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67-589: Simpsons Illustrated was produced by Matt Groening , Bill Morrison , Cindy and Steve Vance, and Katy Dobbs was the editorial director. It ran for ten issues from 1991 to 1993. Welsh Publishing Company issued it four times a year. The magazine had a circulation of one million. Bill Morrison drew and wrote all the Simpsons comics for Simpsons Illustrated , while the Arnold strip was drawn by Simpsons creator Matt Groening's brother-in-law, Craig Bartlett . This strip

134-589: A Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 1977. In 1977, at age 23, Groening moved to Los Angeles to become a writer. He went through what he described as "a series of lousy jobs", including being an extra in the television movie When Every Day Was the Fourth of July , busing tables, washing dishes at a nursing home, clerking at the Hollywood Licorice Pizza record store, landscaping in a sewage treatment plant, and chauffeuring and ghostwriting for

201-844: A British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell . He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. Groening was born on February 15, 1954, in Portland, Oregon , the middle of five children (older sister Patty and brother Mark were born in 1943 and 1950, and younger sisters Lisa and Maggie in 1956 and 1958, respectively). His Norwegian American mother, Margaret Ruth ( née Wiggum; March 23, 1919 – April 22, 2013),

268-433: A diagram displaying the best seat in class. The final issue of Simpsons Illustrated was a one-shot comic edition titled Simpsons Comics and Stories . The overwhelming success of this seemingly one-shot book was the reason that Bongo Comics Group was created. Features in the magazine included in-depth articles and interviews with the cast and crew, diagrams of major characters' dream houses, comics, and fanart (which

335-501: A fan letter to Joseph Heller , one of Groening's favorite authors, and had received a reply. Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration." He first became interested in cartoons after watching the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians , and he has also cited Robert Crumb , Ernie Bushmiller , Ronald Searle , Monty Python , and Charles M. Schulz as inspirations. Groening graduated with

402-426: A few Simpsons books featuring her cartoon namesake. 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. The entire Simpson family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette. When Groening originally designed Homer, he put his own initials into the character's hairline and ear:

469-647: A job writing two of the earliest Beavis and Butt-Head episodes. In 1993, Cohen began working on The Simpsons , writing or co-writing thirteen episodes. Nearly five years later, Cohen would team with Matt Groening to develop Futurama , where he served as writer or co-writer of seven episodes and executive producer , head writer, and showrunner of the series' entire run. Cohen has won four Primetime Emmy Awards : Two for Futurama and two for The Simpsons . Cohen co-developed Futurama , along with The Simpsons creator Matt Groening . Cohen served as head writer, executive producer, co-showrunner, and voice director of

536-400: A major disagreement with Brooks and other Simpsons producers over " A Star Is Burns ", a crossover episode with The Critic , an animated show also produced by Brooks and staffed with many former Simpsons crew members. Groening claimed that he feared viewers would "see it as nothing but a pathetic attempt to advertise The Critic at the expense of The Simpsons ," and was concerned about

603-566: A name. By coincidence, they chose "Abraham", unaware that it was the name of Groening's grandfather. Although The Tracey Ullman Show was not a big hit, the popularity of the shorts led to a half-hour spin-off in 1989. A team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The team included what is now the Klasky Csupo animation house. James L. Brooks negotiated

670-476: A number of spin-offs from The Simpsons , those attempts have been unsuccessful. In 1994, Groening and other Simpsons producers pitched a live-action spin-off about Krusty the Clown (with Dan Castellaneta playing the lead role), but were unsuccessful in getting it off the ground. Groening has also pitched "Young Homer" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of Springfield . In 1995, Groening got into

737-602: A period "so people don't think it's some mathematical formula: 'David times Cohen' or something". Cohen is credited with writing or co-writing the following episodes: Cohen has also been credited with inventing the word " cromulent ", meaning "valid" or "acceptable" in The Simpsons episode " Lisa the Iconoclast ". Subsequently, the word was included in Webster's New Millennium Dictionary . The meaning of cromulent

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804-459: 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 ", a Christmas special . " Some Enchanted Evening "

871-562: A retired Western director. Groening described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of the self-published comic book Life in Hell , which was loosely inspired by the chapter "How to Go to Hell" in Walter Kaufmann's book Critique of Religion and Philosophy . Groening distributed the comic book in the book corner of Licorice Pizza , a record store in which he worked. He made his first professional cartoon sale to

