| The Simpsons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Matt Groening |
| Original work | The Simpsons shorts fromThe Tracey Ullman Show |
| Owner | 20th Century Studios |
| Years | 1987–present |
| Print publications | |
| Book(s) | List of books |
| Comics | List of comics |
| Magazine(s) | Simpsons Illustrated |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Short film(s) | |
| Animated series |
|
| Television short(s) | The Simpsons shorts (1987–1989) |
| Games | |
| Traditional | Simpsons Jeopardy! |
| Video game(s) | List of video games |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | Discography |
| Original music | The Simpsons Theme |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Toy(s) | World of Springfield Lego The Simpsons |
| Theme park attraction(s) | The Simpsons Ride Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl |
| Official website | |
| www.thesimpsons.com | |
The Simpsons is an American animated comedyfranchise whoseeponymous family consists ofHomer,Marge,Bart,Lisa, andMaggie. The Simpsons were created by cartoonistMatt Groening for a series ofanimated shorts that debuted onThe Tracey Ullman Show onFox on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed intoThe Simpsons, a half-hourprime time show that was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). The popularity ofThe Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Alongside the television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, includingbooks,comic books, amagazine,musical releases, andvideo games.
The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in 2007 and was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. A variety of merchandise, including T-shirts,DVDs, board games, and action figures have been released.The Simpsons merchandise has sold well, generating $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. In 2003, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to useThe Simpsons characters in their advertising. In 2008, $750 million worth ofThe Simpsons merchandise was purchased worldwide. Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice-president of licensing and merchandising, calledThe Simpsons "without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film."[1]
In 2002, the property was valued at $5 billion to $6 billion according to Fox.[2]
Matt Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby ofJames L. Brooks's office. Brooks, the producer of the sketch comedy programThe Tracey Ullman Show, wanted to use a series of animated cartoons as bumpers between sketches. Groening had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to present hisLife in Hell series. When he realized that animatingLife in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights for his life's work, Groening decided to go in another direction.[3] He hurriedly sketched out his version of adysfunctional family, and named the characters after his own family.[3][4]
The Simpsons takes place in the fictional American town ofSpringfield, without any geographical coordinates or references toU.S. states that might identify which part of the country it represents.[5]The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy or "sitcom" as its premise. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town.[6] However, because of its animated nature,The Simpsons' scope is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant, the show can comment on the state of the environment.[7] Through Bart and Lisa's days atSpringfield Elementary School, the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features a vast array of media channels—from kids' television programming to local news, which enables the producers to make jokes about themselves and the entertainment industry.[8] Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias.[9] The writer and producerAl Jean admitted in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent."[10] The writers often evince an appreciation for liberal ideals, but the show makes jokes across the political spectrum.[11] Religion also figures as a recurring theme. In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the show has dealt with most of the major religions.[12]
The main characters of the show are theSimpson family. The Simpsons are a family who live at742 Evergreen Terrace in Springfield.[6] 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.[13]
The five family members were given simple designs so that their facial emotions could easily be changed with little effort[35] and so that they would be recognizable in silhouette.[36] They made their debut on April 19, 1987, inThe Tracey Ullman Showshort "Good Night".[37] 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.[38]
The Simpsons shorts debuted onThe Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987, were featured on the first three seasons of the show. By the fourth and last season ofThe Tracey Ullman Show the first season of the half-hour show was on the air. In the two first seasons, the shorts were divided into three or four parts,[39] but in the third season they were played as a single story.[39] The stories for the shorts were written and storyboarded by Matt Groening.[40] The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead they just traced over his drawings.[3] The animation was produced domestically atKlasky Csupo,[41] withWesley Archer,David Silverman, andBill Kopp being animators for the first season.[40] After season one it was animated by Archer and Silverman.[40] "Georgie" Gyorgyi Kovacs Peluce (Kovács Györgyike)[42][43][44][45][46][47] was the colorist and the person who decided to make the characters yellow.[40]
