The Simpson family are the fictional characters featured in the
animated television series
An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. The Simpsons are a
nuclear family
A nuclear family, elementary family, cereal-packet family or conjugal family is a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single-parent family, the larger ...
consisting of married couple
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
and
Marge
Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include:
People
*Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist
*Marge Anderson (1932 ...
and their three children,
Bart
Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc.
Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...
,
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
, and
Maggie
Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret.
Maggie may refer to:
People
Women
* Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician
* Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist
* Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...
. They live at
742 Evergreen Terrace
The Simpsons house is the residence of the Simpson family in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and in ''The Simpsons Movie''. The house's address is most frequently attributed as 742 Evergreen Terrace. In the series, the house is occupied by ...
in the fictional town of
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
, United States, and they were created by cartoonist
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
, who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
on April 19, 1987, in ''
The Tracey Ullman Show
''The Tracey Ullman Show'' is an American television variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, the network's second original primetime series to air following '' Married... with Children'', and ran until May 26, ...
''
short
Short may refer to:
Places
* Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon
* Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place
People
* Short (surname)
* List of people known as ...
"
Good Night
Good Night or Goodnight may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Good Night'' (film), a 2008 short film from India
* '' The Good Night'', a 2007 film
* ''Good Night, and Good Luck'', a 2005 film
* ''Good Night'', one of five mini-episodes from th ...
" and were later spun off into their own series, which debuted on Fox in the U.S. on December 17, 1989.
Alongside the five main family members, there are a number of other major and minor characters in their family. The most commonly recurring characters are Homer's father Abraham "Grampa" Simpson; Marge's sisters
Patty and Selma Bouvier
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson-D'Amico () are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. They are identical Twin, twins and are voiced by Julie Kavne ...
; and the family's two pets,
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a fictional dog in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. He was previously voiced by Frank Welker, and is currently voiced by Dan Castellaneta. The dog ...
and
Snowball II
A snowball is a sphere, spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and pressing the snow together to compact it into a ball. Snowballs are often used in games such as snowball fights.
A snowball may also be ...
. Other family members include Homer's mother
Mona Simpson
Mona Simpson (née Jandali; June 14, 1957) is an American novelist. She has written six novels and studied English at the University of California, Berkeley and Languages and Literature at Columbia University.
She won a Whiting Award for her fi ...
, Homer's half-brother
Herbert Powell Herbert Powell may refer to:
* Herbert Powell (The Simpsons), a fictional character on ''The Simpsons''
*Herbert B. Powell
Herbert Butler Powell (July 13, 1903 – April 3, 1998) was a United States Army general and diplomat. He served as Commandi ...
, Marge's mother
Jacqueline Bouvier
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...
, and other minor relatives.
Concept and origins
Creation
Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
's office. Brooks had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his ''
Life in Hell
''Life in Hell'' is a comic strip by Matt Groening, creator of ''The Simpsons'', ''Futurama'', and ''Disenchantment'', which was published weekly from 1977 to 2012. The strip features anthropomorphic rabbits and a gay couple. The comic covers a w ...
'' series. However, when Groening realized that animating ''Life in Hell'' would require the rescinding of
publication right
Publication right is a type of copyright granted to the publisher who first publishes a previously unpublished work after that work's original copyright has expired. It is in almost all respects the same as standard copyright, but excludes moral r ...
s for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of a
dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse and sometimes even all of the above on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate suc ...
. He named the characters after his own family members – his father Homer, his mother Margaret, and his younger sisters Lisa and Maggie. He substituted "Bart", an
anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
of "brat", for his own name, and modeled the character after his older brother, Mark.
The five family members were given simple designs so that their facial emotions could easily be changed with almost no effort and so that they would be recognizable in silhouette. Groening submitted only basic sketches to 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 short episodes. The Simpson family made their debut on April 19, 1987, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show''
short
Short may refer to:
Places
* Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon
* Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place
People
* Short (surname)
* List of people known as ...
"
Good Night
Good Night or Goodnight may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Good Night'' (film), a 2008 short film from India
* '' The Good Night'', a 2007 film
* ''Good Night, and Good Luck'', a 2005 film
* ''Good Night'', one of five mini-episodes from th ...
". In 1989, the shorts were adapted into ''The Simpsons'', a half-hour series airing on the
Fox Broadcasting Company
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
. The Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show.
Casting
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
,
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
,
Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...
, and
Yeardley Smith
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''The Simpsons''.
Smith became an actress in 1982 afte ...
all began voicing their characters on ''
The Tracey Ullman Show
''The Tracey Ullman Show'' is an American television variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, the network's second original primetime series to air following '' Married... with Children'', and ran until May 26, ...
''. Nancy Cartwright was the only one of the group who had been trained to be a voice actor while Castellaneta had done some voice over work in Chicago. Castellaneta and Kavner had been part of the regular cast of ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' and voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask them to voice Homer and Marge rather than hire more actors. The producers decided to hold casting for the roles of Bart and Lisa. Yeardley Smith had initially been asked to audition for the role of Bart, but casting director
Bonita Pietila
Bonita Pietila (born January 14, 1953) is a Casting (performing arts), casting director and producer. She is best known for her work on ''The Simpsons'', with which she has won three Emmy Awards (in 1998, 2000, and 2001). Pietila has been with the ...
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 the "middle child" and at the time did not have much personality. Cartwright became more interested in the role of Bart who she found more fascinating because he was described as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, ndclever." Matt Groening let her try out for the part instead, and upon hearing her read, gave her the job on the spot.
The Simpson family
The Simpsons are a family who live at
742 Evergreen Terrace
The Simpsons house is the residence of the Simpson family in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and in ''The Simpsons Movie''. The house's address is most frequently attributed as 742 Evergreen Terrace. In the series, the house is occupied by ...
in the town of
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
in the United States. The state in which in this town is located is never specified, however they do have snow and sometimes wear sweaters in the fall. It's a running joke in the show to be as vague and ambiguous as possible whenever hinting at which U.S. state the town of Springfield might be located in. Homer, the father, works as a safety inspector at the
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...
