List of recurring characters from The Simpsons
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The following are a list of fictional recurring characters in the animated television show, The Simpsons.
The list does not contain recurring characters who are also students of Springfield Elementary, staff of Springfield Elementary, recurring animals, members of the Springfield Mafia, fictional characters within the Simpsons or celebrities of Springfield.
Some characters, like Cletus Spuckler, were originally intended to be one-time characters, but ended up becoming regulars. Others in the same category include Luigi, Disco Stu, Groundskeeper Willie, Cookie Kwan and Lindsay Naegle.
[edit] Agnes Skinner
Agnes Skinner (Tress MacNeille) is an elderly widow and the adoptive mother of Principal Seymour Skinner. She is one of the earliest characters to appear on the show since 1990. She first appears in "The Crepes of Wrath" as a kindly old woman who embarrassingly calls her son "Spanky". However, as episodes progressed, the character turned bitter. The reason for Agnes' harsh behaviour and attitude is because of an incident involving Bart, who had caused the toilet Agnes' was sitting on to explode.[1][2] She is very harshly controlling of Seymour, and treats him like a mother would a small child. She loathes Edna Krabappel.[3] Agnes has married a total of four times, once with Skinner's father, and three others being tow truck drivers.[4] It is shown that several other Springfield residents (including the Simpsons) are afraid of her.[5] When Agnes's real son, "the real Seymour Skinner" (Martin Sheen) arrives in Springfield, Agnes turns him away, unhappy with her new living situation. Although she appears to not care for Skinner, it turns out she really loves him.[5]
[edit] Akira
Akira (George Takei, Hank Azaria) is one of Springfield's Japanese-American citizens, sensei of a karate dojo, owner of "The Happy Sumo" sushi restaurant and an employee at Costington's department store.[6] He helps Homer, Bart, and Lisa Simpson discover the origin of the mysterious Japanese "Mr. Sparkle" box.[7] Akira, Luigi and the Sea Captain headed an assassination on Homer for giving their restaurants bad reviews.[8] Akira was originally voiced by George Takei.
[edit] Artie Ziff
Artie Ziff (Jon Lovitz, Dan Castellaneta ("The Front")), was first seen as Marge Simpson's high school prom date with "busy hands" in the first Homer-Marge flashback episode.[9] He returns in a later episode where he is revealed to have become a nerdy, self-centered and pretentious software billionaire.[10] He offers a million dollars to the Simpsons if he would have a weekend with his childhood love, Marge.[10] Ziff returns for the last time in "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", where after he gives his broke company to Homer, Homer is taken away by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission because the company was in debt. Ziff later turns himself in (after a romantic encounter with Selma Bouvier), where he's extinguishing other prisoners' cigarettes with a spray bottle. Marge told the children to say goodbye to Artie, as they may never see Ziff alive again. He is Jewish; when Marge angrily asks if he knows why everyone hates him, he innocently says "Anti-Semitism?". [10] Ziff is based on a man named Mark Eisenberg, who went to high school with David Silverman.[11]
[edit] Baby Gerald
Baby Gerald, (also known as "the baby with the one eyebrow") is Maggie Simpson's archenemy, known for his large unibrow. He makes his first appearance in "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song," where Lisa refers 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 Simpson house, with the two babies glaring at one another. On one occasion Homer mistakes Maggie for Baby Gerald. Gerald has a history of causing large scale public incidents and was once rescued by Bart's mail-order dog, Laddie.[12] Mayor Quimby once remarks, "Baby Gerald, we can't help but wonder what mischief you'll get into next".[12] Gerald has once spilled a shovel full of sand over Snake Jailbird's face.[13]
[edit] Benjamin, Doug, and Gary
Benjamin, Doug, and Gary, voiced by Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria, and Dan Castellaneta) respectivley, first appeared in the episode "Homer Goes to College". Benjamin, Doug, and Gary are partially based on three guys Conan O'Brien, the writer of "Homer Goes to College," lived across a dorm from when he was in college who were, he said, "incredible nerds."[14] Benjamin, Doug, and Gary are nerds and dorm roomates at Springfield University.[15]
[edit] Bernice Hibbert
Bernice Hibbert (Tress MacNeille) is Dr. Hibbert's recovering alcoholic wife. She enjoys watching violent car crash movies.[16] She has two boys and a girl with Julius, and laughs like her husband. Her marriage with Julius is on the rocks.[17] Bernice refuses to kiss Julius, even when an entire audience is looking at them; Julius remarks how unaffectionate she can be.[18] Her drinking has been joked about on several occasions; she faints when along with other drinkers when she reads that prohibition had been introduced to Springfield[19] and appears in the Springfield Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.[20]