938-566: A team including David Silverman and Wes Archer, both of whom would later become directors on the series. The Simpsons shorts first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Another family member, Grampa Simpson , was introduced in the later shorts. Years later, during the early seasons of The Simpsons , when it came time to give Grampa a first name, Groening says he refused to name him after his own grandfather, Abraham Groening, leaving it to other writers to choose

1005-467: A writer-producer with whom Brooks had worked on previous projects. Groening and Simon, however, did not get along and were often in conflict over the show; Groening once described their relationship as "very contentious." Simon eventually left the show in 1993 over creative differences. Like the main family members, several characters from the show have names that were inspired by people, locations or films. The name "Wiggum" for police chief Chief Wiggum

1072-480: Is SpongeBob 's creator Stephen Hillenburg ". In 2015, Groening's daughters Luna Margaret and India Mia were born. On June 16, 2018, he became the father of twins for a second time when his wife gave birth to Sol Matthew and Venus Ruth, announced via Instagram. In 2020, their daughter Nirvana was born. In January 2022, they had another child, Satori. Groening's brother-in-law is Hey Arnold! , Dinosaur Train , and Ready Jet Go! creator, Craig Bartlett , who

1139-582: Is Groening's mother's maiden name. The names of a few other characters were taken from major street names in Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, including Flanders , Lovejoy , Powell , Quimby and Kearney . Despite common fan belief that Sideshow Bob Terwilliger was named after SW Terwilliger Boulevard in Portland, he was actually named after the character Dr. Terwilliker from the film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T . Although Groening has pitched

1206-514: Is best known for co-developing the animated television series Futurama . Cohen was born in New York City as David Samuel Cohen. He changed his middle initial around the time Futurama debuted due to Writers' Guild policies prohibiting more than one member from having the same name. Both of his parents were biologists , and growing up Cohen had always planned to be a scientist, though he also enjoyed drawing cartoons and writing. Cohen

1273-478: Is known for his eclectic taste in music. His favorite artist is Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention and his favorite album is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart (which was produced by Zappa). He guest-edited Da Capo Press 's Best Music Writing 2003 and curated a US All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in 2003. He illustrated the cover of Frank Zappa's posthumous album Frank Zappa Plays

1340-603: Is married to Groening's sister, Lisa, but they separated in 2015. Bartlett used to appear in Simpsons Illustrated . Groening is a self-identified agnostic . Groening has made a number of campaign contributions, all towards Democratic Party candidates and organizations. He has donated money to the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of Democratic candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 , as well as previously donating to Kerry's Massachusetts senator campaign. Groening also collectively donated to

1407-551: Is of Jewish background. Cohen graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey , where he wrote the humor column for the high school paper and was a member of the school's state champion mathematics team. Cohen graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in physics , and the University of California, Berkeley , with a M.S. in computer science . At Harvard, he wrote for and served as President of

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1474-556: The Harvard Lampoon . In high school, Cohen wrote in MOS 6502 assembly language , an Apple II compiler, and video game, and unsuccessfully tried to publish the latter through Broderbund . His most notable academic publication concerned the theoretical computer science problem of pancake sorting . After three years of graduate school, Cohen took a leave of absence and started writing sample TV scripts. In 1992, this landed him

1541-580: The Democratic senatorial campaign committee and to the Senate campaigns of Barbara Boxer ( California ), Dianne Feinstein (California), Paul Simon ( Illinois ), Ted Kennedy ( Massachusetts ), Carl Levin ( Michigan ), Hillary Clinton ( New York ), Harvey Gantt ( North Carolina ), Howard Metzenbaum ( Ohio ), and Tom Bruggere ( Oregon ). He also donated to the now-defunct Hollywood Women's Political Committee , which supported and campaigned for

1608-559: The Futurama episode " A Bicyclops Built for Two ", along with several other people who worked on the show, and second on " I Dated a Robot " as a member of the eBay audience. Both appearances are pointed out during DVD commentaries. When the FOX primetime animated shows unionized in 1998, Cohen was forced to use a different name for professional purposes, as there was already another member credited as David S. Cohen (who worked on Courage

1675-772: The Reader , offered to publish "Love Is Hell", a series of relationship-themed Life in Hell strips, in book form. Released a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. Work Is Hell soon followed, also published by Caplan. Soon afterward, Caplan and Groening left and put together the Life in Hell Co., which handled merchandising for Life in Hell . Groening also started Acme Features Syndicate, which initially syndicated Life in Hell as well as work by Lynda Barry and John Callahan , but would eventually only syndicate Life in Hell . At

1742-461: The second season episode " Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish ", to the commission. They also performed a rap song, which explained the plot of the episode. Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( / ˈ ɡ r eɪ n ɪ ŋ / GRAY -ning ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of

