The Simpsons.
The Simpsons is the longest-running animated television series and longest-running scripted prime-time TV show in US history (1989– ), now broadcast in many languages to audiences around the world.
The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening. The idea for The Simpsons was reportedly conceived under the influence of alcohol. According to executive producer, "The Simpsons series began like many things begin: with an animator getting drunk at a Christmas party."
Matt Groening named the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987.
In 1989, the shorts developed into the series The Simpsons which debuted on December 17, 1989.
Everybody knows what the Simpsons look like – and it’s mainly down to their striking yellow skin. But have you ever wondered why the vast majority of characters on the show are coloured yellow?
Simpsons creator Matt Groening once explained that the yellow skin was his idea, and there was a practical reason behind it. Groening wanted to attract the attention of channel surfers, and was convinced that bright yellow was the best colour to do this.
He explained the decision in an interview with the BBC: “When you’re flicking through channels with your remote control, and a flash of yellow goes by, you’ll know you’re watching «The Simpsons».”
This didn’t work all over the world, however. The Simpsons has never had a large following in Myanmar, because a bizarre national law bans yellow and red colours from being overly-used in movies and TV programmes!
At one point in the opening credits, Maggie is accidentally scanned by the cashier – and Simpons fans may know that the original price displayed on the till was US$847.63. This wasn’t a randomly selected sum: Groening once revealed that US$847.63 was the estimated monthly cost of raising a baby in 1989.
At first, we see that all of Marge’s groceries cost US$243.26. Then when Maggie is scanned, the number simply doubles to US$486.52. This might be another statement on the part of the animators – it seems to suggest that having a baby doubles your expenses! We’re sure plenty of parents out there can testify to that.
You’ve probably noticed all of the characters only have four fingers. Well, three fingers and a thumb, anyway. This matches their feet, which only have four toes on each foot.
Nobody from the Simpsons production team has ever really come forward to explain why this is, but what is interesting is to note is that the animators included two characters who have the more familiar five fingers. If you’ve been watching carefully, you might have noticed that only God and Jesus are in possession of five fingers. It’s probably a useful way of trying to emphasise their superiority to the residents of Springfield.