The Simpsons

views updated

The Simpsons

The family situation comedy has long been a staple of American entertainment, and no family brings together more of the foibles and saving graces of the family than The Simpsons, which has aired on the FOX network since 1989. Part Honeymooners, part All in the Family, the animated Simpson family, crudely drawn with bright yellow skin and outlandish stylized hair, have represented the flailing attempts of human beings to keep up with twentieth-century life. Far from being a cartoon show for children only, The Simpsons deals with adult and teenage issues as well as world events. At the same time, the show is full of enough visual goofiness to keep the attention of young children.

Living in the Anywhere, USA, town of Springfield, these are the Simpsons:

Homer, the dad, works, between doughnut breaks, as a safety inspector at the Springfield nuclear power plant, where he was once replaced during a strike by a brick placed on a lever. Homer has a taste for just about anything remotely edible, washed down with Duff Beer, which he prefers to drink on the sofa in front of the television or at the local tavern, Moe's. Homer is always on the lookout for a free lunch, or at least a piece of lint-covered candy behind the sofa cushion.

Marge, Homer's better half, sports a towering blue beehive and is, in the main, the sensible anchor of the family. She has what Homer lacks in both common sense and moral fiber, and, though she struggles to stay a step ahead of the damage her family wreaks, she loves them all like—well, like a mother.

Bart is the demon spawn of Homer and Marge. From his first word—"Cowabunga!"—Bart has faced the world with an irreverent attitude. There is no scheme too depraved for Bart to consider, no mischief too evil to undertake. He is, however, only in the third grade, so, once in a while, even Bart finds himself in over his head.

Lisa, in second grade, is Bart's sister, and must have received her genes solely from Marge's pool. Lisa is a prodigy, and therefore somewhat of a misfit in the Simpson family. She loves school and learning, and plays saxophone like a pro, using its sweet tones to voice her own angst—a sensitive soul trapped in a crude wasteland. However, her Simpson side does show through now and then, and she always gets a laugh out of Itchy and Scratchy, the ultra-violent cartoon show Bart loves.

Maggie, the baby, has only uttered one word, "Daddy." For the most part, she only makes suck-suck noises while nursing her "Neglecto" brand pacifier. But she shows signs of becoming a true Simpson. When her pacifier is taken away by a brutish day-care worker, Maggie organizes the other babies in a Great Escape -style caper to retrieve their contraband "binkies." And, despite her tender age, she has already been responsible for a murder attempt on Homer's boss.

The supporting cast of The Simpsons represents a colorful assortment of characters, many of whom play against their stereotype to create a commentary on the wide variation among modern U.S. citizenry: Moe, the hard-boiled bartender, who secretly reads to homeless children at the shelter, weeping over Little Women ; Waylon Smithers, the closet gay administrative assistant, who harbors a notso-secret yen for his boss, power plant owner, Mr. Burns; Apu, the Quiki-mart owner, who has a Hindu shrine and a shotgun behind the cash register; Krusty the Klown, who had to leave behind his orthodox Jewish family and his career as a cantor to follow his calling to make little children laugh and make a fortune from licensing his name. Though clearly stereotyped, each character contains surprising quirks and changes, which make the audience laugh but are also surprisingly realistic and reassuring in an ever more complex society.

Each week, The Simpsons begins with a long opening sequence. The afternoon whistle blows and Homer packs up to leave work. He doesn't notice that one of the glowing radioactive bars he has been handling falls into his jacket and follows him home. At school, Bart finishes his daily punishment: writing 1000 times on the blackboard "I will not…" everything from "waste chalk" to "instigate revolution." Marge finishes shopping; Lisa blows a blues riff on her saxophone as she leaves band practice. The family reunites in the modern archetypal spot—plopped on the sofa in front of the television.

There is much that speaks to American families in the silliness of The Simpsons, and the show appeals to all ages. Adult viewers approaching middle age recognize themselves caricatured in the Simpsons and their friends, from disillusion with dead-end jobs, to children they cannot handle, to fear of nuclear radiation, to the love and warmth they experience in life despite it all. The show functions on several different levels, allowing it to appeal to children as well as adults. The quirky, innovative animation contains visual jokes, some very subtle, that spoof all aspects of American life and culture, from consumerism to baby boomer political values. The light vehicle of animated comedy allows exploration of many normally taboo topics. While network live-action sitcoms still struggle with audience reactions to gay characters, the Simpsons has been a favorite with gay audiences because it has not only had gay storylines, but has a recurring gay character, Smithers, whose crush on the evil Mr. Burns is not always as hopeless as it looks.

Matt Groening is the cartoonist who created the Simpsons, though the television series is produced by an army of writers, animators, and voice actors. Groening, who draws an alternative comic strip called "Life in Hell," first created the Simpsons in 1986, for short spots on The Tracy Ullman Show, an innovative variety hour. He named the characters after his own family, except for Bart, who started life as "Matt" but was soon changed to an anagram of "brat." The bright-yellow family soon captured an audience of its own, and, as Groening says, "The phenomenon has gone beyond my wildest dreams—and my wildest nightmares." Their first full-length show was a Christmas special in 1989, called Simpsons Roasting on a Open Fire, followed by a half-hour weekly series in January. By the end of 1990, The Simpsons was the highest rated show on the FOX network, and was widely syndicated.

"I try not to let anything in our culture be either too high or too low for me," Groening has said, and his work on The Simpsons bears this out. With a leftist, alternative point of view, Groening has created a palatable critique of American values, combining sophisticated humor with goofy cartoon slapstick. A husband and father himself, his skewering of the family is incisive, yet loving. Episodes of The Simpsons often parody popular movies, movements, and public figures. The perennial mayor of Springfield, for example, speaks with a Kennedy-like Boston accent, and one episode revolves around his attempt to cover up the misdeeds of his spoiled, dissolute nephew. For one vacation, the family goes to a crassly commercial beer theme park, Duff Gardens, which shamelessly promotes alcoholism. Director John Waters guest stars on another episode, as a gay character, Jon, who Homer initially likes until he finds out that Jon is gay. Angriest about being fooled, he sputters, "He should at least have the good taste to mince around and let everyone know he's that way!"

Not to be outdone by Krusty the Klown, Groening is unapologetic about licensing products with the Simpson name. Dozens of products carry pictures of the bright yellow crew. The Simpsons Comic Extravaganza put the family in print, along with Maggie Simpson's Alphabet Book and Counting Book, and there have been Simpsons video games and even a record The Simpsons Sing the Blues (1990). In the late 1990s a single cel of Groening's animation sold at Christies' famous art auction house for $24,200.

The Simpsons appeals to its public because it is hilarious entertainment; it is packed with cultural satire and is full of throw-away visual references. The show pulls the audience into its in-jokes, not requiring too much effort, but rewarding a little mental exertion with hidden layers of meaning. Then, just when the viewer seems to find real depth, The Simpsons refuses to be predictable, and dissolves into old-fashioned buffoonery. Its cartoon format gives the show that touch of fantasy which makes it the perfect vehicle for cataloging the stuff of real life.

—Tina Gianoulis