List of celebrities in The Simpsons
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The following are a list of fictional celebrities in the animated television show The Simpsons.
[edit] Arnie Pie
Arnie Pie, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a disgruntled, somewhat eccentric helicopter traffic reporter for Springfield’s KBBL-TV (Channel 6). His name and appearance are a parody of the famous, Pulitzer winning 1930s journalist, Ernie Pyle. His segments are titled “Arnie Pie in the Sky.” He has an apparent dislike of anchorman Kent Brockman, with whom he often gets into arguments on the air (as seen in the season 12 episode "Children of a Lesser Clod"). While on the air, Arnie often warns people on the street below him when he gets sick or drops his food (as seen in Marge in Chains and Homer Alone, respectively). Pie’s helicopter has crashed twice; once on the season four episode Mr. Plow where Arnie managed “Tell my wife I love—” before the live feed was lost and again in Homer the Great when Arnie is reporting on a helicopter crash blocking the morning commute, unaware that he's the one who is blocking traffic. However, Arnie has survived and has been seen in other episodes. “Arnie Pie in the Sky” is a play on the expression “pie in the sky”. When Kent was demoted to weekend weatherman in "You Kent Always Say What You Want" due to budget cuts from FCC fines, Arnie briefly became the new head anchor and humiliated Kent by writing "Kent Stinks" on the weather map. Arnie also spoke in a deeper, smoother voice, but returned to his normal register when he got excited near the end of the report and tried to feed Newshound, Channel 6's pet dog with a lazy eye. (A similar gag was used in a previous episode with Bumblebee Man, who took over Brockman's desk and spoke perfect English as he delivered the news, right up until the end.) On the first season episode, Some Enchanted Evening, he was referred to as "Bill Pie". In "Any Given Sundance", it's shown that he can be calm with Kent Brockman, seen when he and Brockman have a tailgating breakfast steak together.
[edit] Bill and Marty
Bill and Marty, voiced by Harry Shearer and Dan Castellaneta, are two radio show hosts and deejays on Springfield’s own radio station KBBL. When they appear, they are usually seen (and sometimes only heard), when the Simpsons are listening to the radio. Marty is middle-aged and balding, while Bill is younger and has a full head of hair. The radio frequency of KBBL is 102.5 FM, and Bill is often seen with this on his clothes. They are responsible for giving Bart his elephant, Stampy, although they were surprised when Bart wanted Stampy, because they thought he would choose the other prize, $10,000. They can also be seen interviewing Spinal Tap on the episode “The Otto Show,” where they want the band to say “Nobody rocks like Bill and Marty on KBBL,” and “Rock-a-doodle-doo, you’re listening to Bill and Marty!”
[edit] Billy
Billy is Troy McClure's assistant who appeared in "Lisa the Simpson", and "Bart the Mother". He was supposed to appear in more episodes but due to McClure's voice actor Phil Hartman's untimely death he was retired along with McClure. He is a child who appears in Troy McClure's educational films. You may remember him from such movies as "Birds: Our Fine Feathered Colleagues", and "In The Kitchen with DNA". He was voiced by Tress MacNeille .
[edit] Birch Barlow
Birchibald "Birch" T. Barlow (voiced by Harry Shearer and Maurice LaMarche) has been featured prominently only in the episode Sideshow Bob Roberts, appearing from time to time in the background of subsequent episodes. He is a conservative talk show host on the radio station KBBL, who in voice and appearance is obviously modeled after Rush Limbaugh. As of You Kent Always Say What You Want, he also has a show on Fox News, and serves as a parody of Fox News' widely perceived conservative bias. On his radio show, he declares himself to be "the fourth branch of government" and "the fifty-first state". He is also the author of the book "Only Turkeys Have Left Wings". Barlow played an important part in the episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts", in which Sideshow Bob, while jailed, calls up Barlow on his radio show, giving him an outlet to voice how the prison treats him unfairly. Barlow, knowing Bob is a fellow Republican, sympathizes with his complaints, and influences the rest of Springfield to as well. This leads to Bob's prompt release and ensuing mayoral election-rigging.