[edit] Bleeding Gums Murphy
"Bleeding Gums" Murphy (Ron Taylor, Daryl L. Coley[21]), was the jazz musician, idol, and mentor of Lisa Simpson. His significant roles were in the episodes "Moaning Lisa" and "'Round Springfield", though he made appearances including a cameo in Bart the Daredevil (where he is yellow) and appearances that are not cameos in "Dancin' Homer", "Old Money", "Flaming Moe's, "Bart Gets an F", "Radio Bart", and "Lisa's Pony". In "Dancin' Homer", he was voiced by Daryl L. Coley.[22] At one point he had come into money but he bought and consumed several Fabergé eggs, .[23] He appeared on Steve Allen's Tonight Show.[24] He had taught Lisa to display her emotions through music, prompting Lisa to hold him as an important figure in her life.[23] He finally appears in "'Round Springfield"[25] after Bart ends up in the hospital, Lisa wanders off to find him dying 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, giving 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, attends Murphy's funeral. Lisa soon learns that though he may be gone, he still is alive in her.[24] It was strongly hinted that Murphy and Doctor Hibbert are long lost brothers, most notably by the quote, "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." Hibbert then laughs innapropriately and says "Hey I've got an older brother that I'll never see. He's a jazz musician or some such. Oh well, bye, bye."[24] Bleeding Gums Murphy is loosely based on Blind Lemon Jefferson.[26] The voice of Bleeding Gums Murphy was provided by Ron Taylor, while his saxophone playing is provided by Dan Higgins.[27] As a sign of respect for the character, Murphy has been a fixture of The Simpsons opening sequence since the second season, even after his death, when Bart skateboards past him on the street.[28]
[edit] Mr. Burns's Lawyer
Mr. Burns's Lawyer (Dan Castellaneta), is Springfield's most prominent and powerful lawyer known for his blue hair, and nasal New York accent. He is one of few Simpsons characters to have a pasty-colored face. He also occasionally appears to serve as a prosecutor. Unlike Lionel Hutz or Gil Gunderson, "Blue-Hair" is a competent lawyer. He has served as Burns's head lawyer, helping him out with threats of the Power Plant closing down and of Burns losing his money. He is a member of the Springfield Republican Party. His clients often tend to be antagonists of the Simpsons. He represents The Walt Disney Company.[29][17] His largest role was when he assisted in Bart's emancipation.[30] He also represents the estates of Charles Chaplin and Jimmy Durante.[31] He is based on Roy Cohn, and a homage to veteran Charles Lane.[32] In an April 13, 2008 episode entitled "Papa Don't Leech", he helps Lurleen Lumpkin (Beverly D'Angelo) win her trial.[33]
[edit] Brandine Spuckler
Brandine Spuckler (Tress MacNeille) is the partner of Cletus Spuckler. Brandine and Cletus are depicted as stereotypical trailer trash. Throughout the series, the two are shown to be brother and sister,[34] boyfriend and girlfriend,[35] mother and son,[36] and father and daughter.[37] She is apparently the daughter of Cletus and an alien.[37] Brandine and Cletus were married by Homer.[35] and admitted to being illiterate. She once interviewed for a job as a stripper.[38] More recently, it's shown Brandine is fighting in the Iraq War.[39] She comes back revealing Cletus is the father of only two of the kids, casting doubt over the paternity of her other children.[39] She was briefly under consideration as a foster mother to Bart and Lisa.[40] Cletus treats the family pig better than her.[41] Assuming that all of the children mentioned to be Cletus's are hers, Brandine has 45 specifically named children. On April 27, 2008, more is revealed about Cletus and Brandine in an episode entitled "Apocalypse Cow"; Brandine had married Cletus at the age of 13, and had married four times before that.[42] The two name their kids after what they think they would do when they group up; Mary (Zooey Deschanel) came close to marrying Bart.[42]
[edit] Charlie
Charlie (Dan Castellaneta) works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant but his exact job is not stated. He was briefly replaced by Mindy Simmons, but she got fired afterwards. His first appearance was in "Life on the Fast Lane". He was briefly disabled.[43][44] He has a wife and two kids.[45]He has a sister with a wooden leg. Due to Homer's negligence, he is set on fire.[46] He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who said that he was "doing an imitation of Lenny".[47]
[edit] Coach Lugash
