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Bart Simpson

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This article is about the cartoon character. For the filmmaker, see Bart Simpson (filmmaker).

Bart Simpson
The Simpsons character
A cartoon image of a yellow boy with yellow, spiky hair, wearing a red T-shirt, blue shorts, and blue shoes.
First appearance
Created byMatt Groening
Designed byMatt Groening
Voiced byNancy Cartwright
In-universe information
Full nameBartholomew JoJo Simpson
Occupation4th grade student at Springfield Elementary School
Family
Relatives
Home742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, United States
NationalityAmerican

Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson[1] is a fictional character from the American animated television series The Simpsons who is part of the Simpson family. Bart made his television debut in the short "Good Night" on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Bart while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office. Initially called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell, Groening instead developed a new set of characters. Unlike the other Simpson family members, who were named after Groening's relatives, Bart's name is an anagram of brat. After two years on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family received their own series, which premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989. Bart has appeared in every episode of The Simpsons except "Four Great Women and a Manicure".

At ten years old, Bart is the eldest child and only son of Homer and Marge Simpson and the brother of Lisa and Maggie. Known for his mischievousness, rebelliousness, and disrespect for authority, Bart’s most iconic traits include his chalkboard gags in the opening sequence, prank calls to Moe's Tavern, and catchphrases like "Eat my shorts", "¡Ay, caramba!", "Don't have a cow, man!", and "I'm Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?". However, apart from "¡Ay, caramba!", these trademarks have largely been retired or used sparingly. Bart has also appeared in The Simpsons' related media, including video games, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Ride, commercials, comic books, and an extensive line of merchandise. Nancy Cartwright, Bart's voice actor, intended to audition for the role of Lisa, while Yeardley Smith auditioned for Bart. However, Smith’s voice was deemed too high-pitched for a boy, and she was cast as Lisa instead. Cartwright found Lisa less appealing as a character and opted to try out for Bart, a role she felt better suited her.

During the first two seasons of The Simpsons, Bart was the show's protagonist, ensuing "Bartmania", which spawned Bart-themed merchandise touting his rebellious persona and pride in underachieving. However, these traits also drew criticism from parents and educators who viewed him as a negative influence on children. By the third season, Homer became the show's figure, and the series shifted its focus to the family as a whole, though Bart remains a breakout character. Bart is considered one of the most iconic fictional television characters of the 1990s[2][3][4] and has been described as an American cultural icon.[5][6][7] Time named him one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century, and Entertainment Weekly named him Entertainer of the Year in 1990.[8] Cartwright has received several accolades for her portrayal of Bart, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 1992 and an Annie Award in 1995. In 2000, Bart and the rest of the Simpson family were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Role in The Simpsons

The Simpsons employs a floating timeline, where characters either do not age or age minimally. As such, the show is always presumed to take place in the present year.[9][10] Bart is the eldest child and only son of Homer and Marge Simpson;[11][12] he has two younger sisters, Lisa and Maggie.[13] In several episodes of The Simpsons, events have been tied to specific times, though these timelines are sometimes contradicted in later episodes. On "I Married Marge" (season three, 1991), Bart's birth is placed in the early 1980s.[14] In "Simpsorama" (Season 26, 2014), Bart states his birthday as February 23,[15] while The Bart Book by series creator Matt Groening lists it as April 1.[1] Bart lived with his parents in Springfield's Lower East Side before the family purchased their first home.[16] When Lisa was born, Bart initially felt jealous of the attention she received but soon warmed to her when her first word turned out to be "Bart".[16] Bart's first day of school occurred in the early 1990s. Initially excited, his enthusiasm was quickly crushed by an indifferent teacher, prompting Marge to worry about him. During recess, Bart befriended Milhouse and began entertaining classmates with gestures and rude jokes. Principal Skinner warned Bart, "You've just started school, and the path you choose now may be the one you follow for the rest of your life! Now, what do you say?" Bart replied, "Eat my shorts".[17] However, the episode "That 90's Show" (season 19, 2008) contradicted much of this timeline, revealing that Homer and Marge were childless during the early 1990s.[18]

