The Simpsons Movie Poster

The Simpsons is arguably television's most beloved family and is the longest running American sitcom and the longest running American animated television program of all time. The Simpsons made their television debut on April 19, 1987 on the Tracey Ullman Show, in a cartoon short called "Good Night". The Simpsons creator, Matt Groening first conceived the idea while in a office lobby. The initial appearance of the Simpson family was drawn poorly, Groening said this was due to the fact that he couldn't draw well , so the animators traced over his drawings.

The Simpsons was truly an alternative animated television show to all of the other cartoons being put out at the time. The Simpsons features a family living in a small town called Springfield, the U.S. state of the town is unknown. The family is made up of Homer Simpson, who is the man of the house, he is an overweight safety inspector at the towns power plant, he often gives bad advice. Marge Simpson is Homer's wife and the lady of the house, she is a stay at home mother and she is the rational one who tries to keep peace in her crazy home. Bart Simpson is Homer and Marge's 10 year old son, he's always in trouble at school and at home. Lisa Simpson, is Bart's little sister, she's a philosophical free thinking 8 year old who loves to play the saxophone and solve the worlds problems. Maggie is the youngest daughter of Homer and Marge and never speaks, she communicates by sucking her pacifier.

Many people liked The Simpsons shorts on the Tracey Ullman show, so in 1989 The Simpsons was made into a 30 minute television show. On December 17, 1989 The Simpsons premiered on the FOX broadcasting network as a Christmas special, it was entitled Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire. The Simpsons was the FOX network's first genuine hit television series, it was FOX's first show that appeared in the top thirty highest rated shows of the season. Several episodes of the Simpsons have been watched by audiences exceeding 20 million viewers and sometimes even 30 million.

Although The Simpsons gained a vast following in a short period of time it quickly sparked controversy with many American families.

Because of Bart Simpson being portrayed as a rebel who caused trouble and got away with it hands free, many parent groups and conservatives became upset with the Bart Simpson character because they felt he was a poor role model to children. Bart Simpson t-shirts that read, "Underachiever and proud of it, man!" became banned in many schools across the United States, but despite this Simpsons merchandise still made over $1 billion worldwide in less than 13 months.

Today The Simpsons is still a very popular television show that still has a cult like following just like it did when it first aired. The show has aired over 350 episodes, it's been on television for over 16 years and a full length feature film is set to be released in theatres in 2007. Most television shows, real life or animated can't even last for a single season, but The Simpsons has managed to stay on television longer than any other show on American television.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Cartoons

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