Lugash (Dan Castellaneta), is a gymnastics instructor, and has only appeared twice.[48][49] He has a thick Romanian accent, and a large, brown curled moustache. He says he came into the United States in 1983 by cartwheeling over the Berlin Wall (though in a later episode, it was revealed that Lugash defected into East Germany).[49] He is very harsh, and regularly attends anger management classes. His harsh but effective training techniques helped Lisa 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, although he once refused to give a girl her dog back and instead gave her a cat.[49]
[edit] Cookie Kwan
Cookie Kwan (Tress MacNeille), is an Asian American Realtor.[50] She is the stereotypical competitive Asian.[50] She touts herself as being "number one on the West Side", although she also works on the East Side.[50] She is very aggressive toward anyone whom she deems a threat to her business, evidenced by when she threatens Gil Gunderson.[50] She had once attempted to seduce Ned Flanders,[51] had an illegitimate baby with Mayor Quimby,[52] and flirted with Homer.[53] She is friends with Lindsey Naegle.[53] She is a Republican.[54] In her younger years, she had gone to a camp with Patty and Selma, Helen, Luann, and Marge.[55]
[edit] Crazy Cat Lady
Eleanor Abernathy (Tress MacNeille), better known as the Crazy Cat Lady, is a woman with the appearance and behavior of a stereotypical mentally ill person. She first appears in an episode where Lisa interviews her for a news segment.[56] She is always surrounded by a large number of cats, and in every appearance she screams gibberish and/or throws cats at passers by.[56] Kent Brockman later reveals her true name to be Eleanor Abernathy.[57] She gives Lisa her cat, Snowball V, who looks exactly like her original Snowball II.[58] She briefly becomes sane in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", but returns to her bizarre behaviour after Marge mentions the pills are Reese's Pieces.[59] Without medication, she is very intelligent. When participating in a mayoral election, unlike the other candidates, she discusses situations such as health care, economy, and public education in between her screams and gibberish.[57] When she was 8, she had wanted to be a lawyer,[60], when she was 16, she was studying for law,[60] when she was 24, she had earned a MD from Harvard Medical School and a JD from Yale Law School,[60] when she was 32, she shows signs of alcoholism and becomes attached to her pet cat,[60] and by 40, she assumes her present appearance and behavior.[60]
[edit] Dave Shutton
Dave Shutton (Harry Shearer), was a newspaper reporter who worked for the Springfield Shopper.[61], in which was his most relevant appearance. He was later seen in other episodes as cameo apperances.[62][29][63][64] His latest speaking appearance was in "Old Yeller Belly", when he hooks Santa's Little Helper to the world of Duff Beer. Kent Brockman didn't like him.[65][66][67] He last appeared in "Bart of War".
[edit] Dia-Betty
Dia-Betty (Tress MacNeille), is Cletus Spuckler's overweight diabetic cousin.[68] She first appears in "Sweets and Sour Marge"; after Cletus joins in Marge's lawsuit against the Motherloving Sugar Company, he reveals the reason he joined was to avenge his cousin. The scene cuts to an overweight Dia-Betty exercising and eating cake at the same time.[68] In "Barting Over", Homer unintentionally trades a real baby with a bag of sugar, prompting Dia-Betty to ask Cletus (who has the real baby) if she could pour her in her coffee.[30] She returns for the third time in "Apocalypse Cow", where she implies she wants to eat Bart and Lisa.[42]
[edit] Disco Stu
Disco Stu (Phil Hartman, Hank Azaria), is a man whose mind is mentally stuck in the disco era.[69] He is normally featured wearing a rhinestone-encrusted leisure suit. He was introduced as the punchline to a joke in "Two Bad Neighbors"; in a garage sale, Homer was trying to sell away a jacket, but the jacket, which he had tried to write "Disco Stud", couldn't fit the "D". As a result, a customer recommends it to Stu, but Stu replies, "Disco Stu doesn't advertise".[69] His speech pattern is similar to that of Duffman, also voiced by Hank Azaria; he often refers to himself as "Disco Stu" (putting a big emphasis on "Stu" and then pausing before saying anything else). According to "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", Stu actually is aware disco is dead, does not like disco music at all, and worries that his personality may make him a "one-note guy". He is a Roman Catholic, having gotten an annulment from "John Paul II" after a brief marriage to Selma Bouvier. [70] In his younger years, he had a budding career as a sea captain, going by the name of "Nautical Stu".[71] Out of 25, IGN named him the 24th Top Peripheral Character in The Simpsons.[72]
[edit] Eddie and Lou
Eddie and Lou are police officers with the Springfield Police Department. They made their debuts in "There's No Disgrace Like Home".[73] Neither of their surnames has ever been said. In "The Frying Game", Lou says that they don't have surnames, much like Cher. In "Separate Vocations" they say they like being cops because "you get to run red lights, park wherever you please, hot and cold running chicks [sic] and when you go home at night, you know you've made a difference".