1809-529: The Cowardly Dog ). The Writers Guild of America does not allow multiple members to use the same name for onscreen credits. Instead of using his full middle name, he chose to use the middle initial "X"—because it sounded " sci-fi -ish"—and has jokingly said that the "X" would make him "the David Cohen people would remember". The "X" does not actually stand for anything, but Cohen included

1876-608: The Democratic Party. His first cousin, Laurie Monnes Anderson , was a member of the Oregon State Senate , representing eastern Multnomah County . In an interview with Wired from 1999, he stated that if he were president, his first act would be "campaign finance reform", observing that modern campaign funding is "a real detriment to democracy". Groening has a great disdain towards former President Richard Nixon , and enjoyed ridiculing him by making him

1943-662: The Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (1996). In May 2010, he curated another edition of All Tomorrow's Parties in Minehead, England. He also plays the drums in the all-author rock and roll band The Rock Bottom Remainders (although he is listed as the cowbell player), whose other members include Dave Barry , Ridley Pearson , Scott Turow , Amy Tan , James McBride , Mitch Albom , Roy Blount Jr. , Stephen King , Kathi Kamen Goldmark , Sam Barry and Greg Iles . In July 2013, Groening co-authored Hard Listening (2013) with

2010-540: The avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978. The strip, titled "Forbidden Words", appeared in the September/October issue of that year. Groening had gained employment at the Los Angeles Reader , a newly formed alternative newspaper , delivering papers, typesetting, editing and answering phones. He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell, who was impressed and eventually gave him a spot in

2077-714: The avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. At its peak, it was carried in 250 weekly newspapers, and caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks , who contacted Groening in 1985 about adapting it for animated sequences for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show . Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening created a new set of characters, the Simpson family . The shorts were spun off into their own series, The Simpsons , which has since aired 775 episodes . In 1997, Groening and former Simpsons writer David X. Cohen developed Futurama , an animated series about life in

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2144-481: The butt of jokes in The Simpsons and Futurama . Groening has been nominated for 41 Emmy Awards and has won thirteen, eleven for The Simpsons and two for Futurama in the " Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less) " category. Groening received the 2002 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award, and had been nominated for the same award in 2000. He received a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. In 2007, he

2211-652: The character Bongo from Life in Hell ) with Steve Vance, Cindy Vance and Bill Morrison , which publishes comic books based on The Simpsons and Futurama (including Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis , a crossover between the two), as well as a few original titles. According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market." He also formed Zongo Comics in 1995, an imprint of Bongo that published comics for more mature readers, which included three issues of Mary Fleener 's Fleener and seven issues of his close friend Gary Panter 's Jimbo comics. Groening

2278-459: The end of its run, Life in Hell was carried in 250 weekly newspapers and has been anthologized in a series of books, including School Is Hell , Childhood Is Hell , The Big Book of Hell , and The Huge Book of Hell . Although Groening previously stated, "I'll never give up the comic strip. It's my foundation," the June 16, 2012, strip marked Life in Hell ' s conclusion. After Groening ended

2345-409: 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 that appear to be an extension of his head. Lisa's physical features are generally not used in other characters; for example, in

2412-451: The following week's column, he would confess to fabricating everything in the previous column and swear that everything in the new column was true. Eventually, he was finally asked to give up the "music" column. Among the fans of the column was Harry Shearer , who would later become a voice actor on The Simpsons . Life in Hell became popular almost immediately. In November 1984, Deborah Caplan, Groening's then-girlfriend and co-worker at

2479-456: The hairline resembled an 'M', and the right ear resembled a 'G'. Groening decided that this would be too distracting though, and redesigned the ear to look normal. He still draws the ear as a 'G' when he draws pictures of Homer for fans. Marge's distinct beehive hairstyle was inspired by Bride of Frankenstein and the style that Margaret Groening wore during the 1960s, although her hair was never blue. Bart's original design, which appeared in

2546-620: The idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family : Homer , the overweight father; Marge , the slim mother; Bart , the miscreant oldest child; Lisa , the intelligent middle child; and Maggie , the baby. Groening famously named the main Simpson characters after members of his own family: his parents, Homer and Marge (Margaret or Marjorie in full), and his younger sisters, Lisa and Margaret (Maggie). Claiming that it

2613-433: The later seasons, no character other than Maggie shares her hairline. While designing Lisa, Groening "couldn't be bothered to even think about girls' hair styles". When designing Lisa and Maggie, he "just gave them this kind of spiky starfish hair style, not thinking that they would eventually be drawn in color". Groening storyboarded and scripted every short (now known as The Simpsons shorts ), which were then animated by

