190-513: Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character from the American animated television series The Simpsons who is part of the Simpson family . Bart made his television debut in the short " Good Night " on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Bart while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks 's office. Initially called to pitch
380-423: A nihilist , a philosophical position that argues that existence is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value . Bart's rebellious attitude has made him a disruptive student at Springfield Elementary School , where he is an underachiever and proud of it. He is constantly at odds with his teacher Ms. Krabappel , Principal Skinner , and occasionally Groundskeeper Willie . Bart does poorly in school and
570-429: A "property of Bart Simpson" label on the radio and goes to retrieve it. Bart becomes trapped in the well and the town gets angry and decide to leave him there. Homer later gets fed up with the townspeople's ignorance and frantically tries to rescue him. He digs a hole near the well, which helps the townspeople realise the error of their ways and offer help. The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team proves to be
760-499: A 32-year-old woman" and "Nobody reads these anymore". The animators are able to produce the chalkboard gags quickly and in some cases have changed them to fit current events. For example, the chalkboard gag for " Homer the Heretic " ( season four , 1992) read, "I will not defame New Orleans". The gag had been written as an apology to the city for a controversial song in the previous week's episode, " A Streetcar Named Marge ", which called
950-530: A 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old boy, so all I can say is, I apologize. Now I know what you guys were talking about. My standard comment is, If you don't want your kids to be like Bart Simpson, don't act like Homer Simpson. — Matt Groening , in a 1998 interview when asked, "How do you respond to critics who consider Bart Simpson a dreadful role model for children?" Bart's rebellious nature, which frequently resulted in no punishment for his misbehavior, led some parents and conservatives to characterize him as
1140-436: A Comedy Series or a Special" (Brad Brock, Peter Cole, Anthony D'Amico, Gary Gegan), both for the episode " Treehouse of Horror II ". The series also won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production , an Environmental Media Award nomination for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" for the episode " Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington ", and a People's Choice Award nomination for "Favorite Series Among Young People". At
1330-403: A Manicure ". At ten years old, Bart is the eldest child and only son of Homer and Marge Simpson and the brother of Lisa and Maggie . Known for his mischievousness, rebelliousness, and disrespect for authority, Bart’s most iconic traits include his chalkboard gags in the opening sequence, prank calls to Moe's Tavern , and catchphrases like "Eat my shorts", " ¡Ay, caramba! ", "Don't have
1520-427: A backlash over the comment ensued, Bennett apologized, claiming he "was just kidding" and saying "I'll sit down with the little spike head. We'll straighten this thing out." In a 1991 interview, Bill Cosby described Bart as a bad role model for children, calling him "angry, confused, frustrated". In response, Matt Groening said, "That sums up Bart, all right. Most people are in a struggle to be normal. He thinks normal
1710-678: A balloon for every flash-in-the-pan cartoon character, you turn the parade into a farce!" Meanwhile, behind and unbeknownst to him, the television briefly shows a Bart Simpson balloon. The album The Simpsons Sing the Blues was released in September 1990 and was a success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and becoming certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America . The first single from
1900-456: A brand new sequence when the show switched to high-definition in 2009). Each has the same basic sequence of events: the camera zooms through cumulus clouds , through the show's title towards the town of Springfield . The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television. The original opening
2090-500: A brand of cereal called "Bart Simpson Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch", which was available for a limited time. Before the half-hour series went on the air, Matt Groening pitched Bart as a spokesperson for Jell-O . He wanted Bart to sing "J-E-L-L-O", then burp the letter O. His belief was that kids would try to do it the next day, but he was rejected. On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service unveiled
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#17327837529202280-508: A cat also called Snowball II in the fifteenth-season episode " I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot ". Extended members of the Simpson and Bouvier family in the main cast include Homer's father Abe and Marge's sisters Patty and Selma . Marge's mother Jacqueline and Homer's mother Mona appear less frequently. The show includes a vast array of quirky supporting characters, which include Homer's friends Barney Gumble , Lenny Leonard and Carl Carlson ;
2470-592: A cow!" had been around since the 1950s which derived from the British phrase "Don't have kittens"; both were featured on T-shirts manufactured during the production of the early seasons of The Simpsons . "Cowabunga" is also commonly associated with Bart, although it was mostly used on the show after it had been used as a slogan on the T-shirts. Reiss also stated the writers took the phrase from Chief Thunderthud on The Howdy Doody Show . The use of catchphrase-based humor
2660-615: A cow, man!" and "Eat my shorts!" appeared on T-shirts in the show's early days. However, Bart rarely used the latter two phrases until after they became popular through the merchandising . The use of many of these catchphrases has declined in recent seasons. The episode " Bart Gets Famous " mocks catchphrase-based humor, as Bart achieves fame on the Krusty the Clown Show solely for saying "I didn't do it". The Simpsons has gained notoriety for jokes that appeared to become reality. Perhaps
2850-479: A cow, man!", and "I'm Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?". However, apart from " ¡Ay, caramba! ", these trademarks have largely been retired or used sparingly. Bart has also appeared in The Simpsons' related media, including video games , The Simpsons Movie , The Simpsons Ride , commercials, comic books , and an extensive line of merchandise . Nancy Cartwright , Bart's voice actor, intended to audition for
3040-465: A division of The Walt Disney Company . Nineteen years later, Disney purchased Fox . Other examples purported as The Simpsons predicting the future include the introduction of the smartwatch , video chat services, Richard Branson 's spaceflight and Lady Gaga 's acrobatic performance at the Super Bowl LI halftime show . Al Jean has commented on the show's purported ability to predict
3230-418: A fake name and to write Moe's angry response, so the pranks were dropped as a regular joke during the fourth season but they have occasionally resurfaced on the show. The catchphrase "Eat My Shorts" was an ad-lib by Cartwright in one of the original table readings, harking back to an incident when she was in high school. Cartwright was in the marching band at Fairmont High School , and one day while performing,
3420-463: A gas can as a butterfly. He has also thought if he wrote his name in wet cement, people who see it after it dries will wonder how he managed to write his name in solid cement. In " Separate Vocations " ( season three , 1992), Bart becomes hall monitor and his grades go up, suggesting that he struggles mainly because he does not pay attention, not because he is stupid. This idea is reinforced in " Brother's Little Helper " ( season eleven , 1999), in which it
3610-499: A half-hour prime time show and became Fox's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 775 episodes of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series , longest-running American sitcom , and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series , both in seasons and individual episodes. A feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie ,
3800-501: A half-hour series on the Fox Broadcasting Company , where Bart and the Simpson family became the central characters. 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. Bart's original design, which appeared in
3990-421: A handful, but I also know what he's like inside. He's got a spark. It's not a bad thing ... Of course, it makes him do bad things." Bart is a really good boy. He's just mischievous. He's not bad, like characters who followed him such as [Eric] Cartman ( South Park ) or Beavis and Butthead . Bart can do some nasty things, but they seem so tame, by today's standards. What was shocking 19 years ago, when
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#17327837529204180-520: A huge success with Homer as their official star player. But after Mr. Burns makes a bet with Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant owner Aristotle Amadopolis, he hires nine professional baseball players to fill out the team. However, eight of those ringers fall victim to separate misfortunes, and Burns is forced to turn to his regular employees, who win the game. When the radiation from the Nuclear Power Plant causes Homer to become infertile, he
4370-450: A list of its 25 favorite episodes and placed "Homer at the Bat", " Flaming Moe's " and "Radio Bart" at 15th, 16th and 20th positions, respectively. On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season of The Simpsons has a 100% approval rating based on 5 critical reviews. IGN.com made a list of the best guest appearances in the show's history, and placed Aerosmith at 24, Spinal Tap at 18, the "Homer at
4560-548: A long-standing feud between the two. The writers decided to have Bob repeatedly return to get revenge on Bart. They took the idea of the Coyote chasing the Road Runner and depicted Bob as an intelligent person obsessed with catching a bratty boy. Bob has appeared in fourteen episodes, generally plotting various evil schemes which often have to do with getting revenge on Bart (and sometimes the entire Simpson family by proxy), but