In the book The Simpsons Guide To Springfield, Barlow is pictured enjoying a "festive meal with a group of close personal friends" — Waylon Smithers, John (from the episode "Homer's Phobia") and Buddy "Fallout Boy" Hodges — at the flamboyantly decorated Sha-Boom Ka-Boom Cafe. Typical of The Simpsons, this is meant to humorously imply that he may be homosexual. Barlow also appeared in the episode "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" as a customer at Marge's prescription drug-laden "yard sale", a reference to Limbaugh's Oxycontin addiction scandal. Most recently he appeared with other Springfield Republicans in the episode "E Pluribus Wiggum".
[edit] Boobarella
Boobarella is an ample-chested vampire-looking woman, first seen in the episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can". She is well aware of her assets, and often makes reference to them on the rare occasion she appears on TV. "We'll be right back! Then you can see more of my booooooooobs!" In another episode, when asked a technical question by Kent Brockman, after a long pause she responds with "Boobs!" Her character is a takeoff of Elvira, a character made known by Cassandra Peterson, (who made many comments about her large breasts), herself a takeoff on Vampira. Her name is a spoof of comic book character Vampirella. In "Homerazzi", she is seen dating Duffman. In "Fraudcast News", it is revealed that she is the daughter of an employee in the nuclear plant's Accounting department. Boobarella uses a stereotypical Eastern European "horror" accent. She appears in "All About Lisa".
[edit] Bumblebee Man
The Bumblebee Man, voiced by Hank Azaria, appears on a television show on "Chanal Ocho" dressed in a bumblebee costume and does inane slapstick comedy. In the episode "Team Homer", his bowling shirt bears the name "Pedro". He works at the same studio as Kent Brockman.
Bumblebee Man never takes off his costume, even when by himself; the sole exception is the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield", in which his private life is shown. In this short segment, he is portrayed as innately clumsy rather than simply acting as such. In the end, his house is destroyed and his wife leaves him, not wanting to deal with his maladroit nature any longer. In this episode he also owns a Chihuahua, a dog breed commonly associated with Mexico.
In "Bart Gets Famous", he speaks with an articulate "English" accent, but this was mentioned in an episode commentary as a mistake. In general, Bumblebee Man only speaks in simple, over-enunciated (and inaccurate) Spanish sentences. His catchphrases of choice are typically "¡Ay, ay, ay, no me gusta!" ("I don't like it!"), "¡Ay, ay, ay, no es bueno!" ("That's not good!") and "¡Ay, Dios no me ama!" ("God doesn't love me!"). Quite commonly, his phrases will be intentionally sloppy Spanish. For example, in the episode "22 Short Films about Springfield", there are several words used that are not real (woodpecker in Spanish is not "wudpequero"; it is "pájaro carpintero"). The crude Spanish was used so that English-speaking viewers would still understand what was being said.[1]
Bumblebee Man is a caricature of El Chapulín Colorado, a character created and portrayed by Mexican television comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños (a.k.a. "Chespirito"), and his show consists of simple skits, often involving heavy slapstick. The staff have said that whenever they watched Telemundo, this character was always "on", thus they created Bumblebee Man, who is also always "on".[2] His costume was based on one used in the Saturday Night Live sketch "Killer Bees".[3]
[edit] Capital City Goofball
The Capital City Goofball is the mascot for Capital City, he was voiced by Tom Poston. His appearance seems to have been inspired by the mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, the Phillie Phanatic. The costume is a creature with a baseball body, with a blue Capital City T-Shirt, yellow arms and legs, a long flat-ended nose, tufts of fur at the side, a red hat with two springs, two costume eyes that look in either direction, and two more eyes that peek outside the mouth (the eyes of the person wearing the costume). The Capital City Goofball first appeared in the episode "Dancin' Homer" and shared the stage with Homer. In "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" The Capital City Goofball represents Capital City in the state Congress; he spent 80 million dollars out of his own pocket to win the seat. The episode Homer to the Max implies that the Capital City Goofball was originally conceived as a major recurring character, but has only appeared in occasional background scenes since his debut episode, and has never had any further speaking lines. With the death of Tom Poston in 2007, it is likely that this character will be retired, if the precedent regarding Phil Hartman and Doris Grau's characters (except for Lunch Lady Doris, who is still used and is now voiced by Tress MacNeille) is followed. He appeared briefly in "Homerazzi". He also appears in The Simpsons Road Rage seen around every location. He has not spoken since "Dancin' Homer" and has rather been reduced to making minor background appearances and usual honking sounds. He bears a slight resemblance to the mascot of the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
[edit] Chase/Pyro
Chase, also known as Pyro, is an American Gladiator , parody of the real-life Gladiator Nitro. He first appears in the episode A Milhouse Divided, when he is dating with Luann afler she are divorcing with Kirk. Their relationship ends when it she's caught cheating on him with his best friend Gyro. He also appears in Wild Barts Can't Be Broken, Mom and Pop Art, Alone Again, Natura-Diddily, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge, Day of the Jackanapes, A Star is Born-Again and Bart of War. He is voiced by Hank Azaria.