2680-485: The paper. Life in Hell made its official debut as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980. Vowell also gave Groening his own weekly music column, "Sound Mix", in 1982. However, the column would rarely actually be about music, as he would often write about his "various enthusiasms, obsessions, pet peeves and problems" instead. In an effort to add more music to the column, he "just made stuff up," concocting and reviewing fictional bands and nonexistent records. In

2747-407: The possible implication that he had created or produced The Critic . He requested his name be taken off the episode. Groening is credited with writing or co-writing the episodes "Some Enchanted Evening", " The Telltale Head ", " Colonel Homer " and " 22 Short Films About Springfield ". He also co-wrote and produced The Simpsons Movie , released in 2007. He has had several cameo appearances in

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2814-430: The premiere episode, " Space Pilot 3000 " (co-written with Cohen), " Rebirth " (story) and " In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela " (story). After four years on the air, the show was canceled by Fox. In a situation similar to Family Guy , however, strong DVD sales and very stable ratings on Adult Swim brought Futurama back to life. When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there

2881-429: The process of being voice-recorded at that time, with an additional "six scripts ... in the works, ranging in scale from 'it's a crazy idea that someone's grandmother thought of' to 'it's all on paper'. ..."The first episode is tentatively titled 'Rebirth' — and in a surprisingly literal fashion, as things turn out". It aired June 24 on Comedy Central. Cohen designed one of the robots in the robot strip club which he said

2948-462: The proposition of working in animation on an undefined future project, which would turn out to be developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers", for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show . Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. Groening feared that he would have to give up his ownership rights, and that the show would fail and take down his comic strip with it. Groening conceived of

3015-703: The rest of the Rock Bottom Remainders (published by Coliloquy , LLC). Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986 and had two sons together, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe, both of whom Groening occasionally portrays as rabbits in Life in Hell . The couple divorced in 1999. In 2011, Groening married Agustina Picasso, an Argentine artist, after a four-year relationship, and became stepfather to her daughter Camila Costantini. In May 2013, Picasso gave birth to Nathaniel Philip Picasso Groening, named after writer Nathanael West . She joked that "his godfather

3082-615: The series was revived at Hulu, set for a 2023 release. On January 15, 2016, it was announced that Groening was in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. On July 25, 2017, the series, Disenchantment , was ordered by Netflix. He described the fantasy-oriented series as originating in a sketchbook full of "fantastic creatures we couldn't do on The Simpsons ". The cast includes Abbi Jacobson , Eric Andre , and Nat Faxon . Disenchantment ran from August 17, 2018, to September 1, 2023, and consisted of 50 episodes in 5 parts. In 1993, Groening formed Bongo Comics (named after

3149-579: The series. He was also the voice director of the Futurama video game . After spending a few years researching science fiction , Groening got together with Cohen in 1997 and developed Futurama , an animated series about life in the year 3000. By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and storylines ; Groening claimed they had "gone overboard" in their discussions. Groening described trying to get

3216-457: The show for 26 new half-hour episodes that began airing in mid-2010. Cohen told Newsday in August 2009 that the reported 26-episode order means "[i]t will be up to 26. I can't guarantee it will be 26. But I think there's a pretty good chance it'll be exactly 26. Fox has been a little bit cagey about it, even internally. But nobody's too concerned. We're plunging ahead." Two episodes were in

3283-440: The show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life". The show premiered on March 28, 1999. After four years on the air, the series was canceled by Fox. In a situation similar to the animated Family Guy , however, strong DVD sales and very stable ratings on Comedy Central brought Futurama back to life. When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there

3350-402: The show, with a speaking role in the episode " My Big Fat Geek Wedding ". He currently serves at The Simpsons as an executive producer and creative consultant . After spending a few years researching science fiction, Groening got together with Simpsons writer and producer David X. Cohen (known as David S. Cohen at the time) in 1997 and developed Futurama , an animated series about life in

3417-565: The state's plan to create a nuclear waste dump in their neighborhood. It organized Citizens Against Radioactive Dumping (CARD) and demonstrated at the monthly meeting of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission in Albany, New York . Four kids dressed up as Homer Simpson , Marge Simpson , Bart Simpson and Lisa Simpson , and presented a three-eyed fabric fish, which looked like Blinky from

