It was the night of December 17, 1989. On American TV, the newly created Fox network premiered its first cartoon in prime time. It looked like an ordinary cartoon: a funny family – mother, father and three children – got into trouble in the preparations for Christmas Eve. Even the name of the series sounded like a repetition of The Flintstones or The Jetsons… But the smell of the past disappeared in the first few minutes. It was in the yellow face, the bulging eyes and the four-fingered hands that that design was different: when Marge promises to take the children’s gift requests to Santa Claus, Bart says that “there’s only one fat guy who brings us presents, and the name his is not Santa”. Homer, the fat man in question, steals the family’s Christmas tree from the middle of a forest. To get some change, the dad imitates the good old man in a mall and makes his son emotional: “You must really love us to sink so low!” The politically incorrect humor continues for half an hour, but not everything is laughter: there is suspense, emotion and even a happy ending (it’s Christmas, right, folks?) – but without a moral lesson. It was not an ordinary design. It was the premiere of The Simpsons, the most important cartoon of all time.
Fifteen years and more than 300 episodes later, the longest-running animated series in history has won 18 Emmy Awards, the most competitive on American television, and was hailed as the best TV show of the 20th century by Time magazine in 1999. . Broadcast in more than 70 countries, the cartoon is just the most visible product of a multimedia arsenal of books, DVDs, CDs and games that support simpsonmania in the world (in the Dive In section, we indicate everything a Simpsons fan does not may not have).
The amazing thing is that this animated empire was born from a scribbled piece of paper in just 15 minutes. In 1985, TV producer James L. Brooks asked cartoonist Matt Groening to create a wacky and funny family for TV. In the waiting room, while waiting for the conversation, Groening sketched Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie and showed the drawing to Brooks. He liked it: two years later, in 1987, The Simpsons debuted in three-minute vignettes on a Fox comedy show, the Tracey Ullman Show. In the beginning, the line was rough and had a precarious finish. But when Homer and company got their own series in 1989, the characters already had a more refined look and more defined personalities. The series has become more sophisticated: today, to animate a single episode of The Simpsons, it takes 24,000 drawings and spends up to eight months of work, at a cost of 1 million dollars.
very everything
It’s a lot of money, but that’s not the main reason for the 15 years of success. simpsonmania was born, grew and multiplied thanks to other powerful ingredients:
Creative plots, very creative
The most inspired plots link several stories and manage to make us laugh, cry and cry with laughter in a single episode.
Cool characters, very cool
Homer, Marge, Bart, Maggie and Lisa are complex, charismatic, fun – almost human. Not to mention the profusion of supporting characters and special appearances that always bring out a laugh or an extra reflection.
Audacity, very audacity
The corrosive humor of the series does not forgive anyone. That’s enough for celebrities, politicians, the Fox network itself, capitalism and even God!
On the next pages, we remember the great moments of the cartoon and we break down the secrets of the most beloved family on the planet. A loving family like many, troubled like many, funny like few and revolutionary like no other.
Beginnings
Scribbled by cartoonist Matt Groening himself, The Simpsons had a more rustic streak in the sequences of short cartoons that aired between 1987 and 1989
CABLE TV
Fox shows the best moments of the series in different timeslots. Unreleased episodes of the 15th season air on Sundays at 8:30 pm
OPEN TV
Globo airs its 14th season on Saturdays at 11:30 am
DVD
In Brazil, Fox released boxes with the first four seasons and themed specials like Rock and Christmas. The fifth season arrives between March and May 2005
BOOK
Best of all is the updated version of the complete episode guide, released in the US only and available at online bookstores:
The Simpsons — A Complete Guide To Our Favorite Family, by Matt Groening and Ray Richmond, Harper Perennial, 2003
SITES
Three good websites in Portuguese…
https://www.thesimpsons.com.br (Portal Simpsons)
https://www.the-simpsons.hpg.ig.com.br (Lapidaries)
https://www.5simpsons.hpg.ig.com.br (5 Simpsons)
… the official website (in English):
https://www.thesimpsons.com
…. and the best website about the series:
https://www.snpp.com (The Simpsons Archive)
COMICS
The Simpsons, Editora Abril
MARGE
AGE: 34 years old
HAIR: Blue #56
FAVORITE MAGAZINE: Sponge and Vaccum (“Sponge and Vacuum”)
MEDICAL SHEET: hair loss due to stress
BOTTOM OF THE WELL: Was once addicted to gambling
TOP OF THE WORLD: Makes delicious marshmallow snacks and sleeps without clothes every now and then
HOMER
AGE: 36 years old
WEIGHT: between 108 and 136 kg
FAVORITE BEVERAGE: Duff beer
MEDICAL RECORD: triple saphenous vein bypass, kidney removal
Rock Bottom: Got Stuffed and Married a Slut in Las Vegas
TOP OF THE WORLD: at a high school reunion, he won several class trophies, including the categories “biggest weight gain”, “biggest hair loss”, “biggest odor increment”
MAGGIE
AGE: 1 year
WARDROBE: blue camisole
FAVORITE TOY: pacifier
MEDICAL RECORD: balance problems and speech difficulties
ROCK BOTTOM: from time to time, drink water from the dog’s dish
TOP OF THE WORLD: Saved Homer from drowning and “accidentally” shot Mr. Burns when he tried to steal her lollipop
SMOOTH
AGE: 8 years
MAKEUP: none
FAVORITE DOLL: Malibu Stacey
MEDICAL RECORD: carries the psychological burden of being the moral pillar of the family
ROCK BOTTOM: Fell in love with Nelson Muntz, the school bully
TOP OF THE WORLD: In an episode in the future, appears as President of the United States
BART
AGE: 10 years
HAIRSTYLE: 9 spiked hairs (you can count!)
