The Simpsons
Top 10 Facts
10. Mc Bain Movie
There is a full McBain movie hidden across a number of episodes, though this apparently occurred entirely by accident.
9. Family Names
Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and Patty were the names of Groening’s real life parents, sisters, and aunt.
8. Michael Jackson
The biggest guest appearance was by Michael Jackson in the 1991 episode “Stark Raving Dad”. There is some controversy about whether it’s actually him as he wouldn’t let them use his name, but it definitely was him.
7. Respect for 9/11
The episode “The City of New York vs Homer Simpson” wasn’t aired for five years after 9/11 because the episode focused too heavily on the World Trade Center.
6. Maggie Talks
In “Lisa’s First Word” we finally hear Maggie speak when she ends the episode with the word “Daddy”. This was voiced by Elizabeth Taylor.
5. Maggie Costs $$$
In the opening scene, Maggie used to ring up on the cash register as $847.63 because in 1989, that was the estimated price of raising a baby for one month.
4. D'oh!
The word “d’oh” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001 (although it’s spelled “doh”, which is said to be Groening’s spelling of choice). The word’s defined as: “Expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish. Also (usu. mildly derogatory): implying that another person has said or done something foolish.”
3. Springfield
The reason Groening called the town Springfield was because there are dozens of different cities with that name in the States (keeping fans guessing as to which state the Simpsons live in).
2. Longest Running Animated Series
In 1997, the show surpassed The Flinstones as the longest-running prime-time animated series in America.
1. President Bush condemns the Simpsons
US President George Bush once blamed the Simpsons for society's problems, claiming that American families should be less like The Simpsons and more like The Waltons.
Sources
Edds, Robin. "36 Things You Probably Didn't Know About "The Simpsons"" BuzzFeed. N.p., 16 July 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
Shiller, Rebecca. "NME Blogs | 50 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Simpsons'" NME.COM. N.p., 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.