, a position at odds with his careless,
buffoon
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
ish personality. He is married to Marge Simpson, a
stereotypical
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
American
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...
and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old troublemaker; Lisa, an eight-year-old
child prodigy
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
; and
Maggie
Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret.
Maggie may refer to:
People
Women
* Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician
* Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist
* Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...
, a toddler who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a
pacifier
A pacifier is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple substitute given to an infant to suckle upon between feedings to quiet its distress by satisfying the need to suck when it does not need to eat. Pacifiers normally have three parts: an elongate ...
. The family owns a dog,
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a fictional dog in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. He was previously voiced by Frank Welker, and is currently voiced by Dan Castellaneta. The dog ...
, and a cat, Snowball II. Both pets have had starring roles in several seasons. Despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays, the Simpsons do not physically age and still appear as they did at the end of the 1980s. 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.
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson (voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) is the protagonist of the show and the father of the Simpson family. He embodies several American working class stereotypes: he is crude, overweight, incompetent, clumsy, thoughtless and a borderline alcoholic. He has occasionally displayed flashes of great intellect and fitness whenever the situation calls for it, and an integrity reflecting his own values, including a fierce devotion to and protectiveness of his family. His voice started out as an impression of
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director.
He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...
but eventually evolved into a more robust voice during the second and third season of the half-hour show, allowing Homer to cover a fuller range of emotions. Homer has since become one of the most influential fictional characters and has been described by the UK newspaper ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' as the greatest comedic creation of modern time. He has inspired an entire line of merchandise, and his catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "
D'oh!
"D'oh!" () is the most famous catchphrase used by the fictional character Homer Simpson, from the television series ''The Simpsons,'' an animated sitcom (1989–present). It is an exclamation typically used after Homer injures himself, realizes ...
", has been included in the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
''. During the production of the episode ''
Insane Clown Poppy
"Insane Clown Poppy" is the third episode of the twelfth season of the American television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 12, 2000. In the episode, during an outdoor book fair, Kru ...
'' the writers toyed with the idea of giving Homer a long lost illegitimate biological daughter, but when the shows
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
and writer
Mike Scully
Michael C. Scully (born October 2, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, M ...
, as well as
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
rejected the idea, the writers changed the story so the clown Krusty would be the one who finds he has a lost daughter.
Marge Simpson
Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier, voiced by
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
) is the well-meaning and extremely patient wife of Homer and mother of Bart, Lisa and Maggie. She often acts as the voice of reason, but displays exaggerated behavior traits of stereotypical mothers and takes the blatant dysfunctionality of her family for granted, unlike the other family members, who are aware that they are eccentric. Her most notable physical feature is her
blue hair
Blue hair does not naturally occur in human hair pigmentation, although the hair of some animals (such as dog coats) is described as blue. Some humans are born with bluish-black hair (also known as "blue black" hair), which is black that h ...
, styled into an improbably high
beehive
A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus '' Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...
. Julie Kavner received a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
in 1992 for voicing Marge in the episode "
I Married Marge
"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the The Simpsons (season 3), third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on December 26, ...
". For her performance in ''
The Simpsons Movie
''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...
'', Kavner received a nomination for "Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature" at the 2007
Annie Awards
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desig ...
, but lost to
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, ...
in ''
Ratatouille
Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables which originated in Nice, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include ...
''. Kavner's emotional performance in the movie got positive reviews and one critic said she "gave what must be the most heartfelt performance ever". Part of Kavner's contract says that she will never have to promote ''The Simpsons'' on video because she does not want to "destroy the illusion for children". In 2008,
CityNews
''CityNews'' (corporately styled City''News'') is the title of news and current affairs programming on Rogers Sports & Media's Citytv network in Canada. The newscast division was founded on September 28, 1975 as ''CityPulse'' as a standalone loc ...
published an article entitled "Top 10 Greatest TV Moms of All Time", and placed Marge in eighth spot.
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson (voiced by
Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...
) is the eldest child and only son in the family—at age 10. Bart's most prominent character traits are his mischievousness, rebelliousness, disrespect for authority and sharp wit. During the first two seasons of ''The Simpsons'', Bart was the show's main character. The name "Bart" is an anagram of the word "brat". Groening conceived Bart as an extreme version of the typical misbehaving child character, merging all of the extreme traits of characters such as
Tom Sawyer
Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...
and
Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...
into one person. Groening's older brother Mark provided most of the inspiration for Bart. Bart's 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 at college. In 1998, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine selected Bart as 46th of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, and the only fictional character to make the list. He had previously appeared on the cover of the December 31, 1990 edition. Bart is rebellious and frequently escapes without punishment, which led some parents' groups and conservative spokespeople to believe he provided a poor
role model
A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compare themselves ...
for children. This prompted
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
to rally, "We're going to keep trying to strengthen the American family. To make them more like
the Waltons
''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...
and less like the Simpsons." Bart, and other Simpsons characters, have appeared in numerous
television commercials
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
for
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
's
Butterfinger
Butterfinger is a candy bar manufactured by the Ferrero SpA, a subsidiary of Ferrero. It consists of a layered crisp peanut butter core covered in a chocolatey coating. Invented by Otto Schnering of the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923, the name ...
candy bars from 1990 to 2001, with the slogan ''"Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!"''
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson (voiced by
Yeardley Smith
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''The Simpsons''.
Smith became an actress in 1982 afte ...
) is the eldest daughter and middle child of the family. She is an extremely intelligent 8-year-old girl, one of the most intelligent characters on the show. Lisa's political convictions are generally
socially liberal
Cultural liberalism is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, it is often expressed a ...
. She is a vegetarian, and a supporter of the
Free Tibet movement
The Tibetan Independence Movement () is the political movement advocating for the separation and independence of Tibet from the People's Republic of China. It is principally led by the Tibetan diaspora in countries like India and the United St ...
,Lisa yells "Free Tibet!" after winning the school spelling bee. and while still supportive of the Christian church in which she was raised, Lisa became a practicing
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
following her decision to follow the
Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path (Pali: ; Sanskrit: ) is an early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of rebirth, in the form of nirvana.
