List of recurring The Simpsons characters
This page provides information on characters on The Simpsons who do not have their own articles. Articles on the main characters can be found in the table at the bottom of this page.
Agnes Skinner
Agnes Skinner (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is Principal Seymour Skinner's mother, with whom he still lives. When Agnes makes an appearance, she is usually controlling some aspect of Skinner's life, often snapping "Seymour!" in order to get his attention. When Seymour is out of the house, Agnes phones him regularly demanding to be taken out of the bath, shielded from the glare of car lights on the street, and other such quotidian necessities. Seymour has been heard commenting that his mother hid his car keys as a punishment for his talking to a woman on the phone.
Her hobbies include making silhouettes, collecting pictures of cakes (though she does not like the taste - she considers it "too sweet"), and causing trouble. She often makes harsh comments towards other characters, especially Marge Simpson and Edna Krabappel, such as "These people can smell weakness. Weakness named Marge!", "Gimbels is gone, Marge. Long gone. You're Gimbel's!" and "Go spend time with your floozy ... [s]he knows I'm kidding! (whispering) I'm not kidding!"
In the episode "The Principal and the Pauper", it was revealed that Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian, a troubled orphan that Agnes mistook for her son when he showed up at her door to tell her that Seymour, with whom he served in the Army in Vietnam, was dead. However, when the real Seymour (voiced by Martin Sheen), returns to Springfield, she not only rejects him, but violently opposes his usurping Armin's place in her life.
Akira
Akira (voiced by George Takei and later Hank Azaria) is one of Springfield's most prominent Japanese American citizens, the owner of a karate dojo (which Bart briefly attended) and also works at "The Happy Sumo" sushi restaurant. At one point, he was also seen working as a furniture salesman. He helped Homer, Bart, and Lisa discover the origin of the mysterious “Mr. Sparkle” box (it came from a Japanese dishwashing detergent company with a mascot that coincidentally bears a striking resemblance to Homer). Akira, Luigi Risotto, Capt. McAllister, and the other restaurant owners of Springfield once planned an assassination attempt on Homer because he gave their restaurants bad reviews.
He was originally voiced by George Takei, who played Sulu on Star Trek: The Original Series, and in subsequent episodes he has been voiced by Huff actor Hank Azaria, who has voiced over 200 other characters in The Simpsons, including Apu, and Chief Clancy Wiggum.
Artie Ziff
Artie Ziff, voiced by Jon Lovitz and occasionally by Dan Castellaneta, was first seen as Marge Simpson’s high school prom date with “busy hands” (“The Way We Was”). In “Half-Decent Proposal” he was revealed to have become a nerdy, self-centered, and pretentious software billionaire, becoming the fifth richest man in the country. His wealth came from a device that transforms modem noise into easy listening music. He claims that he would offer a small fortune for a weekend with his childhood love, Marge, in a parody of the movie Indecent Proposal.
When Ziff returns yet again, in The Ziff Who Came to Dinner, this time living in the Simpsons’ attic, he reveals that he ran his company, Ziffcorp (a parody of Enron), into the ground spending investors’ money on such extravagant items as solid gold underpants. He was left penniless when the “dot-com bubble” burst, and secretly moved there to avoid capture. Homer won 98% of the company from Ziff in a game of poker; seconds later, SEC agents came to take Ziff, but they instead took Homer into custody. When Ziff eventually turned himself in, one of his first acts upon arriving in prison was to begin extinguishing other prisoners’ cigarettes with a squirt bottle. Marge told the children to say goodbye to Artie, as they may never see Ziff alive again. He has not appeared since.
This character is loosely based on Robert David Ziff (R.D. Ziff), the financier. Mr. Ziff attended Harvard with several writers for the Simpsons. Artie's smilingly malevolent behavior is loosely based on Max Zorin, the villain portrayed by Christopher Walken in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. The large green Ziff logo on Artie's helicopter resembles the logo depicted on Zorin's blimp in the culmination of that Bond film.
Baby Gerald
Baby Gerald, also known as Baby with One Eyebrow, is Maggie’s nemesis. He made his first appearance in “Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song.” Lisa once referred to Baby Gerald as Maggie’s rival. On a few occasions Gerald has been shown being pushed in a stroller by his mother outside the Simpsons’ house, with the two babies glaring at each other. Homer often mistakes Maggie for Baby Gerald. He is distinguished by his unibrow, being one of only two characters in the show to have one. He apparently has a history of causing large scale public incidents and was once rescued from an unspecified disaster by Bart’s mail order “wonder dog” Laddie.
Benjamin, Doug, and Gary
Benjamin, Doug, and Gary are three nerds who first appeared in the episode “Homer Goes to College.” They appear in a number of different episodes: “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show,” when they are at the Itchy and Scratchy voice actors’ appearance at the Android’s Dungeon (where Benjamin withdraws his question when Homer asks why a man in a "genius at work" t-shirt would spend all his time watching a cartoon show); “Faith Off,” when they meet Homer again; and “She of Little Faith,” when they help Homer to build the hamster-rocket. In “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore,” Benjamin and Doug were seen at the Stargate convention; Gary had made background appearances in “Day of the Jackanapes” and several other episodes, but he might be hold for Rich Moore as a Simpsons character who looks the same, just with yellow instead of black skin. Benjamin is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, Gary by Harry Shearer, and Doug by Hank Azaria.
Bernice Hibbert
Bernice Hibbert is Dr. Hibbert’s recovering alcoholic wife, voiced by Tress MacNeille. Although she is known as something of a heavy drinker, Mrs. Hibbert remains one of The Simpsons’ less notable, saner characters. This has been joked about on at least one occasion (in "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment", she faints, along with other imbibers of renown, upon reading the news that prohibition has been introduced in Springfield), and in "Days Of Wine and D'ohs'es" Bernice was at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with Lindsey Naegle, Barney Gumble, Rainier Wolfcastle, and Gil Gunderson. Bernice has at least three children with Dr. Hibbert, two boys and a girl, and also laughs just like her husband. Their marriage may be in trouble, which is referenced in "Dude, Where's My Ranch?". In early episodes she is named Sylvia. In Virtual Springfield, she is seen twice, once called Mary Hibbert and once, in a yearbook, called Clarice Rashad in a takeoff on Clair Huxtable.
