It is currently the longest-running American sitcom, as well as
the longest-running American animated program.
The 18th season finale will be the 400th episode, and 2007 marks
the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons franchise. A feature-length
film, The Simpsons Movie, is currently being produced to be released
on July 27, 2007.
The show was also involved in controversy early on in the series.
Bart was rebellious and frequently escaped without punishment,
which led some parents' groups and conservative spokespeople to
believe he provided a poor role model for children. George H.
W. Bush rallied, "We're going to keep trying to strengthen
the American family. To make them more like the Waltons and less
like the Simpsons." The Simpsons t-shirts, one featuring
Bart with the legend "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')",
alongside other merchandise was banned from several public schools
in the United States. The Simpsons merchandise however, sold very
well; during the first 14 months, $2 billion in revenue was generated
worldwide.
Ricky Gervais has called The Simpsons a major influence on his
British comedy The Office.
Bart's first words were "Ay Caramba!", Lisa's first
word was "Bart" and Maggie's was "Daddy".
Homer's e-mail address is ChunkyLover53@aol.com.
The main characters were given a yellow coloring to attract the
attention of channel hoppers.
The footage of Ren &
Stimpy in the episode "Brother from the Same Planet"
was not taken from "The Ren & Stimpy Show" (1991)
- it was created for the episode.
Theme
tune (MP3 1.81MB)