The Eightfold Path consists of eight practices: ri ...
. She is musically proficient on the saxophone; besides the occasional
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
during the opening credit sequence
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...
's
Jazzman
"Jazzman" is a 1974 song performed by Carole King, from her album ''Wrap Around Joy''. King composed the music for the song, while David Palmer (formerly of Steely Dan) wrote the lyrics.
The song is best known for its lengthy saxophone solos, ...
and
Gerry Rafferty
Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947– 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was " Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in th ...
's
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...
have been prominently placed during episodes. In the ''Tracey Ullman Show'' shorts, Lisa was more of a "female Bart" and was equally mischievous. As the series progressed, Lisa began to develop into a more intelligent and more emotional character with "
Krusty Gets Busted
"Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on April 29, 1990. When she was a baby, Bart started out not liking her, although he became nicer to her after Marge pointed out that Lisa loves him. Her first word was "Bart", with Bart happily teaching her more names. Many episodes focusing on Lisa have an emotional nature, the first one being "
Moaning Lisa Moaning Lisa may refer to:
* Moaning Lisa (band)
Moaning Lisa are an Australian rock band formed in Canberra in 2016. The group has released two EPs, ''The Sweetest'' in 2017, and ''Do You Know Enough?'' in 2018.
The four members of Moaning Li ...
". The idea for the episode was pitched by
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
, who had wanted to do an emotional episode where Lisa is sad because the show had done a lot of "jokey episodes". In 2001 Lisa received a special "board of directors Ongoing Commitment Award" at the
Environmental Media Awards
The Environmental Media Awards have been awarded by the Environmental Media Association since 1991 to the best television episode or film with an environmental message.
The Environmental Media Association (EMA) is a non-profit organization crea ...
. "
Lisa the Vegetarian
"Lisa the Vegetarian" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 15, 1995. In the episode, Lisa decides to stop ...
", an episode from the seventh season, won both an Environmental Media Award for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" and a
Genesis Award
The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSUS ...
for "Best Television Comedy Series, Ongoing Commitment". In Japan, the broadcasters of the series found they were able to turn the apparent viewer dislike of the series around by focusing marketing attention on Lisa. Lisa's well-intended but ill-fated struggles to be a voice of reason and a force of good in her family and city struck a chord with the Japanese.
Maggie Simpson
Margaret Evelyn Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is the youngest of the five main family members and is almost always seen as a baby. She has blonde spiked hair like Lisa. Her first word was "daddy", shown at one point after Homer tucks her in. She is almost 2 years old and still uses a pacifier despite teething, although this was mentioned in a Treehouse of Horror episode ("Starship Poopers") and is not considered canon. She was quite prominent in the ''Tracey Ullman Show'' shorts, often being featured alongside
Bart
Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc.
Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...
and
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
but has since become the least seen and heard of the five main Simpsons. It has been revealed that Maggie has outstanding artistic and academic abilities, much like her sister Lisa. The episodes taking place in the future often show her as some kind of businesswoman.Face to Face: Maggie Simpson ''Entertainment Weekly''. Published September 11, 1992. Retrieved March 27, 2007
Maggie rarely speaks, but has been voiced by several different actors including
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the ho ...
,
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
,
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
,
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
Yeardley Smith
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''The Simpsons''.
Smith became an actress in 1982 afte ...
, and
Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...
.
Abe Simpson
Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II (better known simply as Grampa, voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) is the
patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
of the Simpson family and the father of Homer. He is a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veteran who was later sent to the Springfield Retirement Castle by Homer. He is known for his borderline senility, his long rambling (and probably apocryphal) stories and his love of '' Matlock''. He shares his name with one of Matt Groening's relatives, in this case his grandfather. However, Groening says he refused to name him, leaving it to other writers to choose a name. By coincidence, the writers chose the name Abraham.
Mona Simpson
Mona Penelope Simpson (née Olsen, voiced by
Glenn Close
Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...
) is Homer's long-lost mother, Marge's mother-in-law, and Abe's estranged first wife. Her first major appearance was in "
Mother Simpson
"Mother Simpson" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 19, 1995. After faking his own death to get a day off wo ...
" where she reveals that she was forced to abandon her family after being caught up in the
hippie movement
The hippie subculture began its development as a youth movement in the United States during the early 1960s and then developed around the world.
Its origins may be traced to European social movements in the 19th and early 20th century such as B ...
and participated in various acts of activism. The writers used this episode as an opportunity to solve several little puzzles, such as where Lisa's intelligence came from. Prior to the seventh season, Mona Simpson had only made two brief flashback appearances, the first being
season two Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* ''2econd Season
''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk.
Release
It was released on November 4, 2008.
Guest Performers
The album features gu ...
's "
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1991. In the episode, Grampa co ...
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 4, 1994. In the episode, Homer and Mar ...
" and in both episodes she was voiced by
Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series ''The Simpsons'', in which she has played recurring characters ...
. Mona dies in the episode "
Mona Leaves-a
"Mona Leaves-a" is the nineteenth and penultimate episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 11, 2008. The episode features the ...
", as Homer struggles to come to terms with her death. The character is named after writer
Richard Appel
Richard James Appel (born May 21, 1963) is an American writer, producer and former Attorney at law, attorney. Since 2012, he has served as an executive producer and co-showrunner of ''Family Guy'' on Fox. He attended Harvard University and Harvar ...
's wife, whose name is Mona Simpson. Mona was designed in a way so that she has little bit of Homer in her face, such as the shape of her upper lip and her nose. There were several design changes because the directors were trying to make her an attractive older and younger woman, but still be Simpson-esque.
Glenn Close
Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...
Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
.
Gimple
The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is an optimizing compiler produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages, hardware architectures and operating systems. The Free Software Foundation (FSF) distributes GCC as free software ...
, pp. 86–87
Extended Simpson family
* Herbert 'Herb' Powell (voiced by
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...