4750-475: A model. Bart's voice is provided by Nancy Cartwright , who voices several other child characters on The Simpsons , including Nelson Muntz , Ralph Wiggum , Todd Flanders , and Kearney . While the roles of Homer and Marge were given to Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner because they were already a part of The Tracey Ullman Show cast, the producers decided to hold casting for the roles of Bart and Lisa. Yeardley Smith had initially been asked to audition for
4940-464: A negative influence on children. By the third season, Homer became the show's figure, and the series shifted its focus to the family as a whole, though Bart remains a breakout character . Bart is considered one of the most iconic fictional television characters of the 1990s and has been described as an American cultural icon . Time named him one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century , and Entertainment Weekly named him Entertainer of
5130-443: A new opening sequence. Matt Groening called it a complicated change because it affected the timing and composition of animation. The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy, or sitcom, as its premise. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town, serving as a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle . However, because of its animated nature, The Simpsons ' scope
5320-479: A part of the writing staff to replace Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky both of whom had decided to leave the next season. The current arrangement of the theme song by music composer Alf Clausen was introduced during this season, corresponding with the show now being produced and broadcast in Dolby Surround . A crossover episode with the live-action sitcom Thirtysomething , titled "Thirtysimpsons",
5510-434: A picture of Bill Cosby wearing a Bart Simpson T-shirt. " Bart Gets an 'F' " ( season two , 1990) was the first episode to air against The Cosby Show , and it received a lower Nielsen rating , tying for eighth behind The Cosby Show , which had an 18.5 rating. The rating is based on the number of household televisions that were tuned into the show, but Nielsen Media Research estimated that 33.6 million viewers watched
5700-554: A poor role model for children. Robert Bianco of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that "[Bart] outwits his parents and outtalks his teachers; in short, he's the child we wish we'd been, and fear our children will become." In schools, educators claimed that Bart was a "threat to learning" because of his "underachiever and proud of it" attitude and negative attitude regarding his education. Others described him as "egotistical, aggressive and mean-spirited." In response to
5890-524: A provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content. Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching. The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ". " Some Enchanted Evening " was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990, as
Bart Simpson - Misplaced Pages Continue
6080-412: A pseudonym. While he recorded the voice work for the character, all of his singing was performed by Kipp Lennon , because of contractual obligations that Jackson had with his recording company. This allowed him to play a joke on his brothers and fool them into thinking the impersonator was him. Jackson's lines and Lennon's vocals were recorded at a second session by Brooks. The January 30, 1992 rerun of
6270-399: A recurring theme. In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the show has dealt with most of the major religions. Sexuality is often a source of jokes in the series or serves as the theme of certain episodes. Even though homosexuals are sometimes sources of gags, the series often comments on how American society treats them, with " Homer's Phobia " devoting an entire episode to
6460-564: A rerun of " Stark Raving Dad " in which Bart replied, "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too." Although there were many critics of the character, favorable comments came from several quarters. Columnist Erma Bombeck wrote, "Kids need to know that somewhere in this world is a contemporary who can pull off all the things they can only fantasize about, someone who can stick it to their parents once in
6650-410: A response in the next broadcast of The Simpsons , which was a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad" on January 30. The broadcast included a new tongue-in-cheek opening where they watch Bush's speech. Bart replies, "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too". On April 30, The Simpsons aired a repeat episode opposite the final episode of The Cosby Show on NBC . After
6840-557: A role in The Simpsons Ride , launched in 2008 at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood . Bart appears as a playable character in the toys-to-life video game Lego Dimensions , released via a "Fun Pack" packaged with a Gravity Sprinter accessory in November 2015. Bart, and other The Simpsons characters, have appeared in numerous television commercials for Nestlé 's Butterfinger candy bars from 1990 to 2001, with
7030-521: A sequence where he is skateboarding while fully nude; several different items cover his genitalia, but for a brief moment his penis can be seen. The scene was one of the first worked on for the film, but the producers were nervous about the segment because they thought it would earn the movie an R rating . Despite this, the film was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "Irreverent Humor Throughout". The scene
7220-506: A series of " Nazi Bart" shirts which depicted Bart in Nazi uniform or as a white power skinhead . 20th Century Fox sued the creator of the shirts, who eventually agreed to stop making them. Bart became so associated with Fox that, when bidding in 1993 to show pro football , the network had to assure the NFL and reporters that the character would not announce games. Due to the show's success, over
7410-431: A series of five 44-cent stamps featuring Bart and the four other members of the Simpson family. They are the first characters, other than Sesame Street characters, to receive this accolade while the show is still in production. The stamps, designed by Matt Groening, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2009. The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for
7600-506: A series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell , Groening instead developed a new set of characters. Unlike the other Simpson family members, who were named after Groening's relatives, Bart's name is an anagram of brat . After two years on The Tracey Ullman Show , the Simpson family received their own series, which premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989. Bart has appeared in every episode of The Simpsons except " Four Great Women and
7790-461: A series, including 37 Primetime Emmy Awards , 34 Annie Awards , and 2 Peabody Awards . Homer's exclamatory catchphrase of " D'oh! " has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many other later adult-oriented animated sitcom television series. The main characters are the Simpson family , who live in the fictional " Middle America " town of Springfield. Homer ,
Bart Simpson - Misplaced Pages Continue
7980-594: A share of the profits every year, and an executive producer credit despite not having worked on the show since 1993, at least until his passing in 2015. A more involved position on the show is the showrunner , who acts as head writer and manages the show's production for an entire season. The first team of writers, assembled by Sam Simon, consisted of John Swartzwelder , Jon Vitti , George Meyer , Jeff Martin , Al Jean , Mike Reiss , Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky . Newer Simpsons ' writing teams typically consist of sixteen writers who propose episode ideas at
8170-415: A short temper and when enraged by Bart will strangle him on impulse in a cartoonishly violent manner. One of the original ideas for the show was that Homer would be "very angry" and oppressive toward Bart, but these characteristics were toned down somewhat as their characters were explored. Marge is a much more caring, understanding and nurturing parent than Homer, but she also refers to Bart as "a handful" and
8360-477: A single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent only by pausing a video recording of the show or viewing it in slow motion. Kristin Thompson argues that The Simpsons uses a "flurry of cultural references, intentionally inconsistent characterization, and considerable self-reflexivity about television conventions and the status of the programme as a television show." One of Bart's early hallmarks
8550-404: A solicitation for a series of animated shorts with producer Brooks. He created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after his own family members, substituting Bart for his own name; he thought Simpson was a funny name in that it sounded similar to " simpleton ". The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After three seasons, the sketch was developed into
8740-467: A variety of comics, including Mad (when it was still a comic), Donald Duck , Uncle Scrooge , Little Lulu , and Tales From the Crypt , all of which were sources of inspiration for Matt. Bart was envisioned as an exaggerated version of the typical misbehaving child, combining the extreme traits of characters like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn . Groening described Bart as "what would happen if
8930-406: A vast array of television channels, which enables the producers to make jokes about the entertainment industry and the press. Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias. Al Jean acknowledged in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent." The writers often evince an appreciation for progressive leanings , but the show makes jokes across
9120-493: A while and still be permitted to live." In 2003, Bart placed first in a poll of parents in the United Kingdom who were asked "which made-up character had the most influence" on children under 12 years old. In 1998, Time named Bart one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. He was the only fictional character to make the list. He had previously appeared on the cover of the edition of December 31, 1990. He
9310-411: A wide spectrum of society so that viewers from all generations can enjoy the show. Such references, for example, come from movies, television, music, literature, science, and history. The animators also regularly add jokes or sight gags into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, billboards , and elsewhere. The audience may often not notice the visual jokes in