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3484-513: The strip, the Center for Cartoon Studies commissioned a poster that was presented to Groening in honor of his work. The poster contained tribute cartoons by 22 of Groening's cartoonist friends who were influenced by Life in Hell . Life in Hell caught the attention of Hollywood writer-director-producer and Gracie Films founder James L. Brooks , who had been shown the strip by fellow producer Polly Platt . In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with

3551-404: The television series The Simpsons (1989–present), Futurama (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023–present), and Disenchantment (2018–2023), and the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012). The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom. Groening made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to

3618-401: The year 3000, which premiered in 1999. It ran for four years on Fox; was picked up in 2008 by Comedy Central for another 5 years; then was finally picked up by Hulu for another revival in 2023. In 2016, Groening developed a new series for Netflix , Disenchantment , which premiered in August 2018. Groening has won 14 Primetime Emmy Awards , 12 for The Simpsons and 2 for Futurama, and

3685-403: The year 3000. By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and storylines ; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions. Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life." The show premiered on March 28, 1999. Groening's writing credits for the show are for

3752-433: Was "his one artistic contribution to the show". The robot's waist gyrated sexily using a planetary gear . In an episode's commentary, this artistic contribution is discussed by Futurama co-creator Matt Groening, who describes Cohen as being very particular about how the animators used his design, and that Cohen's original drawing is still framed in his office. He makes some brief cameo appearances in cartoon form, first in

3819-399: Was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart", an anagram of brat. However, he stresses that aside from some of the sibling rivalry, his family is nothing like the Simpsons. Groening also has an older brother and sister, Mark and Patty, and in a 1995 interview Groening divulged that Mark "is the actual inspiration for Bart." Maggie Groening has co-written

3886-479: Was a possibility of also creating new episodes. When Comedy Central committed to sixteen new episodes, it was decided that four straight-to-DVD films – Bender's Big Score (2007), The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Bender's Game (2008) and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009) – would be produced. Since no new Futurama projects were in production, the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder

3953-405: Was a possibility of also creating new episodes. When Comedy Central committed to sixteen new episodes, it was decided that four straight-to-DVD films— Bender's Big Score (2007), The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Bender's Game (2008) and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)—would be produced. Since no new Futurama projects were in production, the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder

4020-733: Was designed to stand as the Futurama series finale. However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the Futurama franchise in some form, including as a theatrical film. In an interview with CNN, Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know... We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me". Comedy Central commissioned an additional 26 new episodes, and began airing them in 2010. The show continued in to 2013, before Comedy Central announced in April 2013 that they would not be renewing it beyond its seventh season. The final episode aired on September 4, 2013. On February 9, 2022,

4087-513: Was designed to stand as the Futurama series finale. However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the Futurama franchise in some form, including as a theatrical film. In an interview with CNN, Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know... We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me." Comedy Central picked up

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4154-486: Was highly encouraged). Another recurring feature in the magazine was a comic strip called Arnold , which featured the protagonist of what would later become the cartoon Hey Arnold! on the American television network Nickelodeon . One issue was in 3-D and included glasses. The magazine also reported on real news related to the show. One story was about a protest held on February 13, 1991. A local citizens' group fought

4221-560: Was later adapted for the animated series Hey Arnold! . The first issue was released on April 4, 1991. It included a copy of the Springfield Shopper , a fictional newspaper from the show, and a fold-out poster describing every character from the show and their relationship to each other. An original bedtime story told by Bart was included, along with an Official Simpsons Illustrated School Survival Handbook , which shared Bart's classroom tactical tips, guerrilla strategies and

4288-696: Was once a teacher, and his German Canadian father, Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 – March 15, 1996), was a filmmaker, advertiser , writer and cartoonist. Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan , Canada, grew up in a Plautdietsch -speaking family. Groening's grandfather, Abram A. Groening, was a professor at Tabor College , a Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college in Hillsboro, Kansas , before moving to Albany College (now known as Lewis and Clark College ) in Oregon in 1930. Groening

4355-759: Was raised in Portland and attended Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School . Following his high school graduation in 1972, Groening attended the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington , a liberal arts school that he described as "a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest." He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal , for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons. He befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry after discovering that she had written

4422-482: Was ranked fourth (and highest American by birth) in a list of the "top 100 living geniuses", published by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph . He was awarded the Inkpot Award in 1988. He received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. David X. Cohen David Samuel Cohen (born July 13, 1966), better known as David X. Cohen , is an American television writer. He

4489-407: Was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990, as the last episode of the first season, because of animation problems. The series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. Groening said: "Nobody thought The Simpsons was going to be a big hit. It sneaked up on everybody." The Simpsons was co-developed by Groening, Brooks, and Sam Simon ,

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