first usage in

18444-525: The newer episodes. He first appeared in " Bart the Daredevil " which featured him in more scenes than other episodes. He later appeared in " I Married Marge ", " Selma's Choice ", and " Viva Ned Flanders ". He was most recently featured when Krusty was flicking channels on his TV in " Today I Am a Clown ". He also appears in Lisa 's lecture about Lake Springfield in The Simpsons Movie sitting in

18603-427: The nine- to ten-hour-long recording sessions, and had to find something easier. During the second and third seasons of the half-hour show, Castellaneta "dropped the voice down" and developed it as more versatile and humorous, allowing Homer a fuller range of emotions. Castellaneta's normal speaking voice does not bear any resemblance to Homer's. To perform Homer's voice, Castellaneta lowers his chin to his chest and

18762-531: The ocean and the rays of the sun (especially as the state was in the North ). After Tom Poston's death in 2007, the character was reduced to making minor background appearances and usual honking sounds, and has not spoken since "Bart and Lisa vs. the Third Grade". Captain Lance Murdock (voiced by Dan Castellaneta ) is a professional stunt devil who appeared more in the early days of the show rather than

18921-499: The original ideas entertained by Groening was that Homer would "always get his comeuppance or Bart had to strangle him back", but this was dropped. Homer shows no compunction about expressing his rage, and does not attempt to hide his actions from people outside the family. In " McMansion & Wife ", Homer stated that he no longer strangles Bart, as "times have changed." However, the series' executive producers later clarified that Homer Simpson still strangles Bart, writing "Homer Simpson

19080-464: The origins of his nickname: "You ever been to the dentist? Not me." His most significant roles were in the episodes "Moaning Lisa" and " 'Round Springfield". In " 'Round Springfield", it is revealed that at one point he enjoyed a fairly successful career, releasing an album ("Sax on the Beach") and appearing on Steve Allen 's The Tonight Show , as well as on an episode of The Cosby Show as one of

19239-490: The pack also adds an additional level based on the episode " The Mysterious Voyage of Homer ". Alongside the television series, Homer regularly appeared in issues of Simpsons Comics , which were published from November 29, 1993, until October 17, 2018. Homer also plays a role in The Simpsons Ride , launched in 2008 at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood . Lisa%27s Rival " Lisa's Rival "

19398-501: The plant and was then rehired in every episode. In later episodes, he often began a new job on impulse, without any mention of his regular employment. The Simpsons uses a floating timeline in which the characters never physically age, and, as such, the show is generally assumed to be always set in the current year. Nevertheless, in several episodes, events in Homer's life have been linked to specific time periods. " Mother Simpson " ( season seven , 1995) depicts Homer's mother, Mona, as

19557-422: The possibilities of a realistic character with a strong work ethic named Frank Grimes placed alongside Homer in a work environment. In the episode, Homer is portrayed as an everyman and the embodiment of the American spirit; however, in some scenes his negative characteristics and silliness are prominently highlighted. By the end of the episode, Grimes, a hard working and persevering "real American hero", has become

19716-487: The prison treats him unfairly. Barlow, knowing Bob is a fellow Republican , sympathizes with his complaints, and influences the rest of Springfield to do so as well. This leads to Bob's prompt release and ensuing mayoral election-rigging . While Barlow endorses Bob for mayor to the Springfield Republican Party, it is implied he had nothing to do with the electoral fraud, as Bob clears his name in

19875-462: The producers "used every possible permutation". Producer Mike Reiss said Homer was his favorite Simpsons character to write: "Homer's just a comedy writer's dream. He has everything wrong with him, every comedy trope. He's fat and bald and stupid and lazy and angry and an alcoholic. I'm pretty sure he embodies all seven deadly sins ." John Swartzwelder , who wrote 60 episodes, said he wrote Homer as if he were "a big talking dog ... One moment he's

20034-413: The producers decided to ask Castellaneta and fellow cast member Julie Kavner to voice Homer and Marge rather than hire more actors. In the shorts and first season of the half-hour show, Homer's voice is different from the majority of the series. The voice began as a loose impression of Walter Matthau , but Castellaneta could not "get enough power behind that voice", or sustain his Matthau impression for

