The Simpsons (family)

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The Simpsons family as wax figures

The members of the fictional Simpson family are the main characters in the animated series The Simpsons . The family consists of the parents Homer and Marge Simpson and the three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie.

Homer Jay Simpson

→ Main article : Homer Simpson

Homer Jay Simpson, voiced in the original by Dan Castellaneta and in the German version until 2015, dubbed by Norbert Gastell , since then by Christoph Jablonka , is the father of Bart, Lisa and Maggie and the husband of Marge. Homer's age varies in episodes from 36 to 40 years.

The character combines several stereotypes of the American working class, such as obesity, laziness, intolerance, incompetence and thoughtlessness. The complexity of the character, who despite his origins from the lower class makes numerous notable experiences in the course of the series, contributed to the fact that he is regarded as one of the most popular humorous creations of the present in the opinion of the Sunday Times .

Because of his clumsiness, he repeatedly gets into absurd situations. He has a mixed relationship with his children. For example, he often argues with Bart and chokes him when he has done something, but also helps him when he has problems. In addition, he often undertakes a number of "projects" with his son, such as selling fat, brewing beer illegally or completing a coin collection. His relationship with Lisa is better, even if he usually does not understand her concerns or statements. But he often supports her with her plans or problems, especially because he cannot see her cry. His willingness can often be seen when Lisa asks Homer something and Homer answers with the sentence: “Yes, my darling?”. Despite his stupidity, Homer often has brilliant or philosophical moments that happen to him in a situation.

His clothes are almost always a white short-sleeved shirt, blue trousers and black men's shoes. He works at the nuclear power plant where his boss is C. Montgomery Burns . After work he goes to Moe's tavern regularly and drinks duff beer there with his friends: Barney Gumble, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson and many more.

Marge Simpson

→ Main article : Marge Simpson

The character of Marjorie "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier) is originally spoken by Julie Kavner . Until the middle of season 17 it was dubbed in the German version by Elisabeth Volkmann , after Volkmann's death in July 2006 by Anke Engelke .

Marge is Homer's wife and the mother of Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Born on October 1, 1950, but forever 34-year-old, she wears her blue hair in a high tower hairstyle. Marges standard clothing consists of a green, strapless dress, to which she wears a red ball chain. In bed, she usually wears a purple nightgown and a hood over her tower hairstyle. She spends most of her time at home and does the housework. Only occasionally does she have phases in which she breaks out of this role and - in the eyes of the others - does something completely irrational. In a few episodes, Marge also takes up a job alongside her household chores. In doing so, she usually shows considerable skill, e.g. B. as a police officer or as a real estate agent . Because of a conflict of conscience, she is then always forced to return to her usual role.

In contrast to Homer, she is characterized as a moral and down-to-earth person and repeatedly brings her points of view into family discussions. In contrast to Lisa, however, she argues not from an intellectual, but from a practical point of view. When Homer comes up with one of his crazy ideas again, Marge is the one who thinks about the possible consequences of his actions and asks Homer to give up his plan. Most of the time, however, she fails to change his mind, which she often acknowledges with her characteristic grumbling. In her demeanor towards Homer and other people, she is otherwise mostly reserved and not very self-confident; but in topics that are important to her, she can also become an opinion leader. She can often be seen in town meetings or non-profit committees. Marge keeps the family together and is the first point of contact when problems arise.

Marge attended the same high school as Homer. At that time she had long straight hair and was a staunch feminist . Already in her youth she was interested in art and painting . That's why she also studied art. She was the only girl Homer liked. Despite the occasional quarrel, Marge still loves Homer like the first day. In her youth, Marge had a crush on Ringo Starr and painted pictures of him. She is also a fan of Tom Jones . She has several admirers, including Artie Ziff, Mr. Burns, Disco Stu, Moe and the beautiful Jaques and is therefore often described as a very attractive woman.

She was cover girl in the November 2009 US version of Playboy . The cover was inspired by the cover photo of the October 1971 issue of Playboy , on which Darine Stern can be seen. Marge as a cover girl was a Playboy campaign on the occasion of the series ' 20th anniversary . In addition, it was an attempt by the magazine's operators to encourage younger readers to buy again.

