Lisa Simpson

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Lisa Marie Simpson is a main character in the animated series The Simpsons and the second child of the family of the same name . In the original it is spoken by Yeardley Smith , in the German version it is voiced by Sabine Bohlmann . The comic book artist Matt Groening designed it because he had been commissioned by James L. Brooks to create a short series based on the comic strip Life in Hell . Groening named her after his younger sister Lisa. After the short series ran for several years on the Tracey Ullman Show , the first episode of the stand-alone series was broadcast on December 17, 1989.

Lisa is eight years old (* around August 2, 1984; compare the episode In the Beginning Was the Word ) and thus Homer and Marge's second child , Bart's younger sister and Maggie's older sister . She is highly intelligent, plays the baritone saxophone , (in older episodes tenor saxophone) became a vegetarian in the course of the series and converted to Buddhism . She is also interested in politics, for example she campaigns for human rights in Tibet . In addition to the series itself, Lisa also appeared in video games, the Simpsons movie , the Simpsons Ride, comics, and numerous merchandise.

Yeardley Smith first auditioned for Bart and Nancy Cartwright for Lisa. Since the producers thought Smith's voice was too high for a boy, it became the voice of Lisa and Cartwright the voice of Bart. In the short episodes Lisa was a kind of "female beard", later she received her own character traits and was portrayed as an intellectual personality. Because of her unusual haircut, she is considered the most difficult character in the series to draw.

The character Lisa received several awards: The TV Guide placed her and Bart in eleventh place in the list of the “50 greatest cartoon characters of all time”. The series also won the Genesis Award and the Environmental Media Award for Lisa's efforts to protect the environment . The US animal rights organization PETA named Lisa on the list of " Most Animal- Friendly TV Characters of All Time". Her voice, Yeardley Smith, won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992 for her work. In 2000, The Simpsons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

Role in The Simpsons

The Simpsons use a timeline in which the characters don't age, so Lisa is eight years old in all episodes. The episodes usually take place in the year they are first broadcast. In In the Beginning Was the Word , which appeared in 1992, the year of her birth was given as 1984. However, Homer and Marge didn't have any children in the 1990s, according to The Wild 90s . Lisa loves music, especially jazz , and plays the saxophone . Her idol and friend is the jazz musician bleeding gums Murphy, who gives her courage when she is depressed .

Over the course of the series, she is friends with several boys, including Ralph Wiggum and Nelson Muntz. Milhouse van Houten is in love with her; Lisa does not reply, however. In the Simpsons movie, she befriends an Irish boy named Colin.

Lisa is the most intellectual member of her family and is often the focus of episodes that focus on moral or philosophical issues. In terms of her political convictions she is liberal ; she works for the freedom of Tibet, for example. Although she was brought up in a Christian way, after learning the noble eightfold path , she decides on her own to lack the belief to become a Buddhist .

figure

Emergence

Matt Groening created Lisa and her family while waiting for producer James L. Brooks. Groening was commissioned to develop an adaptation of Life in Hell for the Tracey Ullman Show. Since he would have had to give up the rights to his comic strip, he invented new characters instead, which he named after his family members, Lisa Groening, for example, was the name of one of his younger sisters. On April 19, 1987, the first short episode was broadcast. At first Lisa was simply considered the "middle child" with little personality.

design

Lisa and her family are drawn in very little detail because Matt Groening assumed the draftsmen would take care of the details. However, they adopted the designs without any change. He also assumed that the drawings would only be used in black and white, so he gave Lisa jagged hair with no clear delineation from her head.

To draw their head and hair, the artists start with a circle in which there are two slightly curved lines, one horizontal and the other vertical. The intersection of these lines marks the center of the eyes. To add the hair, the vertical line is extended upwards, three tips of hair are drawn to the left and right of this line. Two more points are drawn on the back of Lisa's head, for this purpose the horizontal line is extended to the left or right, depending on which side you see the head from.

voice

Yeardley Smith at a 2007 comic convention

Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner previously worked for the Tracey Ullman Show so they became the voices of Homer and Marge. For the roles of Bart and Lisa, however, a casting was held. Nancy Cartwright auditioned for Lisa, but disliked the character's low personality and took on Bart's role. Director Bonita Pietila invited Yeardley Smith after seeing her in Living on Salvation Street . She auditioned for Bart first, but Pietila felt that her voice was too high for a boy and gave her the role of Lisa. Smith then worked with the scriptwriters to give Lisa more personality.

