Facts 6 to 10

6 Homer Is The Only Character To Speak In Every Simpsons Episode

So now you know who the Simpson Characters are named after, do you know which one has been in the most episodes? Surely all of them have been present during the entire shows run, they are a family after all. But alas, no. There is only one person that has had some dialogue in every episode, and that person is Homer. Pay close attention to what we said, dialogue.

Homer is the only Simpson to speak in every episode. Marge and Lisa have appeared in every episode, but Marge did not speak in ‘Krusty Gets Kancelled’, and Lisa did not speak in ‘Chief of Hearts’. Bart did not appear in ‘Four Great Women and a Manicure’, and Maggie has only ever uttered one word.

7 Where Are The Simpsons From?

Forget trying to decipher the mystery of where the Simpsons live. The endless clues lead to so many different possibilities that I doubt anyone will ever work out their exact home town. Even if they did work it out, I doubt Groening will confirm or deny it as being correct, as the mystery is part of the fun of the show. But we can tell you where the Simpsons came from. That has already been openly revealed.

Have you ever wondered where the Simpsons live or where they come from? It appears they come from Kentucky, but they don’t live there. This was revealed in “Behind the Scenes” when the narrator announces “this Kentuckian family…” Many people take this to mean that is where they live, but the narrator was indicating that is where they came from.

8 The Cost Of Maggie Simpson

Ever since the very first opening credits of the show started one of the running gags has been the grocer scanning Maggie at the store checkout. For a brief moment the machine displays a blurred number, but before you are able to decipher the message, the scene is over and they are heading off in their car. Sure, you could go to the trouble of recording it and then pausing it to see what it says, but back when the show first appeared on television screens the technology was still primitive. Who remembers VHS? So does anyone know what was there?

When Maggie is scanned at the checkout the register displays a price. Up until season 19 she cost $847.63, which was once given as the average monthly cost of raising a baby in the US. Since season 20 when the opening sequence was changed, when Maggie is scanned the price that is displayed doubles from $243.26 to $486.52, meaning that Maggie now costs $243.26. This new price could be the weekly cost of raising a baby in the US, or maybe it could be that they are indicating a switch to HD from the old SD.

9 The Simpsons Holds Two “Longest” Records In The US

While the Simpsons isn’t the longest running animated television show in the world, it does hold that distinction for shows made in the US. It has been running for so long now that Bart should be in his mid thirties, and even Maggie should be in her mid 20’s. It has been on air so long now that it has literally spanned through four decades. The first episode aired on December 17, 1989.

But being the longest running prime time animated television show isn’t the only longest record it holds. It also holds the record for the longest running spin off show on television. The Simpsons was originally a short cartoon on the Tracey Ullman Show, but became even more popular than its parent.

10 The First Simpsons Episode Was A Christmas Special

In 1989 Fox decided to give the creators of Simpsons an opportunity to make a show for themselves, and no longer be a short on the Tracey Ullman Show. In doing so they planned 13 episodes in which to broadcast. Of all of the episodes to be the first, it was the Simpsons Christmas Special. But why would they want to make the Christmas special their first episode?

It all came down to timing. The Christmas special that aired as the first Simpsons show was supposed to be the eighth in the season, but was moved forward. The episode was called was called “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.”

When it aired on December 17, 1989, little did they know what they were about to do to television. The episode was written by Mimi Pond and directed by David Silverman. The episode was about Homer being cheated out of a Christmas bonus and not having enough money for Christmas. To try and make ends meet, he got a job as a mall Santa, but realizes that he wont have enough money for presents. He and Bart go to the greyhound races to gamble the money, but lose it all when their dog, Santa’s Little Helper finishes last. It all ended well when they get given the dog and he becomes the family Christmas present.

The episode was extremely well received and had immensely positive reviews. It was even nominated for two Emmy awards.