) – As his paternal half-brother, Herb resembles Homer, though he is much thinner, boasts a full head of hair and is more astute. He first appeared in the
season two Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* ''2econd Season
''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk.
Release
It was released on November 4, 2008.
Guest Performers
The album features gu ...
episode "
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1991. In the episode, Grampa co ...
" when Homer is informed by his father Abe, after the latter suffered a mild heart attack, that he had a half-brother, the product of a short-lived affair between Abe and a carnival dunk-tank worker who was also a prostitute (identified in '' The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album'' as 'Gaby'). A year after putting the baby up for adoption, Abe married Mona, who insisted he promise never to tell Homer about Herb or how he was conceived. Herb was raised by his adoptive parents Edward and Mililani Powell (first names given in ''The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album''), put himself through college by working odd jobs, then founded Powell Motors, a car company based in Detroit. Herb is an exception to 'the Simpson gene', which causes all male members of the Simpson family to gradually lose their intelligence as they mature, as Herb is intelligent, successful and an astute businessman. Overjoyed to learn that he had a blood family, Herb bonded with the children and hired Homer, as a representative of average Americans, to design a car. The car was a flop, bankrupting the company, and Herb angrily rejected Homer as a brother and became a street vagrant. The episode was written by Jeff Martin but the idea of having Herb voiced by
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...
had been pitched by
Sam Simon
Samuel Michael Simon (June 6, 1955 – March 8, 2015) was an American director, producer, writer, animal rights activist and philanthropist, who co-developed the television series ''The Simpsons''.
While at Stanford University, Simon wo ...
. Some were upset with the sad ending of the episode, and as a result, the producers decided to make a sequel. Herb re-appeared the next season in " Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?". Now broke and homeless, he briefly settled in the Simpson household, despite his intense continuing antipathy toward Homer. Homer loaned Herb $2000, which he used to build an invention that translated
infant
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
ile speech into comprehensible English, based on observations he made of Maggie. He proceeded to mass-produce his new
product
Product may refer to:
Business
* Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem.
* Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution
Mathematics
* Produ ...
and regained his fortune. In gratitude, he bought gifts for each member of the family and paid Homer back with his forgiveness. Homer's "seldom seen half-brother" has had only one brief speaking part since this episode: DeVito reprised his role for the Season 24 episode " The Changing of the Guardian", in which Powell's answering machine message is heard: 'Hi, you've reached Herb Powell. I'm poor again.'
* Abbey (voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) – Abbey is hinted to be Abe's illegitimate daughter and Homer's half-sister from a relationship he had with a British woman named Edwina during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
* Chet Simpson (voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) – Chet is Bart, Lisa, Maggie’s great-uncle who owns an unsuccessful shrimp company.
* Dr. Simpson (voiced by
Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
) – Dr. Simpson is the chief of complicated surgeries at the invasive care unit; she is first seen in "
Lisa the Simpson
"Lisa the Simpson" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 8, 1998. In the episode, Lisa fears that she may ...
". She is the one who reassures Lisa that she will not suffer the defective Simpson Gene because of her sex and also reveals that only male members are affected by it. Dr. Simpson resembles Lisa, minus the spikes.
* Stanley Simpson (voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) – Stanley is the Simpson children's second cousin who shoots birds at the airport.
* Uncle Tyrone Simpson (voiced by
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Sna ...
) – Uncle Tyrone is a cynical elderly Simpson relative who lives in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
. The family intends to visit him during his birthday in the episode " Catch 'Em If You Can".
* Great-Aunt Hortense Simpson – Great-Aunt Hortense died before "
Bart the Fink
"Bart the Fink" is the fifteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 1996. In this episode, Bart inadvertently ...
" and left Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa $100 each. The rest of her estate was passed to
Ann Landers
Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated ad ...
. In a continuity error, Great-Aunt Hortense appeared on Bart's journey to
Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
in "
Bart Gets Hit by a Car
"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 2), second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on Janu ...
".
* A group of unnamed relatives show up in the episode "
Lisa the Simpson
"Lisa the Simpson" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 8, 1998. In the episode, Lisa fears that she may ...
", when Homer tries to prove to Lisa that not all Simpsons are failures. In the end, only Dr. Simpson and three other female members proved successful.
* Hugo Simpson (voiced by
Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...
) – Hugo is Bart's conjoined twin from the "
Treehouse of Horror VII
"Treehouse of Horror VII" is the first episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 27, 1996. In the seventh annual ''Treehouse of ...
" segment "The Thing and I". He and Bart were separated as babies by Dr. Hibbert and was deemed "evil". To hide the secret, Marge and Homer chained Hugo in the attic and fed him fish heads once a week. Later, Bart goes up to the attic and Hugo escapes, wanting to sew him and Bart back together. Dr. Hibbert managed to catch Hugo, but notices that the surgical scar is on the wrong side, meaning Bart is the evil twin. As a result, Hugo is released while Bart is chained in the attic. Hugo resembles Bart, but with ratty clothes, messy hair, and malformed teeth. Since he is a Treehouse of Horror character, he does not exist in the main episode continuity.
* Mabel Simpson (voiced by
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
) – Mabel is an ancestor of the Simpson family who was part of the
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...
. She was married to Hiram before divorcing him and fleeing to Canada to marry Virgil. She kept the Simpson surname.
** Ex-husband: Hiram Simpson (voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) – Hiram is a distant relative of the Simpson family who was bribed with a new pair of shoes into revealing Virgil's whereabouts. He is the parent of Eliza Simpson.
* Virgil (voiced by Wren T. Brown) – Virgil, later Virgil Simpson, is an enslaved African American owned by
Mr. Burns
Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
's father, Colonel Burns, and rescued by Eliza. He was betrayed by Hiram but escaped with Mabel, whom he later married, from whom the Simpson family are really descended.
* Eliza Simpson (voiced by
Yeardley Smith
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''The Simpsons''.
Smith became an actress in 1982 afte ...
