189 Fun Facts About Simpsons

What is Homer Simpson's most famous catchphrase?

D'oh! was added to the online Oxford English Dictionary in June 2001, turning Homer's cry of frustration into an official word of the English language.

In 'The Principal and the Pauper', Springfield's principal is exposed as an impostor named what?

Armin Tamzarian had taken his missing sergeant's name; the town preferred the impostor, and a judge ruled that nobody may mention the affair again, under penalty of torture.

Under what name does Homer Simpson run a snow-clearing business, advertised with his own TV jingle?

Mr. Plow thrives until a friend sets up as the rival Plow King, with a slicker advert sung by Linda Ronstadt, and takes all of Homer's customers.

The Simpsons first appeared as shorts on what variety television program?

The Tracey Ullman Show's star later sued Fox for a share of the cartoon's merchandising profits, arguing her series had launched it; the courts turned her down.

What is Bart Simpson's full first name?

Bartholomew is the full form; the creator gave the rest of the family his own relatives' names but chose 'Bart', an anagram of 'brat', for the troublemaking son.

What musical instrument does Lisa Simpson famously play?

Saxophone, and a baritone one: in 'Lisa's Sax', Homer gives up the $200 he had saved for an air conditioner to buy her first instrument.

What is the name of the bar where Homer Simpson is a regular?

Moe's Tavern's prank calls echo the Tube Bar tapes, on which two pranksters goaded a Jersey City barman into furious tirades; the show's creator has admitted to being a fan of such tapes.

Which poem does the first 'Treehouse of Horror' retell?

The Raven is read by James Earl Jones, with Bart as the bird taunting Homer's grieving scholar and Marge as the lost Lenore; Edgar Allan Poe shares the on-screen writing credit.

The Simpsons has a long-running joke about never revealing which fact about Springfield?

Which state it is in is left vague on purpose, so 'everyone will think it's their Springfield'; real Springfields competed to host the 2007 film's premiere, and Vermont's won.

Who is credited as the creator of the animated sitcom *The Simpsons*?

Matt Groening's parents were Homer and Margaret, his sisters Lisa and Maggie; Bart is an anagram of 'brat'. The shorts began in 1987 and the series in 1989.

Homer's best-known exclamation was borrowed from an actor in which comedy duo's films?

Laurel and Hardy's regular foil Jimmy Finlayson drew the sound out as a polite stand-in for 'damn'; Homer's actor borrowed it, then clipped it short when asked to say it faster.

Which 1987 short, the Simpsons' first screen appearance, shows Homer and Marge putting the children to bed?

'Good Night' ends badly: 'don't let the bed bugs bite' terrifies Lisa and a lullaby about a falling cradle frightens the baby, so all three children pile into their parents' bed.

Which jazz musician does Lisa Simpson regard as her idol?

Bleeding Gums Murphy says he earned the nickname by never seeing a dentist; when he dies in ''Round Springfield', Bart spends his $500 on the rare album Lisa wants played in tribute.

Who is the Simpsons' relentlessly cheerful, devout next-door neighbour, whose 'Hi-diddly-ho' Homer cannot stand?

Ned Flanders' piety grew so exaggerated that 'Flanderization' became the word for inflating one trait until it defines a character; he runs the Leftorium.

Duff Beer's caped spokesman is a parody of the superhero mascot of which real beer brand?

Budweiser's Bud Man is the model, and the show treats the role as a job: the mascot, he boasts, 'can never die, only the actors who play him'.

What stage direction do Simpsons scripts use for Homer's best-known exclamation?

(annoyed grunt) is all the scripts say, which left the sound itself to the actor; several episode titles keep the joke, among them 'E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)'.

What is the name of the Simpson family's pet dog?

Santa's Little Helper was abandoned by his owner at Christmas; Bart begged Homer to keep him, and the dog rescued a holiday on which Homer had no bonus to spend on presents.

Who provides the voice for Homer Simpson?

Dan Castellaneta won his first Emmy as Homer in 1992, for 'Lisa's Pony'; by then he had dropped the voice lower than in the early shorts so that Homer could show more feeling.

What is Principal Skinner's first name?

Seymour Skinner is a former Green Beret who was held prisoner in Vietnam, yet he still jumps to obey his mother Agnes and Superintendent Chalmers.

What kind of mutant creature does Bart catch downstream of Springfield's nuclear power plant?

A three-eyed fish, nicknamed Blinky, sinks Mr. Burns's run for governor: Marge serves him one at a televised dinner and he cannot help spitting it out.

What is the name of the Springfield convenience store run by Apu and his brother Sanjay?

Kwik-E-Mart became real in July 2007, when 7-Eleven converted some of its stores in the United States and one in Canada to promote The Simpsons Movie.

Who voices Bart Simpson?

Nancy Cartwright went in to read for Lisa, decided at the audition that Bart was the more interesting part, and was given the role on the spot.

Krusty the Clown's father disowned him for going into comedy instead of following him into which profession?

Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky was voiced by Jackie Mason, a comedian who had been a rabbi himself; Bart and Lisa reunite father and son in 'Like Father, Like Clown'.

Who is Bart Simpson's best friend?

Milhouse Van Houten, Bart's bespectacled best friend, nurses a hopeless crush on Lisa; 'Everything's coming up Milhouse' marks his one moment of luck.

What is Groundskeeper Willie's nationality?