Bart's hobbies include skateboarding,[19] watching television—particularly The Krusty the Clown Show and its segment The Itchy & Scratchy Show[20]—reading comic books, especially Radioactive Man,[20] playing video games,[21] and causing general mischief.[22] His favorite movies are Jaws and the Star Wars trilogy, while his favorite boardgames include Hippo in the House, The Game of Lent, and Citizenship.[23] Throughout the series, Bart has been a student at Springfield Elementary School, where he is part of Edna Krabappel's fourth-grade class.[24][25] Although too young for full-time work, Bart has taken on several part-time jobs over the years. He works as a bartender at Fat Tony's social club in "Bart the Murderer" (season three, 1991);[26] as Krusty the Clown's assistant in "Bart Gets Famous" (season five, 1994);[27] as a doorman in Springfield's burlesque house, the Maison Derrière, in "Bart After Dark" (season eight, 1996);[28] and briefly owns his own factory in "Homer's Enemy" (season eight, 1997).[29]

Character

Creation

A man in glasses and a plaid shirt sits in front of a microphone.
Matt Groening (pictured in 2009) conceived Bart in 1987.

Matt Groening first conceived Bart and the rest of the Simpson family in 1987 while waiting in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks's office.[30][31] Groening was invited to pitch a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show and initially planned to adapt his comic strip, Life in Hell. Upon realizing that adapting the strip would require him to relinquish publication rights, he quickly decided to create something new.[32] Groening hastily sketched a concept for a dysfunctional family,[33][34] naming the characters after members of his own family.[35][36] For the rebellious son, he chose the name "Bart", an anagram of brat,[37][38] instead of his own name, as he felt "Matt" would not "go over well in a pitch meeting".[39][40] Bart's middle initial, "J", is a homage to animated characters like Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, who were named after their creator, Jay Ward.[41][42] According to the book Bart Simpson's Guide to Life, his full middle name is "JoJo".[43]

Bart was initially conceived as, according to The Oregonian, "a much milder, troubled youth given to existential angst who talks to himself" but the character was changed due to Nancy Cartwright's voice acting.[44] Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, has credited various sources as inspirations for Bart's character. His older brother, Mark Groening, influenced Bart's rebellious attitude. Mark introduced him to a variety of comics, including Mad (when it was still a comic), Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Little Lulu, and Tales From the Crypt, all of which were sources of inspiration for Matt.[45] Bart was envisioned as an exaggerated version of the typical misbehaving child, combining the extreme traits of characters like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.[46] Groening described Bart as "what would happen if the son of Eddie Haskell [from Leave It to Beaver] got his own show".[47] He also noted his disappointment with the premise of Dennis the Menace, which inspired him to create a character who was genuinely mischievous.[48] Bart first appeared alongside the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night".[49][50] In 1989, these shorts were developed into The Simpsons, a half-hour series on the Fox Broadcasting Company,[51][52] where Bart and the Simpson family became the central characters.[53]

Design

A cartoon image of a yellow boy with spiky hair in bed.
Bart in his first televised appearance in "Good Night".

The Simpson family was designed to be easily recognizable in silhouette.[54][55] The characters were initially crudely drawn because Groening submitted rough sketches to the animators, expecting them to refine the designs; instead, the animators simply traced over his original drawings.[56] Bart's early design, featured in the first shorts, included spikier hair with spikes of varying lengths.[57] This was later standardized to nine evenly sized spikes. At the time, Groening primarily worked in black and white and, without considering the eventual use of color, designed Bart's spikes to appear as an extension of his head.[58] Unique to Bart, these design features are not replicated in other characters, although some background characters in the first few seasons shared his spiky hairline.[59]

Bart's head is described by director Mark Kirkland as having a basic rectangular shape, resembling a coffee can. Similarly, Homer's head is rectangular with a dome on top, while spheres are used to define the heads of Marge, Lisa, and Maggie.[60] In the episode "The Blue and the Gray", Bart, along with Lisa and Maggie, humorously addresses the lack of a visible border distinguishing his hair from his head.[61] In the season seven (1995) episode "Treehouse of Horror VI", Bart, alongside Homer, was rendered as a three-dimensional character for the first time in the "Homer3" segment of the episode. The computer animation was provided by Pacific Data Images. While designing the 3D model of the character, the animators did not know how they would show Bart's hair. They realized that there were vinyl Bart dolls in production and purchased one to use as a model.[62]

Voice

A blonde middle-aged woman smiling with a black background
Nancy Cartwright (pictured in 2007) voices Bart.