Bleeding Gums Murphy
"Bleeding Gums" Murphy, voiced by Ron Taylor and Daryl L. Coley, was a jazz musician, an idol of Lisa Simpson, and probable long-lost brother of Dr. Julius Hibbert,[1]. He only predominantly appeared in the episodes "Moaning Lisa" and "'Round Springfield", and made brief appearances in "Dancin' Homer", "Old Money", "Flaming Moe's, "Radio Bart", and "Lisa's Pony". He also always appears in the opening credits during the theme song, when Bart passes by him skating.
Bleeding Gums learned his musical skills "at the feet of" "Blind Willie" Witherspoon. He recorded only one album called Sax on the Beach, which was extremely lucrative, but he soon went broke after spending too much of his money on several Fabergé eggs. In "'Round Springfield" he revealed that he had once made a guest appearance on The Cosby Show in 1986 as the Huxtable children's grandfather, as well as appearing on Steve Allen's Tonight Show. He made his final appearance in "'Round Springfield".[2] When Bart ends up in the hospital after eating a jagged metal Krusty-O, Lisa finds Bleeding Gums in a hospital bed in a nearby ward. He explains about his life, family, and work to her as well as giving her advice for her upcoming school performance, lending her his saxophone. When Lisa returns she finds out that Bleeding Gums has died from circumstances that are never revealed. No one, except for Lisa, attended Murphy's funeral. Bleeding Gums Murphy is loosely based on Blind Lemon Jefferson.[3] The voice of Bleeding Gums Murphy was provided by Ron Taylor, while his saxophone playing is provided by Dan Higgins.[4] In the episode "Dancin' Homer" he was voiced by Daryl L. Coley.[5] Murphy has been a fixture of The Simpsons' opening sequence from Season Two on, even after his death.[6]
Blue-Haired Lawyer
The Blue-Haired Lawyer, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a prominent lawyer known for his pasty face (he is sometimes called the “pasty faced lawyer” {{citation}}: Empty citation (help)), blue hair, and nasal New York accent. He also occasionally appears to serve as a prosecutor. In one episode, he worked for Luvum & Burnham. Unlike Lionel Hutz or Gil, “Blue-Hair” is a competent and accredited lawyer. He has served as Burns’ head lawyer, and is known to be Mr. Burns’ best and most cunning lawyer, helping him out with threats of the Power Plant closing down and of Burns losing his money. He is a member of the very small Springfield Republican Party. His clients tend to be antagonists of the Simpsons but there have been exceptions, such as Bart hiring him to get himself emancipated. The only person who has ever stood up to him and won was Seymour Skinner.
In "Marge Gamer" he was seen in the Earthland Realms online game along with many Springfieldians. His character was a man in a prince costume.
Writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss have both stated on the DVD commentaries that the voice is based on McCarthy-era lawyer Roy Cohn, and animator Jim Reardon has said that he is designed to look like character actor Charles Lane.
Brandine Spuckler
Brandine Spuckler, also known as Brandine Del Roy and voiced by Tress MacNeille, is the wife of Cletus Spuckler.
Brandine and Cletus are both stereotypical representatives of so-called “trailer trash.” Brandine and Cletus were married by Homer Simpson despite the fact that they are oft-insinuated to be related (siblings, cousins, each other's parents, and aunt/uncle)[7] She has suffered from rabies and admitted to being illiterate. She has 39 children. She once interviewed for a job as a stripper, although she refused to wear the combat boots that her husband had found, stating she did not want to scuff the topless dancing runway. She also has apparently worked at Dairy Queen at some point, which she referenced in refusing to wear a shirt Cletus gave her, citing she had to wear “the shirt what Dairy Queen give me.” In “Yokel Chords,” it was shown that Brandine was in Iraq, fighting in the Iraq War. She came back to stop Cletus’s exploitation of their children, and to tell him that he was only the father of the two untalented kids, casting doubt over the paternity of the 37 other Spuckler children.
Charlie
Charlie is the Dangerous Emissions Supervisor of Sector 7-G. He is one of Homer Simpson’s friends and was involved in the fake emergency exit incident in 1993. After informing Mr. Burns of the need for a real emergency exit as opposed to the one painted on the wall, he got sucked into a tube that took him to a room where he was forced to dance for cackling men in turbans. In his absence, Mindy Simmons briefly took his place, but got fired afterwards. His first appearance was in "Life on the Fast Lane", when after Homer leaves the table during lunch he says, "Domestic problem". He is occasionally seen in Moe's Tavern drinking. In "King-Size Homer" he was briefly disabled as stated by Lenny after Homer notices he is not at the plant. However, he is well and healthy at the end of the episode. He tells Homer (while Homer is working for the FBI) that he has a plan to overthrow the government because they are not making HDTV happen soon enough, and is promptly arrested for conspiracy. In "Homie the Clown" he, along with other employees, were set on fire due to Homer's negligence. Charlie has spoken in very few episodes, but has been seen in the background more. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who said that he was "doing an imitation of Lenny".[8]
Coach Lugash
Lugash, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a gymnastics instructor who has his own gym. He has a thick Romanian accent and has appeared in two episodes, premiering in "Children of a Lesser Clod". His origin is a bit mysterious as he says that he came into the United States in 1983 by cartwheeling over the Berlin Wall. However, another character in a later episode claims that he defected into East Germany. Later in "Little Girl in the Big Ten", he teaches Lisa gymnastics so that she won't fail gym. His harsh but effective training techniques helped Lisa to achieve a high standard of gymnastic ability. He also has a habit of confiscating his students' cats and dogs, only giving them back when the student has accomplished a physical task.