Bart Simpson

→ Main article : Bart Simpson

Bartholomew Jo-Jo "Bart" Simpson, alias Bartman, alias El Barto, is spoken in the original by Nancy Cartwright and dubbed in the German version by Sandra Schwittau . The name "Bart" is an anagram from the English word brat ( German  Quälgeist ).

Ten years old, left-handed, he is characterized as a prepubescent boy and has an inexhaustible repertoire of pranks. These range from harmless joke calls to Moe's pub (for example: is there someone named Reinsch here? ) To gross mischief that can cause serious diplomatic incidents ( Bart versus Australia ). Bart always wears an orange T-shirt, short blue trousers and blue trainers with white socks - except for scenes that take place on vacation, on public holidays or on Sundays when the family goes to church.

Bart is at war with the school. He attends Springfield Elementary School with moderate success and regularly drives the teacher Ms. Krabappel , the principal Seymour Skinner and the caretaker Willie insane. In the opening credits of each episode, Bart can be seen in detention and as a punishment he has to write a sentence that changes from episode to episode several times on the blackboard.

Bart's best friend is Milhouse , although he is more of a loser and is often beaten up by the thugs. Bart is also there for his family when necessary, even if he attacks them often enough with his pranks. He often argues with his sister Lisa and therefore takes on the role of the "bad brother", where he naturally helps his sister in some episodes and shows his true feelings for her. It often happens that they jointly solve problems of enormous importance.

Bart is a big fan of Krusty, the clown , who however never recognizes him, although Bart has already freed him from predicament several times. The Itchy & Scratchy Show also plays a big role in his life. His hobbies still include skateboarding, video games, the tree house, comics and baseball.

The four thugs Nelson , Jimbo , Dolph and Kearney , who regularly beat the meal money out of him (although they were brief friends of Bart during their first appearance in the first season) and Tingeltangel-Bob , who seeks after Bart's life, are characterized as arch enemies of Bart . because he took him to prison several times. Enmity is the subject of numerous episodes.

Bart sometimes sprays red paint from a spray can and the like. a. Skinner stinks on walls. Then he puts his signature El Barto under each of his works . The Springfield Police Department still has no knowledge of who El Barto is.

Bart also has great moments: He discovered Blinki , the three-eyed fish that was created by the ionizing radiation of the Springfield nuclear power plant. He also discovered a comet that almost destroyed Springfield ( Bart's Comet ).

His first words were "Ay Caramba" while he allegedly watched Homer and Marge having intercourse . This saying is one of the running gags in the series. It is also noticeable that Bart rarely calls Homer Dad , only Homer , which often annoys him very much. In the first four seasons there was also another running gag about Bart: Bart made joke calls to Moe and asked questions like “Is there someone here called Dünsch?”. Over time, those calls subsided and didn't show up after season four. In an audio commentary on a Simpsons episode, the producers mentioned that they were running out of ideas for the prank calls.

Lisa Simpson

→ Main article : Lisa Simpson

Lisa Marie Simpson, originally dubbed by Yeardley Smith and in the German version by Sabine Bohlmann , is the highly gifted eight-year-old daughter of the Simpsons. Her intelligence quotient is above that of 98% of the population, namely 159. With that she reaches the criterion for membership in the cafeteria and has also joined this association for gifted people. She represents the misunderstood intellectual in the family. Lisa has a yellow spiky hairstyle that makes the top of her head look like a star from any perspective. Her standard clothing in the series is a red dress without straps that ends in fringes, next to which she wears a white pearl necklace as a necklace.

Even if she studies intensively, Lisa's academic success is beyond question. At the same time, this character is designed by the authors of the series as a precocious personality with strong moral principles. She stands in stark contrast to her peers through great criticism .