Bart's voice is provided by Nancy Cartwright,[63][64] who also voices several other child characters on The Simpsons, including Nelson Muntz,[65][66] Ralph Wiggum,[66] Todd Flanders,[67] and Kearney Zzyzwicz.[68] After Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner were cast as Homer and Marge, respectively, due to their existing roles on The Tracey Ullman Show,[69] the producers held auditions for the roles of Bart and Lisa. Yeardley Smith initially auditioned for Bart, but casting director Bonita Pietila felt her voice was too high-pitched. Reflecting on the experience, Smith recalled, "I always sounded too much like a girl. I read two lines as Bart, and they said, 'Thanks for coming!'".[70] She was subsequently cast as Lisa instead.[71] On March 13, 1987, Nancy Cartwright auditioned for the role of Lisa.[72] However, upon discovering that Lisa was described only as the "middle child" with little personality at the time, she became more interested in Bart, who was characterized as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, [and] clever".[72][73] Groening allowed her to audition for Bart, and after hearing her read, he immediately offered her the role.[74] Cartwright is the only one among the six primary Simpsons cast members who had formal voice acting training prior to joining the show.[75]

According to The Guardian, Cartwright's natural speaking voice bears "no obvious traces of Bart".[76] The voice she uses for Bart came naturally to her, as she had previously incorporated elements of it into roles on shows like My Little Pony, Snorks, and Pound Puppies.[76][77] Cartwright describes Bart's voice as easy to perform, stating, "Some characters take a little bit more effort, upper respiratory control, whatever it is technically. But Bart is easy to do. I can just slip into that without difficulty".[76] To provide variety, she typically records five or six takes of each line, allowing producers more options to work with.[74] Even in flashforward episodes, Cartwright continues to voice Bart; for example, in the episode "Lisa's Wedding" (season six, 1995), Bart's voice was electronically pitched lower to reflect his age.[78] Despite Bart's widespread fame, Cartwright is seldom recognized in public. When she is recognized and asked to perform Bart's voice in front of children, she declines, explaining that it "freaks [them] out".[79] During the first season of The Simpsons, Fox Network prohibited Cartwright from giving interviews to avoid revealing that Bart was voiced by a woman.[80]

Cartwright was initially paid US$30,000 per episode for her work on The Simpsons until 1998.[81][82] That year, a pay dispute arose, during which Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors and even began preparing for new casting.[83][84] The conflict was ultimately resolved, and Cartwright's salary increased to $125,000 per episode.[85][86] In 2004, the voice cast pushed for higher wages, seeking $360,000 per episode.[87][88] After a brief argument, the dispute was settled, and Cartwright's pay was raised to $250,000 per episode.[89][90] In 2008, further negotiations increased the cast's salaries to approximately $400,000 per episode.[91][92] However, in 2011, Fox demanded production cost reductions, threatening to cancel the series if costs were not cut. In response, Cartwright and the other main cast members agreed to a 30 percent pay reduction, lowering their per-episode earnings to just over $300,000.[93] By 2016, Cartwright was paid $315,000 per episode, which, according to Variety, made her one of the highest-paid voice actors at the time.[94]

Hallmarks

In the opening sequence of many episodes of The Simpsons, the camera zooms in on Springfield Elementary School, where Bart is shown writing lines on a chalkboard. This recurring feature, known as the "chalkboard gag", varies from episode to episode.[95] The messages often include political humor, such as "The First Amendment does not cover burping",[96] pop culture references like "I can't see dead people",[97] and meta-commentary such as "I am not a 32-year-old woman" or "Nobody reads these anymore".[95] The animators can create these gags quickly and sometimes adjust them to reflect current events.[98] For example, in the episode "Homer the Heretic" (season four, 1992), the chalkboard gag read, "I will not defame New Orleans". This was an apology for a controversial song in the previous week's episode, "A Streetcar Named Marge", which had described the city as a "home of pirates, drunks, and whores".[99][100]