Cookie Kwan
Cookie Kwan, voiced by Tress MacNeille, is an Asian American realtor. She touts herself as being “number one on the West Side,” although she also works on the East Side. Her first appearance was in episode 5F06, “Realty Bites,” in which she worked at Lionel Hutz’s Red Blazer Real Estate office. She has a prominent gold tooth. She is very aggressive toward anyone whom she deems a threat to her business (she once warned Marge to “stay off the West Side!”), and once said to Gil Gunderson “Were you talking about the West Side?” to which he responds “No, Cookie, I swear! I’m-I’m scared of you.” In Large Marge it is shown she was infatuated with Homer. She is well known to be friends with Lindsey Naegle. She is a member of the Springfield Republican Party.
Crazy Cat Lady
Eleanor Abernathy, known as the Crazy Cat Lady and voiced by Tress MacNeille, is a woman with the appearance and behavior of a stereotypical mentally ill person. She is an animal hoarder and is always surrounded by a large number of cats. In nearly every appearance she screams gibberish or throws live cats at passers-by. Kent Brockman revealed the Crazy Cat Lady’s true name, Eleanor Abernathy, during an interview in the episode “See Homer Run.”
She first appeared in the ninth-season episode “Girly Edition,” in which she pelted Lisa with cats during Lisa’s news segment at Kidz Newz. In the episode “I, D’oh-Bot,” the Simpsons’ family cat Snowball II dies and after adopting two more short-lived cats, the Crazy Cat Lady appears and gives Lisa a cat that looks exactly like Snowball II. In the episode Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass, the Cat Lady enjoys “brief moments of lucidity” after taking psychoactive medication. She abruptly resumes her usual bizarre behavior when Marge mentions that the “pills” are actually Reese’s Pieces.
Even without medication, she appears to be very intelligent. In an episode in which Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby is impeached, she runs for the mayor's office. During a candidate debate, she is asked what public-policy issues are important to her; unlike the other candidates (who act as stereotypical dishonest politicians,) Abernathy discusses issues such as health care and public education in between her screams and gibberish. In “Springfield Up,” it is revealed that Eleanor earned an MD from Harvard Medical School and a JD from Yale Law School- both by age 24. In one scene, Eleanor is representing a client in open court and asks to be excused to deliver a baby. However, eight years later, she exhibits signs of alcoholism due to stress, and she has become very attached to her pet cat; she suggests that she might get another one. After an additional eight years, she has assumed her present appearance and behavior.
In Yokel Chords it shows she is an artist. She dips a cat in paint, and throws it against a canvas painting.
In The Simpsons Movie, she is portrayed briefly.
Dave Shutton
David “Dave” Shutton, voiced by Harry Shearer, is a newspaper reporter who works for the Springfield Shopper; he wears a fedora similar to those worn by reporters of the 1940s. He first appeared in “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish” which probably also was his most relevant appearance. He later was seen in the episodes “Radio Bart,” “Lisa the Beauty Queen,” "Rosebud," and “Old Yeller Belly.” Kent Brockman seems to hold him in slight contempt, possibly because they work in different news media; in “Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)” Shutton arrives at a scene and asks what’s going on, and Brockman replies “Oh, do your research, Shutton!” In both “Three Men and a Comic Book” and “$pringfield” he is disturbed while telephoning. Shutton has not made any speaking appearances since season 14's Old Yeller Belly.
Eddie and Lou
Eddie and Lou are police officers with the Springfield Police department. Neither of their surnames have ever been shown. In The Frying Game, Lou says that they don't have surnames, much like Cher. Lou is the police sergeant. He claims to have gotten into law school, but couldn't afford the tuition, and he was married to a woman named Amy. Eddie rarely speaks, though he is always there at every case with Lou and Chief Wiggum. Lou complains occasionally that Eddie Shmukler has been seeing his ex-wife, causing Chief Wiggum to act as mediator. In Separate Vocations, Eddie admits he loves being a cop because it makes him feel like he is "making a difference".
God
God, voiced by Harry Shearer, has had many appearances in the series, including "Homer the Heretic", "Thank God It's Doomsday", and a quick scene with him, Buddha, and Colonel Sanders in "Pray Anything". He is portrayed in the traditional depiction of the Abramatic God in the Western world; a grey-haired Caucasian man in a white robe with a booming voice; however, his face is only seen in the opening sequence for "Treehouse of Horror XVI". In all other episodes, only his beard is seen. His body is usually surrounded by a glowing light, though not always. He doesn't seem to be all-knowing; for instance, when referring to his son, he stated that he didn't know "what you people did to him" but "He hasn't been the same since". One of his most distinctive features is that he is the only Simpsons character to be drawn with five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot, with the exception of a brief portrayal of what the Simpson kids would look like as normal people.
God's most recent appearance was in the season 17 episode "Bart Has Two Mommies", in which Maude Flanders was seen looking down on her boys from Heaven. She was then joined by Bob Hope and then by God himself, who chuckled, "Why did I wait 100 years to get you up here?", referring to Bob Hope, not Maude.
Helen Lovejoy
Helen Lovejoy, voiced by Maggie Roswell and Marcia Mitzman Gaven (while Roswell was involved in a pay dispute) is Rev. Timothy’s judgmental, moralistic, and gossipy wife and the mother of the rarely seen Jessica Lovejoy.
She introduced herself in the episode “Life on the Fast Lane” as “the gossipy wife of the minister.” (Timothy Lovejoy does not support or condone his wife’s gossipy habit, at one point saying “Oh Helen, call off your dogs.”) Helen’s catchphrase, delivered in times of civic crisis (moral or otherwise), consistently asks, “Will someone please think of the children?” In the episode “Marge in Chains”, she promises to “use [her] gossip for good instead of evil.” When she was younger, she went to Camp Land-A-Man with Marge Simpson, Patty and Selma Bouvier, Luann Van Houten, and Cookie Kwan. She also was seen in "You Kent Always Say What You Want" telling Marge she had some juicy gossip, only to be told to "save it."