[edit] Declan Desmond
Declan Desmond (voiced by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame) is an eccentric and skeptical British documentary filmmaker who has directed several films, including Do You Want Lies with That?, American Boneheads: A Day In The Life Of Springfield Elementary, Growing Up Springfield, and Ain’t No Mountain: A Blind Man Climbs Everest. Growing Up Springfield is his most notable documentary. It follows the lives of the inhabitants of Springfield, starting when they were in third grade and continuing every eight years. It is a parody of Michael Apted’s Up! series. Desmond appeared in the episodes "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky" and "Fat Man And Little Boy" and his Growing Up Springfield series were featured in the episode "Springfield Up". The character is based on real British filmmaker David Attenborough.
[edit] Drederick Tatum
Drederick Tatum (voiced by Hank Azaria) has appeared in several episodes, most notably as Homer’s opponent in "The Homer They Fall". Tatum, a former Olympic Gold medalist, first became World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Watson in the heavily promoted “Bout to Knock the Other Guy Out!” Tatum grew up in Springfield, recalling that “that town was a dump. If you ever see me there again you’ll know I really (bleeped)-up bad.” He later served time in prison after pushing his mother down the stairs. Upon his release, he was booked for a comeback fight against Homer, who had taken up boxing and was undefeated and renowned for his ability to take a beating without falling. He was managed during this time by Lucius Sweet, a vicious boxing promoter (and parody of Don King). Tatum’s criminal record has been referred to several times. Tatum is an obvious parody of Mike Tyson, right down to his criminal record and high-pitched, lisping voice. He also briefly appeared in the Simpsons movie, where is trapped under the dome with the other Springfieldians. He is seen trying to break the dome by using a "low-blow".
[edit] Duffman
Duffman, named Barry, Larry, Joel and Sid in separate episodes, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the mascot and spokesman for the fictional Duff Beer company in The Simpsons. He first appeared in the episode The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson. Within the series, he is a fictional character played by several people, and sometimes simultaneously.
Although Newsweek once reported that Duffman died of liver failure, he continues to work for Duff because "Duffman can never die; only the actors who play him," according to the season 13 episode Jaws Wired Shut. Duffman was also shot by Frank Grimes Jr. in "The Great Louse Detective", although whether the wound was fatal is uncertain. Another Duffman was possibly killed in a blimp crash during a baseball game in the season seventeen episode "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play"; it was then revealed that there were three Duffmen working the game that night (but this is kept a secret so as not to disillusion children).
He is an athletic and smooth-talking corporate personality who wears blue and red tights, a red cape, white gloves, and the Duff logo emblazoned across his chest. The costume - featuring a red hat, dark sunglasses, and a "utility belt" of beer cans around his waist - is designed to create awareness of Duff. Duffman is generally known for his overly enthusiastic speech in which he refers to himself in the third person, complete with dramatic pauses and ending with a suggestive "Oh, yeah!" and pelvic thrusts. His theme song which plays at every corporate-sponsored appearance is "Oh Yeah" by Yello. While usually loyal to his corporate sponsors, in Co-Dependent's Day (Season 15), Duffman reveals he is ashamed of betraying his Jewish heritage by performing at Oktoberfest.