“It's a happy fluke. When she was cast back in 1987, I just liked the sound of her voice. She's also a great actress. In general, people who make their living doing voices on cartoons aren't always great for us. Most cartoons want things peppy and cartoony. Yeardley is able to go through moments of great emotion and wring it for all she's worth. "

“It's a happy coincidence. When she got the role in 1987, I just liked the sound of her voice. She's also a great actress. In general, people who only voice cartoon characters in their lives are not always good for us. Most cartoons want things to be peppy and cartoonish. Yeardley can experience moments with great emotions and shows what they are worth. "

- Matt Groening : on the style of Smith's voice
Sabine Bohlmann (right) at the Frankfurt Book Fair

In 1992 Smith received a Primetime Emmy Award for her vocal performance. Groening discovered certain similarities between her and Lisa: “Yeardley has strong moral views about her character. There are lines written for Lisa that Yeardley reads and says, 'No, I wouldn't say that.' ”Former Simpsons screenwriter Jay Kogen said she was“ able to move from comedy to something really strong, serious and move dramatically. "

By 1998, Smith was making $ 30,000 per episode. After the main cast demanded higher wages, Fox threatened to replace the cast. Instead, the wage dispute was settled, and Smith received $ 125,000 for each episode. In 2004 there was another wage dispute, this time $ 360,000 was demanded. The result was a reward of $ 250,000 for each episode. As of 2008, it's $ 400,000.

In the German dubbed version of the series, Sabine Bohlmann speaks the role of Lisa Simpson in all seasons. She also took over the voice of Lisa in the movie The Simpsons .

Personality development

In the short episodes, Lisa was still quite similar to her brother Bart, but without any special characteristics. At the beginning of the series, she began to develop into a smarter and more emotional person. Her intellect becomes clear for the first time in the episode The Clown with the Biedermask . Here she helps Bart catch Tingeltangel Bob. Episodes in which Lisa is the center of attention often deal with emotional topics, such as Lisa moping , in which she is shown as very sad.

As the series progresses, she becomes a permanent vegetarian . She is the first character in a primetime television series to make such a decision. Previously, executive producer David Mirkin had gone vegetarian, and screenwriter David S. Cohen incorporated some of his lifestyle experiences into the episode. The guest star Paul McCartney made it a condition of his appearance that the status quo not be restored at the beginning of the next episode, as usual, but that Lisa's change lasts permanently. Another permanent personality change is that she converts to Buddhism .

Lisa plays the baritone saxophone , which is the focus of the plot in some episodes. Matt Groening chose this instrument because he found it amusing that such an instrument would be played by an eight year old girl. Because the draftsman didn't know what it should look like, shape and color change from sequence to sequence. A trademark of the series is Lisa's saxophone solo in the opening credits, where she plays a different variation each time after she has to leave the music room. According to the composer Alf Clausen , the solos are not at the level of an eight-year-old, but rather she should be portrayed as an experienced player.

personality

“[Lisa is] a good soul. I love that she is so compassionate. She is wise beyond her years. She has remarkable optimism, despite the fact that she's disappointed so often. "

“[Lisa is] a good soul. I love that she is compassionate. She is wise beyond her age. She has remarkable optimism, despite being disappointed so often. "

- Yeardley Smith

Lisa is gifted and therefore sees herself as an outsider within her family. It shows qualities that are otherwise rarely seen in Springfield, including spirituality and commitment to peaceful intercourse. Her knowledge spans many areas, from astronomy to medicine, and she is more concerned about the world's problems than about her life in Springfield. While her rebellion against social norms is typically portrayed as constructive and heroic, she can also be self-righteous at times. After Lisa became a vegetarian, her increasing sense of moral righteousness led her to disrupt her father's barbecue . She later apologizes for it. Some episodes focus on their idealism. In Bart is My Superstar , she wants to be on the football team even though she's a girl. When the coach tells her there are already girls on the team, she claims the ball is made from pig skin, but one of the girls explains that the ball is not made of real skin and that the proceeds will be donated to Amnesty International . Lisa then sadly leaves the field.