9500-407: Is a blue-maned lion). Alongside T-shirts, Bart has been included in various other The Simpsons -related merchandise, including air fresheners, baseball caps, bumper stickers, cardboard standups, refrigerator magnets, key rings, buttons, dolls, posters, figurines, clocks, soapstone carvings, Chia Pets , bowling balls and boxer shorts. The Bart Book , a book about Bart's personality and attributes,
9690-460: Is also highly protective of Lisa: When a bully destroys her box of cupcakes in " Bart the General " ( season one , 1990), Bart immediately stands up for her. Bart is portrayed as a popular cool boy and has many friends at school. Out of all of them his best friend is Milhouse Van Houten , although Bart has at times shown embarrassment about their friendship. Bart is a bad influence on Milhouse, and
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#17327837529209880-508: Is also one of the few programs dubbed in both standard French and Quebec French . The show has been broadcast in Arabic, but due to Islamic customs, numerous aspects of the show have been changed. For example, Homer drinks soda instead of beer and eats Egyptian beef sausages instead of hot dogs. Because of such changes, the Arabized version of the series met with a negative reaction from
10070-488: Is always foiled in the end. In 1990, Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Bartmania". He became the most prevalent Simpsons character on memorabilia, such as T-shirts. In the early 1990s, millions of T-shirts featuring Bart were sold; as many as one million were sold on some days. Believing Bart to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Bart next to captions such as "I'm Bart Simpson. Who
10260-419: Is awarded a complete $ 2,000 compensation. Meanwhile, Homer's half-brother, Herb, now living on the streets, returns with a plan on how to regain his name, wealth, and life back and reluctantly turns to Homer for help. Herb asks for Homer's $ 2,000 so he can develop a new product that will translate baby gibberish into speech. The DVD box set for season three was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in
10450-404: Is committed to a mental hospital where he meets a big, hulking bald man who says his name is Michael Jackson . Meanwhile, Lisa is depressed over her upcoming eighth birthday, but is very happy in the end to receive a song that is written specially for her birthday. Guest star: Michael Jackson (speaking parts only). Created as "John Jay Smith". When Homer, Bart, and Lisa eat a ton of candy,
10640-509: Is consistently portrayed that he is Jewish , that his father was a rabbi , and that his career began in the 1960s. The latter point introduces another snag in the floating timeline: historical periods that are a core part of a character's backstory remain so even when their age makes it unlikely or impossible, such as Grampa Simpson and Principal Skinner 's respective service in World War II and Vietnam . The only episodes not part of
10830-439: Is inconsistent: from one episode to another, it may have coastlines, deserts, vast farmland, mountains, or whatever the story or joke requires. Groening has said that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon , the city where he grew up. Groening has said that he named it after Springfield, Oregon , and the fictitious Springfield which was the setting of the series Father Knows Best . He "figured out that Springfield
11020-437: Is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant , the show can comment on the state of the environment. Through Bart and Lisa's days at Springfield Elementary School , the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features
11210-579: Is often embarrassed by his antics. In " Marge Be Not Proud " ( season seven , 1995), she felt she was mothering Bart too much and began acting more distant towards him after he was caught shoplifting. At the beginning of the episode, Bart protested at her over-mothering but as her attitude changed, he felt bad and made it up to her. Despite his attitude, Bart is sometimes willing to experience humiliation if it means pleasing his mom. Marge has expressed an understanding for her "special little guy" and has defended him on many occasions. She once said "I know Bart can be
11400-461: Is recognized and asked to perform Bart's voice in front of children, Cartwright refuses as it "freaks [them] out". During the first season of The Simpsons , the Fox Network did not allow Cartwright to give interviews because they did not want to publicize that Bart was voiced by a woman. Until 1998, Cartwright was paid $ 30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace
11590-545: Is revealed that Bart has attention deficit disorder . His lack of smarts can also be attributed to the hereditary "Simpson Gene", which affects the intelligence of most male members of the Simpson family. Although he gets into endless trouble and can be sadistic, shallow and selfish, Bart also exhibits many qualities of high integrity. He has, on a few occasions, helped Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel: In " Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song " ( season five , 1994), Bart accidentally got Skinner fired and befriended him outside
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#173278375292011780-479: Is sick of Krusty's shoddy merchandise and takes over the camp. Krusty immediately visits the camp in hopes of ending the conflict and manages to appease Bart. One of the original ideas for the series was that Bart worshiped a television clown but had no respect for his father, although this was never directly explored. Because of this original plan, Krusty's design is basically Homer in clown make-up. When Bart foiled Sideshow Bob's plans in "Krusty Gets Busted", it sparked
11970-422: Is technically. But Bart is easy to do. I can just slip into that without difficulty." She usually does five or six readings of every line in order to give the producers more to work with. In flashforward episodes, Cartwright still provides the voice of Bart. For " Lisa's Wedding " ( season six , 1995), Bart's voice was electronically lowered. Despite Bart's fame, Cartwright is rarely recognized in public. When she
12160-404: Is very boring, and does things that others just wished they dare do." On January 27, 1992, then-President George H. W. Bush said, "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons." The writers rushed out a tongue-in-cheek reply in the form of a short segment which aired three days later before
12350-425: Is well aware of it, having once declared, "I am dumb, okay? Dumb as a post! Think I'm happy about it?" On one occasion, Lisa successfully proves that Bart is dumber than a hamster , although Bart ultimately outsmarts her. Bart's thoughts are often illogical; he once thought if he died and reincarnated as a butterfly, he would be able to burn the school down without being suspected, thinking that he would be able to hold
12540-534: The Star Wars trilogy, while his favorite boardgames include Hippo in the House , The Game of Lent , and Citizenship . Throughout the series, Bart has been a student at Springfield Elementary School , where he is part of Edna Krabappel 's fourth-grade class. Although too young for full-time work, Bart has taken on several part-time jobs over the years. He works as a bartender at Fat Tony 's social club in " Bart
12730-512: The Fox network between September 19, 1991, and August 27, 1992. The showrunners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes for the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks , Matt Groening , and Sam Simon , with it being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television . An additional episode, " Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? ", aired on August 27, 1992, after
12920-429: The Fox Broadcasting Company . Developed by Groening, James L. Brooks , and Sam Simon , the series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family , which consists of Homer , Marge , Bart , Lisa , and Maggie . Set in the fictional town of Springfield , it caricatures society, Western culture, television, and the human condition . The family was conceived by Groening shortly before
13110-638: The Linguistic Data Consortium , remarked, " The Simpsons has apparently taken over from Shakespeare and the Bible as our culture's greatest source of idioms, catchphrases and sundry other textual allusions." The most famous catchphrase is Homer's annoyed grunt: " D'oh! " So ubiquitous is the expression that it is now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary , but without the apostrophe. Dan Castellaneta says he borrowed
13300-480: The Tube Bar recordings . Moe was based partly on Tube Bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch , whose often profane responses inspired Moe's violent side. The prank calls debuted in " Homer's Odyssey " ( season one , 1990), the third episode to air, but were included in " Some Enchanted Evening ", the first episode of the series that was produced. As the series progressed, it became more difficult for the writers to come up with
13490-461: The season seven (1995) episode " Treehouse of Horror VI ", Bart (along with Homer) was computer-animated into a three-dimensional character for the first time for the "Homer" segment of the episode. The computer animation was provided by Pacific Data Images . While designing the 3D model of the character, the animators did not know how they would show Bart's hair. They realized that there were vinyl Bart dolls in production and purchased one to use as
13680-453: The season three episode " Separate Vocations ". She shared the award with five other voice actors from The Simpsons . Various episodes in which Bart is strongly featured have been nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program , including " Radio Bart " in 1992, " Future-Drama " in 2005, " The Haw-Hawed Couple " in 2006 and " Homer's Phobia ", which won the award in 1997. In 1995, Cartwright won an Annie Award for "Voice Acting in
13870-476: The twentieth season was put on hold due to new contract negotiations with the voice actors, who wanted a "healthy bump" in salary to an amount close to $ 500,000 per episode. The negotiations were soon completed, and the actors' salary was raised to $ 400,000 per episode. Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, the cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $ 300,000 per episode. In addition to
14060-514: The "middle child" and at the time did not have much personality. Cartwright became more interested in the role of Bart, who was described as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, [and] clever". Matt Groening let her try out for the part instead, and upon hearing her read, gave her the job on the spot. Cartwright is the only one of the six main Simpsons cast members who had been professionally trained in voice acting prior to working on