In "Marge Gamer" it's shown her marriage with Timothy is troubled. While her daughter Jessica was running down the soccer field to shoot a goal, she quotes, "Get it in sweetie! Save our troubled marriage!"
Herman
Herman, voiced by Harry Shearer, is the owner of Herman’s Military Antiques. He dresses in military fatigues. He has only one arm; he claims to Bart that the other arm was lost by sticking it out of the window of a moving bus, although the writers had originally intended for him to give a different reason each time he appeared. His voice is similar to that of George H. W. Bush, and he is based on Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder. A brilliant military tactician, Herman was instrumental in Bart’s victory in water balloon combat against Nelson and in the negotiation of the peace treaty between the two combatants in Bart the General.
He is friends with Abraham Simpson, to whom he sold a fez hat, claiming it was previously owned by Napoleon, after briefly owning “the hat McKinley was shot in.” He also tried to sell counterfeit jeans out of the Simpsons’ garage, but was foiled by Marge Simpson, though he was not put in jail because the evidence was stolen by the Springfield PD. He once captured Chief Wiggum and Snake and held them hostage (in an homage to a scene from Pulp Fiction), but was thwarted (accidentally) by Milhouse Van Houten wielding a flail.
Intended to be a more major character, he is rarely seen in modern episodes.
Hyman Krustofski
Rabbi Hyman Krustofski (voiced by Jackie Mason) is the father of Krusty the Clown. His first appearance was in “Like Father, Like Clown.” Krusty started to miss his long estranged father, who had abandoned him because Krusty wanted to become a Clown instead of a Rabbi. Bart and Lisa noticed this and did everything they could to convince the Rabbi to see his son, but he proved to be a stubborn man. They tried to beat him at his own game and quoted Jewish scripture that suggests he reunite with his son, however he easily countered this with Talmudic interpretation and alternate Bible verses. Lisa, out of ideas, suggests using a Sammy Davis, Jr. quote, which works and the Rabbi reunites with his son during the show. His second major appearance would be in “Today I Am a Clown” in which Krusty would decide to get a Bar Mitzvah and has to go to his father. In preparation, Krusty becomes a devout Jew and is later fired from his show. In a move of desperation, he decided to televise his Bar Mitzvah. It proved to be extremely successful, but was a disappointment to the Rabbi. In the end, Krusty decided to have a real Bar Mitzvah in a real Shul, which pleased his father. This would be the last appearance in which he was voiced by Jackie Mason. Jackie Mason voices the character in “Like Father, Like Clown” and “Today I Am a Clown.” All other appearances are voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He would make a brief cameo appearance in “Homer’s Triple Bypass,” and later in the episodes “Simpsons Christmas Stories,” “Treehouse of Horror XVII”, and “On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister.”
Jack Larson
Jack Larson is a slick spokesman for Laramie Cigarettes and once owned the Springfield Isotopes. He also was the spokesperson in a commercial for the Little Miss Springfield pageant, with Laramie cigarettes as the main sponsor. This advertisement was seen by Homer while watching TV at Moe’s, as seen in the season four episode, “Lisa the Beauty Queen.” Lisa did not win but was given the position after the first winner was struck by lightning. This was because the crown and scepter conducted electricity. He was also seen in “Bart the Murderer,” calming the crowd after a truckload of Laramie Cigarettes were stolen by Fat Tony and the Springfield Mafia.
Jasper Beardley
Jasper Beardley (Harry Shearer) is one of the more elderly residents of Springfield. His most distinguishing trait and the origin of his name is his waist-long beard. Jasper is a veteran of World War II. Jasper also tried to avoid the draft by disguising himself as a woman and staying in Springfield to play in the local women's baseball league, along with his friend Abe, who was also avoiding the war.
Jasper was put in crude "suspended animation" in the Kwik-E-Mart's freezer, and under advice from Dr. Nick Riviera, Apu kept him frozen. When Jasper's frozen form became popular with customers, Apu started exploiting the spectacle, and transformed the Kwik-E-Mart into a special interest store dealing with weird items, or perfectly ordinary ones which had been made out to be abnormal. Jasper (or "Frostillicus," as Apu renamed him) was accidentally unfrozen, and stepped out into what he thought was a future world, just as Apu was considering selling him to the Rich Texan.
Jebediah Springfield
Jebediah Obadiah Zachariah Jedediah Springfield is the purported historical founder of the town of Springfield. Springfield had many famous quotations, such as “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man,” and was well known for his silver tongue (literally; a metal prosthetic tongue, his original tongue having been bitten off by a Turkish pirate in a grog house fight).
Springfield led a band of wagons westward along with his partner Shelbyville Manhattan (they had misinterpreted a passage of the Bible and were looking for “New Sodom”); but they parted ways over political differences. Manhattan wanted to found a town where people could marry their cousins, but Springfield wanted a town devoted to chastity, abstinence, and a flavorless mush he called "root-marm." Manhattan went on to found the rival town of Shelbyville. In the winter of 1807, Jebediah reportedly built Springfield’s first hospital alone out of wood and mud.
On an expedition to Springfield’s historic “Fort Springfield,” Bart Simpson uncovered inconsistencies in the Jebediah legend. In “Lisa the Iconoclast,” Lisa Simpson proved that “Jebediah Springfield” was a bloodthirsty pirate and enemy of George Washington named Hans Sprungfeld, who had changed his name in 1795 to hide his identity. Before he died, he wrote his confession on a scrap of paper that formed the “missing piece” of the famously incomplete portrait of George Washington.