) – Eliza Simpson is a distant relative of the Simpson family and daughter of Mabel and Hiram. She was part of the Underground Railroad with her mother and initially helped Virgil evade capture before giving him up to Wainwright Burns. In later life, she is revealed to have married Milford Van Houten, being the direct ancestor of the Van Houten family.
* Abraham Simpson – The son of Mabel and Virgil, half-brother of Eliza, and great-grandfather of Grampa Simpson.
* Grampa's parents – Grampa's parents both appear briefly in "
Much Apu About Nothing
"Much Apu About Nothing" is the twenty-third episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 5, 1996. In the episode, a referendum is p ...
" when Grampa tells the story of how his family emigrated to America. Their names were given to be Orville J. Simpson and Yuma Hickman in '' The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album'', but have not been mentioned in the series. In the Season 25 episode "
The Winter of His Content
"The Winter of His Content" is the fourteenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 25), twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 544th episode of the series. It first aired on the Fox Broadcasting Compa ...
", Homer reveals that Abe's father is alive, but Abe ignores him.
* Cyrus Simpson (voiced by
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Sna ...
) - Cyrus is Grampa's older brother who is seen in "
Simpsons Christmas Stories
"Simpsons Christmas Stories" is the ninth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 18, 2005.
Plot The First D'oh-El
Whe ...
". Cyrus crashed his
Corsair
A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially:
* Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa
* French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown
Corsair may also refer to:
Arts and ...
at
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
raid. He never left and has 15 wives.
* Rita LaFleur (voiced by
Anika Noni Rose
Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011.
S ...
) – Rita is the second wife of Abraham Simpson and a jazz recording artist. She was a singer at Spiro's Restaurant and met Abe when he was a waiter. They married and LaFleur left the restaurant, wishing to become a successful singer. She was invited to tour in Europe, but Homer suffered a head injury and Abraham realized that Homer was defenseless and would not survive in Europe, so he stayed behind with him while Rita went to Europe, and the two never saw each other again. It was revealed that she later became a heroin addict which ended up ruining her singing career. In "
Gone Abie Gone
"Gone Abie Gone" is the fourth episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 512th episode overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 2012, and in th ...
", Rita reunited with Abraham and they played piano. It was unknown why they were not together.
* Amber Simpson (voiced by Pamela Hayden) – Amber was the Vegas ex-wife of both Homer and Abe Simpson from the season ten episode "
Viva Ned Flanders
"Viva Ned Flanders" is the tenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 1999. In the episode, Ned Flanders, who is revealed t ...
". Homer and
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, chee ...
visit
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
for the weekend, get drunk and unknowingly marry two women. Amber reappears in " Brawl in the Family", where the Simpson family trick her into marrying Grampa, and in the process forsake all other spouses. Amber is horrified at the deception and runs away back to Vegas, much to Grampa's disappointment at losing another wife. In "
Jazzy and the Pussycats
"Jazzy and the Pussycats" is the second episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 17, 2006. When Bart turns a quiet funeral in ...
", the Simpsons attend Homer's ex-wife and former stepmother's funeral after Amber’s death from a drug overdose.
* Bill Simpson is one of Abe's brothers, and is apparently a
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
along with
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
and many others. It is unknown how old Bill is, or if he is still alive.
* Great Uncle Boris – Boris is Homer's great-uncle who left his great-nephew his country home in the episode "
Homer Loves Flanders
"Homer Loves Flanders" is the sixteenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 5), fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on Marc ...
".
* Mother Shabubu/Cousin Frank/Francine – Cousin Francine is Homer's cousin (it is unknown if she is Abraham or Mona's niece) who was mentioned in the episode "
Lisa's First Word
"Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family g ...
".
The Bouvier family
Patty and Selma Bouvier
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" and Selma Bouvier (both voiced by
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
) are Marge's older twin sisters. They are apparently in their mid-to-late 40s, since Selma has gone through menopause and they were shown as teenagers in flashbacks while Marge was still a small child. They work at the
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
. Selma is the elder by two minutes, possesses a strong desire for family, and has been married and divorced six times, and also sought to have a child on numerous occasions despite her age. Her sister, Patty, is one of the show's few openly gay (or bisexual, as she once commented "there go the last remaining threads of my heterosexuality") recurring characters although for the most part she has avoided relationships. Kavner voices them as characters "who suck the life out of everything".Rhodes, Joe. "Flash! 24 ''Simpsons'' Stars Reveal Themselves" , ''TV Guide'' October 21, 2000, via The Simpsons Archive: "
att ATT may refer to:
*AT&T (disambiguation)
**AT&T Inc., an American telecommunications company founded 1983 (formerly Southwestern Bell or SBC Communications)
**AT&T Corporation, the original AT&T founded 1885 (formerly American Telephone & Telegraph) ...
Groening says: 'My original idea about Marge's family was they were utterly joyless. The original note I gave to Julie was that they suck the life out of everything they see'". Kavner makes Patty's voice more masculine and a lower register, while Selma's voice is a little sweeter. The origins of their names are unknown – Matt Groening has a sister named Patty, but unlike the other Simpson relatives, this has not been explicitly revealed.
Jacqueline Bouvier
Jacqueline Ingrid Bouvier (née Gurney, voiced by
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
) is the mother of Marge, Patty and Selma, the maternal grandmother of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, the mother-in-law of Homer, the daughter-in-law of Pepe and Bambi Bouvier, the sister-in-law of Herman, Charlene, Jojo, Chester, and Arthur Bouvier, and the widow of Clancy Bouvier. She was first referenced in a flashback in the episode "
Moaning Lisa Moaning Lisa may refer to:
* Moaning Lisa (band)
Moaning Lisa are an Australian rock band formed in Canberra in 2016. The group has released two EPs, ''The Sweetest'' in 2017, and ''Do You Know Enough?'' in 2018.
The four members of Moaning Li ...
" and made her first appearance in the episode "
Bart vs. Thanksgiving
"Bart vs. Thanksgiving" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 22, 1990. In the episode, Bart runs away fro ...
". She had a
spinster
''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...
sister named Gladys, who is deceased; Jacqueline and her family attended her funeral in "
Selma's Choice
"Selma's Choice" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 21, 1993. In the episode, Selma decides to have a b ...