20193-401: The proper voice to it. Despite Homer's fame, Castellaneta claims he is rarely recognized in public, "except, maybe, by a die-hard fan". " Homer's Barbershop Quartet " ( season five , 1993) is the only episode where Homer's voice was provided by someone other than Castellaneta. The episode features Homer forming a barbershop quartet called The Be Sharps; and, at some points, his singing voice

20352-506: The realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish". In 2006, "D'oh!" was placed in sixth position on TV Land 's list of the 100 greatest television catchphrases. "D'oh!" is also included in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations . The book includes several other quotations from Homer, including "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson

20511-602: The rest of the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short " Good Night ". In 1989, the shorts were adapted into The Simpsons , a half-hour series airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company . Homer and the Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show. As currently depicted in the series, Homer's everyday clothing consists of a white shirt with short sleeves and open collar, blue pants, and gray shoes. He

20670-413: The saddest man in the world, because he's just lost his job, or dropped his sandwich, or accidentally killed his family. Then, the next moment, he's the happiest man in the world, because he's just found a penny — maybe under one of his dead family members ... If you write him as a dog you'll never go wrong." Reiss felt this was insightful, saying: "Homer is just pure emotion, no long-term memory, everything

20829-549: The same spelling seen for an unrelated character of the same season. Lenny and Carl are best friends, as they are rarely seen apart; their other friends are Homer, and regulars at Moe's including Barney Gumble and Moe Szyslak. Homer repeatedly confuses Lenny and Carl, and is shocked to learn on one occasion that Lenny is white, and Carl is black. To guide himself, Homer has "Lenny = White, Carl = Black" on his hand. He once muttered to himself, "Is that right?" while reading it. In " Helter Shelter ", Homer exclaims, "That's Lenny? I wanted

20988-461: The scientific literature, in relation to low intelligence or cognitive abilities. A 2010 study from Emory University showed that the RGS14 gene appeared to be impairing the development of cognitive abilities in mice (or, rather, that mice with a disabled RGS14 gene improved their cognitive abilities), prompting the authors to dub it the "Homer Simpson gene". Homer's main and most famous catchphrase,

21147-467: The series unless production costs were cut, Castellaneta and the other cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $ 300,000 per episode. Executive producer Al Jean notes that in The Simpsons ' writing room, "everyone loves writing for Homer", and many of his adventures are based on experiences of the writers. In the early seasons of the show, Bart was the main focus. But, around

21306-411: The series was in the series premiere, " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ". "D'oh!" was first added to The New Oxford Dictionary of English in 1998. It is defined as an interjection "used to comment on an action perceived as foolish or stupid". In 2001, "D'oh!" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary , without the apostrophe ("Doh!"). The definition of the word is "expressing frustration at

21465-443: The series, there were outlandish theories that the two are siblings , boyfriend and girlfriend, mother and son, or father and daughter, have been suggested, with Cletus simply stating "we's all kinds of things". In one episode, she is apparently the daughter of Cletus and an alien. She has suffered from rabies , and admitted to being illiterate . This has been contradicted by the episode " Pretty Whittle Liar ". More recently, Brandine

21624-452: The side, a red hat with two springs, two costume eyes that look in either direction, and two more eyes that peek outside the mouth. The Capital City Goofball first appeared in the episode " Dancin' Homer " and shared the stage with Homer. He also appears in " Radio Bart " as one of many celebrities recording a charity single . After that, he is absent until " Homer to the Max ", where he walks past

21783-490: The six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing for casting of new voices. However, the dispute was soon resolved and he received $ 125,000 per episode until 2004 when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $ 360,000 an episode. The issue was resolved a month later, and Castellaneta earned $ 250,000 per episode. After salary re-negotiations in 2008, the voice actors receive approximately $ 400,000 per episode. Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel

21942-471: The son of Mona and Abraham "Grampa" Simpson . Homer held over 188 different jobs in the first 400 episodes of The Simpsons . In most episodes, he works as the nuclear safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (in Sector 7-G), a position which he has held since " Homer's Odyssey ", the third episode of the series, despite the fact that he is totally unsuitable for it. At the nuclear plant, Homer