Springfield is said to have dramatically killed a bear with his bare hands, though revisionist historians have determined the bear in fact probably killed him. A statue of this sits in the center of the Springfield town square, in front of the city hall. He is also said to have once tamed an untamable buffalo (although he later secretly admitted that it had already been tame; he merely shot it). The Springfield Marathon commemorates an occasion on which he ran across six states in order to avoid his creditors. In “The Telltale Head,” Bart beheaded the statue, thinking that this would make him more popular. In reality, the town became depressed and angry, leaving Bart to endure “The Tell-Tale Heart”-style guilt before replacing it.
Jebediah Springfield is probably based on the historical Jedediah Smith, an American hunter who explored the Rocky Mountains region around 1830.
Judge Constance Harm
Judge Constance Harm is voiced by Jane Kaczmarek. A harsh, unforgiving disciplinarian, her name is a play on “constant harm,” probably because she enjoys creating cruel punishments for criminals in her court. She is a parody of Judge Judy.
Harm seems to have a particular disdain for the Simpson family, resulting in cruel and unusual punishments which often serve as plot devices. She lived in a houseboat until Homer Simpson sank it with a large piece of concrete after attempting to kill her and shouting “Lord, guide this cinder block!”
In one particular episode, the question arose of whether she was a transsexual. She spoke about how Bart Simpson reminded her of herself, when she "was a little boy". This statement was then followed by an odd but forced look between Marge and Bart, and Snake's comment of "Umm... Did she just say she used to be a dude?"
Judge Harm is one of the newest recurring characters. She was first introduced in season 13 (although the episode was part of the season 12 production code) and appeared in six episodes over four seasons. She did not make any appearances in season 17, and in the 18th season, she appeared in the episode "Rome-old and Juli-eh" to tell Homer that he could not file for bankruptcy. Usually Judge Snyder resolves court cases, but Judge Harm has mainly been used for handing down negative verdicts, such as sentencing a family member to prison. She is to be killed in Treehouse of Horror XVIII.[citation needed]
Judge Roy Snyder
Judge Roy Snyder, voiced by Harry Shearer, is a judge in Springfield. Starting off as stern and no-nonsense (with a grudge against Lionel Hutz for running over his son repeatedly), Snyder later became known for his lenient punishment. Judge Snyder also bears a resemblance to Judge Robert Bork as well as Judge Joe Brown. In earlier episodes he has yellow skin; in Bart Gets Hit by a Car his name is Moulton; his usual name may be an allusion to Judge Roy Bean.
He was seen in Ned Flanders’s film, Tales of the Old Testament, as King Solomon, cutting himself in half after realizing he had just killed a baby.
Judge Snyder has a clown figurine on his desk. In one episode, he came back from vacation, placed the clown on his desk, and said, “Well, I’m back from vacation,” just as Judge Constance Harm was about to bang her gavel, making the sentence (sending Bart to juvie) final. “No, it’s too late. I’ve already put my clown down,” Judge Snyder replied. Judge Harm tried to argue but Judge Snyder sternly replied, “The clown is down,” and proceeded to dismiss Bart’s case after Lisa requested “motion to declare writ of boys will be boys.”
The judge was partly responsible for Springfield’s ban on sugar (along with Marge Simpson), since he approved the ban. He did it for revenge against the sugar company for making him overweight. He revoked it after realizing he had wildly exceeded his authority.
Lindsey Naegle
Lindsey Naegle (voiced by Tress MacNeille) first appeared in the episode “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show.” In this episode her character was simply referred to as “Female Network Executive,” and had brunette hair instead of her usual blonde hair. She later returned in “Girly Edition.” In “They Saved Lisa’s Brain,” the character was introduced as Lindsey Naegle, a member of the Springfield Mensa Society and head of Advanced Capital Ventures, specializing in synergy and books on how to cheat at bridge. She is an alcoholic (she says so matter-of-factly to Homer when she appears in Moe’s Tavern). Also, in Days of Wine and D'oh'ses, it's revealed she's the head of the Alcoholics Anonymous branch in Springfield, and she says "So we all know why we're here - to be sober .. and to network!"
Over the course of the series, Lindsey has popped up in several capacities, seemingly working at a different job in every episode. Job titles have included the aforementioned network executive, as well as marketing researcher, financial planner (making a point that she wasn’t a financial consultant), public relations consultant, venture capitalist, advertising executive, and executive with the Child Development Group. After she introduces herself (again) to Homer and Marge in the episode “Blame It on Lisa”, Marge says, “We’ve met you many times, Ms. Naegle; why do you keep switching jobs?” To which Lindsey flatly replies, “I’m a sexual predator.”
In Large Marge it is shown she and Cookie Kwan are friends, and are both infatuated with Homer.
Naegle once dated Ned Flanders, but the date was interrupted by Naegle receiving a fax (from a fax machine strapped to her leg) which indicated she had been indicted. She is an enthusiastic practitioner of the childfree lifestyle, and at one point spearheads a movement to make Springfield less child-friendly. Once romantically linked with Judge Roy Snyder, she is a graduate from the Wharton Business School. She is a stereotypical upper management executive, and her ventures almost always promote the business buzzword “synergy.”
Luigi Risotto
Luigi Risotto, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the proprietor of the local Italian restaurant, which is closed on Mondays. He is a parody of the “Italian pasta/pizza chef” stereotype (and in fact is on a bowling team called “The Stereotypes” along with Cletus Spuckler, Captain Horatio McCallister, and Groundskeeper Willie), but seems to be aware of his status as a stock character. He often treats his customers rudely, insulting and belittling them; at times under his breath, at other times in a conversational tone, and sometimes shouting the slurs to the (unseen) chef Salvatore. In the DVD commentary, it is mentioned that Luigi was copied exactly from a pizza box, which is why he looks somewhat different from the other Simpsons characters.
He appears in the episode “Two Dozen and One Greyhounds,” in a scene parodying Lady and the Tramp, where he gives Santa's Little Helper and his girlfriend a plate of spaghetti, and says “Take it, it fell on the floor.”