".
Mr. Burns
Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
and Homer's father
Abe Simpson
Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled " Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on ...
once battled for her affections; she became engaged to Burns, but eventually decided not to marry either man, although she and Abe still ran away together at the end of the episode.
Although it seems that she disapproves of Marge's marriage to
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
, stating that he is never to address her as "Mom", she does tolerate Homer much more than her elder daughters, Patty and Selma. In "
Moe Letter Blues
"Moe Letter Blues" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 2010. In this episode, Homer, Reverend Lov ...
", she admits that Patty and Selma are really to blame for ruining her birthday party, not Homer; also Jacqueline never has been shown to cause trouble in Homer and Marge's marriage, unlike her daughters. Jacqueline has celebrated her 80th birthday twice, in "
Moe Letter Blues
"Moe Letter Blues" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 2010. In this episode, Homer, Reverend Lov ...
" and again in "
Puffless
"Puffless" is the third episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 577th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 11, 2015.
Plot
Homer, Bart, L ...
".
Like all Bouvier women, she is voiced by Kavner, and has large, unique hair, resembling Marge's, only a light gray color due to her old age. In her younger days she smoked heavily but has quit, although she still speaks more raspily than Patty and Selma. The series creator
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
named the character after the former American
First Lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...
, whose maiden name was Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. Out of all the characters on the show, Jacqueline has the tallest hair.
Clancy Bouvier
Clarence "Clancy" Bouvier (voiced by
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
) is the deceased father of Marge, Patty and Selma and the husband of Jacqueline Bouvier. His first appearance was in the episode "
The Way We Was
"The Way We Was" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1991. In the episode, Marge tells the story of ho ...
". He was kind and complimentary to teenage Homer when he arrived to pick up Marge for the
prom
A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school yea ...
, but after finding out that
Artie Ziff
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
was really her date remarked that Homer "took years off my life". This provoked Marge to go back and go out with Homer.
In "Fear of Flying" it was revealed that he was one of the earliest male
flight attendant
A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...
s; Marge initially believed he was a heroic pilot and was traumatized when she discovered he was a flight attendant instead. According to Marge in "
Bart the Lover
"Bart the Lover" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 13, 1992. In the episode, Bart, playing a prank on his ...
" after Clancy got out of the Navy, he had trouble with his
cursing
Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, ru ...
that nearly cost him a job as a baby photographer, but Jacqueline was able to curtail that by having him donate money to the swear jar.
In the episode "
Puffless
"Puffless" is the third episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 577th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 11, 2015.
Plot
Homer, Bart, L ...
", it is revealed that he died of lung cancer, which provoked Patty and Selma to abstain from smoking cigarettes. While Clancy does not appear with the rest of the Bouvier family in "
I Married Marge
"I Married Marge" is the twelfth episode of the The Simpsons (season 3), third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on December 26, ...
", implying he was deceased before Homer and Marge were married, he is shown to be still alive when Bart and Lisa were toddlers in the episode "
Walking Big & Tall
"Walking Big & Tall" is the thirteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 565th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Chris Clements and written by Michae ...
", but he died before Maggie was born. Marge was particularly upset by her father's death, as Homer had to buy her a
white noise machine
A white noise machine is a device that produces a noise that calms the listener, which in many cases sounds like a rushing waterfall or wind blowing through trees, and other serene or nature-like sounds. Often such devices do not produce actual wh ...
to try and get her to deal with it.
Like all the Bouvier family, his voice has become croaky through chain-smoking for a number of years. He also shares the same grunt as
Patty and Selma
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson-D'Amico () are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. They are identical Twin, twins and are voiced by Julie Kavne ...
, both of whom resemble younger female versions of him, while Marge more resembles her mother.
In "
Treehouse of Horror III
"Treehouse of Horror III" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 29, 1992. The third annual ''Treehouse of Horro ...
", he was eaten at King Homer and Marge's wedding by the former. He also appeared as a ghost in "
Treehouse of Horror XXVI
"Treehouse of Horror XXVI" is the fifth episode of the The Simpsons (season 27), twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', the 26th episode in the ''Treehouse of Horror'' series of Halloween specials, and t ...
".
Ling Bouvier
Ling Bouvier (voiced by
Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...
) is Selma Bouvier's adopted daughter. She shares Selma's laugh. In "
Goo Goo Gai Pan
"Goo Goo Gai Pan" is the twelfth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 13, 2005. The episode focuses on Selma Bouvier ado ...
", Selma discovers that she has reached
menopause
Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...
and adopts Ling in China, after lying that she is married to Homer, to fool the Chinese authorities into thinking that Ling would be part of a traditional family as opposed to being raised by a single mother. The authorities briefly reclaim Ling, but the adoption agent Ms. Woo relates to her experiences of her childhood with her single mother and allows Selma to adopt Ling. Ling has since become a recurring character and has appeared in several episodes. She seems to get along well with her cousin Maggie. Since Patty told Selma to give up smoking once the baby came home, Selma claimed she would switch to chewing tobacco, although it is shown she has not followed through with this.
Meaux and Genevieve Bouvier
Marge's
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
grandmother Genevieve Bouvier lived in
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
-
occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
in 1944 during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, in
Vichy
Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais.
It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...
, France. She is discussed in "
My Way or the Highway to Heaven
"My Way or the Highway to Heaven" is the 642nd episode of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the third episode of season 30.
Plot
In heaven, in apparent homage to the show's traditional opening segment’s couch gags, Go ...
" (third episode of the thirtieth season). Genevieve co-managed Cafe Meaux with the café's namesake, her husband Meaux, a Nazi-collaborator, and self-described treasoner. They team up to stop Nazi officers from revealing the impending
D-day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
invasion is to happen in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
Selma's husbands
Selma has married six times, resulting in the lengthy last name Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Stu-Simpson-D'Amico.
* "Sideshow Bob" Terwilliger (voiced by
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...
