"Good Night" (April 19, 1987; 37 years ago (1987-04-19)) "Simpsons Roasting an Open Fire" (Snowball II/Santa's Little Helper; December 17, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-12-17))
TheSimpson family are the main fictional characters featured in theanimated television seriesThe Simpsons. The Simpsons are anuclear family consisting of married coupleHomer andMarge and their three children,Bart,Lisa, andMaggie. They live at742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town ofSpringfield, United States, and they were created by cartoonistMatt Groening, who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted onFox on April 19, 1987, inThe Tracey Ullman Showshort "Good Night" and were later spun off into their own series, which debuted on Fox in the U.S. on December 17, 1989, and started airing in Winter 1990.
Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby ofJames L. Brooks's office. Brooks had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as hisLife in Hell series. However, when Groening realized that animatingLife in Hell would require the rescinding ofpublication rights for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of adysfunctional family.[1] 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", ananagram of "brat", for his own name,[2] and modeled the character after his older brother, Mark.[3][4]
The five family members were given simple designs so that their facial emotions could easily be changed with almost no effort[5] and so that they would be recognizable in silhouette.[6] 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.[2] The Simpson family made their debut on April 19, 1987, inThe Tracey Ullman Showshort "Good Night".[7] In 1989, the shorts were adapted intoThe Simpsons, a half-hour series airing on theFox Broadcasting Company. The Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show.[8]
Dan Castellaneta,Julie Kavner,Nancy Cartwright, andYeardley Smith all began voicing their characters onThe Tracey Ullman Show. Nancy Cartwright was the only one of the group who had been trained to be a voice actor[9] while Castellaneta had done some voice over work in Chicago. Castellaneta and Kavner had been part of the regular cast ofThe 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.[10][11] 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 directorBonita Pietila believed her voice was too high. Smith later recalled, "I always sounded too much like a girl. I read two lines as Bart and they said, 'Thanks for coming!'"[12] Smith was given the role of Lisa instead.[13] 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, [and] clever."[14] Matt Groening let her try out for the part instead, and upon hearing her read, gave her the job on the spot.[15]
The Simpsons are a family who live at742 Evergreen Terrace in the town ofSpringfield in the United States. The state in which this town is located is never specified, however they do have snow and sometimes wear sweaters in the fall.[16] 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 theSpringfield Nuclear Power Plant, a position at odds with his careless,buffoonish personality. He is married to Marge Simpson, astereotypical Americanhousewife and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old troublemaker; Lisa, an eight-year-oldchild prodigy; andMaggie, a toddler who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on apacifier. The family owns a dog,Santa's Little Helper, and a cat, Snowball ll. Both pets have had starring roles in several seasons. Despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays, the Simpsonsdo 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.[17]
Homer Jay Simpson (voiced byDan Castellaneta) 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.[18] 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 ofWalter Matthau 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.[11] Homer has since become one of the most influential fictional characters and has been described by the UK newspaperThe Sunday Times as the greatest comedic creation of modern time.[19] He has inspired an entire line of merchandise, and his catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been included in theOxford English Dictionary.[20] During the production of the episode "Insane Clown Poppy" the writers toyed with the idea of giving Homer a long lost illegitimate biological daughter, but when the showsshowrunner and writerMike Scully, as well asMatt Groening rejected the idea, the writers changed the story sothe clown Krusty would be the one who finds he has a lost daughter.
Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson (néeBouvier, voiced byJulie Kavner) 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,[21] unlike the other family members, who are aware that they are eccentric. Her most notable physical feature is herblue hair, styled into an improbably highbeehive. Julie Kavner received aPrimetime Emmy Award in 1992 for voicing Marge in the episode "I Married Marge".[22] For her performance inThe Simpsons Movie, Kavner received a nomination for "Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature" at the 2007Annie Awards, but lost toIan Holm inRatatouille.[23][24] Kavner's emotional performance in the movie got positive reviews and one critic said she "gave what must be the most heartfelt performance ever".[25] Part of Kavner's contract says that she will never have to promoteThe Simpsons on video because she does not want to "destroy the illusion for children".[26] In 2008,CityNews published an article entitled "Top 10 Greatest TV Moms of All Time", and placed Marge in eighth spot.[27]
Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson (voiced byNancy Cartwright) 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 four seasons ofThe Simpsons, Bart was the show's main character. The name "Bart" is an anagram of the word "brat".[28] Groening conceived Bart as an extreme version of the typical misbehaving child character, merging all of the extreme traits of characters such asTom Sawyer andHuckleberry Finn into one person.[28] Groening's older brother Mark provided most of the inspiration for Bart.[29][30] 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.[31] In 1998,Time magazine selected Bart as 46th of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, and the only fictional character to make the list.[32] He had previously appeared on the cover of the December 31, 1990 edition.[33] Bart is rebellious and frequently escapes without punishment, which led some parents' groups and conservative spokespeople to believe he provided a poorrole model for children. This promptedGeorge H. W. Bush to rally, "We're going to keep trying to strengthen the American family. To make them more likethe Waltons and less like the Simpsons."[34] Bart, and other Simpsons characters, have appeared in numeroustelevision commercials forNestlé'sButterfinger candy bars from 1990 to 2001, with the slogan"Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!"[35]
Lisa Marie Simpson (voiced byYeardley Smith) is the eldest daughter and middle child of the family, at 8 years old. Lisa's political convictions are generallysocially liberal.[36] She is a vegetarian, and a supporter of theFree Tibet movement,[37] and while still supportive of the Christian church in which she was raised,[38] Lisa became a practicingBuddhist following her decision to follow theNoble Eightfold Path.[39] She is musically proficient on the saxophone; besides the occasionalriff during the opening credit sequenceCarole King'sJazzman andGerry Rafferty'sBaker Street have been prominently placed during episodes. In theTracey 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 emotional character. 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". The idea for the episode was pitched byJames L. Brooks, who had wanted to do an emotional episode where Lisa is sad because the show had done a lot of "jokey episodes".[40] In 2001 Lisa received a special "board of directors Ongoing Commitment Award" at theEnvironmental Media Awards.[41] "Lisa the Vegetarian", an episode fromthe seventh season, won both an Environmental Media Award for "Best Television Episodic Comedy"[42] and aGenesis Award for "Best Television Comedy Series, Ongoing Commitment".[43] 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.[44]
Margaret 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 theTracey Ullman Show shorts, often being featured alongsideBart andLisa 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.[45]
Abraham Jay "Abe" Simpson II (better known simply asGrampa, voiced byDan Castellaneta) is thepatriarch of the Simpson family and the father of Homer. He is aWorld War II 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 ofMatlock. 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.[50]
Mona J. Simpson (néeOlsen, voiced byGlenn Close) 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" where she reveals that she was forced to abandon her family after being caught up in thehippie movement 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.[51] Prior tothe seventh season, Mona Simpson had only made two brief flashback appearances, the first beingseason two's "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and the second beingseason six's "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" and in both episodes she was voiced byMaggie Roswell.[52] Mona dies in the episode "Mona Leaves-a", as Homer struggles to come to terms with her death. The character is named after writerRichard Appel's wife, whose name is Mona Simpson.[51] 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.[53] There were several design changes because the directors were trying to make her an attractive older and younger woman, but still be Simpson-esque.[53]Glenn Close recorded original material for another episode,season fifteen's "My Mother the Carjacker". Mona also has a speaking appearance inseason ten's "D'oh-in in the Wind", this time voiced byTress MacNeille.[54]
Herbert "Herb" Powell(voiced byDanny DeVito) – 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 theseason two episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" 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 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, 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.[55] The episode was written byJeff Martin but the idea of having Herb voiced byDanny DeVito had been pitched bySam Simon.[56] Due to some upsetting with the tragic ending of the episode, the producers decided to make a sequel.[49] Herb re-appearedthe 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 translatedinfantile speech into comprehensible English, based on observations he made of Maggie. He proceeded to mass-produce his newproduct and regained his fortune. In gratitude, he bought gifts for each member of the family and paid Homer back with his forgiveness.[57] Homer's "seldom seen half-brother"[58] 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.'[59][non-primary source needed]
Abbey(voiced byDan Castellaneta) – Abbey is Abe's illegitimate daughter and Homer's half-sister from a relationship he had with a British woman named Edwina duringWorld War II.[60]
Chet Simpson (voiced byDan Castellaneta[61]) – Chet is Bart, Lisa, Maggie's great-uncle who owns an unsuccessful shrimp company.[62]
Dr. Simpson (voiced byTress MacNeille[54]) – Dr. Simpson is the chief of complicated surgeries at the invasive care unit; she is first seen in "Lisa the Simpson".[62] She is the one who reassures Lisa that she won't 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 byDan Castellaneta[61]) – Stanley is the Simpson children's second cousin who shoots birds at the airport.[62]
Uncle Tyrone Simpson (voiced byHank Azaria) – Uncle Tyrone is a cynical elderly Simpson relative who lives inDayton, Ohio. The family intends to visit him during his birthday in the episode "Catch 'Em If You Can".[63]
Great-Aunt Hortense Simpson – Great-Aunt Hortense is the one who died before "Bart the Fink" (and left Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa $100 each); the rest of her estate was passed toAnn Landers. In a continuity error, Great-Aunt Hortense appeared on Bart's journey toHeaven in "Bart Gets Hit by a Car".