Lou is the police sergeant and a competent officer of the Springfield Police. He is used as a foil to Chief Wiggum, and often takes the time to point out Wiggum's mistakes. He has been shown to have some resentment for Wiggum, and realizes his ineptness at being police chief. Initially, he was presented as a yellow-skinned character, but he was later changed to be African-American. Following his undergraduate career, Lou applied and was accepted to law school at an unspecified university, but was forced to drop out as he could not afford the tuition. At one point, before the series's inception, Lou was married to a woman named Amy. Lou was named after Lou Whitaker - a former Major League Baseball player.[73] Hank Azaria based Lou's voice on Sylvester Stallone.[74] "Bart of War" shows Lou is then divorced from his wife. He complains occasionally that Eddie has been seeing his ex-wife, causing Chief Wiggum to act as mediator. Lou's largest role was in "Stop, Or My Dog Will Shoot!", where he is featured prominently as the new owner of Santa's Little Helper. This episode reveals Lou has a girlfriend named Charquelle who had wanted to party with him. In "That 90s Show" it is revealed that he played Drums for Homer's Grunge band 'Sadgasm'. Lou is democratic ("E Pluribus Wiggum").
Eddie (voiced by Harry Shearer) is of an unknown rank, and like Lou, one of the more competent officers in the police force. He has rarely spoken in recent episodes, although he did in the early episodes.
[edit] Gil Gunderson
Gil Gunderson, sometimes referring to himself as Ol' Gil, is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. Gil is based on Jack Lemmon's portrayal of Shelley Levene in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross: a nervous, middle-aged man with the inability to hold a steady job due to strings of misfortunes that tend to hit him at the worst times.[75] Gil made his debut in the episode "Realty Bites", where he plays a hapless real estate agent much like Lemmon does in the film. Lemmon himself plays a similar part in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson". He later appears as a shoe salesman in "The Last Temptation of Krust".
Later, in "Old Yeller Belly", Gil lived at the Springfield Men's Mission (a hostel for down-and-outs), although he was forcibly ejected from the premises because he had overstayed the "6 month occupancy limit." A defiant Gil walked straight into a shady organ "donation" clinic to sell his eyes for cash. In another episode, "Natural Born Kissers", it is implied that Gil lives in a hot-air balloon, which is then stolen by Homer and Marge Simpson. Gil's lone possession in the balloon is a hot plate.
Despite Gil's various misfortunes, one of his most significant jobs is being the Simpsons' lawyer. In "Sweets and Sour Marge", Gil passes the bar exam and flashes his law degree in Marge's car window when she is looking for a lawyer to sue the sugar corporation. Marge hires him on the spot and she wins the case although Gil seemed very uneasy performing certain duties as a lawyer. Later in "The Frying Game", Gil is hired to represent both Homer and Marge when they are accused of murder. Gil loses the case, most likely due to the fact that the entire incident was a set-up for a TV show.
Gil finally had the opportunity to become a more centralized role in "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" in season 18, in which he moves in with the Simpsons after he is fired from his job as a mall Santa Claus. The temporary situation turns into a joint occupancy that lasts for almost an entire year and tries the family's patience. Gil ends up leaving right before Marge can throw him out and takes a realtor's job in Scottsdale, AZ where he is very successful, but Marge later shows up there to castigate Gil and ends up getting him fired; the family then buys a house in Scottsdale to keep Gil settled in his new life.
In the episode "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", Gil is seen starting his first day as a security officer at the First Bank of Springfield. A robbery occurs, and he is shot repeatedly by bank robbers and left for dead.
We later see him in the jury of the trial of Sideshow Bob in the episode Funeral for a Fiend. He has obviously survived the shooting.