) – Sideshow Bob meets Selma via a prison
pen pal
Pen pals (or penpals, pen-pals, penfriends or pen friends) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of le ...
program in the
season three
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
episode "
Black Widower
"Black Widower" (originally titled "The Return of Sideshow Bob") is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 9, ...
". After he is released and marries the very smitten Selma, Sideshow Bob fools everyone except for Bart, who eventually foils Sideshow Bob's plot to murder Selma on their honeymoon.
*
Lionel Hutz
Lionel Hutz is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and his first appearance was in the season two episode " Bart Gets Hit by a Car". Hutz is a stereotypical shady ambulance cha ...
(voiced by
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...
) – Lionel Hutz is mentioned as Selma's ex-husband in the season four episode "
Selma's Choice
"Selma's Choice" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 21, 1993. In the episode, Selma decides to have a b ...
". However, this is the extent to which their relationship is depicted at any point in the series.
* Troy McClure (voiced by
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...
) Troy marries Selma in the season seven episode "
A Fish Called Selma
"A Fish Called Selma" is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 24, 1996. The episode features Troy McClure, ...
". It is a
sham marriage
A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into without intending to create a real marital relationship. This is usually for the purpose of gaining an advantage from the marriage.
Definitions of sham marriage vary by ...
devised to revitalize his career and image. When he tells her this, Selma is devastated to have been used by yet another terrible husband. For a while, she attempts to go along with the ruse, if only for the
creature comforts
''Creature Comforts'' is a British adult stop-motion comedy mockumentary franchise originating in a 1989 British humorous animated short film of the same name. The film matched animated zoo animals with a soundtrack of people talking about th ...
she can access. When Troy says they need to have a child to divert public attention from rumors of his fetish involving
aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
fish, Selma knows this is a line she will not cross, and they divorce.
*
Disco Stu
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
(voiced by
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Sna ...
) – Disco Stu is referenced as Selma's ex-husband in the season sixteen episode "
There's Something About Marrying
"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. In the episode, Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage to increase tourism. After becoming a ministe ...
". Despite his last name actually being "Discothèque", the name "Stu" was attached to Selma's last name upon marrying him.
*
Grampa Simpson
Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson II, better known as Grampa, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He made his first appearance in the episode entitled " Grandpa and the Kids", a one-minute Simpsons short on ...
(voiced by
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor.
Mantegna began his career on stage in 1969 in the Chicago production of the musical ''Hair''. He earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Joseph Jeffe ...
) – Fat Tony became Selma's sixth and most recent husband in the season twenty-two episode "
The Real Housewives of Fat Tony
"The Real Housewives of Fat Tony" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 1, 2011. This episode ma ...
". The two divorced when Selma discovered that Fat Tony was already married.
Extended Bouvier family
* Gladys Gurney (voiced by
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
) – Gladys is Marge's
spinster
''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...
aunt and the sister of Jacqueline. Her death was noted in the episode "
Selma's Choice
"Selma's Choice" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 21, 1993. In the episode, Selma decides to have a b ...
", in which she died of a
bowel obstruction
Bowel obstruction, also known as intestinal obstruction, is a mechanical or Ileus, functional obstruction of the Gastrointestinal tract#Lower gastrointestinal tract, intestines which prevents the normal movement of the products of digestion. Eith ...
. Her final words to Patty and Selma during a video will is a plea that they not end their lives old and alone like herself, prompting Selma to become more intent on having a family.
* Great-Uncle Hubert – Great Uncle Hubert is Bart, Lisa, and Maggie's great uncle who died in the short "The Funeral". It is unknown which side of the family he came from or how he died. He is only mentioned once. At the funeral, Bart views his great uncle's corpse, which makes Bart turn green and faint. Later, Bart is seen running away up a hill with Lisa and Maggie, resulting in Homer and Marge scolding them in the car.
* Dot – Dot is the cousin of Marge, Patty and Selma. She gave Selma a video camera at her wedding to
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode " The Telltale Head". Bob is a se ...
. This is the only time she is mentioned.
* Lou Gurney – Lou is the uncle of
Marge Simpson
Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson () is a character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family, eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' shor ...
,
Patty Bouvier
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson-D'Amico () are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. They are identical Twin, twins and are voiced by Julie Kavne ...
and
Selma Bouvier
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson-D'Amico () are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. They are identical twins and are voiced by Julie Kavner who ...
. In "
Children of a Lesser Clod
"Children of a Lesser Clod" is the twentieth and penultimate episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 2001. In the episode, after s ...
",
Marge
Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include:
People
*Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist
*Marge Anderson (1932 ...
is called to identify Lou's body, which turns out to be a very much alive
Hans Moleman
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
. While Marge is identifying the body,
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
starts a daycare center for local children.
* Uncle Arthur Bouvier – Uncle Arthur is the uncle of
Bart
Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc.
Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...
,
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
and
Maggie
Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret.
Maggie may refer to:
People
Women
* Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician
* Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist
* Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...
, mentioned by
Marge
Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include:
People
*Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist
*Marge Anderson (1932 ...
in " The Boy Who Knew Too Much". According to Marge, Arthur suffered from auditory hallucinations and went on a homicidal spree before 75 federal marshals brought him down. Otherwise, he is never mentioned and has never made an appearance.
Pets
Dogs
*
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a fictional dog in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. He was previously voiced by Frank Welker, and is currently voiced by Dan Castellaneta. The dog ...
(voiced by
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
McCann McCann may refer to:
* McCann (surname)
* McCann (company), advertising agency
* McCann Worldgroup, network of marketing and advertising agencies
* Marist College athletic facilities
** McCann Arena
** James J. McCann Baseball Field
* McCann Rescu ...
, pp. 117–118 and
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
) – Santa's Little Helper is the Simpsons' pet
greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
. He first appeared in "
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (titled onscreen as "The Simpsons Christmas Special") is the series premiere of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on Fox in the United States on December 17, 1989. Introd ...
" as a race dog adopted by Homer and Bart and has been in the series since. While usually well-behaved, he can be vicious at times, having a female dog giving birth to 25 puppies which angers Bart at first, although Bart loves and cares for him deeply.