Scottish and scornful: made to teach French in a 1995 episode, Willie greets the class as 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys', a jibe American pundits revived during the Iraq War.

Which barfly, one of Homer's best friends, is known for his thunderous belch?

Barney Gumble was modelled on Barney Rubble: first planned as Homer's next-door sidekick, he became the town drunk when the writers made the sitcom pal 'as pathetic as possible'.

Sideshow Bob first went to prison for framing his boss Krusty for what crime?

Armed robbery of a convenience store was the charge; Bart cracked the case on seeing that the robber yelped when his feet were trodden on, while Krusty's own feet are tiny.

Who composed the iconic theme music for The Simpsons?

Danny Elfman, better known for film scores, wrote the theme in 1989 and has called it the most popular piece of his career.

Which ultra-violent cartoon-within-a-cartoon do Bart and Lisa watch on Krusty's programme?

Itchy & Scratchy reverses Tom and Jerry: Itchy the mouse gruesomely murders Scratchy the cat in the shorts shown on Krusty's show.

What is the name of the mascot for Duff Beer?

Duffman's 'Oh, yeah!' comes from the Yello song 'Oh Yeah', which advertisers wore out after Ferris Bueller's Day Off made it a hit; it plays whenever he arrives.

In The Simpsons Movie, Homer's pig is nicknamed after which superhero?

Spider-Man's theme becomes 'Spider-Pig' as Homer walks the pig across the ceiling; he had adopted it to save it from slaughter after it starred in a burger advert.

What is Dr. Nick Riviera's common greeting?

Hi, everybody! is the entrance line of Dr. Nick Riviera, who takes his name from George 'Dr. Nick' Nichopoulos, the real physician who overprescribed drugs to Elvis Presley.

Which actress has voiced Lisa Simpson since the character's first appearance in 1987?

Yeardley Smith went in to read for Bart, but the casting director judged her voice too high for a boy and cast her as his sister instead.

Which Springfield baseball team gave its name to a real minor-league club in Albuquerque?

The Isotopes nearly leave town in a 2001 episode, when Homer goes on hunger strike to stop a move to Albuquerque; that city's real new team took the name after a newspaper poll.

On what street do the Simpsons live?

Evergreen Terrace's most famous house was built for real in Henderson, Nevada, in 1997 as the prize in a Fox and Pepsi contest, painted and furnished to match the cartoon.

What is the name of Homer's long-lost half-brother?

Herb Powell, a Detroit car tycoon voiced by Danny DeVito, lets Homer design a car for the average American; the flop bankrupts his company and leaves him on the street.

Who voices Marge Simpson and both of her twin sisters?

Julie Kavner also voices the sisters' mother; she was already in the cast of the sketch show that aired the first shorts, so the producers gave her Marge instead of hiring someone new.

Which cast member voices Ned Flanders as well as Mr. Burns and Smithers?

Harry Shearer announced in May 2015 that he was leaving after refusing the contract his castmates had signed, then agreed to the same deal two months later.

What is the name of Springfield Elementary's school bus driver?

Otto Mann is suspended in 'The Otto Show' when a crash reveals he never had a licence; he ends up living in the Simpsons' garage until he passes his test.

What is Mr. Burns's first name?

Charles Montgomery Burns is drawn as a Citizen Kane figure: in the episode 'Rosebud' he pines for Bobo, the teddy bear he gave up as a boy for a life of wealth.

What is Comic Book Guy's real name?

Jeff Albertson stayed nameless from 1991 until 2005, when he remarked in passing, 'My name is Jeff Albertson, but everyone calls me Comic Book Guy.'

What is the name of the Simpson family's cat?

Snowball II is the family's black cat, named after the original Snowball, who died before the series began; Lisa later renamed a replacement cat Snowball II so nothing had to change.

Who voiced Maggie's first word, 'Daddy'?

Elizabeth Taylor voiced Maggie's 'Daddy' at the end of 'Lisa's First Word' (1992), recording the single word many times before the producers were satisfied with the delivery.

What is the name of Homer's mother, who resurfaces in 'Mother Simpson'?

Mona Simpson was voiced by Glenn Close and named after the wife of writer Richard Appel; in 'Mother Simpson' Lisa grows suspicious when Mona hides from a passing police car.

In 'Treehouse of Horror V', Homer goes mad without television and beer in a spoof of which horror film?

The Shining becomes 'The Shinning', with the Simpsons as winter caretakers of Mr. Burns's lodge; Groundskeeper Willie rushes to the rescue and gets an axe in the back.

In the early shorts, Homer's voice was a loose impression of which actor?

Walter Matthau's grumble proved impossible to keep up through long recording sessions, so by the second and third seasons the voice had dropped lower and grown more flexible.

What breed is the Simpson family's dog?

Greyhound: in 'Two Dozen and One Greyhounds' he fathers 25 puppies, which Mr. Burns steals to make himself a tuxedo in a spoof of 101 Dalmatians.

What was the title of the very first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air?

'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' has Homer moonlight as a mall Santa after his Christmas bonus is cancelled and Marge spends the family savings on removing Bart's tattoo.

Why did the show's creator think 'Simpson' was a funny surname for his cartoon family?

It sounded like 'simpleton': the creator has said the name was funny because it had 'simp' in it, and that he gave the family his own parents' and sisters' first names.

