" The Simpsons " is a genuine soda finish ikon . The prize - time animatedtelevision showhas won more than 30 Emmy honour , earned its Maker , possessor and casting members billions of dollars , and infiltrated every possible part of popular culture . There are Simpsonstheme parks , picture games , a feature film and mickle of ware .
But beyond its real success , " The Simpsons " has become a remarkable part of American ( and worldwide ) culture . The catchphrases of Simpsons characters have become part of the English lexicon , and the show has changed how we understand comedy and irony .
A good instalment of " The Simpsons " can be electrifyingly smartandmake you express joy at a trashy belch or a part getting hit with a rake . The show ’s writers might utilize a subplot to horn in fun at organized faith , while also spoof a famous film and evolve the personality of a supporting character . " The Simpsons " has been deride by critic and hated by parents ( " do n’t have a moo-cow , man " ) , beloved by fan ( " hi - dilly - ho , neighborinos ! " ) , accepted as a mainstream winner ( " meh " ) and finally dismissed as having lost its lustre ( " d’oh ! " ) .
How did this artlessly animated , anti - despotic cartoon become such a massive success ? It all started when a cartoonist panic moments before a bighearted meeting and had to come up with a brand - new mind on the smirch .
The Dawn of ‘The Simpsons’
" The Simpsons " creator Matt Groening was about to conform to with producer James L. Brooks in 1987 when he realized his original idea to pitch an animated version of his mirthful strip " Life in Hell " was doomed to break . Groening imagine up a more TV - friendly idea about a deeply flawed but still loveable suburban family , hurriedly naming them after member of his own house . Brooks liked the pitch , and " The Simpsons " debut as brief filler segment during the sketch comedy show " The Tracey Ullman Show " in April 1987 . The sketches were successful enough that the Fox mesh , still relatively raw and searching for hit programming , expanded it to a half - 60 minutes , select - timeanimatedshow late in 1989 .
" The Simpsons " take the introductory form of the American berth comedy — a fellowship deals with life ’s various problems in a fishy elbow room — and amplifies it , using liveliness to bend reality and make every scenario as preposterous and hilarious as possible . Homer is the oafish founder , Marge the worried mom , Bart the rambunctious son , Lisa the put - upon , too - voguish - for - her - own - good girl , and Maggie the precious , unemotional tot . They ’re surround by an enormous cast of extortionate characters , include a nefarious boss à la Howard Hughes , a constantly overwhelmed schooltime principal , a creepy bartender , an objectionable next - door neighbor and twelve more . Their exploits range from the timeworn ( Homer and his champion join a bowling league ) to the eccentric ( Mr. Burns builds a giant shield to deny the entire town access to the sun ) .
The show ’s popularity detonate like a pop cultivation landmine . Much of the former success was focused on Bart Simpson , whose " eat my short pants , man " violation seemed to tap into a nervure of rebelliousness in American civilisation at the clip . There was arguing , though : Bart Simpson T - shirts were banned from some schools , and William Bennett , director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy , suggested that watching " The Simpsons " was a uncollectible approximation for the residents of a drugrehabcenter [ generator : SkonieandKinsley ] .
The earliest Simpsons time were animated by a studio apartment call Klasky Csupo . Basing its animation on Groening ’s resume , Klasky Csupo yield the show its initial jumpy animation style and bright colour palette , include the yellow skin of the grapheme . Over the decades , especially with the U.S. administration - mandated move to digital television receiver in 2009 , the animation gradually became smoother and more refined .
Of course , it takes a dramatis personae to voice the dear Simpsons mob and a work party to keep the show on air .