14250-557: The 1970s. During most of the 1980s, US pundits considered animated shows as appropriate only for children, and animating a show was too expensive to achieve a quality suitable for prime-time television. The Simpsons changed this perception, initially leading to a short period where networks attempted to recreate prime-time cartoon success with shows like Capitol Critters , Fish Police , and Family Dog , which were expensive and unsuccessful. The Simpsons ' use of Korean animation studios for tweening , coloring, and filming made
14440-501: The 1990s, which are generally considered its "golden age". Since then, it has been criticized for a perceived decline in quality . Time named it the 20th century's best television series, and Erik Adams of The A.V. Club named it "television's crowning achievement regardless of format". On January 14, 2000, the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . It has won dozens of awards since it debuted as
14630-508: The 8th annual Television Critics Association Awards, the third season of the show was nominated for 'Outstanding Achievement in Comedy,' losing to "Seinfeld". Additionally, it was nominated for 'Program of the Year' but lost to Northern Exposure . Homer 's sanity is called into question when he arrives at work wearing a pink shirt. After Bart takes Homer's mental stability test for him, Homer
14820-411: The Bat " is the first episode in the series to feature a large supporting cast of guest stars. The idea was suggested by Sam Simon , who wanted an episode filled with real Major League Baseball players. They did manage to get nine players who agreed to guest star and they were recorded over a period of six months. This season's production run (8F) was the last to be animated by Klasky Csupo , before
15010-469: The Bat" baseball players at 17, Jon Lovitz at eight, and Michael Jackson at number five. IGN would later name "Flaming Moe's" the best episode of the third season. Chris Turner , the author of the book Planet Simpson , believes that the third season marks the beginning of "the Golden Age " of The Simpsons and pinpoints "Homer at the Bat" as the first episode of the era. Bill Oakley has described
15200-458: The Clown and news reporter Kent Brockman ; nuclear tycoon Montgomery Burns and his devoted assistant Waylon Smithers ; and dozens more . The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokes or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes. According to Matt Groening, the show adopted
15390-433: The Clown , Groundskeeper Willie , Mayor Quimby , Barney Gumble , and other adult male characters. Julie Kavner voices Marge Simpson and Patty and Selma , as well as several minor characters. Castellaneta and Kavner had been a part of The Tracey Ullman Show cast and were given the parts so that new actors would not be needed. Cartwright voices Bart Simpson , Nelson Muntz , Ralph Wiggum and other children. Smith,
15580-455: The Field of Animation" for her portrayal of Bart in an episode. In 2000, Bart and the rest of the Simpson family were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2014 Bart Simpson became the second mascot of Russian football club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg , wearing number 87 on his back (referring to the character's debut in 1987; the club's first mascot
15770-673: The Greek "; and Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel in " Bart the Lover ". Mason is the only irregular guest star from the show to win an Emmy. The series received three other Emmy nominations: for " Outstanding Animated Program " with the episode " Radio Bart "; for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" ( Alf Clausen ) and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for
15960-594: The Murderer " ( season three , 1991); as Krusty the Clown's assistant in " Bart Gets Famous " ( season five , 1994); as a doorman in Springfield's burlesque house , the Maison Derrière, in " Bart After Dark " ( season eight , 1996); and briefly owns his own factory in " Homer's Enemy " ( season eight , 1997). Matt Groening first conceived Bart and the rest of the Simpson family in 1987 while waiting in
16150-731: The World , Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly , Bart vs. the Space Mutants , Bart's House of Weirdness , Bart vs. The Juggernauts , Bartman Meets Radioactive Man , Bart's Nightmare , Bart & the Beanstalk and The Simpsons Game , released in 2007. Alongside the television series, Bart regularly appears in issues of Simpsons Comics , which were first published on November 29, 1993, and are still issued monthly, and also has his own series called Bart Simpson Comics which have been released since 2000. Bart also plays
16340-421: The Year in 1990. Cartwright has received several accolades for her portrayal of Bart, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992 and an Annie Award in 1995. In 2000, Bart and the rest of the Simpson family were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . The Simpsons employs a floating timeline , where characters either do not age or age minimally. As such, the show is always presumed to take place in
16530-434: The air with a comeback special and reignite his career in " Krusty Gets Kancelled ". For his part, Krusty has remained largely ignorant of Bart's help and treats Bart with disinterest. One summer, Bart enthusiastically attended Kamp Krusty, which turned out to be a disaster, with Krusty nowhere to be seen. Bart keeps his hopes up by believing that Krusty would show up, but is soon pushed over the edge, and finally decides that he
16720-509: The album was the pop rap song " Do the Bartman ", performed by Nancy Cartwright and released on November 20, 1990. The song was written by Bryan Loren , a friend of Michael Jackson . Jackson was a fan of The Simpsons , especially Bart, and had called the producers one night offering to write Bart a number one single and do a guest spot on the show. Jackson eventually guest starred in the episode " Stark Raving Dad " ( season three , 1991) under
16910-436: The animation production]," but declined, stating, "they wanted to tell me how to run my business." The season saw the introduction of several new recurring characters, including Lunchlady Doris , Fat Tony , Legs and Louie , Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky , Lurleen Lumpkin , and Kirk and Luann Van Houten . The season was critically acclaimed and remains popular among the show's fans. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly published
17100-437: The animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned up in production. However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude appearance of the characters in the initial shorts. The animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo , with Wes Archer , David Silverman , and Bill Kopp being animators for the first season. The colorist, "Georgie" Gyorgyi Kovacs Peluce (Kovács Györgyike) made
17290-399: The band chanted "Eat my shorts" rather than the usual "Fairmont West! Fairmont West!" It could also be an homage to The Breakfast Club , as John Bender says the phrase to Principal Vernon. John Bender would become the inspiration for another Matt Groening creation, Bender from Futurama . Bart's other catchphrases, " ¡Ay, caramba! " came from a Portuguese flamenco dancer and "Don't have
17480-424: The beginning of each December. The main writer of each episode writes the first draft. Group rewriting sessions develop final scripts by adding or removing jokes, inserting scenes, and calling for re-readings of lines by the show's vocal performers. Until 2004, George Meyer, who had developed the show since the first season, was active in these sessions. According to long-time writer Jon Vitti, Meyer usually invented
17670-436: The best lines in a given episode, even though other writers may receive script credits. Each episode takes six months to produce so the show rarely comments on current events. Credited with sixty episodes, John Swartzwelder is the most prolific writer on The Simpsons . One of the best-known former writers is Conan O'Brien , who contributed to several episodes in the early 1990s before replacing David Letterman as host of
17860-406: The best one during his time on the show saying, "By Season 3 we had learned how to grind out first-class 'Simpsons' episodes with surprising regularity, we had developed a big cast of characters to work with, we hadn't even come close to running out of story lines, and the staff hadn't been worn down by overwork yet. Season 3 was a fun year to be in the 'Simpsons' writers' room, and I think it shows in
18050-495: The book Bart Simpson's Guide to Life , his full middle name is "JoJo". Bart was initially conceived as, according to The Oregonian , "a much milder, troubled youth given to existential angst who talks to himself" but the character was changed due to Nancy Cartwright 's voice acting. Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, has credited various sources as inspirations for Bart's character. His older brother, Mark Groening, influenced Bart's rebellious attitude. Mark introduced him to
18240-487: The cast appeared in an episode of Inside the Actors Studio , doing live performances of their characters' voices. The six main actors were paid $ 30,000 per episode, until 1998, when they were involved in a pay dispute with Fox. The company threatened to replace them with new actors, even going as far as preparing for casting of new voices, but series creator Groening supported the actors in their action. The issue
18430-425: The characters after members of his own family. For the rebellious son, he chose the name "Bart", an anagram of brat , instead of his own name, as he felt "Matt" would not "go over well in a pitch meeting". Bart's middle initial, "J", is a homage to animated characters like Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show , who were named after their creator, Jay Ward . According to
18620-501: The characters he voiced ( Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz ) were retired; Wallace's character of Edna Krabappel was retired as well after her death in 2013. Following Taylor's death in 2019, her characters (including Sherri, Terri , and Martin Prince ) are now voiced by Grey Griffin . Episodes will quite often feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, bands, musicians and scientists. In