What is Lisa Simpson's middle name?

Marie is her middle name; Lisa has stayed vegetarian since 1995 because guest star Paul McCartney agreed to appear only if the change was permanent.

Homer's barbershop quartet, the Be Sharps, rises and falls in a parody of which real band's career?

The Beatles' story is retraced right down to a reunion concert on a rooftop; George Harrison drives past it and mutters, 'It's been done.'

Which studio, also the maker of Rugrats, animated The Simpsons for its first three seasons?

Klasky Csupo animated the shorts and the first three seasons, then lost the work to Film Roman in 1992 after falling out with the show's producers.

Which episode was meant to launch The Simpsons but was held back by poor animation?

'Some Enchanted Evening' came back from the animators so rough that about 70 percent had to be redone; the launch was pushed back and it ended up closing season one.

Bart's season-one student exchange puts him to work in a vineyard in which country?

France turns sour when Bart's hosts work him like a slave and lace their wine with antifreeze; he gets them caught by blurting out the whole story to a policeman in French.

Which episode introduced The Simpsons' full title sequence and features the retort 'Eat my shorts'?

'Bart the Genius' has Bart swap IQ tests with the class brain and land in a school for gifted children, where he is so far out of his depth that he confesses.

Which nonsense word does Bart play in a family Scrabble game in The Simpsons' second episode?

Kwyjibo, Bart claims, means 'a big, dumb, balding North American ape with no chin'; Homer chases him off, and the 1999 Melissa virus later quoted Bart's Scrabble boast.

Which part of The Simpsons' opening credits comes last and changes in almost every episode?

The couch gag doubles as a timing tool: a long one pads out an episode that runs short, and a brief one makes room when the story runs long.

Which comic-book superhero, whose sidekick is Fallout Boy, is Bart Simpson's favourite?

Radioactive Man gets a film shot in Springfield, where Milhouse beats Bart to the sidekick's role, then walks off mid-shoot and the production collapses.

What is the name of Springfield's rival neighbouring town?

Shelbyville, founded by Shelbyville Manhattan after he split from Jebediah Springfield over the right to marry cousins, is Springfield's rival town, as told in 'Lemon of Troy'.

Which animated show did The Simpsons' season three and four showrunners leave to create in 1994?

The Critic's Jay Sherman visits Springfield in the crossover 'A Star Is Burns', which Matt Groening so disliked as a plug for the other show that he took his name off the credits.

Al Jean, Mike Reiss and Conan O'Brien all wrote for which university's humour magazine before joining The Simpsons?

Harvard's Lampoon fed the early writers' room; Conan O'Brien wrote 'Marge vs. the Monorail' for the show before leaving in 1993 to host Late Night.

Which series did Matt Groening and David X. Cohen launch in 1999?

Futurama's co-developer was credited as David S. Cohen on The Simpsons; he took the X because the Writers Guild will not list two members under one name, choosing it as 'sci-fi-ish'.

Which SNL cast member voiced both Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure?

Phil Hartman voiced both Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure from 1991 until his death in 1998, after which both characters were retired.

Which Bouvier did Troy McClure marry to boost his career?

Selma stayed with Troy McClure in 'A Fish Called Selma' even after learning the marriage was a career stunt, but left rather than have a baby for publicity.

Which Channel 6 anchor hosts the Nightline parody 'Smartline' and welcomes our new insect overlords?

Kent Brockman says it in 'Deep Space Homer' when a close-up of an ant drifting past a shuttle camera convinces him giant insects have invaded; the line became a lasting internet joke.

What was the name of Ned Flanders's wife, killed by a T-shirt cannon in 2000?

Maude Flanders died in 'Alone Again, Natura-Diddily' (2000), knocked off a grandstand by a T-shirt cannon, after voice actress Maggie Roswell left the show in a pay dispute.

Ned Flanders takes his surname from a street in which American city?

Portland, Oregon, is the creator's hometown; in 2021 the city rededicated a new footbridge on Flanders Street as the Ned Flanders Crossing.

What is the name of Ned Flanders's store for left-handed products?

Leftorium sales are so poor that Ned's house is repossessed, after Homer had wished on a wishbone for the shop to fail; a guilty Homer then sends every left-hander in town to it.

Krusty's voice was modelled on a Chicago portrayal of which TV clown?

Bozo, in the long-running Chicago version played by Bob Bell, supplied the voice; the character himself was partly inspired by Rusty Nails, a TV clown the creator watched as a boy.

Why was Krusty the Clown drawn to look like Homer in make-up?

He was meant to be Homer in disguise: Bart would idolise a clown who was secretly the father he had no respect for, but the twist was dropped as the show developed.

Sideshow Bob is a graduate of which university?

Yale man Sideshow Bob sneers at his brother Cecil's 'four years at clown college'; Cecil replies, 'I'll thank you not to refer to Princeton that way.'

In 'Cape Feare', which garden tools keep hitting Sideshow Bob in the face?

Rakes: the episode ran short, so the crew stretched Bob stepping on one rake into a long run of them, each met with the same weary groan.

'Cape Feare' spoofs the 1991 remake of Cape Fear, directed by whom?

Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear is the target: like Robert De Niro's ex-convict in the film, Sideshow Bob rides to the family's hideout strapped beneath their car.

Apu was named after the title character of a film trilogy by which director?

Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy gave the shopkeeper his name; in 2020 Hank Azaria agreed to stop voicing him after criticism that the character was a stereotype.

Which comedian made the 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu?

Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu examined the character as a South Asian stereotype and helped prompt Hank Azaria to stop voicing him.

Apu says he topped a class of seven million in which city?

Calcutta is home to Apu's 'Caltech', the technical institute where he says he topped a class of seven million before leaving for a doctorate in Springfield.

Which two drinks was Moe once surprised to learn could be mixed together?

Gin and tonic stumps Moe once the beer runs out: he boasts of his bartending-school training, then asks whether the two even mix.

Smithers' devotion to Mr Burns was inspired by how Fox staff treated which executive?

Writers modelled Smithers' servility on how Fox staff treated network head Barry Diller; his first name came from puppeteer Wayland Flowers.

What colour was Smithers mistakenly drawn in his first appearance?

In 'Homer's Odyssey' Smithers was mistakenly coloured black with blue hair; Groening said the producers lacked the money to correct it, so he was made yellow in his next appearance.

Mr Burns answers the phone with which greeting, a nod to Alexander Graham Bell's choice?

Ahoy-hoy echoes the 'ahoy' Alexander Graham Bell wanted callers to use; Thomas Edison's 'hello' won out instead, and the ancient Mr Burns never switched.

The two-part Mr Burns shooting mystery spoofed a famous 1980 cliffhanger from which American TV soap?

Dallas kept viewers guessing who shot J.R. Ewing through the summer of 1980; The Simpsons copied the stunt in 1995, ending a season on the shooting and running a contest to name the culprit.

Which musician guest-stars as himself in both parts of the Mr Burns shooting mystery?

Tito Puente is hired to teach music at Lisa's request, loses the job when Mr Burns ruins the school, and takes his revenge in song with the mambo 'Señor Burns'.

What does Groundskeeper Willie discover beneath Springfield Elementary at the start of the Mr Burns shooting mystery?

Oil gushes up when Willie digs a grave for a dead gerbil; Mr Burns then slant-drills to steal it, making enemies of the whole town before he is shot.

Which Star Trek actor appears as himself in 'Marge vs. the Monorail'?

Leonard Nimoy took a cameo first written for George Takei, who turned it down; he ends the episode declaring his work done and beaming away, having done nothing to stop the runaway train.

In 'Marge vs. the Monorail', where does Springfield's $3 million windfall come from?

A fine on Mr Burns for dumping waste: the $3 million penalty for fouling a park goes to a town meeting, which picks Lyle Lanley's monorail over repairing Main Street.

Frank Grimes was partly modelled on Michael Douglas's character in which film?

Falling Down's seething everyman shaped Frank Grimes, whom the writers invented to see how a normal, hard-working person would cope with life beside Homer.

In the 'Homer's Enemy' subplot, what does Bart buy for a dollar?

A run-down factory goes to Bart for a dollar at a city hall auction; he and a friend spend their days wrecking it until it collapses one night.

What do the workers strike to restore in 'Last Exit to Springfield'?

Their dental plan is traded away for a keg of beer until Homer realises he would have to pay for Lisa's braces, so he becomes union president and leads the strike.

Which psychologist guest-stars as herself in 'Last Exit to Springfield'?

Dr Joyce Brothers joins the televised debate between Homer and his boss as a talk-show mainstay, and promptly announces, 'I brought my own mic.'

Which publisher's horror tales inspired the first Treehouse of Horror?

EC Comics' gruesome anthologies, Tales from the Crypt among them, were the model; the special was thought scary enough that Marge opens it by warning parents to put their children to bed.

How are Treehouse of Horror episodes numbered?

In Roman numerals, one less than the season: the Halloween specials only began in the show's second year, so season 36 carried Treehouse of Horror XXXV.

The Simpsons' drooling, one-eyed Halloween aliens come from which fictional planet?

Rigel VII is home to the pair, who speak Rigellian, a language that by sheer coincidence is identical to English.

Which Italian comic strip, a Tom and Jerry parody, strongly influenced Itchy & Scratchy?

Squeak the Mouse, Massimo Mattioli's ultra-gory 1980s Italian strip pitting a mouse against a cat, was a strong influence on Itchy & Scratchy.

Homer's middle initial is J, which a 1998 episode finally reveals stands for what?

Jay is the whole name: Homer has only ever known the initial until a mural painted by his mother at her old hippie commune spells it out.

Which pop star sang uncredited backing vocals on the hit single 'Do the Bartman'?

Michael Jackson sang on the single without credit, and the show's creator later said the star had secretly written it too; it spent three weeks at No. 1 in Britain.

Who directed the music video for 'Do the Bartman'?

Brad Bird, then a consultant on the show, made the video as a mini-episode in which Bart hijacks the sound system at a school dance recital to perform his own number.

Which Simpsons album opens with 'Do the Bartman'?

The Simpsons Sing the Blues climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, even though its hit 'Do the Bartman' was never sold as a single in America.

Who turned out to have shot Mr Burns in the two-part mystery?

Maggie Simpson fired by accident: Mr Burns tried to take the baby's lollipop, and in the struggle his gun slipped from its holster into her hands.

Why is Homer sent to a mental institution in 'Stark Raving Dad'?

He wore a pink shirt to work after Bart's red cap dyed the laundry; his boss took him for a 'free-thinking anarchist', and a psychiatric quiz that Bart filled in got him committed.