Lisa has an IQ of 159 by Cattell scale (equivalent to an IQ of 139 to our normal changeover scale) and as a result the city of primitive boring member of the Springfield local chapter of Mensa . When the school was closed due to a teachers' strike, she suffered withdrawal symptoms due to a lack of praise from teachers. She then asks Marge to grade her. Chris Turner writes in his book Planet Simpson that these characteristics make Lisa appear more realistic because "no character [can] aspire to realism without some human error."

Despite her intellect, she also displays some childlike traits that require adult intervention. In The Globe of Isis , she gets Homer to allow her to ride the bus alone. However, she gets lost in the city and needs her father's help. Such events, according to Turner, illustrate that "even if she lectures or protest like a professor, she will never become a fully grown adult while trapped in a child's body." In the book The Simpsons and Philosophy writes Aeon J. Skoble that although Lisa is an intellectual, she is still a character interested in child and girl activities. She plays with dolls, loves ponies and watches the Itchy & Scratchy Show . He also writes: “One could argue that this is a typical behavior of children, but since Lisa is shown in so many cases not simply as a child prodigy but as extraordinarily wise, the preferences for Itchy & Scratchy and for Corey are highlighted here , this assumes greater significance. Lisa is portrayed as the role model of logic and wisdom, but then she adores Corey so that she is 'no better [than the rest of us]'. "

Lisa fears at times that her family's habits will rub off on her. In Fooling Lisa? she is afraid that the "Simpson gene " will make her less intelligent over time. She often behaves negatively towards her family: She displeases her father's poor care and clown-like personality, the stereotypical image and social unsuitability of her mother and the delinquent and intellectually undemanding character of her brother. She also fears that Maggie will develop like the rest of the family. Turner writes in Planet Simpson that “Lisa begins to seek solace for her wistful spirit [...] but the most reliable source of truth she can find is the one she has always trusted: her family. It comes from the other Simpsons that Lisa gains stability, meaning, and contentment. ”Her loyalty to her family is shown in the episode Lisa's wedding , in which she has to balance her love for them with the dislike of her cultivated groom. In Who Is Mona Simpson? Lisa meets her paternal grandmother for the first time. Like her, Mona is well-read and articulate well. The authors used the character Mona to explain the origin of Lisa's intelligence.

reception

Awards

In 2000, Lisa and the rest of the Simpson family received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

Lisa has been a popular character since the series began. She and Bart were ranked 11th on the “Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time,” published by TV Guide . Yeardley Smith won several awards for the role of Lisa, including a 1992 Primetime Emmy Award. Plus, numerous episodes have won Emmy Awards where she is the spotlight. In 2000, she and the rest of the family received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Furthermore, Lisa's sense of environmental protection has received several awards: In 2001 the figure received an Environmental Media Award. In addition, the episode Lisa as a vegetarian won both an Environment Media Award for "Best Episodic Comedy On TV" and a Genesis Award for "Best TV Comedy Series, Continuing Use". Other episodes in which Lisa campaigns for animal rights have also won Genesis Awards, including 1994 The Snake's Nest , 1995 Bart wins the Elephant! , 2007 Corrida de Toro and 2009 mad cow disease .

Cultural influence

Jonathan Gray, author of Watching the Simpsons , thinks Lisa “is possibly the best, and certainly the longest-term, feminist character on television. She is the heart of the show and she questions gender politics quite often ”. Christopher Blade of The Toledo Blade wrote: “Was there ever a female television character as complex, intelligent and emotional as Lisa Simpson? Meet her once and she seems conceited and, in one word, a pointy nose. Get to know her and is as versatile as anyone you've ever met in the real world. "

According to PETA, Lisa was one of the first vegetarian characters on main television. The animal rights organization named her in 2004 in their list of the “most animal-friendly TV characters of all time”. The environmental website, The Daily Green, honored Lisa's role in the Simpsons film with one of their Hearts of Green Awards, which “recognize those who have helped bring green to the fore.” The site justified its decision by saying that “ the young Lisa Simpson inspired a generation to wear their hearts up their sleeves and get educated and involved on global issues, from justice to feminism and the environment. ”Japanese broadcasters turned viewers' aversion to the show by marketing the Direct series on Lisa. Lisa's well-intentioned but ill-fated struggle to be a voice of reason and a good force in her family and society touched the Japanese audience. Mario D'Amato, a specialist in Buddhism studies at Rollins College in Florida, described Lisa as “open-minded, thoughtful, moral, and interested in improving in various ways while continuing to maintain childish innocence. These are all excellent qualities that are supported by many Buddhist traditions. "

The series also influenced the English language language. The disparaging term "Meh" used by Lisa and made famous by the series was added to the Collins English Dictionary in 2008 . The New York Times published an article in 1996 according to which Lisa inspired children, especially young girls, to learn the saxophone.