His surname is a reference to the Italian food risotto. He does not actually speak Italian, only “fractured English,” as did his parents (although he speaks with an Italian accent). Luigi may be an illegal immigrant because he disappeared during an immigration officer’s introduction at Luigi’s restaurant and took the citizenship exam with Apu. In "Homerazzi", Marge had read a magazine while talking to Homer, and on the cover it said that "Friends pray for Luigi's death." in which it showed a picture of him on a hospital bed, saying that he could die. However, he was seen alive and well again in Crook and Ladder.
Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon
Manjula (voiced by Jan Hooks, Tress MacNeille in “The Sweetest Apu”) is Apu’s wife and mother of their octuplets. She was arranged to be married to Apu when she was eight (as depicted in The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons) and Apu was to set out to America for college (as depicted in “Much Apu About Nothing”). She also works at the Kwik-E-Mart. She claims that Fried Green Tomatoes is her favorite book, movie, and food. She has excellent culinary abilities, demonstrated by her ability to make a wide variety of dishes using only chickpeas, lentils, and rice.
In “The Sweetest Apu,” Apu has an affair with a Squishee lady. After Homer discovers this, he and Marge reveal their discovery to Apu, who eventually caves into the guilt and vows to apologize to Manjula. Manjula, however, already knows and kicks Apu out of the house. With some help from the Simpson family, she eventually agrees to give Apu another chance after he completes an often-vengeful list of grueling tasks fashioned by Manjula. Since then, their relationship has been strained, with the couple been seen attending marriage counseling. Homer seems to think her name is “Apulina.” Once, when the two were arguing in Hindi, he commented he thought “Manjula” is the name of a spaceship. He also misheard her name to be “Mint Julep.”
Manjula is known to get frustrated and twitchy when reminded of Apu cheating on her. For instance, in Large Marge, Marge is afraid Homer will cheat on her like how Apu cheated on Manjula. Manjula, who Marge was walking with, frowned and put up a dark look. Then when Marge asked what could she do to prevent Homer from cheating on her, Manjula lost her temper and started grabbing and tugging at Marge's fat, screaming about how Marge should pay attention to her own body.
Marvin Monroe
Dr. Marvin Monroe (voiced by Harry Shearer) is a 50 year-old goofy, strangled-voiced local psychiatrist, who was once Mr. Burns’ therapist. His first appearance was in the first season episode, There's No Disgrace Like Home, although he also appears in an episode produced earlier but aired later, Some Enchanted Evening. Monroe also promoted a series of subliminal weight-loss audio cassettes and wrote some books, such as I’m OK, So Why Aren’t You? There was a plot conceived for Marvin in the early years: Marvin’s real name was actually Marilyn (making him Marilyn Monroe), and due to constant teasing he changed his name and became a psychiatrist. This plot was confirmed by Matt Groening[9], but it was never actually used. Monroe was thought to have died during "The Springfield Connection", with the first indication of his death being a “Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital” in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)". The 138th episode retrospective confirmed Monroe’s death during “the past year” and subsequent episodes showed his grave and a school gym named in his memory. After a ten-year hiatus, Dr. Monroe made a brief appearance in the season 15 episode “Diatribe of a Mad Housewife,” claiming to have been “very sick.” The reason that the creators wrote Dr. Marvin Monroe out of the series for that long was that Harry Shearer complained that doing the voice was hurting his throat.
Mary Bailey
Mary Bailey is Springfield's state governor, voiced by Maggie Roswell. She ran against Mr. Burns in Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish, winning in a landslide after Marge served Mr. Burns a Three eyed Fish. From her appearances on the show, it is implied that she is a progressive, and given Mr. Burns' membership in the Republican Party, Bailey is presumably a Democrat. She was Mayor of Springfield before Joe Quimby.
Mary Bailey would later appear briefly in the episode Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade when Bart and Lisa's class visit Capitol City. They show Bailey their class projects (designing a new State flag). Mary Bailey yells in disgust after seeing Lisa's flag, redesigned to look like a butt with "Learn to Fart" underneath. Another episode she is in is The Seven-Beer Snitch where a prison is built out of a defunct concert hall, and she seems to still be the State Governor.
Mr. Costington
Mr. Costington (voiced by Hank Azaria) is the chairman of Costington’s department store, and Springfield Mall. He is an insensitive, rude and obese multi-millionaire. He first appeared in season nine's episode "Trash of the Titans", where he came up with a bogus "Love Day" sale, and later in "Homer vs. Dignity". His appearance resembles actor Ed Asner.
He is one of very few characters on the show to actually have eyebrows.
Costington's catchphrase is "You're fiiired!" which he uses every time he fires employees. While he is saying this, he shakes his big cheeks. In "The Boys of Bummer", when he hires Homer, he says "You're hiiired!". Homer has worked for him on three occasions: as the Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa Claus, as a mattress salesman, and a model for top-brand Jeans. He also seems to have employed the Yes Guy for he works at the shop most of his appearances.
In "Crook and Ladder" it was shown his home was on fire, and Homer, Moe, Apu, and Skinner had robbed all his merchandise.
He has a unnamed daughter who happens have a striking resemblance to him. As seen in "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2", he had said "You Niiitwitt!" To Gil. Surprisingly, his daughter said (in the exact same tone, but higher pitch): "Yeah! You Niiitwitt!"
Mrs. Glick
Mrs. Glick, originally voiced by Cloris Leachman and later by Tress MacNeille, is an elderly shut-in for whom Bart did chores in "Three Men and a Comic Book", and didn't get paid very well, so that he started to hate her. She had a brother named Asa, mentioned in the same episode, who died during World War I; he was killed by his own grenade, which he held for too long. Doctor Hibbert confessed to once leaving his car keys inside her in "Bart's Girlfriend". She is occasionally seen in the background of various episodes, often laughing toothlessly. She also owns a candy dish that she boldly declares can only be used for storing candy, as seen in "Two Bad Neighbors".