An early hallmark of Bart's character was his prank calls to Moe's Tavern, where he would ask owner Moe Szyslak for a fictitious person with a gag name.[22] Moe would try to find that person, eventually realizing it was a prank and responding with angry threats, unaware that Bart was the caller. These calls were inspired by the Tube Bar recordings, a series of prank calls to bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch, whose profane reactions influenced Moe's violent temperament.[101] The prank calls first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey" (season one, 1990), the third episode to air.[102] Over time, it became increasingly difficult for the writers to create new fake names and Moe's subsequent responses, leading to the pranks being phased out as a regular feature by the fourth season.[103][104] However, they have occasionally resurfaced in later episodes.[105]

The catchphrase "Eat my shorts" originated as an ad-lib by Cartwright during one of the show's early table readings, inspired by an incident from her high school years.[106] While performing with the marching band at Fairmont High School, the group chanted "Eat my shorts" instead of their usual cheer, "Fairmont West! Fairmont West!".[107] This phrase may also reference The Breakfast Club (1985), where the character John Bender uses it against Principal Vernon.[108] Bart's other notable catchphrases include "¡Ay, caramba!" and "Don't have a cow!".[109][110][111] The former was inspired by a Portuguese flamenco dancer,[112] while the latter, popularized in the 1950s, originated from the British phrase "Don't have kittens".[112] Both were prominently featured on merchandise like T-shirts during the show's early seasons.[113][114] Another catchphrase, "Cowabunga", was borrowed from Chief Thunderthud of The Howdy Doody Show.[115]

A cartoon drawing of a yellow nude child skateboarding outdoors, with a leaf covering his genitalia.
Bart's nude scene in The Simpsons Movie.

Bart frequently appears nude in The Simpsons, often through mooning.[114] In The Simpsons Movie (2007), he is featured in a scene where he skateboards completely nude.[116][117] While various objects obscure his genitalia throughout the sequence, there is a brief moment where his penis is visible.[118] This scene was among the first created for the film, but producers were initially concerned it might result in an R rating.[118] However, the Motion Picture Association of America ultimately rated the film PG-13 for "irreverent humor throughout".[119][120] The scene was later recognized by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 30 Unforgettable Nude Scenes.[121]

Personality

Like any good punk rocker, Bart had the nihilism thing down from the very beginning. Though not so much pissed off as extremely undisciplined, the Bart Simpson of the Ullman shorts is either fighting with his sister, inciting his father into murderous levels of rage, executing dangerous stunts that end in cartoonish levels of disaster, or simply spitting snarky one-liners at whatever authority figures cross his path. This appetite for destruction continued to be the defining feature of the smart-assed boy who dominated many episodes of the first few seasons of The Simpsons–the version that spawned Bart-mania–though his methods and motivations show considerably more nuance than the white-trash Bart of the Ullman era.

— Chris Turner, author[122]

Bart's character traits of rebelliousness and disrespect for authority have been compared to that of America's founding fathers, and he has been described as an updated version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, rolled into one.[123] In his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner describes Bart as a nihilist, a philosophical position that argues that existence is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.[122]