The actors who voiced the characters would later reprise their roles inThe Simpsons.Dan Castellaneta performed the voices ofHomer Simpson,Abraham Simpson, andKrusty the Clown.[48] Homer's voice sounds different in the shorts compared to most episodes of the half-hour show. In the shorts, his voice is a loose impression ofWalter Matthau, whereas it is more robust and humorous on the half-hour show, allowing Homer to cover a fuller range of emotions.[49] Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta as well asJulie Kavner to voice Homer and Marge, rather than hire more actors; Castellaneta and Kavner were already members of the mainTracey Ullman Show cast.[15]Nancy Cartwright andYeardley Smith performed the voices ofBart andLisa Simpson respectively.[48]
In 1989, a team of production companies adaptedThe Simpsons into a half-hour series for theFox Broadcasting Company. The team included what is now theKlasky Csupo animation house.[50] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", aChristmas special.[51] "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990 because of animation problems.[52]The Simpsons takes place in the fictional American town ofSpringfield, without any geographical coordinates or references toU.S. states that might identify which part of the country it represents.[53] ForThe Simpsons,Harry Shearer andHank Azaria were added as cast members.[48] In addition to the main cast,Pamela Hayden,Tress MacNeille,Marcia Wallace,Maggie Roswell, andRussi Taylor voice supporting characters.[48] From 1999 to 2002, Maggie Roswell's characters were voiced byMarcia Mitzman Gaven.Karl Wiedergott has appeared in minor roles, but does not voice any recurring characters.[54] Repeat "special guest" cast members includeAlbert Brooks,Phil Hartman,Jon Lovitz,Joe Mantegna, andKelsey Grammer.[55]
The Simpsons was the Fox network's first TV series to rank among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows.[56] While later seasons would focus on Homer, Bart was the lead character in most of the first three seasons. In 1990, Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Bartmania".[57][58][59][60] On February 9, 1997,The Simpsons surpassedThe Flintstones with the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" as the longest-runningprime-time animated series in the United States. In 2004,The Simpsons replacedThe Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952 to 1966) as the longest-running sitcom (animated orlive action) in the United States.[61] In May 2007,The Simpsons reached their 400th episode at the end of the eighteenth season. Hallmarks of the show include theopening sequence;[62] itstheme song,composed byDanny Elfman in 1989;[63]Treehouse of Horror episodes, which have themselves inspired an offshoot of merchandise;[64] its use of cultural references;[65] sight gags;[66] and the use ofcatchphrases,[67] such as Homer's annoyed grunt "D'oh!".[68]
The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 24Primetime Emmy Awards,[69] 26Annie Awards[70] and aPeabody Award.[71] In a 1998 issue celebrating the 20th century's greatest achievements in arts and entertainment,Time magazine namedThe Simpsons the century's best television series.[72] On January 14, 2000, the Simpsons were awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[73]
In September 1994,20th Television began syndicating reruns ofThe Simpsons to local stations throughout the United States.[74] As of 2003, syndication reruns ofThe Simpsons have generated an estimated one billion dollars in revenue for Fox.[1] In 2008, advertisers spent $314.8 million to advertise during the primetime show and subsequent reruns, down 16.8% from 2007.[75] Since August 2014, every episode of the show has aired onFXX. From 2014 until 2019, all episodes were available on-demand via theSimpsons World website. All of the episodes have since been moved to theDisney+ streaming service since November 12, 2019.[76][77][78]
Throughout its run,The Simpsons hasfeatured characters from different series. The first such instance was in theseason six episode "A Star Is Burns", which featured characters fromThe Critic; due to it being produced by staff who had worked onThe Simpsons, including former writersAl Jean,Mike Reiss and producerJames L. Brooks,Matt Groening publicly criticized the episode and Brooks, going on to remove his name from the opening credits.
Further episodes with crossovers includeseason 8 episode "The Springfield Files" withThe X-Files, andseason 26 episode "Simpsorama", which is a full-length crossover withFuturama, another show created by Matt Groening. Also in season 26, the episode "Mathlete's Feat" featured a crossover couch gag withAdult Swim seriesRick and Morty.
FellowAnimation Domination seriesFamily Guy would have a crossover withThe Simpsons titled "The Simpsons Guy", which is part ofFamily Guyseason 13.