18810-491: The characters yellow; as Bart, Lisa and Maggie have no hairlines, she felt they would look strange if they were flesh-colored. Groening supported the decision, saying: "Marge is yellow with blue hair? That's hilarious — let's do it!" In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company . The team included the Klasky Csupo animation house. Brooks negotiated
19000-408: The city a "home of pirates, drunks and whores". One of Bart's early hallmarks were his prank calls to Moe's Tavern owner Moe Szyslak in which Bart calls Moe and asks for a gag name . Moe tries to find that person in the bar, but rapidly realizes it is a prank call and (despite not knowing who actually made the call) angrily threatens Bart. These calls were based on a series of prank calls known as
19190-616: The claimed prophecies, explaining that the show's extensive run means "a lot of jokes, and a lot of opportunities for coincidences to appear" and "most of these 'predictions' have rather simple and mundane explanations". For example, the device shown on The Simpsons with autocorrection is an Apple Newton , a real 1993 device notorious for its poor handwriting recognition . Technologically advanced watches have appeared in numerous works of fiction, decades before The Simpsons . A number of neologisms that originated on The Simpsons have entered popular vernacular. Mark Liberman , director of
19380-453: The commercial breaks. Having seen one of cartoonist Matt Groening 's Life in Hell comic strips, Brooks asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts. Groening initially intended to present an animated version of his Life in Hell series. However, Groening later realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work. He therefore chose another approach while waiting in
19570-467: The concept of a large supporting cast from the comedy show SCTV . Despite the depiction of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays passing, the characters never age. The series uses a floating timeline in which episodes generally take place in the year the episode is produced. Flashbacks and flashforwards do occasionally depict the characters at other points in their lives, with the timeline of these depictions also generally floating relative to
19760-602: The criticism, James L. Brooks said, "I'm very wary of television where everybody is supposed to be a role model, you don't run across that many role models in real life. Why should television be full of them?" In 1990 William Bennett , who at the time was drug czar of the United States, visited a drug treatment center in Pittsburgh and upon noticing a poster of Bart remarked, "You guys aren't watching The Simpsons , are you? That's not going to help you any." When
19950-649: The defining feature of the smart-assed boy who dominated many episodes of the first few seasons of The Simpsons –the version that spawned Bart-mania–though his methods and motivations show considerably more nuance than the white-trash Bart of the Ullman era. — Chris Turner, author Bart's character traits of rebelliousness and disrespect for authority have been compared to that of America's founding fathers, and he has been described as an updated version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn , rolled into one. In his book Planet Simpson , Chris Turner describes Bart as
20140-452: The dictionary in August 2007. Many quotes/scenes have become popular Internet memes , including Jasper Beardley's quote "That's a paddlin ' " from " The PTA Disbands " ( season 6 , 1995) and "Steamed Hams" from " 22 Short Films About Springfield " ( season 7 , 1996). The Simpsons was the first successful animated program in American prime time since Wait Till Your Father Gets Home in
20330-538: The divorce of Milhouse van Houten 's parents, and the marriage and subsequent parenthood of Apu and Manjula . The Simpsons takes place in a fictional American town called Springfield . Although there are many real settlements in America named Springfield, the town the show is set in is fictional. The state it is in is not established. In fact, the show is intentionally evasive with regard to Springfield's location. Springfield's geography and that of its surroundings
20520-468: The earlier seasons, most of the guest stars voiced characters, but eventually more started appearing as themselves. Tony Bennett was the first guest star to appear as himself, appearing briefly in the season two episode " Dancin' Homer ". The Simpsons holds the world record for "Most Guest Stars Featured in a Television Series". The Simpsons has been dubbed into several other languages , including Japanese, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. It
20710-498: The episode featured a brief alternate opening, which was written in response to a comment made by then- President of the United States George H. W. Bush . On January 27, Bush made a speech during his re-election campaign where he said, "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like The Waltons and a lot less like The Simpsons ." The writers decided to add
20900-400: The episode was over, a short clip of new animation showed Bart and Homer happily watching The Cosby Show finale. Bart asks Homer why Bill Cosby took the show off the air when it is still very popular. Homer replies that, "Mr. Cosby wanted to end the show before the quality began to suffer." Bart replies, "Quality, shmality. If I had a TV show, I'd run that baby into the ground!" " Homer at
21090-407: The episode, making it the number one show in terms of actual viewers that week. At the time, it was the most watched episode in the history of the Fox Network, and it is still the highest rated episode in the history of The Simpsons . Because of his popularity, Bart was often the most promoted member of the Simpson family in advertisements for the show, even for episodes in which he was not involved in
21280-474: The episodes cheaper. The success of The Simpsons and the lower production cost prompted US television networks to take chances on other adult animated series. This development led US producers to a 1990s boom in new, animated prime-time shows for adults, such as Beavis and Butt-Head , South Park , Family Guy , King of the Hill , Futurama (which was created by Matt Groening), and The Critic (which
21470-723: The family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and often parody or pay homage to a famous piece of work in those genres. They always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Although the Treehouse series is meant to be seen on Halloween, this changed by the 2000s (and again in 2020), when new installments have premiered after Halloween due to Fox 's current contract with Major League Baseball 's World Series . Prior to 2020 (between 2011 and 2019), every Treehouse of Horror episode had aired in October. The show's humor turns on cultural references that cover
21660-411: The family making a gay friend and Homer's initial hostility to him. In 1990, The Simpsons became the first animated early evening show to depict a kiss between two men in " Simpson and Delilah ". The Simpsons ' opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. The standard opening has gone through three iterations (a replacement of some shots at the start of the second season, and
21850-535: The family purchased their first home . When Lisa was born, Bart initially felt jealous of the attention she received but soon warmed to her when her first word turned out to be "Bart". Bart's first day of school occurred in the early 1990s. Initially excited, his enthusiasm was quickly crushed by an indifferent teacher, prompting Marge to worry about him. During recess, Bart befriended Milhouse and began entertaining classmates with gestures and rude jokes. Principal Skinner warned Bart, "You've just started school, and
22040-413: The family who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier. Although the family is dysfunctional, many episodes examine their relationships and bonds with each other and they are often shown to care about one another. The family also owns a greyhound , Santa's Little Helper , (who first appeared in the episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ") and a cat, Snowball II , who is replaced by
22230-486: The father, works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant , a position at odds with his careless, buffoonish personality. He is married to Marge ( née Bouvier), a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart , a ten-year-old troublemaker and prankster; Lisa , a precocious eight-year-old activist; and Maggie (named by Bart), the baby of
22420-405: The first few seasons shared the trait. The basic rectangular shape of Bart's head is described by director Mark Kirkland as a coffee can. Homer's head is also rectangular (with a dome on top), while spheres are used for Marge, Lisa, and Maggie. Different animators have different methods of drawing Bart. Former director Jeffrey Lynch starts off with a box, then adds the eyes, then the mouth, then
22610-530: The first shorts, had spikier hair, and the spikes were of different lengths. The number was later limited to nine spikes, all of the same size. At the time Groening was primarily drawing in black and "not thinking that [Bart] would eventually be drawn in color" gave him spikes which appear to be an extension of his head. The features of Bart's character design are generally not used in other characters; for example, no other characters in current episodes have Bart's spiky hairline, although several background characters in
22800-485: The first three seasons, Klasky Csupo animated The Simpsons in the United States. In 1992, the show's production company, Gracie Films, switched domestic production to Film Roman , who continued to animate the show until 2016 when they were replaced by Fox Television Animation , which allowed the show to be made more in-house. In Season 14 , production switched from traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint . The first episode to experiment with digital coloring
22990-404: The future, explaining that they are really just "educated guesses" and stating that "if you throw enough darts, you're going to get some bullseyes." Producer Bill Oakley stated, "There are very few cases where The Simpsons predicted something. It's mainly just coincidence because the episodes are so old that history repeats itself." Fact-checking sources such as Snopes have debunked many of
