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Homer Simpson

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Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust.

Template:Simpsons character Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He has become perhaps the most popular of the members of the hugely successful Simpsons cartoon family, and his catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Homer embodies several American working class stereotypes: he is crude, overweight, incompetent, intolerant, clumsy, thoughtless and a borderline alcoholic. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences. Although gluttonous, lazy, accident-prone and extraordinarily stupid, he has occasionally displayed flashes of brilliance and an integrity reflecting his own values, including a fierce devotion to and protectiveness of his family. He has been described by the UK newspaper The Times as the greatest comedic creation of modern time.[1]

Role in The Simpsons

Biography

File:Young Homer.png
Homer as a teenager.

Although The Simpsons has a floating timeline in which the characters do not age, and the show is set in the current year, certain dates have been given. Homer was born on May 12, 1956.[2] He was raised on a farm by his parents, Mona and Abraham Simpson. In the mid-1960s, while Homer was between nine and twelve years of age, Mona went into hiding following a run-in with the law.[3] Homer attended Springfield High School and fell in love with Marge Bouvier in 1974.[4][5] Marge became pregnant with Bart in 1981, while Homer was working at a miniature golf course. The two were wed in a small wedding chapel across the state line,[6] From there they spent their wedding reception alone at a truck stop,[7] and the rest of their wedding night at Marge's parents' house. After failing to get a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer left Marge to find a job by which he could support his family. He briefly worked at a taco restaurant called the Gulp n' Blow, until Marge found him and convinced him to return. As a result, Homer confronted Mr. Burns and secured a job at the Plant.[6] Marge became pregnant with Lisa in 1983, shortly before the new couple bought their first house. In 1985 and 1986, Homer saw brief success as the lead singer and songwriter for the barbershop quartet the Be Sharps, even winning a Grammy. During his time with the group, Homer was frequently absent from home, which put stress on his marriage. After the group broke up due to creative differences, Homer went back to Springfield to continue his old life.[8] Sometime in the late 1980s, Homer took a job as a pin monkey in a bowling alley. Unfortunately for Homer, Marge became pregnant with Maggie shortly after he started his new job, and not being able to support his family, he went back to the nuclear plant.[9]

According to comments on The Simpsons DVD commentaries by the writers and producers, Homer's age was initially 34, but as the writers aged, they found that he seemed a bit older too, so they changed his age to 38; this is contradicted by The Homer Book which states Homer is currently 36. In Springfield Up the lives of the people of Springfield are recorded every 8 years to show how they grow up: the recording starts with Homer (and others) at the year of 8 and returning when he is 16, 24, 32 and 40.

he smells of beer and he likes to wank in his house all of the hours of the day and when marge comes home he stops and goes to moes and carries on.

THE END

Character

Creation

Matt Groening first conceived the Simpson family in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. He had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to present his Life in Hell series. When he realized that animating Life in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights for his life's work, Groening decided to go in another direction.[10] He hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family, with Homer being named after his father.[11][10] Homer then made his debut with the rest of the Simpsons clan on 19 April, 1987 in the Tracey Ullman short "Good Night".[12] Homer's middle initial "J," which was revealed to stand for "Jay",[13] was a "tribute" to Bullwinkle J. Moose from Rocky and Bullwinkle, a show Matt Groening loved as a child.[14]

According to Matt Groening, the whole family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette.[15] However, the features of Homer's character design are not used in other characters.[16] Homer then made his debut with the rest of the Simpsons clan on April 19, 1987 in the Tracey Ullman short "Good Night".[17]

Voice

Homer is performed by Dan Castellaneta. Homer's voice sounds different on the shorts than the later half-hour show. His voice began as a loose impression of Walter Matthau, but developed into a more robust and humorous voice during the second and third season of the half-hour show, allowing Homer to cover a fuller range of emotions.[18] Castellaneta changed the voice, as he could not sustain his Matthau impression for the 9-10 hour long recording sessions and had to find something easier.[19] During an interview with the cast of the show on Inside the Actors Studio, Castellaneta stated that Homer's voice was based in part on his own father who often spoke with an exuberant tone.

Reception

File:D oh.jpg
Homer uttering the legendary word "D'oh".

On May 30, 2003, Homer was made an honorary citizen of Winnipeg, Canada, in recognition of Matt Groening's father Homer Groening, who is believed to be from the Manitoba capital.[20]

Homer placed second on TV Guide's 2002 Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters, behind Bugs Bunny.[21] In 2005, Homer was listed fifth on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, one of only four cartoon characters on that list.[22] British TV viewers voted him as the greatest TV character of all time. [23] In 2007, Entertainment Weekly placed Homer ninth on their list of the "50 Greatest TV icons".[24]

Cultural influence

The Simpsons has been recommended for use in the teaching of sociology to modern-day college students.[25] The (non-academic) book The Simpsons and Philosophy, the D'oh! of Homer includes a chapter analyzing Homer's character from the perspective of Aristotelian virtue ethics.[26]