:* Country Cousins' Dog – The Country Cousins' Dog in the episode "
The Bonfire of the Manatees
"The Bonfire of the Manatees" is the first episode of the The Simpsons (season 17), seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United Sta ...
" is the brother of Santa's Little Helper. Though the "country folks" are not themselves blood relatives to the Simpsons, they are referred to as "cousins" in the episode because of the dogs' relation.
* Laddie – Laddie was a collie owned by the Simpson family in the episode "The Canine Mutiny". He joined the family after Bart managed to get a credit card issued to Santos L. Halper (a non-existent person whose name is a corruption of "Santa's Little Helper") and purchased him from a catalogue. Described in the catalogue as the ultimate dog, Laddie was able to perform household chores and use the toilet. Laddie resides with the Springfield Police Department after he incidentally sniffed out marijuana at a blind man's house and Bart gave up ownership.
Cats
* Snowball – Snowball (also known as Snowball I) was the Simpson family's first
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
. She was first mentioned in the
series premiere
A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
in a Christmas letter Marge is writing where she explains that Snowball died that year and went to "kitty heaven". Snowball was named due to her white fur. Snowball was, according to Lisa in a poem, run over by a
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
belonging to Mayor Quimby's brother "Clovis". She is seen during Bart's escalator ride to Heaven in the second-season episode "
Bart Gets Hit by a Car
"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 2), second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on Janu ...
" and in flashback in the ninth-season episode "
Lisa's Sax
"Lisa's Sax" is the third episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 19, 1997, to overwhelmingly positive reviews. In the series ...
". Bart unsuccessfully tries to revive her in " Dial Z for Zombies".
* Snowball II – Snowball II was the Simpson family's second cat. Although Snowball I had white fur, which inspired her name, Snowball II had black fur. She first appeared in the series premiere but has received little attention in the series. Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper have always been shown as having a good relationship; usually they are seen sleeping near each other. Snowball II's largest role is in the fourteenth season episode "
Old Yeller Belly
"Old Yeller-Belly" is the nineteenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 14), fourteenth season of the American television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on May 4, 20 ...
", in which she saves
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
from a burning treehouse. She also has minor roles in "
Bart Gets an Elephant
"Bart Gets an Elephant" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 1994. In this episode, Bart wins a radio ...
", where she tries to get attention; in "
Two Dozen and One Greyhounds
"Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" is the twentieth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 9, 1995. The episode was written by Mike ...
", in which she is scared by the many puppies; and in "
Make Room for Lisa
"Make Room for Lisa" is the sixteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 28, 1999. The main plot has Homer and Lisa embark ...
", in which Lisa has a
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...
where she becomes Snowball II.
:* In the episode "
I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot
"I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", also known as "I, D'oh-Bot", is the ninth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 11, 2004. This ...
", Snowball II is killed and is replaced in series by Snowball III and then Coltrane, both of which also die quickly. A final replacement, Snowball V is essentially identical to Snowball II and proves to be less unlucky. Lisa renames this cat Snowball II and the events of this episode are never referred to again. This cat is the focus of a subplot in the sixteenth season episode "
The Seven-Beer Snitch
"The Seven-Beer Snitch" is the fourteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 3, 2005.
Plot
The Simpsons go to Shelbyville ...
", in which she becomes overweight after abandoning the Simpsons for brief periods to visit a different family but she then goes back to live with the Simpson family.
Other pets
* Plopper – Plopper, formerly known as Harry Plopper and
Spider Pig
The American culture, American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even ...
, is Homer's pet pig.
* Mojo – Mojo was the helper monkey Homer had in the episode "
Girly Edition
"Girly Edition" is the twenty-first episode in the The Simpsons (season 9), ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on April 19 ...
". Mojo, an intelligent and highly trained service animal when Homer adopted him, quickly adapted to match Homer's lazy and unhealthy lifestyle. When Mojo's condition severely worsens, Homer, fearing the repercussions of potentially having the monkey die under his watch, drops him off at the adoption center.
* Chirpy Boy and Bart Junior – Chirpy Boy and Bart Junior were Bart's pet lizards.
* Stampy – Stampy was an African elephant briefly owned by the Simpson family in the episode "
Bart Gets an Elephant
"Bart Gets an Elephant" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 1994. In this episode, Bart wins a radio ...
".
* Strangles – Strangles was a
green tree python
The green tree python (''Morelia viridis'') is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to New Guinea, some islands in Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. First described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it ...
that Bart owned during the episode "
Stop or My Dog Will Shoot
"Stop, or My Dog Will Shoot!" is the twentieth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 2007. When Santa's Little Helper rescu ...
", during which time Santa's Little Helper was a police dog. Strangles' current owner is
Groundskeeper Willie
William MacMoran MacDougal, better known as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the head groundskeeper and Janitor at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is almost feral in nature ...
. Bart named the snake Strangles while it was strangling Homer on the dinner table.
* Pokey – Pokey was a
guinea pig
The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ani ...
and Lisa's first pet of her own. It appears in " The Simpsons: Tapped Out" and in the episode " The War of Art" where it destroyed the iconic artwork over the lounge.
* Princess – Princess was Lisa's
pony
A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
from the episode "
Lisa's Pony
"Lisa's Pony" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on November 7, 1991. In this episode, Homer goes drinking at Moe's Ta ...
". Homer bought Lisa a pony to show her that he loves her, but he has to work two jobs to keep her. When Lisa discovers this she gives up Princess.
* Pinchy – Pinchy was Homer's pet
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
in "
Lisa Gets an 'A' Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
. Homer went to the supermarket to buy a lobster that he could cook for dinner. Homer found that the big lobsters were too expensive, so he bought a smaller lobster with the intention of fattening him up, but he grew attached to the lobster and decided to keep him as a pet instead, naming him Pinchy. At the end of the episode, Homer puts Pinchy in a hot bath, but accidentally boils and kills him. Since his body is cooked, a sobbing Homer eats Pinchy's remains, saying that "That's what he would want".