A group of unnamed relatives show up in the episode "Lisa the Simpson", when Homer tries to prove to Lisa that not all Simpsons are failures.[62] In the end, only Dr. Simpson and three other female members proved successful.
Great-Uncle Hubert – Great Uncle Hubert is Bart, Lisa, and Maggie's paternal great uncle who died in the short "The Funeral". 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.
Hugo Simpson (voiced byNancy Cartwright) – Hugo is Bart's conjoined twin from the "Treehouse of Horror VII" 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 aTreehouse of Horror character, he does not exist in the main episode continuity.
Mabel Simpson (voiced byJulie Kavner) – Mabel is an ancestor of the Simpson family who was part of theUnderground Railroad. 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 byDan Castellaneta) – 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, laterVirgil Simpson, is anenslaved African-American owned byMr. Burns'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 descended.
Eliza Simpson (voiced byYeardley Smith) – 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 marriedMilford Van Houten, being the direct ancestor of theVan Houten family.
Abraham Simpson – The son of Mabel and Virgil, half-brother of Eliza, and great-grandfather of Grampa Simpson.
Orville J. Simpson andYuma Hickman – Grampa's parents who both appear briefly in "Much Apu About Nothing" when Grampa tells the story of how his family emigrated to America.[64] In the Season 25 episode "The Winter of His Content", Homer reveals that Abe's father is alive, but Abe ignores him.[65]
"Old Tut" Simpson - Grampa's paternal grandfather who appears briefly inA Father's Watch, where he is shown strangling his son for being a disappointment to him in his occupation of child discipline.
Rita LaFleur (voiced byAnika Noni Rose) – Rita is the second wife of Abraham Simpson and a jazz recording artist.[67][68] She was a singer at Spiro's Restaurant and met Abe when he was a waiter. They married[69] 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 wouldn't 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", Rita reunited with Abraham and they played piano.[70] It was unknown why they were not together.[71][72]
Amber Simpson(voiced by Pamela Hayden) – Amber was the Vegas ex-wife of both Homer and Abe Simpson from theseason ten episode "Viva Ned Flanders". Homer andNed Flanders visitLas Vegas for the weekend, get drunk and unknowingly marry two women.[73] 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.[74] In "Jazzy and the Pussycats", the Simpsons attend Homer's ex-wife and former stepmother's funeral after Amber's death from a drug overdose.[75]
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" andSelma Bouvier (both voiced byJulie Kavner[77]) are Marge's oldertwin 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 theSpringfieldDepartment of Motor Vehicles, and possess a strong dislike for their brother-in-law,Homer. 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[78] although for the most part she has avoided relationships. Kavner voices them as characters "who suck the life out of everything".[79] Kavner makes Patty's voice more masculine and a lower register, while Selma's voice is a little sweeter.[80] 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.[81]
Jacqueline Bouvier (néeGurney, voiced byJulie Kavner[77]) 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" and made her first appearance in the episode "Bart vs. Thanksgiving".[82] She had aspinster sister named Gladys, who is deceased; Jacqueline and her family attended her funeral in "Selma's Choice".Mr. Burns and Homer's fatherAbe Simpson once battled for her affections; she became engaged to Burns, but eventually decided not to marry either man,[83] although she and Abe still ran away together at the end of the episode.