Which astronaut voices himself as Homer's crewmate in 'Deep Space Homer'?

Buzz Aldrin, introduced as the second man on the Moon, snaps 'Second comes right after first'; the writers feared the line would offend him, but he preferred it to their safer option.

Which South Park character finds each scheme he dreams up was already done by The Simpsons?

Butters eventually hallucinates his world in Simpsons art style.

Which country began selling officially licensed Duff beer in 2015 to fight brandjacking?

Fox launched its first officially licensed Duff Beer in Chile in 2015, to undercut the unlicensed 'Duff' brands that had sprung up across South America and Europe.

What is the best-known slogan of Homer's favourite beer?

Can't Get Enough of That Wonderful Duff is the brewery's boast, though a tour in 'Duffless' reveals that the brewery's three varieties are all the very same beer.

Who is the Simpsons' family physician, known for chuckling at the wrong moments?

Dr. Hibbert became a spoof of Bill Cosby's Dr Huxtable when the show was moved to Thursdays against The Cosby Show; in the first script the character was a woman, Julia Hibbert.

Which viral Skinner-and-Chalmers segment comes from the Pulp Fiction-style episode?

Steamed Hams is Skinner passing off Krusty Burgers as his own cooking while his kitchen burns; the 'Aurora Borealis' line is from the same sketch.

Which 1993 movie's title did a season seven Simpsons episode borrow?

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould became '22 Short Films About Springfield' (1996), whose linked sketches also parody Pulp Fiction, down to policemen comparing burger names.

Who voices friendly supervillain Hank Scorpio in 'You Only Move Twice'?

Albert Brooks voices Hank Scorpio, the genial Globex boss in Cypress Creek who turns out to be a Bond-style supervillain; Brooks improvised much of the dialogue.

Which 'Homer at the Bat' ringer alone gets to play?

Darryl Strawberry alone takes the field after mishaps sideline the other eight, one of them struck down by gigantism; Homer then bats in his place and wins the game by being knocked out cold.

Marge's bowling instructor Jacques was first planned as a Swedish tennis coach named what?

Björn was dropped when the guest star decided a Frenchman would be funnier, so the coach became the bowling instructor Jacques; the episode had been pencilled in as 'Björn to Be Wild'.

In 'Lisa's Wedding', which heirloom is the groom given?

Pig cufflinks, a Simpson wedding tradition, prove the last straw: the groom agrees to wear them but says Lisa must leave her family behind after the wedding, so she calls it off.

Which actor, The Princess Bride's Inigo Montoya, voices Lisa's fiancé?

Mandy Patinkin plays Hugh Parkfield, an English student Lisa first quarrels with over a library book and then falls for, in a future imagined fifteen years ahead.

Which agency puts Springfield under a glass dome in The Simpsons Movie?

The EPA, led by Russ Cargill, lowers the dome after Homer dumps a silo of pig waste into the lake the town has only just cleaned up.

Who directed The Simpsons Movie?

David Silverman, a director on the series since its first season, made the film, which opens with Homer in a cinema calling the audience suckers for paying to see what television gives them free.

Which attraction did The Simpsons motion simulator replace at Universal Studios in 2008?

Back to the Future: The Ride closed to make way, but its hero lives on: Doc Brown makes an animated cameo in the queue video of the ride that replaced his.

The Simpsons Ride is set in which Springfield theme park?

The Simpsons Ride takes the family through Krustyland, Krusty's theme park, where Sideshow Bob tries to take revenge on Krusty and the Simpsons.

Which soft drink's new flavour causes insanity in The Simpsons: Hit & Run?

Buzz Cola's new formula is a mind-control drink made by aliens, who film the chaos it causes for their struggling reality TV show.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run was pitched as a child-friendly take on which game series?

Grand Theft Auto was the model, the game being pitched as 'GTA for kids'; the studio's previous Simpsons game had copied Crazy Taxi so closely that Sega sued.

The Simpsons' creator named Milhouse after the middle name of which US president?

Richard Nixon's middle name was Milhous, and the creator borrowed it as the most unfortunate name he could think of for a kid.

Milhouse debuted in a 1988 commercial for which candy bar?

Butterfinger's commercial gave a first outing to a boy originally drawn for an NBC cartoon that was never made, and he went on to become a regular in the series.

Which voice actress announced her retirement in November 2024 after decades as Milhouse?

Pamela Hayden stepped down after more than three decades as Milhouse and the bully Jimbo Jones; the role then passed to Kelly Macleod.

Chief Wiggum was deliberately designed to resemble which animal?

Chief Wiggum was designed to look like a pig, an in-joke on the slang for police; Hank Azaria voices him.

Whose voice does Hank Azaria imitate for Chief Wiggum?

Azaria's Wiggum is an Edward G. Robinson impression; he first tried newsman David Brinkley but found it too slow.

Which teacher's second-grade class does Ralph Wiggum sit in?

Ms Hoover's class seats Ralph near Lisa, whose pity valentine in 'I Love Lisa' wins his heart; she finally snaps at him on live television.

A newspaper clipping of Grampa Simpson carries the headline 'Old Man Yells at' what?

Cloud completes the headline, which Grampa offers as his photo when he renews his driving licence in 'The Old Man and the Key'; the clipping later became an internet meme.