23180-411: The hair spikes, ear, and then the rest of the body. Matt Groening normally starts with the eyes, then the nose, and the rest of the outline of Bart's head. Many of the animators have trouble drawing Bart's spikes evenly; one trick they use is to draw one on the right, one on the left, one in the middle, then continue to add one in the middle of the blank space until there are nine. Originally, whenever Bart
23370-476: The hands of their abuse. Despite being the more socially powerful of the two, Bart's social popularity has temporarily subsided in various episodes either due to extreme embarrassment caused by his family or other people (or even himself) or an unfortunate coincidence. Milhouse describes their social standing as "Three and a half. We get beat up, but we get an explanation." While Bart and the bullies have been adversaries at times, with Bart once declaring war on Nelson,
23560-556: The hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')". The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated $ 2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. The success of Bart Simpson merchandise inspired an entire line of black market counterfeit items, especially T-shirts. Some featured Bart announcing various slogans, others depicted redesigns of the character, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Bart, Air Simpson Bart, [and] RastaBart". Matt Groening generally did not object to bootleg merchandise, but took exception to
23750-410: The job on the spot. Cartwright is the only one of the six main Simpsons cast members who had been professionally trained in voice acting prior to working on the show. Azaria and Shearer do not voice members of the title family, but play a majority of the male townspeople. Azaria, who has been a part of the main voice cast since the second season in one episode " Old Money " and then perpetually part of
23940-423: The last episode of the first season, because of animation problems. In 1992, Tracey Ullman filed a lawsuit against Fox, claiming that her show was the source of the series' success. The suit said she should receive a share of the profits of The Simpsons —a claim rejected by the courts. List of showrunners throughout the series' run: Matt Groening and James L. Brooks have served as executive producers during
24130-488: The lifelong Simpsons fans in the area. Several different U.S. and international studios animate The Simpsons . Throughout the run of the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show , the animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo . With the debut of the series, because of an increased workload, Fox subcontracted production to several local and foreign studios. These are AKOM , Anivision , Rough Draft Studios , USAnimation , and Toonzone Entertainment. For
24320-486: The lobby of Brooks's office for the pitch meeting, hurriedly formulating his version of a dysfunctional family that became the Simpsons. He named the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name, adopting an anagram of the word brat . The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Groening submitted only basic sketches to
24510-414: The lobby of producer James L. Brooks 's office. Groening was invited to pitch a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show and initially planned to adapt his comic strip, Life in Hell . Upon realizing that adapting the strip would require him to relinquish publication rights , he quickly decided to create something new. Groening hastily sketched a concept for a dysfunctional family , naming
24700-613: The main cast, Pamela Hayden , Tress MacNeille , Marcia Wallace , Maggie Roswell , and Russi Taylor voice supporting characters. From 1999 to 2002, Roswell's characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven . Karl Wiedergott has also appeared in minor roles, but does not voice any recurring characters. Wiedergott left the show in 2010, and since then Chris Edgerly has appeared regularly to voice minor characters. Repeat "special guest" cast members include Albert Brooks , Phil Hartman , Jon Lovitz , Joe Mantegna , Maurice LaMarche , and Kelsey Grammer . Following Hartman's death in 1998,
24890-481: The main plot. Bart was described as "television's king of 1990", "television's brightest new star" and an "undiminished smash". Entertainment Weekly named Bart the "entertainer of the year" for 1990, writing that "Bart has proved to be a rebel who's also a good kid, a terror who's easily terrorized, and a flake who astonishes us, and himself, with serious displays of fortitude." In the United States congressional , senatorial and gubernatorial elections of 1990, Bart
25080-458: The most famous example comes from the episode " Bart to the Future ", which mentions billionaire Donald Trump having been president of the United States at one time and leaving the nation broke. The episode first aired in 2000, sixteen years before Trump (who at the time was exploring a presidential run ) was elected. Another episode, " When You Dish Upon a Star ", lampooned 20th Century Fox as
25270-589: The official end of the third season and is included on the Season 3 DVD set. Season three won six Primetime Emmy Awards for " Outstanding Voice-Over Performance " and also received a nomination for " Outstanding Animated Program " for the episode " Radio Bart ". The complete season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2003, Region 2 on October 6, 2003, and in Region 4 on October 22, 2003. Al Jean and Mike Reiss , who had written for The Simpsons since
25460-524: The other members of the Writers Guild of America, East . The show's writers had joined the guild in 1998. In May 2023, the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with the other members of the Writers Guild of America, East . The Simpsons has six main cast members: Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith , Hank Azaria , and Harry Shearer . Castellaneta voices Homer Simpson , Grampa Simpson , Krusty
25650-598: The path you choose now may be the one you follow for the rest of your life! Now, what do you say?" Bart replied, "Eat my shorts". However, the episode " That 90's Show " ( season 19 , 2008) contradicted much of this timeline, revealing that Homer and Marge were childless during the early 1990s. Bart's hobbies include skateboarding , watching television —particularly The Krusty the Clown Show and its segment The Itchy & Scratchy Show —reading comic books , especially Radioactive Man , playing video games , and causing general mischief. His favorite movies are Jaws and
25840-525: The phrase from James Finlayson , an actor in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, who pronounced it in a more elongated and whining tone. The staff of The Simpsons told Castellaneta to shorten the noise, and it went on to become the well-known exclamation in the television series. Groundskeeper Willie 's description of the French as " cheese-eating surrender monkeys " was used by National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg in 2003, after France's opposition to
26030-405: The political spectrum. The show portrays government and large corporations as evil entities that take advantage of the common worker. Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In The Simpsons , politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are dismissive to churchgoers, and the local police force is incompetent. Religion also figures as
26220-598: The present year. Bart is the eldest child and only son of Homer and Marge Simpson ; he has two younger sisters, Lisa and Maggie . In several episodes of The Simpsons , events have been tied to specific times, though these timelines are sometimes contradicted in later episodes. On " I Married Marge " ( season three , 1991), Bart's birth is placed in the early 1980s. In " Simpsorama " (Season 26, 2014), Bart states his birthday as February 23, while The Bart Book by series creator Matt Groening lists it as April 1. Bart lived with his parents in Springfield's Lower East Side before
26410-447: The previous season by James L. Brooks , Matt Groening and Sam Simon . Carlos Baeza and Jeffrey Lynch received their first directing credits this season. Alan Smart , an assistant director and layout artist, would receive his only directing credit. One-time writers from this season include Robert Cohen , Howard Gewirtz , Ken Levine and David Isaacs. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein , who would later become story editors, became
26600-679: The proposed invasion of Iraq . The phrase quickly spread to other journalists. " Cromulent " and "embiggen", words used in " Lisa the Iconoclast ", have since appeared in the Dictionary.com 's 21st Century Lexicon, and scientific journals respectively. "Kwyjibo", a fake Scrabble word invented by Bart in " Bart the Genius ", was used as one of the aliases of the creator of the Melissa worm . "I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords",
26790-546: The pseudonym John Jay Smith. While the song was never officially released as a single in the United States, it was successful in the United Kingdom. In 1991 it was the number one song in the UK for three weeks from February 16 to March 9 and was the seventh best-selling song of the year. It sold half a million copies and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on February 1, 1991. I now have
26980-456: The regular main voice cast since the third season, voices recurring characters such as Moe Szyslak , Chief Wiggum , Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and Professor Frink . Shearer provides voices for Mr. Burns , Mr. Smithers , Principal Skinner , Ned Flanders , Reverend Lovejoy and formerly Dr. Hibbert . Every main cast member has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance . With one exception, episode credits list only
27170-410: The role of Bart, but casting director Bonita Pietila believed her voice was too high. Smith later recalled, "I always sounded too much like a girl. I read two lines as Bart and they said, 'Thanks for coming! ' " Smith was given the role of Lisa instead. On March 13, 1987, Nancy Cartwright went in to audition for the role of Lisa. After arriving at the audition, she found that Lisa was simply described as
27360-567: The role of Lisa, while Yeardley Smith auditioned for Bart. However, Smith’s voice was deemed too high-pitched for a boy, and she was cast as Lisa instead. Cartwright found Lisa less appealing as a character and opted to try out for Bart, a role she felt better suited her. During the first two seasons of The Simpsons , Bart was the show's protagonist , ensuing "Bartmania", which spawned Bart-themed merchandise touting his rebellious persona and pride in underachieving. However, these traits also drew criticism from parents and educators who viewed him as