An alternate telecast of theMonday Night Football game between theCincinnati Bengals andDallas Cowboys on December 9, 2024, centered aroundThe Simpsons, with Homer playing quarterback for the Cowboys against Bart and the Bengals. Airing on Disney+, play had been slightly delayed from the primary broadcast on ABC and ESPN, allowing animators to replace players with characters from the show (Bart, for example, took the place of Cincinnati’sJoe Burrow).[79]
Following the addition ofThe Simpsons to theDisney+ streaming service, co-creator and executive producerJames L. Brooks suggested the creation of a series of short films in which the Simpsons would "invade the rest of Disney+" as a way to promoteThe Simpsons and reach viewers who may not have been familiar with the series.[80] So far, nine shorts have been released, the most recent beingThe Most Wonderful Time of the Year on October 11, 2024.
A streaming series of short episodes, serving as a spinoff toThe Simpsons, released on November 1, 2025 to promoteThe Simpsons-themed season in the video gameFortnite.[81]
20th Century Fox,Gracie Films, andFilm Roman produced an animatedSimpsons film, titledThe Simpsons Movie, that was released on July 27, 2007.[82] The film was directed by long-timeSimpsons producerDavid Silverman and written by a team ofSimpsons writers comprising Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean, George Meyer,Mike Reiss,John Swartzwelder,Jon Vitti,David Mirkin,Mike Scully,Matt Selman, andIan Maxtone-Graham.[82] Production of the film occurred alongside continued writing of the series despite long-time claims by those involved in the show that a film would enter production only after the series had concluded.[82] There had been talk of a possible feature-length Simpsons film ever since the early seasons of the series. James L. Brooks originally thought that the story of the episode "Kamp Krusty" was suitable for a film, but he encountered difficulties in trying to expand the script to feature-length.[83] For a long time, difficulties such as lack of a suitable story and an already fully engaged crew of writers delayed the project.[84] After winning a Fox andUSA Today competition,Springfield, Vermont hosted the film's world premiere.[85]
The Simpsons Movie grossed a combined total of $74 million in its opening weekend in the United States, taking it to the top of the box office,[86] and set the record for highest grossing opening weekend for a film based on a television series, surpassingMission: Impossible 2.[87] It opened at the top of the international box office, taking $96 million from seventy-one overseas territories—including $27.8 million in the United Kingdom, making it Fox's second highest opening ever in that country.[88] In Australia, it grossedA$13.2 million, the biggest opening for an animated film and third largest opening weekend in the country.[89] The film closed on December 20, 2007, with a worldwide gross of $527,068,706, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2007.[90]
In September 2025, a second feature film was officially announced to be in production, set for theatrical release on July 23, 2027. A picture saying "Homer's coming back for seconds." and the release date as a small teaser was released.[91]
A 3D short-film entitledThe Longest Daycare, focusing onMaggie, was shown in theaters before the 2012 filmIce Age: Continental Drift.[92] It received anAcademy Award nomination in the category ofbest animated short film.[93][94]
On February 27, 2020, it was announced that a new short-film titledPlaydate with Destiny would be screened in theaters withPixar'sOnward. The short-film starredMaggie Simpson.Onward was released on March 6, 2020,[95][96] with a release onDisney+ on April 10, 2020.[97][98][99]
Milhouse makes a cameo appearance in the 2014 filmThe Lego Movie as a Master Builder in Cloud Cuckoo Land.[100]
Bootleg versions ofHomer andBart, as well as background characters based on the series' animation style, have cameo appearances in the 2022 filmChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers.[101]
Dozens of books featuring or about the Simpsons have been released by Fox.The Simpsons Library of Wisdom series each relate to a character from the show and two per year are released.