A family trip to which country in 'The Regina Monologues' reveals Grampa's long-lost daughter?

The United Kingdom: Grampa goes looking for Edwina, his wartime sweetheart, and she introduces her daughter Abbey, who looks and sounds just like Homer.

Marge's blue beehive was inspired by The Simpsons creator's mother and which film character?

The Bride of Frankenstein's towering hair was one model, her creator's mother's 1960s beehive the other; he once planned to reveal rabbit ears hidden beneath it, then dropped the idea.

Which 2009 episode was the first in which Bart does not appear?

Four Great Women and a Manicure has Marge and Lisa trading tales of famous women at a nail salon, which left no room for Bart: it was the first episode in twenty seasons to do without him.

Which magazine named Bart among the most important people of the 20th century in 1998?

Time put Bart, the only fictional character chosen, among the century's 100 most important people, with an editor arguing the Simpsons had fused social satire and popular animation as no one before.

Which society runs Springfield after Lisa joins?

Mensa's Springfield chapter takes charge when the mayor flees town, but its rule of the clever soon descends into squabbling, and a visiting Stephen Hawking is unimpressed.

Lisa abandons her family's church for which religion in 'She of Little Faith'?

Buddhism wins Lisa over after her church is rebuilt plastered with advertising; Richard Gere, voicing himself, teaches her the basics at Springfield's temple.

Who is the minister of the First Church of Springfield?

Reverend Lovejoy arrived in Springfield an eager young minister, but years of trivial phone calls from one over-anxious parishioner wore his enthusiasm down to indifference.

Homer works in which sector of the nuclear plant?

Homer is the safety inspector of Sector 7-G, a post he received in 'Homer's Odyssey' after campaigning against the plant's hazards.

By his own account, the creator sketched the Simpsons while waiting in whose office lobby?

James L. Brooks' lobby is where the cartoonist says he dreamed up the family in a hurry, unwilling to sign away the rights to his comic strip Life in Hell.

Which actor voiced Lisa's substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom, credited as 'Sam Etic'?

Dustin Hoffman's alias 'Sam Etic' is a pun on 'Semitic', a nod to the Jewish heritage he shares with his character Mr. Bergstrom.

What did the network threaten during The Simpsons cast's 1998 pay dispute?

New voice actors were the threat: the network got as far as preparing to cast them, but the show's creator backed his performers and a deal with a pay rise followed.

Which honour did the Simpson family receive in January 2000?

A Hollywood Walk of Fame star was laid for the family in January 2000; their creator had to wait until 2012, when his own star was placed steps away to mark the show's 500th episode.

Which platform became the show's streaming home after Simpsons World shut in 2019?

Disney+ carried the show from its launch in November 2019, at first only cropped to widescreen; the original 4:3 picture of the older episodes was restored as an option in May 2020.

Which US president publicly wished American families were 'a lot less like the Simpsons'?

George H. W. Bush made the jibe in a January 1992 speech; three days later Bart answered on air that the family was 'just like the Waltons', since they too were praying for an end to the Depression.

The April 2025 'mega deal' with Disney renewed The Simpsons through which anniversary season?

The April 2025 renewal carried the show through its 40th season, 2028–29, four seasons beyond the 36th then airing, keeping TV's longest-running scripted primetime series in production to at least 2029.

Which Simpsons family member was unmasked as the shooter in the show's famous two-part whodunnit cliffhanger?

Maggie fired when the tycoon's gun slipped from its holster into her hands as he took her lollipop. The summer-long mystery borrowed its title and concept from Dallas.

Which Frasier cast member voices Sideshow Bob, the cultured ex-sidekick forever plotting to kill Bart Simpson?

Kelsey Grammer modelled the plummy voice on stage actor Ellis Rabb and won a 2006 Emmy for the role. His Frasier co-star David Hyde Pierce later played Bob's brother Cecil.

Which physicist voiced himself in several Simpsons episodes, once admiring Homer's theory of a doughnut-shaped universe?

Stephen Hawking debuted in 'They Saved Lisa's Brain', rescuing Lisa from a mob in a wheelchair fitted with helicopter blades and a spring-loaded boxing glove. He was already a fan of the show.

Which rock star agreed to guest on The Simpsons only if Lisa stayed vegetarian for the rest of the series?

Paul McCartney and his wife Linda voiced themselves in 'Lisa the Vegetarian', and the writers kept their word: Lisa never went back to eating meat.

Which real businessman does Lisa Simpson succeed as US president in the 2000 episode 'Bart to the Future'?

Donald Trump leaves President Lisa a budget crisis to clean up. Writer Dan Greaney later said a Trump presidency 'just seemed like the logical last stop before hitting bottom'.

In the Simpsons episode 'HOMR', what is found lodged in Homer's brain, explaining a lifetime of low intelligence?

A crayon had been stuck there since Homer pushed sixteen up his nose as a boy and sneezed out all but one. After surgeons remove it, he ends up begging to have it put back.

Which action star is President of the United States in The Simpsons Movie, picking Springfield's fate at random?

Arnold Schwarzenegger's President was drawn as an altered Rainier Wolfcastle, the show's own parody of him, with extra wrinkles and a new hairstyle. He picks the third of five rescue plans without reading them.

For its 550th episode, The Simpsons rebuilt Springfield and the whole family in computer animation out of which toy?