FAVORITE PRESENTER: Krusty the Clown
MEDICAL RECORD: bruises and broken bones in skateboarding maneuvers; contracted a contagious disease and briefly lived in a bubble
BOTTOM OF THE WELL: sold his soul for 5 bucks
TOP OF THE WORLD: Saved Krusty’s program, put Krusty in jail, got Krusty out of jail, led a rebellion at Krusty Camp
Our mission: to choose the best of The Simpsons among the 335 drawings already shown – and two more specials that Fox does not include in the official account. Tough game. “There are at least 50 soooo good episodes,” says simpsonmaniac Edgar Lopes, who runs the website Portal Simpsons. To resolve the issue, we invited Edgar and other die-hard fans to put together a Top 10 of the series. In our list, seven episodes were shown in the United States until 1997 – in fact, the first eight seasons are considered the “golden years” of the yellow family, concentrating the best scripts and the most original ideas. Check the sidebar for ten chapters filled with laughter – and see on the website another three in which you can only sketch a half-hearted laugh. Nobody is perfect…
10. LISA’S SPELL (Season 13)
THE EPISODE: The Simpsons’ controversial trip to Brazil. In the drawing, the wonderful city appears infested with rats and monkeys, the Simpsons are robbed and Homer is kidnapped in a clandestine taxi
WHY IT’S GENIAL: For the provocations that enraged Brazilian authorities — Rio de Janeiro’s tourism secretary considered suing Fox, but changed his mind after the show’s production apologized for the episode
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: A portrait of the “educational” function of Brazilian TV. A children’s presenter rubs against the letters of the alphabet and twirls two strings attached to her breasts to demonstrate clockwise and counterclockwise directions
9. THE TREE HOUSE OF HORRORS 9 (Season 10)
THE EPISODE: As usual, The Simpsons’ annual Halloween special features three wacky stories with no continuity with the rest of the series. In the craziest, a bomb: Maggie is the daughter of Kang, a drooling alien who wants her back!
WHY IT’S GENIUS: For the surreal storyline. Can you imagine Marge cheating on Homer? Or Maggie with tentacles and a pointy little tooth? Speaks seriously! Not to mention that, in the end, the family and the alien put up a shack for custody of the baby in the Jerry Springer program, a kind of American Mouse
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: Homer complaining to Marge, “You intergalactic slut! Was he better than me?”
8. WEEKEND WITH BURNS (Season 13)
THE EPISODE: Plagued by an eye problem, Homer embarks on alternative treatment and starts smoking marijuana to ease the pain.
WHY IT’S GENIAL: For the courage to treat such a delicate topic with humor. In addition to psychedelic trips to rock classics like Deep Purple’s «Smoke On the Water», the weed does wonders for his career: stoned, chubby laughs at all of mr. Burns and is promoted to vice president of the plant
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: Homer forgets Mr. Burns in a bathtub of water and the tycoon drowns: “My God, we killed Mr. Burns! Mr. Burns will be furious!”
7. HOMER AND APU (Season 5)
THE EPISODE: When the Indian Apu loses his job at the Mercado Rapido, Homer decides to help him: the two leave for India in search of the president of the store
WHY IT’S AWESOME: The epic quest for that president — a soda-drunk guru who lives as a recluse high in the Asian mountains — has unbelievable dialogue
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: In the face-to-face with the president, Homer ruins everything: “Come closer, my children”, says the guru. “You can ask three questions”. “Are you really the owner of Quick Markets?” asks the chubby one. «Yes.» «And even?» «Yes.» «You?» «Yes. I hope this has enlightened them”, concludes the almighty, ending Apu’s chances of being rehired.
6. FLAMING MOE (Season 3)
THE EPISODE: Broke, tavern keeper Moe has no money to buy beer for his bar. Thirsty for alcohol, Homer mixes several drinks with a secret ingredient and creates an explosive drink: the flaming Homer. Moe steals the recipe and turns his bar into the hottest club in Springfield.
WHY IT’S GREAT: For the killer soundtrack. The highlight is the concert by Aerosmith, the first rock band to appear in the cartoon. They only agreed to play after reading the script and knowing they were going to play at Moe’s Bar.
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: Moe justifies the trophy for the most selfish character in the series: “Homer may have come up with the recipe for the drink, but I was the one who had the idea to charge 6.95 for it”
5. AND WITH MAGGIE IT’S ALREADY THREE (Season 6)
THE EPISODE: Lisa realizes that the family has no photos of Maggie. It’s the hook for a flashback about the birth of the baby: at the time, Homer resigns from the factory, but needs the job of…