Homer Simpson syndrome

A five-year study of more than 2,000 middle-aged people in France found a possible link between weight and brain function, dubbed the "Homer Simpson syndrome".[27] Results from a word memory test showed that people with a BMI of 20 (considered to be a healthy level) remembered an average of nine out of 16 words. Meanwhile, people with a BMI of 30 (inside the obese range) remembered an average of just seven out of 16 words.[27]

D'oh

Main article: D'oh
Look up d'oh in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Homer's ubiquitous catch phrase "D'oh!" was famously added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2002,[28] without the apostrophe. The spoken word D'oh is a trademark of 20th Century Fox.[29]

It is typically represented in the show's script as "(annoyed grunt)", and is so spelled out in the official titles of several episodes.[30]

When Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, was first asked to voice the exclamation, he rendered it as a drawn out "doooh", inspired by Jimmy Finlayson, the mustachioed Scottish actor who appeared in 33 Laurel and Hardy films. Finlayson coined the term as a minced oath to stand in for the word "Damn!"[31] The show's creator Matt Groening felt that it would better suit the timing of animation if it were spoken faster so Castellaneta shortened it to "D'oh!"[32]

Merchandising

Homer's inclusion in many Simpsons publications, toys, and other merchandise is evidence of his enduring popularity. He has played central roles in the Simpsons Comics series.[33] A book written about Homer's personality and attributes has been published and is commercially available.[34] Numerous other items such as bottle openers, alarm clocks and other merchandise is widely available for purchase.

References

  • Richmond, Ray (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-638898-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Turner, Chris. Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. ISBN 0-679-31318-4.

Notes

  1. ^ "There's nobody like him... except you, me, everyone". The Sunday Times. 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ The Simpsons "Duffless" February 18, 1993
  3. ^ The Simpsons. "Mother Simpson". 19 November 1995.
  4. ^ The Simpsons. "The Way We Was". 31 January 1991.
  5. ^ The Simpsons. "Homer Goes to College". 14 October 1993.
  6. ^ a b The Simpsons. "I Married Marge". 26 December, 1991.
  7. ^ The Simpsons. "A Milhouse Divided". 1 December, 1996.
  8. ^ The Simpsons. "Homer's Barbershop Quartet". 30 September 1993.
  9. ^ The Simpsons. "And Maggie Makes Three." 22 January 1995.
  10. ^ a b BBC (2000). 'The Simpsons': America's First Family (6 minute edit for the season 1 DVD) (DVD). UK: 20th Century Fox.
  11. ^ Sadownick, Doug (1991-02-26). "Matt Groening". Advocate, Issue 571. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, pg. 14. ISBN 0-00-638898-1
  13. ^ The Simpsons "D'oh-in in the Wind" November 15, 1998
  14. ^ "J is for Jay". BBC. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
  15. ^ Groening, Matt; Al Jean, Mike Reiss (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ Groening, Matt; James L. Brooks, David Silverman (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  17. ^ Richmond, p. 14
  18. ^ Brownfield, Paul (1999-07-06). "He's Homer, but This Odyssey Is His Own". Los Angeles Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Larry Carroll (2007-07-26). "'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers". MTV. Retrieved 2007-07-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Romaniuk, Ross. "Is Homer Simpson Canadian?". Winnipeg Sun. May 30, 2003. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
  21. ^ "TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time". CNN. 2002-07-30. Retrieved 2007-08-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "The 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  23. ^ 100 Greatest TV characters
  24. ^ "The 50 Greatest TV Icons". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  25. ^ Scanlan, Stephen J.; Feinberg, Seth L. (April 2000). "The Cartoon Society: Using "The Simpsons" to Teach and Learn Sociology". Teaching Sociology. 28 (2): 127–139. doi:10.2307/1319260. Retrieved 2007-08-16. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) "The Simpsons, can be particularly effective for illustrating sociological themes and encouraging critical thinking among today's undergraduates"
  26. ^ Halwani, Raja. "Homer and Aristotle". In Irwin, William; Conrad, Mark T.; Skoble, Aeon (ed.). The "Simpsons" and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer. USA. ISBN 0812694333. Retrieved 2007-08-16. Homer Simpson does not fare well when evaluated morally... {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |chapterurl= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  27. ^ a b "Obese people lose IQ through 'Homer Simpson effect'". Thisislondon. 2006-10-15. Retrieved 2007-08-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "It's in the dictionary, d'oh!". BBC News, Entertainment. BBC. 2001-06-14. Archived from the original on 2002-12-03. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  29. ^ "Latest Status Info". TARR. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  30. ^ Episode titles with the original spelling include "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)", "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", and "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)". Episodes with d'oh in their titles include: "D'oh-in' in the Wind", "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses", "C.E. D'oh", "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere", and "He Loves to Fly and He D'oh's".
  31. ^ "What's the story with . . . Homer's D'oh!", The Herald, Glasgow, p. 15, July 21, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-22 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  32. ^ Simon, Jeremy (1994-02-11). "Wisdom from The Simpsons' 'D'ohh' boy". The Daily Northwestern. {{cite news}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "Simpson crazy".
  34. ^ Groening, Matt (2004), The Homer Book, HarperCollins Entertainment, ISBN 0007191685
Wikiquote has quotations related to Homer Simpson.

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