Although she is only eight years old, Lisa is already very involved politically and ecologically. She is a staunch feminist and is committed to nature and animal protection . In contrast to the rest of the family, Lisa is also interested in world and socio-political interests, with a basic democratic attitude. Only sometimes does she tend to adapt to her surroundings.

In general, Lisa shows a wide range of interests in music and almost all cultural subjects. Since the episode Lisa as a vegetarian she no longer eats meat and in the episode Alone She Lacks Faith, Lisa also makes the turn to Buddhism .

Lisa loves jazz music and plays the baritone saxophone herself . She is also a member of the school orchestra. Her passion for music began at a young age. As compensation for a gifted education at a private school that was not possible (due to financial problems of the parents) Lisa should be supported musically and was allowed to choose an instrument in the presence of her father. She drowns her gloom in the melancholy sounds of jazz. When she met the virtuoso jazz musician Gum Bleeding Murphy in one of the older episodes (who produced a record, but it was unsuccessful), her fascination for jazz music experienced a further boom. Shortly before his death, she received his saxophone. Her love for the saxophone is also shown by the fact that she is expelled from the rehearsal of the school orchestra in the opening credits of the series because she plays a different song than the rest. Her favorite song is the "Broken Neck Blues". She is also a fan of Josh Groban .

At its core, Lisa is designed as a tragic character. Her great talent is counteracted by a general misunderstanding of the family and the basically stupid American adult world of Springfield. Only a fraction of Springfield's citizens think, understand, and respect them the same way. Their critical questions are answered unsatisfactorily, just as one answers children. In elementary school she hardly seems to have her own close circle of friends. In many episodes she speaks of loneliness and shows herself melancholy . Only in a few episodes are closer relationships with her peers discussed, for example she falls in love with the rowdy Nelson, which is surprising because he is clearly inferior to Lisa intellectually. Milhouse van Houten is in love with Lisa and shows her that too, but she leaves it cold.

Some originally childish character traits contrast with Lisa's precociousness . For example, one of her greatest wishes is to have her own pony. She also has a penchant for “Malibu Stacy” dolls. Just like Bart, she is a fan of the violence-glorifying children's series Itchy & Scratchy .

Lisa also usually plays an outsider role in the family . She doesn't seem to have a real connection with her father, yet she tries again and again to get his attention and love. On the other hand, she often helps Homer with her precocious advice when he's in a tight spot. These two characters could hardly be more different.

Bart and Lisa have little in common. In contrast to Bart, Lisa is committed to the school and takes her interests seriously. As a rule, she can do little with Bart's immaturity and lets him feel it. Lisa feels intellectually superior to her brother, while he tries to make use of his age-related advantage. Sibling quarrel is a common theme within the series. On the other hand, it can still happen that the two get along very well when it comes to something that interests both of them, such as Bart's joke calls to Moe or the animated series Itchy & Scratchy , which they both love . Also, "beard" was Lisa's first word.

The only person in her family with whom Lisa develops a somewhat closer relationship is her mother Marge. But Lisa ca n't do anything with the housewife role that she has lived by . Marge cannot intellectually oppose Lisa's talent and therefore mostly treats her like a small child.

Maggie Simpson

Margaret "Maggie" Simpson (original speaker: Nancy Cartwright , German language: Sabine Bohlmann) is the youngest member of the Simpson family. Their age varies between one and two years depending on the episode. Maggie has a similar jagged hairstyle as her sister, only there is a hair bow over her forehead. She wears a sleeping bag romper all day. However, in the episodes that take place in winter or in ski resorts, she wears a suit that looks like a star, but with which she cannot run much better. Apart from the sucking sound of the pacifier, there is not much to be heard from her. Her first word was "Daddy" ( In the beginning was the word, originally spoken by Elizabeth Taylor ). In the credits of the Simpsons movie, the baby speaks the English word “sequel” or in the German dubbed version “continuation”. Maggie's silence has long been an established fact of the series. Due to various coincidences, even in episodes set in the future, Maggie cannot be heard from as a teenager.