A series of episode guides has been published, starting withThe Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family. The guides feature quotes, trivia, and cultural references for each episode.[102]
The final issue ofSimpsons Illustrated was a one-shot comic edition titledSimpsons Comics and Stories. The overwhelming success of this seemingly one-shot book led to the creation ofBongo Comics Group, which has gone on to publish numerousSimpsons-related comic books since 1993.[103]
Numerous Simpson-related comic books have been released over the years. So far, ninecomic book series have been published byBongo Comics since 1993.[104] The firstcomic strips based onThe Simpsons appeared in 1991 in the magazineSimpsons Illustrated, which was a companion magazine to the show.[105] The comic strips were popular and a one-shotcomic book entitledSimpsons Comics and Stories, containing four different stories, was released in 1993 for the fans.[106] The book was a success and due to this, the creator ofThe Simpsons,Matt Groening, and his companionsBill Morrison, Mike Rote, Steve Vance and Cindy Vance created the publishing company Bongo Comics.[106] Issues ofSimpsons Comics,Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror andBart Simpson have been collected and reprinted intrade paperbacks in the United States byHarperCollins.[107][108][109]
Simpsons Illustrated was a companion magazine toThe Simpsons.[110] It was produced byMatt Groening,Bill Morrison, Cindy and Steve Vance,[111] and Katy Dobbs was editorial director.[110] It ran for 10 issues from 1991 to 1993. Welsh Publishing Company issued it four times a year.[112] The magazine had a circulation of 1 million.[113] Features included in-depth articles and interviews with the cast and crew, comics, andfanart.[112]
Thevideo game industry was very quick to adapt the characters and world of Springfield into games. Some of the early games includeKonami'sarcade gameThe Simpsons (1991) andAcclaim Entertainment'sThe Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants (1991). More modern games includeThe Simpsons: Road Rage (2001),The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003) andThe Simpsons Game (2007). Two Simpsonspinball machines have been produced; one that was available briefly after the first season, and another that is still available for purchase.[114] Since 2005,Electronic Arts have global exclusive rights to develop and publish any games based on the franchise.[115]
In July 2007, shortly before the release ofThe Simpsons Movie, it was officially announced thatThe Simpsons Ride, asimulator ride, would be implemented into theUniversal Studios Orlando andUniversal Studios Hollywood.[116] It officially opened May 15, 2008 in Florida[117] and May 19, 2008, in Hollywood.[118] In the ride, patrons are introduced to a cartoon theme park called Krustyland built byKrusty the Clown. However,Sideshow Bob is loose from prison to get revenge on Krusty and theSimpson family.[119] It features more than 24 regular characters fromThe Simpsons and features the voices of the regular cast members, as well asPamela Hayden,Russi Taylor, andKelsey Grammer.[120]Harry Shearer decided not to participate in the ride, so none of his characters have vocal parts.[121] James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean, collaborated with the Universal Studios creative team,Universal Creative, to help develop the ride.[122] The six-minute ride uses 80-footIMAX screens andSony Projectors.[123] There are 24 ride cars, each seating eight people,[120] and approximately 2000 people can ride it per hour.[119] The animation in the ride usescomputer generated 3D animation rendered byBlur Studio andReel FX,[124] rather than the traditional 2-D animation seen onThe Simpsons.[125] The Universal Studios Florida version of the ride hosted its one millionth rider on July 14, 2008, reaching the milestone faster than any other attraction in the resort.[126]
In August 2018,The Simpsons in 4D opened atBroadway at the Beach inMyrtle Beach, South Carolina, housed in a replica of The Azteca theater from the series.[127] Next door, a gift shop modeled afterKwik-E-Mart sells in-series merchandise such as Buzz Cola,Krusty burgers,Lard Lad doughnuts, and Squishees.[128]
The popularity ofThe Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising industry.[24]The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales.[24] In 2008, $750 million worth ofThe Simpsons merchandise was purchased worldwide.[75] In 2003, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to useSimpsons characters in their advertising.[1] In 2003, Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice president of licensing and merchandising, calledThe Simpsons "without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film."[1]
Many episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS over the years. When the first season DVD was released in 2001, it quickly became the best-selling television DVD in history, although it was later overtaken by the first season ofChappelle's Show.[129] In particular, seasons one through seventeen and twenty have been released on DVD in the U.S. (Region 1), Europe (Region 2) and Australia/New Zealand/Latin America (Region 4).[130] In 2015 it was announced that Fox was discontinuing home video releases of The Simpsons.[131] Two years later, however, on July 22, 2017, it was announced that Season 18 would be released on December 5, 2017, on DVD.[132] Another two years later, on July 20, 2019, it was announced that Season 19 would be released on December 3, 2019, on DVD.[133]