Duffman is based on Budweiser's former mascot Bud Man. Duffman's catchphrase comes from the song "Oh Yeah", which the producers say became extremely popular after Ferris Bueller's Day Off and many advertisers started using it. As a result, the writers felt that the song and phrase "Oh yeah!" would be suitable for Duffman. Duffman's thrusts were first acted out by Brad Bird.[4]
Several character traits about some of the Duffmen have been revealed. The episode "Homerazzi" implied that the current Duffman is bisexual, revealing he was cheating on his long-term boyfriend with Booberella. Season 19's "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" featured Duffman indicating he suffers from dyslexia, which he refers to as "his secret shame."
[edit] Gunter and Ernst
Gunter and Ernst, Las Vegas-style entertainers voiced by Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria, are obvious parodies of Siegfried & Roy: they speak with German accents, their act involves magic and white tigers, and one has black hair while the other has bleached-blond hair. The duo appear in the episodes "Viva Ned Flanders", "$pringfield", "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons", and "Jazzy and the Pussycats". In Jazzy and the Pussycats they are seen at Amber Simpson's funeral. In The Simpsons Game it is revealed they performed at an aquarium.
In a case of life imitating art, the 1993 episode “$pringfield” (the first episode featuring Gunter and Ernst) depicts the duo being savagely mauled by their trademark white tiger, Anastasia. Ten years later, the trained white tiger Montecore dragged Roy Horn off-stage by his neck during a performance at The Mirage. According to the DVD commentary on this episode on the Simpsons season five DVD set, the part where Gunter and Ernst get attacked is considered "the greatest prediction" the Simpsons ever made, but it was "bound to happen" considering how the tiger was treated.
[edit] Captain Lance Murdock
Captain Lance Murdock voiced by Dan Castellaneta is a professional daredevil who influenced Bart in "Bart the Daredevil" . He even influenced Bart to jump off Springfield Gorge. He reappeared in "I Married Marge", "Radio Bart", and "Selma's Choice" . In Selma's Choice he sponsored Duff Gardens on a commercial in which he got injured badly and went to Duff Gardens. He last appeared in "Viva Ned Flanders" when he was on a motorcycle and went off a huge ramp. His character is based on the late Evel Knievel.
[edit] Miss Springfield
Miss Springfield (voiced by Pamela Hayden) is a beauty pageant winner, who first appears in "Whacking Day". She is the lover of Mayor Quimby, and is seen several times in bed with him. She only appears with the sash and the crown of Miss Springfield. She is based on Marion Davies but resembles Pamela Anderson. Over the seasons, Miss Springfield underwent an entire design change and reappeared in later seasons with a new look.
In "Mayored to the Mob", she is one of two women escorting Mayor Quimby to the nerd convention. Since then, she is often seen escorting him to Springfield events such as nerd conventions, recitals, and plays. In one episode, it's revealed she is illiterate. This is later supported in "She Used To Be My Girl"; news reporter Chloe Talbot revealed a video of Mayor Quimby's womanizing. In the video, Miss Springfield reads Quimby's sash as "Major", causing him to become frustrated with her. In "See Homer Run", she is one of nine candidates who runs for mayor; she happily boasts about how amusing she'd look while parading around the mayor's office. In "My Fair Laddy", she dances with Groundskeeper Willie.
In "Last of the Red Hat Mamas" she berates Mayor Quimby about lying to her about Martha Quimby's supposed "death". He scolds her for lying about her graduating from "typing school". She then admits she has trouble with the space bar. In "Homerazzi", Homer takes a compromising photo of her. She possesses a quavering, somewhat reverberating voice. When Miss Springfield first speaks to Mayor Quimby, he panics while quoting, "That's your voice!? I regret buying you that opera house!". In "Husbands and Knives", she is one of the people who dances on the treadmills along with Cookie Kwan, Rainier Wolfcastle, and Duffman a la the music video to "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go. In "Smoke on the Daughter", it's shown that she is pregnant, and Quimby believes he may be the father.