She often has “adult traits” because she understands exactly what is being said by the adults and reacts accordingly. She knows z. B., what a Biedermeier sideboard is, can put the words ice cream, rice, price or the formula E = mc² with its toy blocks and write your own name on your "Etch-A-Sketch".

The relationship with Homer seems worrying: he forgets her name more often ( “Oh, the baby / the other child” ), and she doesn't seem to be very interested in him either. Marge, on the other hand, has a close relationship with Maggie. Maggie has no special relationship with her brother. For example, she loves the television more than Bart.

Pets

Knecht Ruprecht

Knecht Ruprecht (Santa's Little Helper) , a greyhound , mostly dubbed by Ivar Combrinck , is the dog of the Simpsons and Bart's pet. He was "picked up" in the first episode It's a Hard Christmas by Homer and Bart after a greyhound race. Knecht Ruprecht was kicked out by his previous owner because he always came last in the races and is an uneducable and disobedient dog. He has a good relationship with Bart, which is put to the test in some episodes. He often does not play a major role in the consequences and is also hardly noticed by the other family members.

Original speaker: Frank Welker ; sometimes also Dan Castellaneta

Snowball

Snowball (I) was the Simpsons' first cat and got its name because of its white fur. The cat was born in 1988 and run over on Christmas Eve in 1990 by Clovis , the deranged brother of Mayor Quimby . This was followed by a black cat, Snowball II , which was given the same name in memory of its predecessor. After she too died, Snowball III (a red cat) and Coltrane ( Snowball IV , a white cat) followed, before the next one was again a black cat, again christened Snowball II to save money for a new bowl (Episode Chief Knock-A-Homer ). Snowball is even less important than Knecht Ruprecht and, once it is discussed in more detail, is considered Lisa's pet.

relationship

Simpsons

Abraham Jebediah "Abe" Simpson

Abraham Jebediah Simpson, originally dubbed by Walter Reichelt , later by Ulrich Bernsdorff , Horst Raspe , Michael Rüth and Hans-Rainer Müller , is Homer's father. He lives in the Springfield retirement home, where he also spends most of his free time. Abe is friends with Jasper, but also often argues with him. It's pretty calcified and a witness to World War II . However, his war narratives occasionally contradict each other: in one episode he was sergeant of the flying hellfish during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and almost killed Adolf Hitler ; in another episode he claims that he parachuted over Düsseldorf in 1943 and that he would have himself as of the end of the war Cabaret singer in disguise battered. In another episode he is used as a naval aviator in the Pacific War. In the episode The Literary Duet , he tells how he prevented an assassination attempt on Hitler and later had dinner with him. He was awarded the Iron Cross for his excellent failures in dealing with mines . Once he had a short night with a prostitute and, to both of them, his second son Herb came out.

He married Homer's mother, Mona Simpson, in the mid-1960s. After the disappearance of his wife, his financial situation came to an end. At that time he lived in a dirty room with a dirty ventilation shaft. He always tells - mostly fictitious - anecdotes that nobody wants to hear. However, he often falls asleep standing up after the second sentence. He is particularly popular with the rest of the Simpson clan when it comes to financial aid and inheritance, but is usually even actively ignored by family members. Although he often seeks contact with his son, which usually fails, he is much too proud later to admit "possible" fatherly feelings. Through unfortunate coincidences, Abe never met his son Herbert. In previous episodes, like all residents of the nursing home, he has a preference for the television series Matlock .

In the episode Corrida de Toro , in which Grampa Simpson becomes a bullfighter, he tells Lisa that he is 83 years old. However, this contradicts with other episodes after which he is at least the age of Mr. Burns .

Homer's father showed up relatively early, but was initially nameless and was always called Grampa for the first two seasons.

First appearance: It's hard Christmas (Simpsons Roasting on an open Fire)

Original speaker: Dan Castellaneta

Mona Simpson †

Mona J. Simpson, voiced by Inge Solbrig , is the mother of Homer Simpson and wife of Abraham Simpson. She came into contact with the hippie movement in the 1960s and was forced to go into hiding after participating in an attack on Mr. Burns' biological weapons laboratory . Abraham told Homer, who was very young, that his mother was dead. When Homer was falsely pronounced dead, Mona came to Springfield to attend his funeral. There he meets her again and thus learns that his mother is still alive. However, Mona soon goes into hiding again because the police are looking for her. But it reappears in later episodes. On the run from the police, she had the code names Mona Stevens, Martha Stewart, Penelope Olsen and Muddie Mae Suggins. She hasn't loved her husband for a long time.