Merchandising

Lisa has appeared in many Simpsons publications, toys, and other marketing products. The Lisa book by Matt Groening from 2006 describes her personality and traits. Other products include dolls, posters, T-shirts and boxer shorts. She has also appeared in commercials , including Domino's Pizza , CC Lemon , Kentucky Fried Chicken , Ramada Worldwide , Ritz Crackers , Subway, and Butterfinger .

On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service introduced a five-part stamp set with portraits of the family to mark the Simpsons' 20th birthday . The Simpsons was the first television series to receive this honor while it was being produced. The brands designed by Matt Groening were sold from May 2009.

Lisa also appeared in the Simpsons Comics in addition to the television series . The comics show the more naive incarnation of her from the first seasons. She also plays a role in the Simpsons Ride , which opened in 2008 at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood .

literature

  • Nancy Cartwright: My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy . Hyperion Books, New York City 2000, ISBN 0-7868-8600-5 .
  • John Ortved: The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History . Greystone Books, 2009, ISBN 978-1-55365-503-9 .
  • Mark I Pinsky: The Gospel According to The Simpsons, Bigger and Possibly Even Better! Edition . Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky 2007, ISBN 978-0-664-23265-8 .
  • Mark I Pinsky: The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family . Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky 2001, ISBN 0-664-22419-9 .
  • Ray Richmond, Antonia Coffman: The Simpsons. The ultimate series guide 1 . Panini Books, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-897-48323-8 .
  • Aeon J. Skoble: Lisa and American anti-intellectualism . In: Irwin, William; Conrad, Mark T .; Skoble, Aeon (Ed.): The Simpsons and Philosophy: Getting Smarter with the World's Most Famous Television Family . Tropen-Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 3-932-17097-0 .
  • Chris Turner: Planet Simpson . Random House Canada, Toronto 2004, ISBN 0-679-31318-4 .
  • John (Ed.) Alberti: Leaving Springfield: "The Simpsons" and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture . Wayne State University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8143-2849-0 .
  • Alan Brown, Chris Logan: The Psychology of The Simpsons . Benbella Books, 2006, ISBN 1-932100-70-9 .
  • Matt Groening, Bill Morrison: The Lisa Book . Panini Manga and Comics, 2007, ISBN 3-866-07387-9 .
  • Matt Groening: The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album . HarperCollins, 1991, ISBN 0-06-096582-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Follow Lisa's Wedding , Season 6
  2. ↑ Episode Lisa Moping , Season 1
  3. ↑ a b Nancy Cartwright: My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy. New York 2000, pp. 35-40.
  4. ↑ Lee, Luaine: D'oh, you're the voice , The Age . February 27, 2003. Retrieved November 6, 2011. 
  5. ↑ Bart's voice tells all , BBC News . November 10, 2000. Retrieved November 6, 2011. 
  6. ^ A b Paul Freeman: Local actress finds a voice in 'Simpsons' . In: The Washington Times , November 20, 1994. Retrieved October 26, 2008. 
  7. ↑ Charles Miranda: She who laughs last . In: The Daily Telegraph , December 8, 2007, p. 8E. Retrieved February 9, 2008. 
  8. ↑ Larry Carroll, 'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To "Burns-Sexual" Smithers , MTV . October 26, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2007. 
  9. ↑ Heidi Vogt: She's happy as Lisa Simpson, although she'd like more d'oh . In: The Spokesman-Review , Associated Press, April 4, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2008. 
  10. ↑ a b c L.W. Michion: Yeardley Smith Confesses: "I Love Lisa" . In: Simpsons Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Number 5 , Spring 1992, pp. 20-23. 
  11. ↑ a b Glaister, Dan: Simpsons actors demand bigger share , The Age . April 3, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2008. 
  12. ^ Simpsons cast sign new pay deal , BBC News . June 3, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2008. 
  13. ↑ List of original speakers and voice actors for individual episodes
  14. ^ A b Rhodes, Joe: Sax and the Single Simpson . In: Entertainment Weekly . July 26, 1991. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  15. ↑ Follow Lisa as a vegetarian , Season 7