[edit] Lurleen Lumpkin
An attractive, aspiring country singer that was managed by Homer in "Colonel Homer" voiced by Beverly D'Angelo. Homer discovered her in a bar in the middle of nowhere but was amazed by her voice. He decided to help her launch a singing career, much to the chagrin of Marge. Lurleen started to fall for Homer and tried to lure him with an erotic song called "Bunk with Me Tonight". Homer, who had been ignorant of this, suddenly realized that managing Lurleen could hurt his marriage, so he quits as her manager. A saddened Lurleen sings a song called "Stand By Your Manager". Following that, her next appearance is in "Krusty Gets Kancelled", where she is briefly seen in the center square of Springfield Squares. In a later episode, "Marge vs. the Monorail", a much rougher-looking Lurleen, voiced by Doris Grau, makes a brief appearance, in which it is revealed that she had been to the Betty Ford Clinic and had "spent last night in a ditch". In this episode her voice sounds exactly the same as Lunchlady Doris's, rather than her soft, Southern voice she had when she was first introduced. She was also seen in "Team Homer" as one fourth of a bowling team called "The Homewreckers", with Jacques "Brunswick", Mindy Simmons and Princess Kashmir. In the episode "Bart on the Road", while they were going through Branson, Missouri, her name briefly appears on a banner saying "playing tonight". Lurleen also briefly appeared in the episode "Homerazzi". She could be a parodie of Dolly Parton. The nineteenth season episode entitled "Papa Don't Leech"[5] follows up on her story with her moving into the Simpsons' home and working at Moe's after owing the City of Springfield millions of dollars. It is revealed she has a father named Royce Boss Hogg Lumpkin and that she tried to hit on Kermit the Frog by singing the song "Bunk with Me Tonight" to him, to which Miss Piggy's reaction was kicking Lurleen. Lurleen also made a cameo in The Simpsons movie in crowd scenes.
[edit] Mr. Teeny
Louis “Mr. Teeny” Toot, also known as Joseph Teeny and voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is Krusty’s trained monkey who frequently appears on the show. Like Krusty, he is a heavy smoker, and often seems depressed off-stage. He is sometimes seen as Krusty’s driver and butler. Teeny’s uncle was former head monkey at the ministry of tourism in Brazil. Three other monkeys have died while working for Krusty known by the same name. Krusty once said he missed the third Mr. Teeny and the current one couldn’t hold a candle to him. His mother’s name is Toot-Toot, and she refers to him as Louis when they are reunited in "Bart Has Two Mommies". Teeny also was a writer for the “Good Guy Awards” and quit after being insulted on-stage by Krusty. He is an immigrant from Brazil and has been deported but was returned. He wears a pink hat and bow tie but has also been seen in a tuxedo and golden encrusted thong.
Krusty has implied that if he can not find a human willing to donate a lung when he gets cancer, he is planning on harvesting one from Mr. Teeny.
[edit] Opal
Opal (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a talk show host. This celebrity is a parody of Oprah, as is her show. She first appears in "Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)" where she convinces Marge that she has no meaning in life. She later appeared in the back-to-back nineteenth season episodes "Husbands and Knives" and "Funeral for a Fiend". Marge is a fan of hers, and was interviewed by Opal after achieving success through her chain of Shapes gyms for women. On her show, Opal frequently mentions a boyfriend named "Straightman". Asking about him causes her to do a massive prize giveaway as a diversionary tactic, one example being German cuckoo clocks.
[edit] Rachel Jordan
Rachel Jordan (voiced by Shawn Colvin) is the lead singer of Kovenant, a fictional Christian rock band. She is first seen in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily", when she befriends Ned Flanders after Maude’s death. She appears towards the end of the episode singing the song "He's the Man" after the organist at the church was on a much needed vacation. The Song was featured on The Simpsons Testify. She returns in "I'm Goin' to Praiseland". She stays at the Flanders' house with Ned, and leaves briefly after Ned attempted to mold her in the image of his deceased wife Maude only to have her think Ned is using her and runs off. At the end of the episode, she returns and has a date with Flanders. She hasn't made an appearance since.