Although it seems that she disapproves of Marge's marriage toHomer, stating that he is never to address her as "Mom",[84] she does tolerate Homer much more than her elder daughters, Patty and Selma. In "Moe Letter Blues", 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" and again in "Puffless".
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 stillspeaks more raspily than Patty and Selma. The series creatorMatt Groening named the character after the former AmericanFirst LadyJacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whose maiden name was Bouvier. Out of all the characters on the show, Jacqueline has the tallest hair.
Clarence "Clancy" Bouvier (voiced byHarry Shearer[77]) 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".[85] He was kind and complimentary to teenage Homer when he arrived to pick up Marge for theprom, but after finding out thatArtie Ziff 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 maleflight attendants; 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" after Clancy got out of the Navy, he had trouble with hiscursing that nearly cost him a job as a baby photographer, but Jacqueline was able to curtail that by having him donate money to theswear jar.
In the episode "Puffless", it is revealed that he died of lung cancer,[86] 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", 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",[87] but he died before Maggie was born. Marge was particularly upset by her father's death, as Homer had to buy her awhite noise machine to try and get her to deal with it. In "Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass", it is revealed that Clancy left Marge an inheritance in which she would be paid $1,000 per month. This was because he did not trust Homer to provide for her. When he died, Clancy went toHell for a check forging scheme.
Like all the Bouvier family, his voice has become croaky through chain-smoking for a number of years. He also shares the same grunt asPatty and Selma, both of whom resemble younger female versions of him, while Marge more resembles her mother.
Ling Bouvier (voiced byNancy Cartwright) is Selma Bouvier's adopted daughter. She shares Selma's laugh. In "Goo Goo Gai Pan", Selma discovers that she has reachedmenopause 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.[88] Ling has since become a recurring character and has appeared in several episodes.[89] 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.
Selma has married six times, resulting in the lengthy last name Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Stu-Simpson-D'Amico.
"Sideshow Bob" Terwilliger (voiced byKelsey Grammer) – Sideshow Bob meets Selma via a prisonpen pal program in theseason three episode "Black Widower". 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 (voiced byPhil Hartman) – Lionel Hutz is mentioned as Selma's ex-husband in between Terwilliger and McClure in theseason nine episode "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons". However, this is the extent to which their relationship is depicted at any point in the series.
Troy McClure (voiced byPhil Hartman) Troy marries Selma in theseason seven episode "A Fish Called Selma", in asham marriage 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 thecreature comforts she can access. When Troy says they need to have a child to divert public attention from rumors of hisfetish involvingaquarium fish, Selma knows this is a line she will not cross, and they divorce.
Disco Stu (voiced byHank Azaria) – Disco Stu is referenced as Selma's ex-husband in theseason sixteen episode "There's Something About Marrying". Despite his last name actually being "Discothèque", the name "Stu" was attached to Selma's last name upon marrying him.
Gladys Gurney (voiced byJulie Kavner[77]) – Gladys is Marge'sspinster aunt and the sister of Jacqueline. Her death was noted in the episode "Selma's Choice", in which she died of abowel obstruction. 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.[90]
Dot – Dot is the cousin of Marge, Patty and Selma. She gave Selma a video camera at her wedding toSideshow Bob. This is the only time she is mentioned.
Uncle Arthur Bouvier – Uncle Arthur is the uncle ofBart,Lisa andMaggie, mentioned byMarge 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.
Meaux and Genevieve Bouvier – Marge'satheist grandmother Genevieve Bouvier lived inVichy France in 1944 duringWorld War II. She is discussed in "My Way or the Highway to Heaven". Genevieve co-managed Cafe Meaux with the café's namesake, her husband Meaux, aNazi-collaborator, and self-described treasoner. They team up to stop Nazi officers from revealing the impendingD-day invasion is to happen inNormandy.
Eunice Bouvier (voiced byJulie Kavner) – the 100-year-old, half-great-aunt of Marge, Patty and Selma, and half-great-great-aunt of Bart, Lisa and Maggie who resides inGainesville, Florida. The family were supposed to visit for her birthday in "Lisa Gets the Blues", but instead visitNew Orleans and Eunice spends the day alone; Lisa was supposed to play the saxophone for her, as Eunice likes music. She reappears in "I'm Dancing as Fat as I Can", where Marge, Patty and Selma are told Eunice is dying. Upon arrival at her home, Patty and Selma mark everything they want to inherit withsticky notes, as a result of which Eunice threatens them with a smashed lamp. She later recovers.