  16. ↑ a b Friends' Phoebe tops PETA's list of most animal-friendly TV characters of all time , PETA . May 4, 2004. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  17. ↑ Paul McCartney Insisted Lisa Simpson Stay VEG . ecorazzi. August 26, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  18. ↑ Sideswipe: McCartney keeps Lisa vegetarian . In: The New Zealand Herald , August 28, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2009. 
  19. ↑ Episode Just Missing Faith , Season 13
  20. ↑ a b Barron, James: A Sax Craze, Inspired by 'The Simpsons' . In: The New York Times , January 14, 1996. Retrieved March 12, 2010. 
  21. ^ Gross, Michael: Eat my lab coat . In: The Guardian , October 30, 2003. Retrieved November 22, 2011. 
  22. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from February 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mensa.ch
  23. ↑ Episode Homer Had an Enemy , Season 8
  24. ^ Episode The Teachers' Strike , Season 6
  25. ↑ a b Turner
  26. ^ Gates, Anita: Men on TV: Dumb as Posts And Proud of It . In: The New York Times , April 9, 2000. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
  27. ↑ Bugs Bunny tops greatest cartoon characters list , CNN . July 30, 2002. Retrieved August 25, 2007. 
  28. ↑ a b Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search . Emmys.org. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  29. ↑ "Simpsons" Matt Groening Receives Star On Hollywood Walk of Fame . Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
  30. ^ W. Reed Moran: Lisa Simpson animates environmental awards , USA Today . November 15, 2001. Retrieved October 17, 2007. 
  31. ↑ Awards for "The Simpsons" , Internet Movie Database . Retrieved October 17, 2007. 
  32. ↑ 1995 Genesis Awards , Humane Society of the United States . Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007. 
  33. ↑ a b 1995 Genesis Awards , Humane Society of the United States. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  34. ↑ ' Free Willy', 'Simpsons' win Genesis Awards , Rocky Mountain News . Jan. 30, 1994, p. 56A. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  35. ↑ 1994 Genesis Awards , Humane Society of the United States. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  36. ^ Yardena Arar: Films, TV Programs praised for treatment of Animal issues , Daily News of Los Angeles . January 19, 1991, p. L9. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  37. ↑ 2007 Genesis Awards , Humane Society of the United States. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007. 
  38. ^ The 23rd Genesis Awards Nominees , Humane Society of the United States. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved on February 25, 2009. 
  39. ↑ Ortved, John: The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History . Greystone Books, 2009, ISBN 978-1-55365-503-9 , pp. 86 .
  40. ↑ Borrelli, Christopher: She's not even real and she's a feminist role model liberated Lisa . In: The Toledo Blade , March 11, 2001. 
  41. ^ The Daily Green's Heart of Green Awards 2008 . The Daily Green. 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  42. ↑ Michael Hann: Meh - the word that's sweeping the internet , The Guardian . March 5, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007. 
  43. ^ Boswell, Randy: Canadian politics: The definition of 'meh' . In: Vancouver Sun , Canwest News Service, November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008 Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 21, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.canada.com 
  44. ^ Matt Groening, Bill Morrison: The Lisa Book . Panini Manga and Comics, 2007, ISBN 3-866-07387-9 .
  45. ^ Search Results for Lisa . The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  46. ↑ 10 Things You Never Knew About The Simpsons . In: Flavor wire , October 20, 2009. 
  47. ^ Szalai, George: Postal Service launching "Simpsons" stamps . In: The Hollywood Reporter . April 1, 2009. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved on May 8, 2009.
  48. ^ The Simpsons stamps launched in US . Newslite. May 8, 2009. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved on May 8, 2009.
  49. ↑ The Simpsons Get 'Stamping Ovation' To Tune of 1 Billion Stamps . United States Postal Service . May 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  50. ↑ Bill Radford: Groening launches Futurama comics , The Gazette . November 19, 2000. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009 Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved September 7, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / findarticles.com 
  51. ^ Shutt, Craig: Sundays with the Simpsons . MSNBC. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  52. ↑ MacDonald, Brady: Simpsons ride features 29 characters, original voices , Los Angeles Times . April 9, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2008.