In the episode Mona Leaves-a (the third episode title with a Mona Lisa pun; German title: Lebwohl, Mona! ) She dies. In her video testament, she asks Homer to scatter her ashes in the wind on a particular mountain at a particular time. Through this last post mortem of protest (performed by the Simpsons) destroyed Mona the computer system with the radioactive waste by Mr. Burns missile in the Amazon - Rainforest wanted to dispose of.

First Appearance: A Brother for Homer (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Original speaker: Glenn Close ; occasionally at smaller appearances Maggie Roswell or Tress MacNeille

Herbert "Herb" Powell

Herbert Powell, voiced by Norbert Gastell , is the half-brother of Homer Simpson and the son of Abraham Simpson and a prostitute. His parents gave the child to the Shelbyville Orphanage. Herbert was then adopted by a family named Powell. When Homer got the news that he had a half-brother, he started looking for him. Soon Homer found the address and visited him in Detroit . Herbert was the head of an automobile company. After he decided to let Homer build an "average citizen's car" and that project failed, Herbert became poor and homeless because he had invested all of his fortune in the project.

However, he came back in a later episode: when Homer won $ 2,000, Herbert stood in the door and suggested they start a new project that needed Homer's money. Since Homer's family still owed him something, they gave him the money. He invented a "baby interpreter" that made him so much money that he became a millionaire again. Homer and Herbert look almost the same, except that Herbert still has his brown hair and is slimmer.

In contrast to Homer, he takes special care of Maggie in a particularly loving and self-sacrificing way. His adoptive parents don't seem to mean much to him.

Original speaker: Danny DeVito

Bouviers

Clancy Bouvier †

Clancy Bouvier is the husband of Jacqueline Bouvier and father of Marge Simpson. Clancy is rarely mentioned in general and has a different appearance in the various episodes in which he appears in flashbacks. According to a comic from the Simpsons Illustrated series , he was killed on a roller coaster ride. In season 27 (episode Gray Haze ), Jacqueline reveals on her 80th birthday while visiting the Simpsons that he died of lung cancer . His death was known beforehand, but the cause was not known.

First Appearance: How It All Began (The Way We Was)

Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier

Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier, originally dubbed Elisabeth Volkmann and Eva Maria Lahl , is the mother of Marge Simpson as well as Patty and Selma Bouvier. Her husband, Clancy, allegedly died on a roller coaster ride, but in fact died of lung cancer. She is very disappointed in Marge, mostly in a bad mood and also wears a tower hairstyle, which is gray and not blue. The name is a reference to John F. Kennedy's wife , Jacqueline "Jackie" Lee Bouvier . Marges mother once had a relationship with Homer's father and was engaged to "Monty" Burns, which almost led to a wedding.

First Appearance: Lisa Moping (Moaning Lisa)

Original speaker : Julie Kavner

Selma Bouvier

Selma Bouvier, dubbed by Ursula Mellin in season one, dubbed by Elisabeth Volkmann up to the middle of the 17th season , then by Angelika Bender , is 41 years old, one of Marge Simpson's two older sisters, works in the driver's license registration office and is Chain smoker. In contrast to Patty, Selma had many affairs and was married to Troy McClure and Tingeltangel-Bob , among others . Her marriage to Disco Stu was annulled by Pope John Paul II . In the same episode, she also mentions having been married four times . The fact that she also has the name "Hutz" in her last name suggests that the windy lawyer Lionel Hutz must have been her second husband (before Troy McClure and Disco Stu). In An Impossible Couple , she marries Homer's father Abe (for the fifth time), but they divorced a little later, although she still keeps the name "Simpson". She married Fat Tony for the sixth and last time (so far), but divorced shortly afterwards when she found out he was already married. She also had an affair with Artie Ziff , a high school admirer of her sister Marge.