Ms. Albright
Ms. Albright, voiced by Tress MacNeille, teaches Sunday school at the local church. She speaks with a Southern accent and appears to be somewhat intolerant; when referring to Bart when he was tempted to convert to Roman Catholicism, she said “I heard he’s Catholic now.” She is occasionally seen in the background of various episodes as well as in Church scenes (such as in “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star”).
Miss Springfield
Miss Springfield (voiced by Pamela Hayden), is a beauty pageant winner, who first appears in "Whacking Day". She is the lover of Mayor Quimby, and is seen several times in bed with him. She only appears with the tape and the crown of Miss Springfield.
Also, Mayor Quimby has another lover, who looks similarly like Ms. Springfield. However, the latter had straight blonde hair and was illiterate, dubbed as the "Illiterate Blonde Woman". In the episode "See Homer Run", the "Illiterate Blonde Woman" was in his office, wearing the tape and crown of Miss Springfield. It is hereby assumed that the "Illiterate Blonde Woman" always seen in bed is Miss Springfield.
Old Jewish Man
The Old Jewish Man, sometimes simply called the Crazy Guy or Crazy Old Man, is often seen with Grandpa Simpson and Jasper. He often yells at people and is sometimes seen owning a Pep Boys-esque store (in the Halloween story "Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores"). He once had a brief period of stardom after his act of dancing on a street corner singing "The Old Gray Mare" with his pants down became a hit on television. He speaks with a stereotypical Jewish accent, and Mayor Quimby called him 'Old Jewish Man'. A list of heart recipients in "Homer's Paternity Coot" listed him as "Old Jewish Man". He also curses in Yiddish in one episode. He is apparently friendly with Krusty the Clown and Krusty's father, as the three of them have been seen walking along a street singing the ditty "Even though we're not gentile / We'll get together for a while" at Christmas.
In Natural Born Kissers, he was revealed as having worked as a studio executive during the making of Casablanca, having hacked on a later suppressed happy ending, with a question mark that left the door open for a sequel. He observes that the quality of studio management has changed over the years. At the time of the Casablanca blunder, they "was just dopes in suits. Not like today!" He diplomatically left unstated whether the difference is that studio executives are more intelligent now, or that they no longer wear suits.
Old Rich Lady
The Old Rich Lady has been a recurring character since Season 8's "Burns, Baby Burns".
In "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" a darker side is shown to the Old Rich Lady. (Homer pushes her and she remarks "Well really! I hope someone stabs him in the eye...")
Despite being shown in New York in one episode, she primarily appears at Springfield social events, often being shocked by the events. She is generally seen with her husband, who frequently breaks his monocle. She also has a daughter, as seen in "Burns, Baby Burns".
Patches and Poor Violet
Patches and Poor Violet are two orphans who are occasionally seen around Springfield. Patches is voiced by Pamela Hayden and Poor Violet is voiced by Tress MacNeille. Introduced in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace,” they have since had cameos in “I’m Goin’ to Praiseland” and “Simple Simpson.” Poor Violet often has a cough, while Patches seems to vaguely resemble Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Their skin colour is not the “healthy” yellow of the Simpson family. In the Simpsons Comics, the family accidentally adopted Poor Violet and she spent one month with the family. Meanwhile, Patches showed Bart around the orphanage.
Princess Kashmir
Shauna Tifton also known as April Flowers and Princess Kashmir is an exotic dancer. Using his toy spy camera at a restaurant, Bart catches Homer drunk and cavorting with a belly-dancer named Princess Kashmir. When he gets the photo developed, it is photocopied and distributed all over town, ruining Homer’s reputation and nearly wrecking his marriage to Marge, who kicks Homer out of the house.
Homer manages to apologize to Marge, but fearing that Bart may be learning a bad lesson about how to treat women, Marge demands that Homer introduce Bart to the Princess so he can learn that women aren’t sex objects. Shauna once dated Apu before his marriage to Manjula and was seen with his brother Sanjay. She is also a member of the Homewreckers bowling team, as seen in Team Homer. As an in-joke, she was seen dancing in the burlesque house in Bart After Dark (Homer went to pick up Bart from the house, but Kashmir’s dancing lured Homer in to watch). She’s also a regular on Springfield Squares and also appears in the mob in "The Simpsons Movie".
Rich Texan
Rich Texan (both name and description), voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a stereotypical rich, callous but gregarious business owner. He is an active member of the Springfield Republican Party and speaks with a heavy Texan drawl. In the fifth season episode “$pringfield” (his debut), Homer addresses the Rich Texan as Senator. Rich Texan sports a bolo tie and a white cowboy hat. He is also obsessive-compulsive, as revealed in “The Seemingly Never-Ending Story.” He has stated he enjoys moonlight walks on the beach; in the same episode he held Homer and Moe at gunpoint while forcing them to walk along with him after being conned by the two. He is well known for pulling out a pair of revolvers and firing them into the air while yelling "Yee Haw!" whenever he is happy or excited, and once in "Pray Anything" he went over the top and lost his mind after doing something generous to Ned Flanders. He has been to jail at least once when one of his stray bullets hit a Texas Ranger. The police made him switch to blanks, but he noted that "They just don't feel the same".
His many assets and business ventures include:
- A dude ranch called “The Lazy I” (formerly a nudist colony called “The Wandering I”)
- The Omni-Pave Corporation (“sensitive to all your (our) eco-concerns”)
- She’s the Fastest, a female greyhound who fell in love with Santa's Little Helper
- A traveling carnival at which Homer and Bart had to work to repay a debt
- Representation of a group of oil tycoons who make foolish purchases
He has a daughter, Paris Texan, who is seemingly based on Paris Hilton.