Santa's Little Helper (voiced byFrank Welker[91] andDan Castellaneta[77]) – Santa's Little Helper is the Simpsons' petgreyhound. He first appeared in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" as a race dog adopted by Homer and Bart and has been in the series since.[91] 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.
She Biscuit: Santa's Little Helper's mother, who was separated from him when he was a puppy by their owner Les Moore. In the episode "The Way of the Dog", the Simpsons track down Moore and Santa's Little Helper and She Biscuit are reunited.
Country Cousins' Dog – Santa's Little Helper's brother, owned by a family whom the Simpsons refer to as their "country cousins" because of the two dogs' relationship in the episode "The Bonfire of the Manatees".
Laddie – 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.
She's The Fastest - A female racing greyhound who Santa's Little Helper mated with in the episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds". Her owner, theRich Texan, gave her to the Simpsons since her bond to Santa's Little Helper meant she could no longer race, and she soon gave birth to a litter of 25 puppies. She is not seen again, presumably having gone back into the Rich Texan's care or moved in with her puppies atMr. Burns's house.
Snowball – Snowball (also known asSnowball I) was the Simpson family's firstcat. She was first mentioned in theseries premiere 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 aChrysler belonging to Mayor Quimby's brother "Clovis".[92] She is seen during Bart's escalator ride to Heaven in the second-season episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" and in flashback in the ninth-season episode "Lisa's Sax". Bart unsuccessfully tries to revive her in "Dial Z for Zombies".
Snowball II – (voiced byFrank Welker[91] andDan Castellaneta[77]) 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 thefourteenth season episode "Old Yeller Belly", in which she savesHomer from a burning treehouse. She also has minor roles in "Bart Gets an Elephant", where she tries to get attention; in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", in which she is scared by the many puppies; and in "Make Room for Lisa", in which Lisa has ahallucination where she becomes Snowball II.
In the episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", Snowball II is killed and is replaced in series bySnowball III and thenColtrane (a.k.a.Snowball IV), 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 catSnowball II and the events of this episode are never referred to again.[92] This cat is the focus of a subplot in thesixteenth season episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch", 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.[92]
Princess – Princess was Lisa'spony from the episode "Lisa's Pony". 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.
Chirpy Boy andBart Junior – Chirpy Boy and Bart Junior were Bart's pet lizards in the episode "Bart the Mother".
Pinchy – Pinchy was Homer's petlobster in "Lisa Gets an "A"". 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".
Mojo – Mojo was the helper monkey Homer had in the episode "Girly Edition". 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.
Strangles – Strangles was agreen tree python that Bart owned during the episode "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot", during which time Santa's Little Helper was a police dog. Strangles's current owner isGroundskeeper Willie. Bart named the snake Strangles while it was strangling Homer on the dinner table.
Pokey – Pokey was aguinea pig and Lisa's first pet of her own in the episode "The War of Art", where it destroyed the iconic artwork over the lounge.
Unnamed Goldfish - At the end of the episode "The Way of the Dog", Snowball is seen threatening an unnamed goldfish in an aquarium in the Simpsons' house.
^Groening, Matt. (2006). Commentary for "My Sister, My Sitter", inThe Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^Groening, Matt (2005).The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode 'Fear of Flying' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Groening, Matt; Al Jean, Mike Reiss (2001).The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Smith, Yeardley (2007).Audio commentary forThe Simpsons Movie (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^abBrooks, James L.; Cartwright, Nancy; Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Moore, Rich (2003).The Simpsons The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Groening, Matt (2002).The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode 'Old Money'.
^abAppel, Richard (2005).The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode 'Mother Simpson' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Martin, Jeff; Reiss, Mike (2002).The Simpsons The Complete second Season DVD commentary for the episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Rhodes, Joe. "Flash! 24Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves"Archived August 12, 2014, at theWayback Machine,TV Guide October 21, 2000, via The Simpsons Archive: "[Matt] 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'".
^Jean, Al (2004).The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Selma's Choice" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Brooks, James L.; Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike; Silverman, David. (2002) Commentary for "Bart vs. Thanksgiving", inThe Simpsons: The Complete Second Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