[edit] 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 Abrahamic God in the Western world: a gray-haired Caucasian man in a white robe with a booming voice (though it is revealed in "A Star Is Burns" that he speaks in "Flanderese", responding to Ned Flanders' "Thanks, God!" with "Okely-dokely!"). His face is only seen in a picture owned by Homer in "Pray Anything" (though this was likely an artist's depiction), a picture owned by Ned Flanders in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" and 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 does not seem to be all-knowing; for instance, when referring to his son, he states that he does not know "what you people did to him" but "He hasn't been the same since". In the episode "Simpsons Bible Stories," where stories in the Bible are played by Simpsons characters, Ned Flanders plays the character of God in the story of Adam and Eve while Homer and Marge play Adam and Eve. In this episode, God sounds like Ned Flanders; and while he is not actually seen we do see God's arm pop out of a cloud wearing Ned's trademark green sweater. One of God's 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, though not always. (There have been scenes where God has only four fingers like everyone else in the show.)
[edit] Helen Lovejoy
Helen Lovejoy, voiced by Maggie Roswell and Marcia Mitzman Gaven, is Rev. Lovejoy’s judgmental and gossipy wife and the mother of Jessica Lovejoy.
She introduced herself in the episode "Life on the Fast Lane" as "the gossipy wife of the minister." 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. A younger Helen Lovejoy is seen getting low marks as she did not put her forks in order.
Helen has a strong dislike and/or hate of Mayor Quimby. Whenever they are both seen together (and this is usually when Helen and her group of pious women charge into his office), both glare furiously at each other. This was more notably seen in "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment", where she demands that there should be a new Chief of Police, while smashing her fist on the table. He angrily replies with, "Demand? Who are you to demand anything? I run this town. You're just a bunch of low-income nobodies!" It was then brought to his attention he is up for re-election in November, to which Quimby grumbled, "Again? This stupid country!" Also, in the same episode, when an intoxicated Chief Wiggum attempted to give her "the ol' Wiggum charm", she became frightened and screamed, "Pervert!"
In the episode "E Pluribus Wiggum" it is seen that she is a Republican. A common phrase of hers is, "The children! Won't somebody think of the children!?"
Her hair color changes between brown and grey.
[edit] Herman
Herman is the owner of Herman’s Military Antiques and is voiced by Harry Shearer. He has only one arm; he tells Bart that the other arm was lost by sticking it out of the window of a moving bus. In another previous episode, while on a field trip, Mrs. Krabappel warned Bart about sticking his arm out of a window stating another boy had lost his arm that way. In DVD commentary for Season 1's "Bart the General", Matt Groening says, "The original idea with Herman was that every single time we saw him on the show (the original plan was that he would be a regular character) he would explain how he lost his arm and it would be different every time. 'When you see a sign that says don't stick your hand in the ball return at the bowling alley, you believe it!" 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", which is probably his most relevant appearance.
Herman possesses a small scale tactical nuclear bomb, designed by the US Government during the 1950s to be dropped from a B-52 onto Beatniks. He keeps it in a plot of land behind his store, and usually only brings potential buyers to see it on special occasions: when Homer and his friends were buying dozens of guns. When Homer told him they were forming a vigilante movement, Herman brought him to see the Bomb. The Bomb has a sign next to it which reads "Do Not Ride The Bomb", a rule which Homer promptly broke (spoofing Dr. Strangelove or how I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb").
He is friends with Abraham Simpson, to whom he sold a fez hat, claiming it was previously owned by Napoleon, to which Herman then advertised Grampa's old hat as "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.
He now appears in cameos. Per example, in See Homer Run, he appears in the scene where Mayor Joe Quimby is harassed by the population. He is far from the viewer so the scene must be viewed well.
[edit] Rabbi 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 was 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 synagogue, which pleased his father. This would be the last appearance in which he was voiced by Jackie Mason. All other appearances are voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He would make a brief cameo appearance in "Homer’s Triple Bypass", and later in "Simpsons Christmas Stories", "Treehouse of Horror XVII", and "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister". He often appears in crowd shots and seems to be friends with Reverend Lovejoy, as they appear in a radio call-in show together. Jackie Mason won an Emmy for his performance in the episode "Like Father, Like Clown".
[edit] Jack Larson
Jack Larson was a slick spokesman and now president 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 Tavern, 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 (much to his distaste).