The Main Cast and Crew
In lieu of list all the cast and crowd who have ever worked on the show , which would be exhausting , we ’ll provide a brief summation . In addition to Groening and Brooks , Sam Simon was anexecutive produceron the show . Al Jean has been the showrunner since the 13th season — Bill Oakley , Josh Weinstein and Mike Scully are a few of the previous showrunners . slews of writer have mould on " The Simpsons , " but John Swartzwelder and George Meyer are credit with giving the show its fictional character and vocalization , especially during the " gilt age " of the mid-’90s . Notably , late - night goggle box host Conan O’Brien drop a line several episodes , including the classic " margarin vs. the Monorail . "
Although there are hundreds of characters on " The Simpsons , " the primary vocal cast consist of only six citizenry :
While Kavner and Smith concentrate on their main characters , Cartwright voices several child characters on " The Simpsons . " Castellaneta also gives voice to Krusty , Barney , Mayor Quimby , Groundskeeper Willy and several other fiber . Azaria does the voices for Apu , Snake , Comic Book Guy , Cletus , Moe , the Sea Captain , Chief Wiggum and a truly embiggened number of others . Shearer voice Principal Skinner , Mr. Burns , Smithers , Reverend Lovejoy , Ned Flanders , Dr. Hibbert and a cromulent telephone number of additional characters .
Next , we ’ll take a flavor at how an episode of " The Simpsons " goes from a wacky idea in a author ’s head to a express joy - out - loud show .
How ‘The Simpsons’ Is Made
" The Simpsons " God Almighty utilize a complex procedure to make each sequence , which can take month to complete :
Now that you know the process of creating an episode , permit ’s get to bang the townsfolk where the show takes place : Springfield .
Springfield, USA
Springfield , the town where " The Simpsons " is place , is a major part of the show ’s success because it ’s so adaptable — literally anything can happen . Paradoxically , it ’s a stand - in for every lowly Ithiel Town in the U.S. , with friendly neighbour and an " everybody knows your name " feel . But it also hosts multiple university , sportswoman squad and stadiums , a majorairport , a monorail and several substantial watershed ( like a gullet , a volcano , a tire fervour and a Mystery Spot ) .
Groening choose the name " Springfield " part because it ’s a common one in the U.S. , and the writer on purpose take on with the idea that the townspeople ’s specific emplacement is impossible to decide . They ’ve blot out it on maps , prevented character from verbalise about it or depict it in unsufferable ways ( like when Ned said the land it ’s in borders Kentucky , Maine , Nevada and Ohio … which is a geographic impossible action ) . Groening said he call the townspeople after Springfield , Oregon , in an consultation , leading people to conceive the northwesterly city was the show ’s actual context . But an episode of the show that premiered soon after the interview debunked the myth in Bart ’s chalkboard gag , where he writes " the genuine localisation of Springfield is in any state but yours " [ generator : Busis ] .
There are hundreds of stores , museum , hotels , restaurants , bars , schools and other locating in Springfield , but some are more prominent than others . There ’s the Kwik - E - Mart , operated by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon . There ’s Mr. Burns ' nuclear power plant , where Homer is pay for a job he is profoundly unqualified to do . Bart and Lisa pay heed school at Springfield Elementary , never maturate through 30 age of episodes . Homer spends a lot of his free fourth dimension drink Duff beer at Moe ’s Tavern . Of course , the Simpson phratry is normally in their base , a modest suburban house with a genteel , if overbearingly religious , neighbor named Ned .
Would you care to scan about some of the gag " The Simpsons " is known for ? Do you wish information presented in an easily digestible bulleted list variety ? Well , continue record !
A Partial List of Simpsons Staples
This list is where Simpsons fans all nod and smile , while non - Simpsons fans make that " I ’m not sure if this milk is still estimable " nerve ( then drink it anyway ):
In the next section , we ’ll take a look at the immense cultural shock of " The Simpsons , " and give all our readers gratuitous doughnuts .
The Success of ‘The Simpsons’
mention : Due to a expert error , all the doughnuts have been replaced with Scorpion . Please bask your free Scorpion .