In another episode, she refused to marry Kwik-E-Mart operator Apu because his last name was too long to add to hers. She can be distinguished from her sister by her S-shaped earrings, her parted hair, the oval pearls on her necklace, and the color of her dress. Selma keeps an old iguana named Jub-Jub as a pet and in the 16th season adopted a baby from China who she calls Ling . She is also very fascinated by MacGyver - neither of the sisters let anything come of him.

First appearance: It's hard Christmas (Simpsons Roasting on an open Fire)

Original speaker : Julie Kavner

Patty Bouvier

Patty Bouvier, dubbed by Gudrun Vaupel in season one, dubbed by Elisabeth Volkmann until the middle of the 17th season , then by Angelika Bender , is Selma's twin sister. She is 41 years old, but exactly two minutes younger than Selma. She works with her sister Selma at the Springfield Driver Licensing Office. She can be distinguished from her sister by her triangular earrings, unpartitioned hair and the round pearls of her necklace. In addition, like Selma, she is a chain smoker and loves MacGyver from the television series of the same name.

She almost married the headmaster Skinner, but out of love for her sister she didn't. In season 16 , Patty came out as a lesbian. Marge was irritated by this, but Patty said you could have seen this from space. Even before that, there were hints for the viewer. At a parade of gays and lesbians, her croaky voice could be heard from a closet (reference to “ coming out of the closet”, literally: “ coming out of the closet”), and in a Halloween special she says she is naked when Homer is Running through the house sees that the last remnant of her heterosexuality has been lost. The episode Drum Check Who Ties Forever , in which she wants to marry her friend Veronica, but it turns out that she is actually a man, was an allusion to the guerrilla war over the legalization of same-sex marriages, including in San Francisco. It sparked great outrage in the United States among the religious right ("Religious Right") because it ran, like all episodes, in the evening program for children. Like her twin sister Selma, she has an aversion to Homer, who is perceived by both sisters as an unsuitable husband for their sister Marge. Therefore, there are always arguments between Homer and the twin sisters, which usually take place when they are visiting. However, these are less often open arguments than insults uttered outside the earshot of Homer or the sisters. In particular, allusions are made to the corpulence and appearance of Homer or the sisters, who are not very slim themselves.

As with her sister Selma, her unattractiveness is emphasized in some episodes, for example with very hairy legs, obesity, cigarette smoke and the need for a blackhead remover.

First appearance: It's hard Christmas (Simpsons Roasting on an open Fire)

Original speaker : Julie Kavner

Ling Bouvier

Ling is Selma's adopted daughter from China. She immediately fell in love with her "mom" and apparently gets along well with her cousin Maggie. She likes to touch Homer's eyeballs and has made many cameos after her adoption . In the episode Still Waters are adoptive it becomes clear that Selma and Patty Ling are training. She has now grown into a toddler and can already read and speak brokenly. Ling is also a virtuoso and can already perfectly play a little night music by Mozart with the violin . Patty and Selma don't like Mozart and want Ling to play Beethoven pieces . Over time, it becomes clear that Ling wants to defy her mother, but doesn't have enough experience to do so. She has an IQ of 125, just four points less than Maggie, who, on the other hand, cannot read.

First Appearance: The Smiling Buddha (Goo Goo Gai Pan)

Web links

• Character guide
• Site with a lot of interesting information about the Simpsons
• Extensive figure list of snpp.com (Engl.)
• Figures (Engl.)
• FIG list of the original sound (Engl.)
• "Official Resident Archive " of Springfield Town Hall on thesimpsons.com (English; Flash Player required)
• Family tree Simpson (Engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ In the Marge Online episode , she claims to have been born on the same day as Randy Quaid .
2. ↑ November issue - Marge Simpson becomes Playboy cover girl
3. ↑ In the episode I am with you, my son reads Bart's full name to a bailiff.