Portal:The Simpsons

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The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It 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, in an unspecified location in the United States, it caricatures society, Western culture, television and the human condition.

The family was conceived by Groening shortly before 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 a half-hour primetime 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, 796 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 (2007), was released in theaters worldwide to critical and commercial success. 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 was initially a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television; 20th Television's involvement was later moved to 20th Television Animation, a separate unit of Disney Television Studios. On April 2, 2025, the show was renewed for four additional seasons on Fox, with 15 episodes and two Disney+ specials each, bringing the episode total from 790 to 858. (Full article...)

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Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He has become perhaps the most popular of the members of the hugely successful Simpsons cartoon family, and his catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary. Homer embodies several American working class stereotypes: he is crude, overweight, incompetent, intolerant, clumsy, thoughtless and a borderline alcoholic. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences. Although gluttonous, lazy, accident-prone and extraordinarily stupid, he has occasionally displayed flashes of brilliance and an integrity reflecting his own values, including a fierce devotion to and protectiveness of his family. He has been described by the UK newspaper The Times as the greatest comedic creation of modern time.

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A 7-Eleven transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart

Credit: SchmuckyTheCat

A 7-Eleven store in Seattle, July 1, 2007. The store was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart as part of a promotion for The Simpsons Movie.

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“	Look at all the wonderful things you have, Mr. Burns: King Arthur's Excalibur, the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain, and that rare first draft of the Constitution with the word "suckers" in it.	”
— Waylon Smithers ("Rosebud")

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"Deep Space Homer" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' fifth season and first aired on February 24, 1994. The episode was directed by Carlos Baeza and was the only episode of The Simpsons written by David Mirkin, who was also the executive producer at the time. The episode follows Homer becoming an astronaut, and the ensuing chaos when the navigation system on his Space Shuttle is destroyed. Buzz Aldrin and James Taylor both guest starred as themselves. The critically acclaimed episode became the source of the Overlord meme, and features numerous film parodies, mostly referencing The Right Stuff and 2001: A Space Odyssey. A copy of the episode is available for astronauts to watch at the International Space Station.

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Did you know...

...that The Simpsons' history began when Matt Groening conceived of the dysfunctional family in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office?

... that for "Homerpalooza", Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Pearl Jam and Hole were all sought to guest star but all four turned the offer down?

...that "Do the Bartman" was co-written and produced by Michael Jackson, even though he received no credit when the song was released?

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The following are images from various The Simpsons-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Simpsons' visit to Rio de Janeiro almost led to a lawsuit and a diplomatic incident. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 2Hank Azaria has won four Emmy awards for Outstanding Voice-over Performance (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 3Moe's Bar in Concepción, Chile, based on images from The Simpsons (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 4The Simpsons Movie premiered in Springfield, Vermont. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 5Voice actress Maggie Roswell left The Simpsons over a pay dispute, but returned three years later. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 6
David Mirkin
Image 7A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 8In 1991, Nancy Cartwright accepted a Kids' Choice Awards while wearing a Bart Simpson costume. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 9Voice actor Phil Hartman was murdered in 1998. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 10The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, as seen in the Springfield section of Universal Studios Hollywood (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 11
Mike Scully
(from History of The Simpsons)
Image 12The show was criticized by several conservatives. Among those were President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 13David Silverman, director of The Simpsons Movie.
Image 14Matt Selman won a WGA Award in 2004. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 15Morgan Spurlock produced a documentary on The Simpsons in order to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 16Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992 (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 17Michael Jackson co-wrote the single "Do the Bartman" (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 18"Lisa the Vegetarian", an episode produced by David Mirkin, won a Genesis Award in 1996
Image 19In 2004, Matt Groening won a Lifetime achievement British Comedy Award.
Image 20In 2001, Yeardley Smith's character Lisa Simpson won an EMA Award. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)

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One of the things that is really great about Homer's personality is that he'd rather just sit and watch TV rather than do whatever, until something gets under his collar. He gets some bee in his bonnet, and then he will be the most inventive nincompoop about doing it.

— David Silverman

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