" The Simpsons " is so popular it literally has changed the world . The worldwide hearing for a Simpsons episode is in the ten of millions — while it ’s popular in English - utter area , it ’s been translated into German , Nipponese , Spanish , Italian , Arabic and many otherlanguages . These translation can require substantial revision to the narrative and persona because so many of " The Simpsons " subject and jokes are specific to American culture . But a surprising amount of the show ’s entreaty transcends language and cultural barriers . Homer is a hilarious doofus in any language , and the show ’s focal point on a solid , loving kinsperson ( even if they ’re pretty flawed ) gain over viewers in every acculturation . The word " d’oh " and " meh " have even been added to English - language dictionaries .
In its prime — the 1990s , just about — " The Simpsons " average more than 15 million looker per episode . And during 2004 contract negotiation , it was approximate that Fox had clear $ 2.5 billion on Simpsons advertising , product and licensing fees [ source : Weinraub ] . You might say the Simpsons arethe Beatlesof television , an peculiarly Simpson - esque comparison , since " The Simpsons " not only parodied the career of the Beatles in the instalment " Homer ’s Barbershop Quartet , " but also all three Beatles who were alive during production of " The Simpsons " appeared on the show .
The big - time success of " The Simpsons " has brought it into a wide array of industriousness beyond television set . There are Simpsons - themed ride at Universal Studios theme parks in Florida and California . " The Simpsons Movie " was liberate in 2007 , with box situation earnings eventually topping $ 500 million . And if you may think of a piece of product , you may find it with a Simpsons fibre print on it . As of May 2017 , Simpsons fans can get at every single episode of the show ’s entire rill with a video pullulate app from Fox .
The Cultural Impact of ‘The Simpsons’
Some of the show ’s ethnic impact is less tangible . The show ’s catchphrases and one - liners create a shared cultural cognition among fan . And its winner as a prime - time animated show lead directly to the origination of others of its variety , like " Family Guy " and " Futurama , " and less directly to an detonation of sharp - witted revivify shows aimed at grownup .
There ’s nothing less odd than explicate a joke , but that ’s exactly what sociologist and critic have done over the years , take apart how " The Simpsons " uses sense of humor in complex ways . The best Simpsons episodes layerjokesusing multiple references — to the show itself , to cultural concepts and to simple comedic idea like pot gags , all prodding at satirical ideas about American culture . An example : Homer ignoring the voices in his capitulum ( " Dental design ! " " Lisa want brace ! " ) to vote against his own stake is funny all by itself , but even funnier if you realise the decades - old picture show trope of show a reference ’s echoing memories . And the joke is even best if you ’re cognizant of the history of labor rights in the U.S. That ’s a lot of weight for one joke to comport .
The show has declined in popularity over its decades - long run — there was an average of 4 million viewers in time of year 27 as compare to 10 million in season 17 — and a fortune has been write about why " The Simpsons " is n’t as good as it once was . The main cast phallus even agreed to a salary cut to $ 300,000 per - instalment from $ 400,000 in 2011 , due to the show ’s decliningratings[source : Block & Masters ] .
It ’s potential that during the mid-’90s the show wasso goodthat even the lilliputian slip in quality is glaring . The show might be a victim of " ' The Simpsons ' did it already , " as writers have increasing difficultness come up with saucy stories and joke . " The Simpsons " might still be as good as it ever was , but the audience could be fragmented and distracted by a splintered culture medium landscape painting . It ’s also possible that the writing just has n’t been as good , or the show ’s satire seems quaint in an era when reality has become too unbelievable to bemock . It ’s likely a short turn of all those divisor .
Yet , as of December 2019 , " The Simpsons " has transmit more than 672 episodes and aired for more season than any prime - prison term written show in TV history . There have been more episodes of " The Simpsons " than any prime - clip written show , surpassing the record held by " Gunsmoke " [ source : Porter ] .
Whatever the show ’s current quality , or whenever its run cease , one thing ’s for sure : We ’ll always think of Springfield .
Lots More Information
I ’m a gravid fan of " The Wallis Warfield Simpson , " and have been since I was very untested . But I ’ve had the theme song stuck in my straits for three weeks now — please help . ( My favourite Simpsons fibre is Professor Frink . )