Lego bricks make up everything in 'Brick Like Me', in which Homer wakes in a plastic Springfield and must find his way out before he is stuck there forever.

Which media mogul voiced himself on The Simpsons, his own network's show, as a self-declared 'billionaire tyrant'?

Rupert Murdoch plays himself in 'Sunday, Cruddy Sunday', catching Homer's gang in his skybox at the Super Bowl. The writers first planned to have a cast member imitate him, then simply asked.

Which CBS Western did The Simpsons overtake to become the longest-running scripted series in American primetime?

Gunsmoke ran from 1955 to 1975 and reached 635 episodes. The Simpsons passed its run during its twenty-first season and its episode count in 2018 with 'Forgive and Regret'.

Which Springfield Elementary bully greets other people's misfortune on The Simpsons with a mocking 'Ha-ha!'?

Nelson Muntz is drawn with more sympathy than most cartoon bullies: he lives in poverty with his mother in a run-down home, and Lisa even dates him briefly.

Which Simpsons character, Bart's jaded fourth-grade teacher, was retired after voice actress Marcia Wallace died?

Edna Krabappel was written out rather than recast. The opening of a later episode carried a one-line farewell on Bart's chalkboard: 'We'll really miss you Mrs. K'.

Marge Simpson's gravel-voiced, chain-smoking twin sisters both work for which government office?

The DMV twins share an apartment at the Spinster City complex and a sometimes maniacal devotion to the TV series MacGyver. One wedding was nearly called off when the groom insulted the show.

Which punk band plays itself in The Simpsons Movie, drowning when polluted Lake Springfield eats through its barge?

Green Day tries to talk to the crowd about the environment and is pelted with garbage for it. The band also recorded a rock version of the show's theme for the film.

Which serving British prime minister voiced himself on The Simpsons, greeting the family as they landed in London?

Tony Blair recorded his lines in ten minutes at Downing Street after eight months of negotiation, agreeing only if he could promote British tourism. Homer mistakes him for Mr. Bean.

Which artist storyboarded a 2010 Simpsons opening showing the cartoon and its merchandise made in a grim sweatshop?

Banksy was the first outside artist invited to storyboard the show, and his name is sprayed across Springfield during the sequence. The show's creator gave the bleak idea his blessing.

Which classic cartoon dad is the judge when the Simpsons and Family Guy's Griffins go to court in their 2014 crossover?

Fred Flintstone hears a beer plagiarism case in the hour-long special, which was made as a Family Guy season premiere. The Griffins end up in Springfield because their car is stolen just outside town.

Homer Simpson was fired from the nuclear plant in season one, then hired back with a raise in which job?

Safety inspector was the post offered to quiet Homer after he became a noisy public crusader against the plant's dangers. He had lost his old job by crashing an electric cart into a cooling vent.

What is the name of the nursing home where Homer Simpson placed his father, who had sold his house to help him?

Springfield Retirement Castle became Grampa's address as soon as Homer could manage it, even though the sale of the old man's house had provided Homer's mortgage.

In The Simpsons, Springfield's town motto says 'a noble spirit' does what to 'the smallest man'?

Embiggens was made up by writer Dan Greaney to sound like a real word. It has since turned up in several scientific publications, and was later found in print as far back as 1884.

Which two best friends work alongside Homer Simpson at the nuclear plant and drink with him after hours?

Lenny and Carl are so inseparable that Homer often mixes them up. Carl, raised by Icelandic parents, holds a master's degree in nuclear physics.

Which Batman actor plays himself at the car show where Homer Simpson buys the truck for his Mr. Plow business?

Adam West was written in because writer Jon Vitti wanted to finally meet him. Homer's snow-clearing business thrives until a friend's rival firm, the Plow King, steals his customers.

Springfield's corrupt, womanising Mayor Quimby and his Boston accent are a parody of which American political family?

The Kennedys are also echoed in his Irish roots, his habit of throwing money at political problems and his coastal retreat, the 'Quimby Compound'.

Which Hollywood star voices Homer Simpson's long-lost half-brother, the wealthy head of a Detroit car company?

Danny DeVito's tycoon lets Homer design a new model as an average American, and the overpriced monstrosity that results drives the firm into bankruptcy.

Which pop star visits a gloomy Springfield in the season 23 finale and ends up singing a duet with Lisa Simpson?

Lady Gaga wears eighteen different outfits in the episode, among them a send-up of her meat dress, because animation allowed costume changes that would be impossible in real life.

Which actor has voiced Springfield mobster Fat Tony since the gangster's debut in 'Bart the Murderer'?

Joe Mantegna kept the job even after the original Fat Tony died in season 22: a near-identical cousin of the same name simply took over the gang.

What name do the media give the three-eyed fish Bart Simpson catches downstream of Springfield's nuclear plant?

Blinky sinks the plant owner's run for governor: on the eve of the election, Marge serves him the mutant's head at a televised family dinner.

Which ancient secret society hails Homer Simpson as its Chosen One after spotting a birthmark shaped like its emblem?

The Stonecutters, a send-up of Freemasonry, are led in Springfield by Number One, voiced by Patrick Stewart. Homer joins after noticing that members get better chairs and parking at work.

Which famously camera-shy novelist voiced himself on The Simpsons with a paper bag over his head?

Thomas Pynchon recorded a blurb for Marge's novel, saying he loved the book 'almost as much as he loves cameras'. It was one of the very few broadcasts of his voice.