[edit] Old Barber
The Old Barber[76] is the local barber of Springfield, and the owner of "Jake's Unisex Hair Palace". (It is unclear if Old Barber's name is Jake.) He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in one of the "Tracey Ullman shorts", making him one of the earliest appearing recurring characters. He can be seen giving Bart a shave for his birthday on "Radio Bart" and trying to cut gum out of Lisa Simpson's hair in the episode "22 Short Films about Springfield". Homer Simpson was one of his customers when Homer was younger and had hair, but he has since become nearly bald, which is why Old Barber is overjoyed to see Homer at his shop again when Homer gets his hair back in the season two "Simpson and Delilah". In "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk", Homer imagines spending the $25.00 he got from selling his stock on getting a haircut from the Old Barber. He most recently appeared in "Lisa the Treehugger" when Bart tried to get a paycheck from him but it was full of hair. This then has Bart say "You're paying me in hair?! Are you insane?", which makes Old Barber reply in a crazy laugh and Bart run away from his shop in horror.
[edit] Jasper Beardly
Jasper Beardly[77] (voiced by Harry Shearer) is one of the elder residents of Springfield. His most distinguishing trait and the origin of his name is his very 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 (according to the episode "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play"). However, Grampa's attempts to dodge the war were unsuccessful, and he was eventually assigned to the Flying Hellfish. In the parade scene of Lisa the Iconoclast Jasper is seen in uniform, wearing a shoulder patch resembling that of the 2nd Infantry Division.[citation needed]
In the subplot of the season nine episode, "Lisa the Simpson", 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 called the Freak-E-Mart. 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. According to a deleted scene from the season eight episode "In Marge We Trust", it was revealed that Reverend Lovejoy succeeded Jasper as Minister of the First Church of Springfield. Jasper made his first appearance in "Homer's Odyssey", but did not speak until the episode "Bart the General" when he argued with Abe over the newspaper. It was also revealed in the episode "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" that he is a diabetic. His left leg is prosthetic, as revealed in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)".
[edit] 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). He also wears a coonskin cap.
Springfield led a band of wagons westward along with his partner Shelbyville Manhattan (they left Maryland after misinterpreting 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, whom he fought with and lost after Washington crushed Springfield's genitals in a set of iron false teeth, and Springfield hobbled from the scene. He was 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 canvas that he hid in a fife. The canvas scrap formed the "missing piece" of the famously incomplete portrait of George Washington, which he picked up during a fight against George Washington, which occurred while he was having his portrait painted.
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 untameable 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. The video game The Simpsons Road Rage references this episode: if one rams the statue while playing, the head will fall off. This can also be done in The Simpsons Hit and Run where Bart or Apu can kick or ram Jebediah's head off. In the video game Bart's Nightmare, Bart imagines himself being attacked by Jebediah heads.
[edit] Judge Harm
Judge Constance Harm (Jane Kaczmarek) is a harsh, unforgiving disciplinarian.[78] She enjoys creating cruel punishments for criminals in her court. She appears to be a transsexual from her statement in "The Parent Rap": "you remind me of me, when I was a little boy". Her name is a play on "constant harm". The character is a parody of Judge Judy. Judge Harm first appears in "The Parent Rap", and a season later in "Barting Over", assisting in Bart's emancipation. In "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister", she revealed she has a husband. Her most recent appearance was in "Rome-old and Juli-eh", telling Homer that he could not file for the "cool kind" of bankruptcy that he was expecting to solve all his problems. Although Judge Snyder resolves court cases, Judge Harm has mainly been used for handing down negative verdicts, such as sentencing a family member to prison. She also appears in "The Wandering Juvie" and "Brake My Wife, Please".[79]
[edit] Judge Snyder
Judge Roy Snyder, voiced by Harry Shearer, is a judge. Snyder is based on Robert Bork.[80] The character's original name was "Judge Moulton," but former show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein didn't know that, and called him "Snyder."[81]
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 punishments. In earlier episodes he has yellow skin; in "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" his name is Moulton.
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.”
[edit] Lindsey Naegle
Lindsey Naegle is voiced by Tress MacNeille and first appeared in the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show." In this episode she was named "Network executive."[15] She appeared again later in "Girly Edition" as "Channel 6 Executive."[82] In the episode "They Saved Lisa's Brain" she was introduced as Lindsey Naegle, a member of the Springfield Chapter of Mensa, and since has become a recurring character.[83] Besides a network executive, Naegle has also been shown working as a marketing researcher, a financial consultant, a telephone company representative, an advertising executive, and an executive with the Child Development Group. The explanation Naegle gives for her roving is that she's a sexual predator.