27550-479: The same period. The 1995 episode " Lisa's Wedding " takes place during Lisa's college years in the then-future year of 2010, the same year the show began airing its 22nd season , in which Lisa was still 8. Regarding the contradictory flashbacks, Selman stated that "they all kind of happened in their imaginary world." The show follows a loose and inconsistent continuity. For example, Krusty the Clown may be able to read in one episode, but not in another . However, it
27740-627: The school bullies actually like Bart for his ways and hang out with him at times, especially Nelson who eventually becomes close friends with him. Bart is one of the biggest fans of children's television host Krusty the Clown . He once declared, "I've based my whole life on Krusty's teachings", and sleeps in a room filled with Krusty merchandise. He has helped the clown on many occasions, for example, foiling Sideshow Bob 's attempt to frame Krusty for armed robbery in " Krusty Gets Busted " ( season one , 1990), reuniting Krusty with his estranged father in " Like Father, Like Clown ". and helping Krusty return to
27930-468: The school chalkboard, Lisa plays different solos on her saxophone (or occasionally a different instrument), and different gags accompany the family as they enter their living room to sit on the couch. The special Halloween episode has become an annual tradition. " Treehouse of Horror " first broadcast in 1990 as part of season two and established the pattern of three separate, self-contained stories in each Halloween episode. These pieces usually involve
28120-462: The school environment. Bart missed having Skinner as an adversary and got him rehired, knowing that this would mean that the two could no longer be friends. Due to Bart's mischievousness and Homer's often uncaring and incompetent behavior, the two have a turbulent, jaded, violent, and at times borderline sadistic relationship. Bart regularly addresses Homer by his first name instead of "Dad", while Homer in turn often refers to him as "the boy". Homer has
28310-404: The school principal Seymour Skinner and staff members such as Edna Krabappel and Groundskeeper Willie ; students such as Milhouse Van Houten , Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum ; shopkeepers such as Apu Nahasapeemapetilon , Comic Book Guy and Moe Szyslak ; government figures Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby and Clancy Wiggum ; next-door neighbor Ned Flanders ; local celebrities such as Krusty
28500-404: The season as "the best season of any TV show of all time", pinpointing its success to the fact that "a lot of the stories were pretty grounded, but they took a couple of crazy leaps out into space with like, 'Homer at the Bat'", stating that he and Josh Weinstein used the season as a model when they were The Simpsons ' showrunners for seasons 7 and 8. John Swartzwelder considered the season to be
28690-401: The secret ingredient, only to find out that Moe was planning to split the million with him. When Bart's birthday party turns into a disaster, he uses a radio transmitter microphone Homer gave him to play pranks on other citizens. He decides to throw a radio down an old well and tricks the town into thinking a little boy is stuck in it. At first he is successful, but Lisa reminds him that he left
28880-431: The series progressed, it became more difficult for the writers to come up with a fake name and to write Moe's angry response, and the pranks were dropped as a regular joke during the fourth season. The Simpsons also often includes self-referential humor . The most common form is jokes about Fox Broadcasting. For example, the episode " She Used to Be My Girl " included a scene in which a Fox News Channel van drove down
29070-616: The series unless production costs were cut, Cartwright and the other cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut to just over $ 300,000 per episode. In the opening sequence of many Simpsons episodes, the camera zooms in on Springfield Elementary School, where Bart can be seen writing lines on the chalkboard. The sentences, which changes from episode to episode, has become known as the "chalkboard gag". Chalkboard messages may involve political humor such as "The First Amendment does not cover burping", pop culture references such as " I can't see dead people ", and meta-references such as "I am not
29260-459: The series' main canon are the Treehouse of Horror episodes, which often feature the deaths of main characters. Characters who die in "regular" episodes, such as Maude Flanders , Mona Simpson and Edna Krabappel , however, stay dead. Most episodes end with the status quo being restored, though occasionally major changes will stick, such as Lisa's conversions to vegetarianism and Buddhism ,
29450-548: The show started, isn't the least bit shocking today. Bart hasn't changed. — Nancy Cartwright Bart shares a sibling rivalry with his younger sister, Lisa, but has a buddy-like relationship with his youngest sister Maggie, due to her infant state. While Bart has often hurt Lisa, and even fought her physically, the two are often very close. Bart cares for Lisa deeply and has always apologized for going too far. He also believes Lisa to be his superior when it comes to solving problems and frequently goes to her for advice. Bart
29640-402: The show's entire history, and also function as creative consultants. Sam Simon , described by former Simpsons director Brad Bird as "the unsung hero" of the show, served as creative supervisor for the first four seasons. He was constantly at odds with Groening, Brooks and the show's production company Gracie Films and left in 1993. Before leaving, he negotiated a deal that sees him receive
29830-553: The show's producers Gracie Films opted to switch domestic production of the series to Film Roman . Sharon Bernstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Gracie executives had been unhappy with the producer Csupo had assigned to The Simpsons and said the company also hoped to obtain better wages and working conditions for animators at Film Roman." Klasky Csupo co-founder Gábor Csupó had been "asked [by Gracie Films] if they could bring in their own producer [to oversee
30020-415: The show. Cartwright's normal speaking voice is said to have "no obvious traces of Bart". The voice came naturally to Cartwright; prior to The Tracey Ullman Show , she had used elements of it in shows such as My Little Pony , Snorks , and Pound Puppies . Cartwright describes Bart's voice as easy to perform, saying, "Some characters take a little bit more effort, upper respiratory control, whatever it
30210-462: The show. As well as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", Homer's lines, "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson 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), entered
30400-487: The six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing for casting of new voices. The dispute was resolved and Cartwright received $ 125,000 per episode until 2004, when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $ 360,000 an episode. The dispute was resolved a month later, and Cartwright's pay rose to $ 250,000 per episode. After salary renegotiations in 2008, the voice actors received approximately $ 400,000 per episode. Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel
30590-498: The slogan "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!" Lisa would occasionally advertise it too. Matt Groening would later say that the Butterfinger advertising campaign was a large part of the reason why Fox decided to pick up the half-hour show. The campaign was discontinued in 2001, much to the disappointment of Cartwright. Bart has also appeared in commercials for Burger King and Ramada Inn . In 2001, Kellogg's launched
30780-529: The son of Eddie Haskell [from Leave It to Beaver ] got his own show". He also noted his disappointment with the premise of Dennis the Menace , which inspired him to create a character who was genuinely mischievous. Bart first appeared alongside the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short " Good Night ". In 1989, these shorts were developed into The Simpsons ,
30970-578: The start of the show, took over as showrunners this season. Their first episode as showrunners was " Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington " and they felt a lot of pressure about running the show. They also ran the following season and Jean would return as executive producer in season 13 . There were two episodes, " Kamp Krusty " and " A Streetcar Named Marge ", that were produced at the same time, but aired during season four as holdover episodes. Two episodes that aired during this season, " Stark Raving Dad " and " When Flanders Failed ", were executive produced during
31160-617: The street while displaying a large "Bush Cheney 2004" banner and playing Queen 's " We Are the Champions ", in reference to the 2004 U.S. presidential election and claims of conservative bias in Fox News . The show uses catchphrases , and most of the primary and secondary characters have at least one each. Notable expressions include Homer's annoyed grunt " D'oh! ", Mr. Burns' "Excellent" and Nelson Muntz 's " Ha -ha!" Some of Bart's catchphrases, such as " ¡Ay, caramba! ", "Don't have
31350-422: The summer of 1990 Fox decided to switch The Simpsons ' timeslot so that it would move from 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday night to the same time on Thursday, where it would compete with The Cosby Show on NBC , the number one show at the time. Through the summer, several news outlets published stories about the supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry. The August 31, 1990 issue of Entertainment Weekly featured
31540-486: The talk show Late Night . English comedian Ricky Gervais wrote the episode " Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife ", becoming the first celebrity both to write and guest star in the same episode. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg , writers of the film Superbad , wrote the episode " Homer the Whopper ", with Rogen voicing a character in it. At the end of 2007, the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with
31730-401: The three begin having various nightmares. One night at Moe's Tavern , Homer tells Moe Szyslak of a secret alcoholic cocktail made with cough syrup and fire that he calls "Flaming Homer". When Moe tries Homer's recipe in the bar, he finds it boosts his business and patronage, so Moe steals the recipe from Homer. Later, Moe is about to sell the recipe for $ 1 million but Homer comes and divulges