22101-526: The subplot was suggested by George Meyer . It features references to films such as The Fugitive and Scarface . Production of the episode was affected by the 1994 Northridge earthquake . Allison Taylor joins the second-grade class at Springfield Elementary . Noticing she and Allison have many interests in common, Lisa befriends Allison. However, Lisa discovers that Allison's academic and creative talents are superior to her own and begins to doubt herself. Lisa and Allison both audition for first chair in

22260-418: The sugar pile at once. He refuses and accuses her of trying to sabotage his business prospects. Soon, the sugar attracts bees from a local apiary ; two beekeepers track the swarm to Homer's yard and offer to buy the bees back for $ 2,000. Before the transaction is completed, rain starts to fall, dissolving the sugar. The bees fly away, leaving Homer with no money and no sugar. Like Lisa was before her, Allison

22419-409: The tallest mountain in Springfield by himself, fighting former President George H. W. Bush , and winning a Grammy Award as a member of a barbershop quartet. In the shorts and earlier episodes, Castellaneta voiced Homer with a loose impression of Walter Matthau ; however, during the second and third seasons of the half-hour show, Homer's voice evolved to become more robust, to allow the expression of

22578-502: The third right. We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm... ice cream." Homer has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons . He has appeared in every one of The Simpsons video games , including the most recent, The Simpsons Game . Homer appears as a playable character in the toys-to-life video game Lego Dimensions , released via a "Level Pack" packaged with Homer's Car and "Taunt-o-Vision" accessories in September 2015;

22737-414: The time of the episode. During Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein 's period as showrunners, they found that as they aged, Homer seemed to become older too, so they increased his age to 38. According to The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family and Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 , books written by The Simpsons ' creator, Matt Groening , Homer is 36. Homer's height

22896-415: The two make amends. Allison has had a few speaking roles since and has been friends with Lisa, Janey, Sherri, and Terri at school. Arnie Pye (voiced by Dan Castellaneta ) is a disgruntled, somewhat eccentric helicopter traffic reporter for Springfield's KBBL-TV (Channel 6). He dislikes pompous anchorman Kent Brockman , with whom he often gets into arguments on the air. Brockman once snarled that Pye

23055-429: The villain; the viewer is intended to be pleased that Homer has emerged victorious. In Gilligan Unbound , author Paul Arthur Cantor states that he believes Homer's devotion to his family has added to the popularity of the character. He writes, "Homer is the distillation of pure fatherhood. ... This is why, for all his stupidity, bigotry and self-centered quality, we cannot hate Homer. He continually fails at being

23214-567: The way Homer would move his mouth when talking. At one point, his mouth would stretch out back "beyond his beardline"; but this was dropped when it got "out of control." In some early episodes, Homer's hair was rounded rather than sharply pointed because animation director Wes Archer felt it should look disheveled. Homer's hair evolved to be consistently pointed. During the first three seasons, Homer's design for some close-up shots included small lines which were meant to be eyebrows. Groening strongly disliked them and they were eventually dropped. In

23373-412: The world. In 2003, Matt Groening revealed that his father, after whom Homer was named, was Canadian, and said that this made Homer himself a Canadian. The character was later made an honorary citizen of Winnipeg , Manitoba, Canada, because Homer Groening was believed to be from there, although sources say the senior Groening was actually born in the province of Saskatchewan . In 2007, an image of Homer

23532-585: The wrong man. In " Hail to the Teeth " (2020), Artie resurfaces and invites Homer and Marge to his wedding only to find out that the bride is a robot clone of Marge. He has made other robot clones of Marge that did not work well. Gerald Samson , better known as Baby Gerald , also known as "the one-eyebrowed baby", is Maggie Simpson 's mean-spirited archenemy, known for his large unibrow . He makes his first appearance in " Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song ", where Lisa refers to Baby Gerald as Maggie's rival. On

23691-590: Was "always on", thus they created Bumblebee Man, who is also always on the air when the Spanish-language channel is depicted. His costume was based on one used in the Saturday Night Live sketch " The Killer Bees ". In 2003, Azaria won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for voicing Bumblebee Man, and various other characters. C.H.U.M. (voiced by Dan Castellaneta ), short for Childlike Humanoid Urban Muchacho ,