[edit] Luigi
Mama Luigi, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the proprietor of Mama Luigi's, 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.[citation needed] In the episode "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas", he reveals he does not speak Italian ("I speak-a, how you say, fractured English. It's what my parents spoke at the home."). It is hinted that Mama Luigi is an illegal immigrant, even though he tried to run for mayor, telling Springfielders, "I maka you the good government, just how you like it!"
[edit] Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon
Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon (née Jamshed) (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 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 where Apu seems to have had some of his teeth knocked out by Manjula. 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.”
[edit] Marvin Monroe
Dr. Marvin Monroe (voiced by Harry Shearer) is a local psychiatrist who was once Mr. Burns’ therapist. He debuted in the first season's "There's No Disgrace Like Home," though he also appears in an episode made earlier but aired later, "Some Enchanted Evening". Monroe promoted some subliminal weight-loss audio cassettes, and wrote books such as I’m OK, So Why Aren't You?. (A plot conceived for him in the early years and confirmed by Matt Groening[84] was never actually used.) References to his death began to appear in the series, such as the Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" (Mentioned on the radio of Lou's Motorbike) and a mention of his death in the 138th episode retrospective; there are also glimpses of both his grave (in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily") and a school gym named after him. However, he appeared briefly in the season 15 episode "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife" claiming to have been very sick. (The creators put the doctor on that ten-year-long hiatus because voicing Monroe hurt Shearer's throat.[citation needed])
[edit] Mary Bailey
Mary Bailey is Springfield's state Democratic 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. She was Mayor of Springfield before Joe Quimby.[citation needed]
Mary Bailey would later appear briefly in the episode "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" when Bart and Lisa's class visit Capital City. They show Bailey their class projects (designing a new State flag). Mary Bailey yells in disgust after unfurling Lisa's flag. Bart had redesigned it to look like a butt with "Learn to Fart" underneath. She also appears in "The Seven-Beer Snitch" where a prison is built out of a defunct concert hall. She decides to release all the abused prisoners to a garbage box where they will fight for order amongst themselves.
[edit] 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". 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. Whenever this happens, the camera slowly zooms upon his face and his voice vibrates. 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 Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2, he fires Gil for giving Lisa the Malibu Stacy set he had put aside for his daughter and refusing to take it away from Lisa upon his angry request.
[edit] Mrs. Glick
Mrs. Glick, originally voiced by Cloris Leachman and later by Tress MacNeille, is an elderly shut-in for whom Bart did chores for in "Three Men and a Comic Book"; he didn't get paid very well, so 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. She is occasionally seen in the background of various episodes, often with a toothless laugh. She is a stereotypical lonely old woman, who spends her days "watching her stories".
In "Hurricane Neddy", her state of mind is questioned. When everyone is at the Kwik-E-Mart stocking upon food for a hurricane, she grabs Lisa's head, thinking she was a pineapple, so she carries her on her shopping cart along with Ralph (whom she thought was a pumpkin). Ralph then reveals Mrs. Glick plans on cooking them into a pie.
[edit] Mrs. Muntz
Mrs. Muntz (voice of Tress MacNeille) is Nelson Muntz's mother. Nelson receives his trademark laugh from her. Early on in the series, Nelson would often mention his parents, and it was often implied that Nelson's mother does not care for him. In "A Milhouse Divided", Nelson tells Milhouse that his mom is addicted to cough drops, which is why his father left the family. In "Bart Star", it is stated that Mrs. Muntz works at Hooters as one of the waitresses. She owns a dilapidated house and is depicted as a jailbird, a whore, a stripper, or something similar. She was first heard (but not seen) on the Season 10 episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" when Nelson goes to break curfew and she yells, "We're out of Skoal!"
In "'Tis the Fifteenth Season", she appears, telling Nelson that his father simply did not like him, and he left with her golden tooth. Nelson's mother was more introduced in "Sleeping with the Enemy", after years of being mentioned. A loud, high-pitched contemptuous woman, she neglects Nelson. She implies she misses Nelson's father. At the end of the episode, the three Muntzes reunite, and she receives a new job as Lady Macbeth, with "the third director she slept with" ("I don't have to take my top off, but I do anyway!"). Since then, she is often seen around in Springfield. Curiously, in Season 18's "The Haw-Hawed Couple", she appears with brunette hair. As revealed in "Dial 'N' for Nerder", Nelson even refers to her as Mrs. Muntz. On May 4, 2008, in an episode entitled "Any Given Sundance", her life is shown to be spiraling out of control, prompting guest star Jim Jarmusch to show how the Muntzs' life can be worse than the Simpsons' and clearing the way for a re-obscured Simpson family to reconcile.