31920-495: The two have been involved in a lot of mischief together. Because of this behavior, Milhouse's mother forbids Milhouse from playing with Bart in " Homer Defined " ( season three , 1991). While at first he pretended that he did not care, Bart eventually realizes that he needs Milhouse, and Marge manages to convince Mrs. Van Houten to reconsider. Milhouse is a frequent target for local bullies Nelson Muntz and his friends Jimbo , Dolph , and Kearney . At times, Bart also finds himself at
32110-459: The voice actors, and not the characters they voice. Both Fox and the production crew wanted to keep their identities secret during the early seasons and, therefore, closed most of the recording sessions while refusing to publish photos of the recording artists. However, the network eventually revealed which roles each actor performed in the episode " Old Money ", because the producers said the voice actors should receive credit for their work. In 2003,
32300-415: The voice of Lisa Simpson , is the only cast member who regularly voices only one character, although she occasionally plays other episodic characters. The producers decided to hold casting for the roles of Bart and Lisa. Smith had initially been asked to audition for the role of Bart, but casting director Bonita Pietila believed her voice was too high, so she was given the role of Lisa instead. Cartwright
32490-638: The work." 1992 was The Simpsons ' most successful year at the Primetime Emmy Awards , with the series receiving six Emmys, all for " Outstanding Voice-Over Performance ", a category which, at the time, was juried rather than competitive. The recipients were: Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson in " Separate Vocations "; Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson in " Lisa's Pony "; Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson in " I Married Marge "; Jackie Mason as Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in " Like Father, Like Clown "; Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson in " Lisa
32680-445: The writers at Gracie Films for any changes to be made before the work is shipped overseas. The overseas studios then draw the inbetweens , ink and paint, and render the animation to tape before it is shipped back to the United States to be delivered to Fox three to four months later. The series began high-definition production in season 20; the first episode, " Take My Life, Please ", aired February 15, 2009. The move to HDTV included
32870-423: The year the episode is produced. For example, the 1991 episodes " The Way We Was " and " I Married Marge " depict Homer and Marge as high schoolers in the 1970s who had Bart (who is always 10 years old) in the early '80s, while the 2008 episode " That '90s Show " depicts Homer and Marge as a childless couple in the '90s, and the 2021 episode " Do Pizza Bots Dream of Electric Guitars " portrays Homer as an adolescent in
33060-519: Was " Radioactive Man " in 1995. Animators used digital ink and paint during production of the season 12 episode " Tennis the Menace ", but Gracie Films delayed the regular use of digital ink and paint until two seasons later. The already completed "Tennis the Menace" was broadcast as made. The production staff at the U.S. animation studio, Film Roman, draws storyboards , designs new characters, backgrounds, props and draws character and background layouts, which in turn become animatics to be screened for
33250-470: Was also produced by Gracie Films). For Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane , " The Simpsons created an audience for prime-time animation that had not been there for many, many years ... As far as I'm concerned, they basically re-invented the wheel. They created what is in many ways—you could classify it as—a wholly new medium." The Simpsons season 3 The third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on
33440-548: Was also ranked No. 48 in TV Guide ' s "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time" in 1996 and both he and Lisa ranked No. 11 in TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" in 2002. In 2022, Paste writers claimed that Bart is the 26th best cartoon character of all time. At the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1992, Cartwright won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for voicing Bart in
33630-468: Was created by David Silverman , and was the first task he did when production began on the show. The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro-style piece. This piece has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career. One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that three of its elements change from episode to episode: Bart writes different things on
33820-469: Was his prank calls to Moe's Tavern owner Moe Szyslak where he asks for a gag name . Moe tries to find that person in the bar, but soon realizes it is a prank call and angrily threatens Bart. These calls were apparently based on a series of prank calls known as the Tube Bar recordings , though Groening has denied any causal connection. Moe was based partly on Tube Bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch , whose often profane responses inspired Moe's violent side. As
34010-631: Was later included by Entertainment Weekly in their list of "30 Unforgettable Nude Scenes". Like any good punk rocker , Bart had the nihilism thing down from the very beginning. Though not so much pissed off as extremely undisciplined, the Bart Simpson of the Ullman shorts is either fighting with his sister, inciting his father into murderous levels of rage, executing dangerous stunts that end in cartoonish levels of disaster, or simply spitting snarky one-liners at whatever authority figures cross his path. This appetite for destruction continued to be
34200-431: Was mocked in the episode " Bart Gets Famous " ( season five , 1994) in which Bart lands a popular role on Krusty the Clown 's show for saying the line "I didn't do it." The writers chose the phrase "I didn't do it" because they wanted a "lousy" phrase "to point out how really crummy things can become really popular". Bart often appears nude in the show, usually by mooning . In The Simpsons Movie (2007), Bart appears in
34390-429: Was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do." Many landmarks, including street names, have connections to Portland. When producer James L. Brooks was working on the television variety show The Tracey Ullman Show , he decided to include small animated sketches before and after
34580-439: Was one of the most popular write-in candidates , and in many areas was second only to Mickey Mouse amongst fictional characters. In the 1990 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade , Bart made his debut as one of the giant helium-filled balloons for which the parade is known. This was referenced in The Simpsons in the episode " Bart vs. Thanksgiving ", which aired the same day as the parade, where Homer tells Bart, "If you start building
34770-413: Was originally brought in to voice Lisa, but upon arriving at the audition, she found that Lisa was simply described as the "middle child" and at the time did not have much personality. Cartwright became more interested in the role of Bart, who was described as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, [and] clever". Groening let her try out for the part instead, and upon hearing her read, gave her
34960-406: Was released in 2004. Other books include Bart Simpson's Guide to Life . The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer , which is not an official publication, includes a chapter analyzing Bart's character and comparing him to the " Nietzschean ideal". Bart has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons . He has appeared in every one of The Simpsons video games , including Bart vs.
35150-403: Was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, to critical and commercial success, with a sequel in development as of 2018. The series has also spawned numerous comic book series , video games , books , and other related media, as well as a billion-dollar merchandising industry . The Simpsons is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television . On January 26, 2023, the series
35340-502: Was renewed for its 35th and 36th seasons, taking the show through the 2024–25 television season. Both seasons contain a combined total of 51 episodes. Seven of these episodes are season 34 holdovers, while the other 44 will be produced in the production cycle of the upcoming seasons, bringing the show's overall episode total up to 801. Season 35 premiered on October 1, 2023. Season 36 premiered on September 29, 2024. The Simpsons received widespread acclaim throughout its early seasons in
35530-475: Was soon resolved and, from 1998 to 2004, they were paid $ 125,000 per episode. The show's revenue continued to rise through syndication and DVD sales, and in April 2004 the main cast stopped appearing for script readings, demanding they be paid $ 360,000 per episode. The strike was resolved a month later and their salaries were increased to something between $ 250,000 and $ 360,000 per episode. In 2008, production for
35720-538: Was to be drawn from an angle looking down so the top of his head was seen, Groening wanted there to be spikes along the outline of his head, and in the middle as well. Instead, Wes Archer and David Silverman drew him so that there was an outline of the spikes, then just a smooth patch in the middle because "it worked graphically". In " The Blue and the Gray ", Bart (along with Lisa and Maggie) finally questions why his hair has no visible border to separate head from hair. In
35910-588: Was used by Kent Brockman in " Deep Space Homer " and has become a snowclone , with variants of the utterance used to express obsequious submission. It has been used in media, such as New Scientist magazine. The dismissive term " Meh ", believed to have been popularized by the show, entered the Collins English Dictionary in 2008. Other words credited as stemming from the show include "yoink" and "craptacular". The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations includes several quotations from
36100-408: Was written by David M. Stern for this season, but was never produced because it "never seemed to work". The crossover would involve Homer meeting a group of Yuppies and hanging out with them. The season premiere episode was "Stark Raving Dad", which guest starred Michael Jackson as the speaking voice of Leon Kompowsky. One of Jackson's conditions for guest starring was that he voiced himself under
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