Collections of original music featured in the series have been released on the albumsSongs in the Key of Springfield,Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons andThe Simpsons: Testify.[134] Several songs have been recorded with the purpose of a single or album release and have not been featured on the show. The albumThe Simpsons Sing the Blues was released in September 1990 and was a success, peaking at #3 on theBillboard 200[135] and becoming certified 2× platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.[136] The first single from the album was thepop rap song "Do the Bartman", performed by Nancy Cartwright and released on November 20, 1990. The song was written byMichael Jackson, although he did not receive any credit.[137] While the song was never officially released as a single in the United States, it was successful in the United Kingdom. In 1991 it was the number one song in the UK for three weeks from February 16 to March 9 and was the seventh best-selling song of the year.[138] It sold half a million copies and was certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry on February 1, 1991.[139]
In the early 1990s, millions of T-shirts featuring Bart were sold;[140] as many as one million were sold on some days.[141] Believing Bart to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Bart next to captions such as "I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')".[24][142][143]
McFarlane Toys released a line of action figures based on the film.[144]
According to Bricklink, The Lego Group released a total of 2 Lego sets as part ofLego The Simpsons theme.[145] The product line was eventually discontinued by the end of 2015.[146][147]
In 2014 and 2015,Lego sets based onThe Simpsons were produced, including The Simpsons House[148] and a set of CollectibleLego Minifigures.[149]In 2015 a Simpsons level and fun pack were released under the Lego Dimensions line[150][151]
| Reference | Name | Released | Pieces/Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71005 | Minifigures – The Simpsons™ Series 1 | 2014 | 16 different minifigures includingHomer,Bart,Marge,Lisa,Maggie,Grampa,Ned Flanders,Krusty the Clown,Milhouse,Ralph,Apu,Nelson,Itchy,Scratchy,Chief Wiggum, andMr. Burns. |
| 71006 | The Simpsons™ House | 2014 | 2523 |
| 71009 | Minifigures – The Simpsons™ Series 2 | 2015 | 16 different minifigures including Date Night Homer, Date Night Marge, Pajamas Lisa withSnowball II, Maggie withSanta's Little Helper,Bartman, Milhouse as Fallout Boy,Comic Book Guy,Martin Prince,Professor Frink,Hans Moleman,Selma,Patty,Groundskeeper Willie,Edna Krabappel,Smithers, andDr. Hibbert. |
| 71016 | The Kwik-E-Mart | 2015 | 2179 |
| 71211 | Bart Fun Pack | 2015 | Lego Dimensions fun pack |
| 71202 | The Simpsons™ Level Pack | 2015 | Lego Dimensions level pack based on "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)" |
| 71227 | Krusty the Clown Fun Pack | 2015 | Lego Dimensions fun pack |
The Simpsons has inspired special editions of well-known board games, includingClue,[152]Scrabble,Monopoly (both for The Simpsons and for Treehouse of Horror),[153]Operation, Chess, Checkers, Pictionary, Battle of the Sexes, Jeopardy,The Game of Life,[154] Don't Panic, Magic 8-Ball, Othello, Scrabble, SORRY!, Poker, Darts, and Wheel of Fortune are all examples of games that have releaseSimpsons-related content, as well as the trivia games What Would Homer Do? andSimpsons Jeopardy!. Several card games such asTop Trumps cards and The Simpsons Trading Card Game have also been released. There have also been a few card games and board games unique toThe Simpsons. Some examples are:The Simpsons Loser Takes All!,[155] theDon't Have A Cow dice game,The Simpsons Mystery of Life,The Simpsons Lost and Found!, andThe Simpsons Guessing Game (similar to Guess Who?).
As a promotion forThe Simpsons Movie, theconvenience store chain7-Eleventransformed 11 of its stores in the U.S. and one in Canada intoKwik-E-Marts, at the cost of approximately $10 million.[156][157] 7-Eleven also soldSimpsons-themed merchandise in many of its stores. This included "Squishees", "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's" Cereal, and "Pink Movie Donuts".[157] This promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the altered 7-Eleven stores.[158]
On April 9, 2009, theUnited States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44 cent stamps featuring Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, to commemorate the show's twentieth anniversary.[159] "The Simpsons" is the first television series to receive this recognition while the show is still in production.[160][161] The stamps, designed by Matt Groening, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2009.[162] Approximately one billion will be printed.[163]
Microsoft produced a limited editionThe Simpsons MovieXbox 360.[164]Samsung releasedThe Simpsons Movie phone, however the quality of build on the phone left it prone to screen damage although the company denied this and claimed any screen damage was 'user related' and denied warranty claims in Australia.[165]Ben & Jerry's created aSimpsons-themed beer and donut-flavored ice cream, entitled "Duff & D'oh! Nuts".[166]
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