[edit] Scott Christian
Scott Christian (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is a newsreader from the early seasons of the show. Originally, Christian and Kent Brockman shared the anchor desk equally, but eventually Brockman started to become the more commonly used anchor. In his final appearances, Christian was used mostly when Kent was in the field and an introduction was needed. His final speaking appearance was "The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Christian was supposed to be permanent anchor[6], always filling in for an absent Brockman, but was quickly phased out as the show progressed. He briefly appeared (with red colored hair) with the other Springfield celebrities in the season 18 episode "Homerazzi." He also makes a cameo in "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" eating at Planet Springfield. Perhaps his name was inspired by former Good Morning America weathercaster Spencer Christian.
[edit] Sideshow Mel
Sideshow Mel, full name Melvin Van Horne (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), is Krusty the Clown's sidekick. He replaced Sideshow Bob after Bob was incarcerated for framing Krusty for armed robbery. Mel's hiring was never explicitly shown in the series and his full name was only revealed when he announced himself whilst trying to solve the mystery of who shot Mr. Burns in the episode Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two) and in the episode All About Lisa on the portait of Sideshow Mel in the past. He first appeared in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge", shortly after Sideshow Bob was sent to prison, filling the exact role that Bob once did. Little is known about Mel. He is a Cornell University graduate, and a former Gulp 'n Blow employee. Sideshow Mel is revealed, in the episode entitled All About Lisa, to have been the winner of the prestigious Springfield Entertainer of the Year award. The intoxication of applause made him reduce himself to ridiculous behavior for laughter, which he compared to heroin. Sideshow Mel uses a slide whistle to communicate on camera just like Bob. When not in character, Mel speaks in a grandiose British/Shakespearean accent (Castellaneta's play on Kelsey Grammer's character, Sideshow Bob) and owns poodles. When Springfield inhabitants form an angry mob, Mel often takes a leading role. Mel perpetually wears a bone in his hair which was revealed in "22 Short Films About Springfield" to be from a failed attempt to remove gum from his hair, however, in Bart of War he takes it out of his hair and uses it as a weapon. He also uses it to bat at the dome in The Simpsons Movie almost immediately after it is first laid over the town. It was also removed by Bart in Dial 'N' for Nerder. In "Homerazzi" it was revealed that he was in a bitter custody battle. It is also revealed he has a son, who looks just like him except without a bone in his hair. In "I'm With Cupid", he reveals he has a wife called Barbara, who appears in "Realty Bites". He also has children, though their names are unknown.
In the 19th season's finale it is revealed, that Sideshow Mel once has won the "Entertainer of the Year Award" for his role in the Broadway play "Death of a Salesman" where he played Biff.
Sideshow Mel is often subject to abuse by Krusty, just as Sideshow Bob was before him. Such occurrences include 'Krusty's Slide', where he is forced into a mixture of laundry detergent and rancid Bearnaise sauce; another unseen one is in "Krusty Gets Kancelled" where he states that Krusty once poured liquid nitrogen down his pants and cracked his buttocks with a hammer.
[edit] See also
- List of characters in The Simpsons
- List of one-time characters from The Simpsons
- List of recurring characters from The Simpsons
- List of guest stars on The Simpsons
- List of animals in The Simpsons
- Springfield Mafia
- Springfield Elementary School
- Springfield Elementary School students
[edit] References
- ^ Season 7 DVD Commentary - "22 Short Films About Springfield"
- ^ Reiss, Mike. (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Joe Rhodes. "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves", TV Guide, 2000-10-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ Mentioned in the audio commentary for "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson".
- ^ IGN TV uk.tv.ign.com. URL accessed July 29, 2007
- ^ Season 1 DVD Commentary - "Krusty Gets Busted"