23850-459: Was a "jackass", with Arnie responding that he believes Kent's soul is "as black as the ace of spades". On a few occasions when Kent has gotten fired from KBBL, Arnie has taken the job and done well while sounding very different from how he sounds the rest of the time (Arnie's traffic reporter voice is high and reedy, while his anchorman voice is deep and sonorous). Arnie seems to be resigned to never surpassing his nemesis as his reaction to Kent getting

24009-441: Was caught by Bart Simpson . Mr. Burns defends the fish, arguing that his extra eye is merely the next step in evolution . Mr. Burns goes to the Simpsons' house for a meal to boost his race for governor. Marge , a supporter of Burns' opponent Mary Bailey , deliberately serves Blinky for dinner. Mr. Burns spits the fish out and subsequently loses the election. Before then, Blinky made an earlier appearance in " Homer's Odyssey ". He

24168-463: Was derived from the names of two of Scully's daughters, Allison and Taylor. The subplot was pitched by George Meyer . Homer's sugar diatribe was pitched by Meyer off the top of his head and animated by David Silverman , who specifically asked to animate the scene after listening to Dan Castellaneta 's performance. Marge is seen reading the maritime romance Love in the time of Scurvy , the title of which plays on Gabriel Garcia Marquez 's Love in

24327-451: Was directed by David Mirkin and was the first time a Simpsons character had been in the real world in the series. Because " Lisa's Wedding " ( season six , 1995) is set fifteen years in the future, Homer's design was altered to make him older in the episode. He is heavier; one of the hairs on top of his head was removed; and an extra line was placed under the eye. A similar design has been used in subsequent flashforwards . Homer's voice

24486-441: Was going to make him look bad; however, in later episodes he was less anxious about how he was perceived by others. In the first several years, Homer was often portrayed as dumb yet well-meaning, but during Mike Scully 's tenure as executive producer ( seasons nine , 1997 to twelve , 2001), he became more of "a boorish, self-aggrandizing oaf". Chris Suellentrop of Slate wrote, "under Scully's tenure, The Simpsons became, well,

24645-617: Was painted next to the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset , England as part of a promotion for The Simpsons Movie . This caused outrage among local neopagans who performed " rain magic " to try to get it washed away. On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44-cent stamps featuring Homer and the four other members of the Simpson family. They are the first characters from

24804-517: Was pitched by Conan O'Brien before he left the show. O'Brien suggested having an episode about a rival for Lisa, but the rest of the episode's storyline was written by Scully and other staff members. It was the first episode Scully wrote for the show, and he would later become showrunner . Winona Ryder guest starred as Allison Taylor. She was a fan of the show and was popular amongst the staff. David Mirkin recalled that more writers came to her recording session than any other. Her character's name

24963-671: Was released in 2004 and is commercially available. It has been described as "an entertaining little book for occasional reading" and was listed as one of "the most interesting books of 2004" by The Chattanoogan . Other merchandise includes dolls, posters, figurines, bobblehead dolls , mugs, alarm clocks, jigsaw puzzles, Chia Pets , and clothing such as slippers, T-shirts, baseball caps, and boxer shorts. Homer has appeared in commercials for Coke , 1-800-COLLECT , Burger King , Butterfinger , C.C. Lemon , Church's Chicken , Domino's Pizza , Intel , Kentucky Fried Chicken , Ramada Inn , Subway and T.G.I. Friday's . In 2004, Homer starred in

25122-565: Was unavailable for comment as he was busy strangling Bart". Homer has complex relationships with his family. As previously noted, he and Bart are the most at odds; but the two commonly share adventures and are sometimes allies, with some episodes (particularly in later seasons) showing that the pair have a strange respect for each other's cunning. Homer and Lisa have opposite personalities and he usually overlooks Lisa's talents, but when made aware of his neglect, does everything he can to help her. The show also occasionally implies Homer forgets he has

25281-400: Was voted the greatest television character of all time by Channel 4 viewers. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and a special-achievement Annie Award . In 2000, Homer and his family were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Homer Jay Simpson is the bumbling husband of Marge, and father to Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. He is

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