[edit] Ms. Albright
Ms. Albright (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is Springfield's residential Sunday school teacher at the local church. She speaks with a soft 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. And her (Marge) husband too." She appears to be good friends with Helen Lovejoy. She is occasionally seen in the background of various episodes as well as in Church scenes (such as in “The Father, The Son & The Holy Guest Star”).
[edit] Old Jewish Man
The Old Jewish Man, (sometimes called the Crazy Guy or Crazy Old Man) is Grampa Simpson and Jasper Beardley's friend. Mayor Quimby once referred to him as "Old Jewish Man"; as well, a list of heart recipients listed him as "Old Jewish Man" ("Homer's Paternity Coot").
He speaks with a stereotypical Jewish accent, and 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. 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. 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, and the It's a Wonderful Life "killing spree ending". 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. He had a brother named Irving who died and who he misses a great deal.
[edit] Patches and Poor Violet
Patches and Poor Violet are two of Springfield's orphans. Patches is voiced by Pamela Hayden and Poor Violet is voiced by Tress MacNeille. Introduced in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace,” Patches had given their only $1 vitamin money to Bart, where he had carelessly used it. They have since had cameos in “I'm Goin' to Praiseland” and “Simple Simpson”, but are seen in many other episodes. Poor Violet often has a cough, while Patches seems to vaguely resemble Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Their skin color 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 (a la Oliver Twist).
[edit] Princess Kashmir
Shauna Tifton, also known as April Flowers and Princess Kashmir, is an exotic dancer introduced in "Homer's Night Out". Bart, using a toy spycam at a restaurant, sees a drunk Homer cavorting with a belly-dancer named Princess Kashmir. The incriminating photo is distributed all over town, making Homer famous, but also getting him in trouble with his boss at work (who then asks him for advice on how to attract women) and threatening his marriage to Marge. He apologizes to Marge after she kicks him out, but, fearing that Bart will see Homer's picture as a sign that it is okay to treat women like sex objects, Marge makes Homer find Princess Kashmir so he can apologize to her in front of Bart for his sexist behavior.
In "Lisa's Pony", Shauna once dated Apu before his marriage to Manjula, and was also seen with his brother Sanjay. She was in two couch gags: the one from "Marge vs. the Monorail" where everyone in town sits in front of The Simpsons after they make it to the couch (in the couch gag, Shauna is depicted with black hair instead of brown) and the ones from "Bart After Dark" and the first airing of "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" where the living room is a detailed replica of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album. She is on the Homewreckers bowling team in "Team Homer". As an in-joke, she dances in the burlesque house in "Bart After Dark", and in so doing lures Homer from picking up Bart at the house. She also appeared in "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment", dancing with Chief Wiggum at Moe's Tavern. She is also a regular on the game show Springfield Squares. She also danced on a tabletop with Otto in the episode "Flaming Moe's".
[edit] Rich Texan
Rich Texan 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 Texas drawl. In the fifth season episode “$pringfield” (the Rich Texan's debut), Homer addresses the Rich Texan as Senator, although this was never again referenced. 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 in "Marge's Son Poisoning" that 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 tricked 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 for Ned Flanders. He has a gay grandson, as revealed in "Million Dollar Abie" and a daughter named Paris Texan. In "Midnight Towboy", he revealed he suffers from pogonophobia (the fear of beards and moustaches); he then promptly shoots at least one man dressed as Santa Claus. In the episode "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times", it is revealed that he is improbably from Connecticut.
[edit] Roger Meyers Jr.
Roger Meyers Junior, voiced by Alex Rocco and Hank Azaria, is the CEO of Itchy and Scratchy International, and is the son of Roger Myers, Sr. He distributes the cartoon, which is frequently criticized by parents because of its violent nature. Marge wrote a letter to Roger Meyers Jr. in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" denouncing the violence in the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon. Roger responds with a letter calling her a screwball. He is a jaded and selfish businessman who has nothing but contempt for the children who comprise his audience. In "The Day the Violence Died" Itchy and Scratchy International is bankrupted following their trial against Chester J. Lampwick, when Bart and Lisa are too late in providing information that could save the company. He also possesses an extremely obnoxious personality, where he only cares about people who can help him. This is displayed in his contempt for the writers of Itchy and Scratchy when Abraham Simpson becomes the flavor of the month. This is shown again when holding auditions for the voice of Poochie. In "