Which writer is credited with 59 Simpsons episodes, far more than any other member of the show's staff?

John Swartzwelder is so private that he gave his first interview only in 2021, long after leaving the show. He had negotiated a contract that let him write from home.

Which film star voices Homer Simpson's long-absent mother, an activist who went on the run in 1969?

Glenn Close's character fled after joining hippies who set off an 'antibiotic bomb' in a germ-warfare laboratory, killing every germ inside. Homer had believed her dead for 26 years.

Lisa Simpson learns that Springfield's revered founder Jebediah was really Hans Sprungfeld, which kind of criminal?

A pirate, and a murderous one, who once tried to kill George Washington. Lisa finds his written confession rolled up inside his fife.

Which medicine is the secret ingredient of the Flaming Homer, the cocktail stolen and renamed by bartender Moe?

Cough syrup went in by accident when Homer mixed the dregs of random bottles. The stolen recipe turns a dive bar into a celebrity haunt visited by Aerosmith.

What did Homer Simpson's barbershop quartet call itself, in a career that loosely retold the story of the Beatles?

The Be Sharps score a hit with 'Baby on Board', written after Marge buys a bumper sticker, and win a Grammy. George Harrison hears their rooftop reunion and remarks, 'It's been done.'

Which famous reference work gave Homer Simpson's best-known exclamation its own entry in 2001?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as expressing frustration at the realisation that things have turned out badly, or that one has just said or done something foolish.

To which country was animation of The Simpsons subcontracted when the full-length episodes began in 1989?

South Korea's AKOM studio in Seoul has animated more than 200 episodes, drawing the in-between frames and adding colour after the storyboards are made in America.

A city tourist board planned to sue over the Simpson family's kidnap-filled trip to which country in 2002?

Brazil took offence at scenes of street crime, slums and rat infestations in Rio de Janeiro, whose tourist board planned legal action. An executive producer soon apologised to the city.

Which Japanese company made the 1991 Simpsons arcade game, a four-player beat-'em-up starring the whole family?

Konami sold thousands of the cabinets at their American trade-show debut, and the game ranked among the three best-selling arcade machines of 1991 in the United States.

Which season two premiere, watched by an estimated 33.6 million people, remains the highest-rated Simpsons episode ever?

Bart Gets an 'F' was the most-watched programme its network had ever aired, a record that stood until an NFL playoff game passed it in 1995.

Which real convenience chain rebranded twelve of its stores as Apu's Springfield shop to promote The Simpsons Movie?

7-Eleven paid about $10 million for the stunt and stocked the shelves with products from the cartoon, including Squishees, Krusty-O's cereal and pink frosted doughnuts.

Professor Frink's voice on The Simpsons began as Hank Azaria's ad-libbed impression of which comedian?

Jerry Lewis's Julius Kelp in The Nutty Professor was the model: the staff liked the voice so much that Frink went from evil scientist to gibbering nerd. Lewis later guest-starred as Frink's father.

Which talking doll outrages Lisa Simpson with phrases like 'Don't ask me, I'm just a girl'?

Malibu Stacy's lines were inspired by the real Teen Talk Barbie. Lisa answers with a rival doll, made with Stacy's embittered original creator, who is voiced by Kathleen Turner.

Which country legend voices the spirit guide who appears in Homer Simpson's chili-pepper hallucination?

Johnny Cash's spirit guide tells Homer to find his soulmate. The writers used insanely hot Guatemalan peppers because they wanted a mystical voyage that was not induced by drugs.

Which cartoon dog does Homer Simpson voice when a fading children's show adds a new character to win back viewers?

Poochie proves so unpopular that he is killed off at once: a handwritten card explains that he 'died on the way back to his home planet'.

Which comic strip about rabbits was the creator of The Simpsons unwilling to adapt for TV, inventing the family instead?

Life in Hell began in 1977 as a self-published comic describing Los Angeles to friends back home, and it ran weekly until 2012.

What is the name of the Springfield shop run by Comic Book Guy, which also deals in baseball cards?

The Android's Dungeon is where its owner hands down verdicts in the form 'Worst [thing] ever', a catchphrase he has even worn on a T-shirt.

Which comedian won an Emmy as the voice of Krusty the Clown's estranged father, a disapproving rabbi?

Jackie Mason had once been an ordained rabbi himself. The story is a parody of The Jazz Singer, and two real rabbis were credited as its 'special technical consultants'.

Which company, run by supervillain Hank Scorpio, lures Homer Simpson to Cypress Creek with a better-paid job?

Globex Corporation treats Homer so well that he barely notices his boss seizing the East Coast. His parting gift is the Denver Broncos, when he had dreamed of owning the Dallas Cowboys.

Which cult film director voiced the gay shop owner who befriends the Simpsons in the Emmy-winning 'Homer's Phobia'?

John Waters accepted the invitation instantly. Homer's panic leads him to drag Bart to a steel mill in search of manly role models, and the episode went on to win a GLAAD Media Award.

Springfield's Bumblebee Man is a parody of El Chapulín Colorado, a slapstick comic hero from which country's television?

Mexico's Roberto Gómez Bolaños, nicknamed Chespirito, created and played the original. The writers found he was 'always on' whenever they watched Univision, and later named Bumblebee Man Pedro Chespirito.