Ruth Powers
Ruth Powers is The Simpsons’ new neighbor introduced in the episode “New Kid on the Block.” She is divorced and has a daughter, Laura Powers, who no longer lives with her. She is usually seen as a background character, sometimes in events that occurred before she moved next door (such as the baby shower for Maggie in "And Maggie Makes Three"). She nearly always wears a red head scarf.
Marge on the Lam features Ruth and Marge going on the run from the law in a stolen convertible, a parody of Thelma & Louise. Another episode features Marge taking up weightlifting, and Ruth returns as a fellow lifter who encouraged the use of steroids (she was “Miss Mexican Mafia” for three years while in prison). She was originally voiced by Pamela Reed and later by Pamela Hayden.
Sam & Larry
Sam & Larry are the two barflies usually seen at Moe's Tavern. Virtually nothing is known about them. Sam wears a cap and glasses and Larry has a balding head.
In The Homer Book though, there is a page about Sam and Larry. According to Homer, Sam is forlorn and Larry is glum. Sam has a foxhound and Larry has a hound dog.
Sam prefers Duff but Larry prefers Tartar-Control Duff. More information is also revealed in the Homer Book.
Their first appearance is Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.
Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon
Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon, voiced by Harry Shearer, is Apu’s younger brother. He has a daughter named Pahusacheta and a son named Jamshed. Sanjay occasionally runs the store with Apu, but he is not there all the time. Sometimes he skips out on his shift, which aggravates Apu to no end. He is also hinted to be a nudist like Apu. He has been seen with Princess Kashmir.
In a deleted scene in “The Springfield Files” he took the car Mayor Quimby offered to the first alien to come to Springfield. Quimby then detonated a bomb in the car. In “Lisa the Beauty Queen,” his daughter, Pahusacheta, enters the Little Miss Springfield beauty pageant along with Lisa Simpson. She performs a traditional Indian version of “MacArthur Park,” and Apu and Sanjay were the only ones clapping at the end while every one else was sleeping.
Sarah Wiggum
Sarah Wiggum (Born Sarah Kanickee), (voiced by Pamela Hayden) is the wife of Clancy and mother of Ralph and sister of Fred Kanickee (deceased). She met her future husband when she was arrested by him, after he planted crystal meth on her to make her “notice” him. Clancy's pet name for her is "Poppin Fresh" based on the Pilsbury Dough Boy. She might be an alcoholic, as hinted by Ralph: “You look like my mommy after her box of wine.”
Wiseguy
Wiseguy (also known as sarcastic man, or middle-aged man), voiced by Hank Azaria, is a man with a sarcastic outlook on life. He has held numerous jobs in Springfield including: garage owner, mail man, taxi driver, gun salesman, and various shop clerks and handymen. However, his most-occurring job is a repo-man, of which (when he accidentally hurts Milhouse) he said “Ha ha! I love this job!” (in “The President Wore Pearls”). He is usually seen as a balding smoker with gray hair and a gray moustache. His voice is intended to resemble Charles Bronson, as seen when the Simpsons try to travel to Branson, Missouri, but mistakenly end up in Bronson, Missouri first. One episode gives his first name as Raphael, which Sideshow Bob called him in “Day of the Jackanapes.” He often calls people “pallie,” or “boyo".
Yes Guy
The Yes Guy (also known as The Frank Nelson-Type[10]) is a character known for bellowing “Ye-e-e-es?!” in a rising inflection, and appears to be highly eccentric in both his speech and appearance, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. During his first appearance, in “Mayored to the Mob,” Homer asked “Why do you talk like that?”; Yes-Guy’s response was “I had a stroooooooooooooooke!”
He has appeared several times working with several jobs: waiter, employee at Costington’s, Death Row guard, and ice cream man. He has been referred to by Homer Simpson as “that jerk that goes ‘Yeeeeesss!’” in “Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays.” This line was left out of the episode when it aired in the UK on Sky One in 2005, but it has appeared on subsequent re-runs.
He is a tribute to a recurring Frank Nelson character from The Jack Benny Program, I Love Lucy, and later Sanford and Son, whose trademark greeting in all his characters was a loud, drawn-out “Yeeeeesss?!” Inexplicably, the original character could always be found working behind the service counter of whatever shop Benny or Fred Sanford might be patronizing, and his Simpsonian counterpart is equally omnipresent. There was also a Brazilian version seen in the episode Blame It on Lisa, uttering a Portuguese variation of the catchphrase (“Si-i-i-i-i-i-i-m-m-m-m-m?”—meaning “yes” in Portuguese).
The Yes-Guy shares the physical characteristics of his real-life counterpart: he can be described as a rather squat, stocky man with a moustache, and black hair receding into a widow’s peak.
See also
- List of characters in The Simpsons
- List of one-time characters from The Simpsons
- List of guest stars on The Simpsons
- List of animals in The Simpsons
- Springfield Mafia
- Springfield Elementary School
- Springfield Elementary School students
- List of celebrities in The Simpsons
References
- ^ In the lines from "'Round Springfield":
Bleeding Gums: "I don't really have a family, all I had was a little brother who grew up to become a doctor. He used to laugh at the most inappropriate times."
Dr. Hibbert: "Hey I've got an older brother that I'll never see. He's a jazz musician or some such. Oh well, bye, bye." - ^ 'Round Springfield The Simpsons.com. URL accessed on 14 December, 2006
- ^ Matt Groening, DVD commentary for the episode "'Round Springfield"
- ^ Dan Higgins Biography Dan Higgins.net. URL accessed on December 15, 2006
- ^ Daryl L. Coley TV.com. URL accessed on December 7, 2006
- ^ Opening Sequence SNPP.
- ^ As suggested in "The Italian Bob", the eighth episode of the seventeenth season, by a quote from Brandine addressed to Cletus: "You are the most wonderful husband and son I ever had."
- ^ DVD commentary; episode 8F13
- ^ DVD commentary; episode 7G01
- ^ Groenig, Matt and McCann, Jesse L.: The Simpsons—One Step Beyond Forever, page 54.