Bart's rebellious attitude has made him a disruptive student at Springfield Elementary School, where he is an underachiever and proud of it.[124] He is constantly at odds with his teacher Ms. Krabappel, Principal Skinner, and occasionally Groundskeeper Willie.[125] Bart does poorly in school and is well aware of it, having once declared, "I am dumb, okay? Dumb as a post! Think I'm happy about it?"[124] On one occasion, Lisa successfully proves that Bart is dumber than a hamster, although Bart ultimately outsmarts her.[126] Bart's thoughts are often illogical; he once thought if he died and reincarnated as a butterfly, he would be able to burn the school down without being suspected, thinking that he would be able to hold a gas can as a butterfly.[127] He has also thought if he wrote his name in wet cement, people who see it after it dries will wonder how he managed to write his name in solid cement.[128] In "Separate Vocations" (season three, 1992), Bart becomes hall monitor and his grades go up, suggesting that he struggles mainly because he does not pay attention, not because he is stupid.[129] This idea is reinforced in "Brother's Little Helper" (season eleven, 1999), in which it is revealed that Bart has attention deficit disorder.[130] His lack of smarts can also be attributed to the hereditary "Simpson Gene", which affects the intelligence of most male members of the Simpson family.[131] Although he gets into endless trouble and can be sadistic, shallow and selfish, Bart also exhibits many qualities of high integrity. He has, on a few occasions, helped Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel:[132] In "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" (season five, 1994), Bart accidentally got Skinner fired and befriended him outside the school environment. Bart missed having Skinner as an adversary and got him rehired, knowing that this would mean that the two could no longer be friends.[133]

Due to Bart's mischievousness and Homer's often uncaring and incompetent behavior, the two have a turbulent, jaded, violent, and at times borderline sadistic relationship. Bart regularly addresses Homer by his first name instead of "Dad", while Homer in turn often refers to him as "the boy".[134] Homer has a short temper and when enraged by Bart will strangle him on impulse in a cartoonishly violent manner.[135] One of the original ideas for the show was that Homer would be "very angry" and oppressive toward Bart, but these characteristics were toned down somewhat as their characters were explored.[136] Marge is a much more caring, understanding and nurturing parent than Homer, but she also refers to Bart as "a handful" and is often embarrassed by his antics.[137] In "Marge Be Not Proud" (season seven, 1995), she felt she was mothering Bart too much and began acting more distant towards him after he was caught shoplifting. At the beginning of the episode, Bart protested at her over-mothering but as her attitude changed, he felt bad and made it up to her.[138] Despite his attitude, Bart is sometimes willing to experience humiliation if it means pleasing his mom.[139] Marge has expressed an understanding for her "special little guy" and has defended him on many occasions. She once said "I know Bart can be a handful, but I also know what he's like inside. He's got a spark. It's not a bad thing ... Of course, it makes him do bad things."[137]

Bart is a really good boy. He's just mischievous. He's not bad, like characters who followed him such as [Eric] Cartman (South Park) or Beavis and Butthead. Bart can do some nasty things, but they seem so tame, by today's standards. What was shocking 19 years ago, when the show started, isn't the least bit shocking today. Bart hasn't changed.

Bart shares a sibling rivalry with his younger sister, Lisa, but has a buddy-like relationship with his youngest sister Maggie, due to her infant state. While Bart has often hurt Lisa, and even fought her physically, the two are often very close.[126][134] Bart cares for Lisa deeply and has always apologized for going too far.[141] He also believes Lisa to be his superior when it comes to solving problems and frequently goes to her for advice.[129] Bart is also highly protective of Lisa: When a bully destroys her box of cupcakes in "Bart the General" (season one, 1990), Bart immediately stands up for her.[142]

Bart is portrayed as a popular cool boy[143] and has many friends at school. Out of all of them his best friend is Milhouse Van Houten, although Bart has at times shown embarrassment about their friendship.[143] Bart is a bad influence on Milhouse, and the two have been involved in a lot of mischief together. Because of this behavior, Milhouse's mother forbids Milhouse from playing with Bart in "Homer Defined" (season three, 1991). While at first he pretended that he did not care, Bart eventually realizes that he needs Milhouse, and Marge manages to convince Mrs. Van Houten to reconsider.[137] Milhouse is a frequent target for local bullies Nelson Muntz and his friends Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney. At times, Bart also finds himself at the hands of their abuse. Despite being the more socially powerful of the two, Bart's social popularity has temporarily subsided in various episodes either due to extreme embarrassment caused by his family or other people (or even himself) or an unfortunate coincidence. Milhouse describes their social standing as "Three and a half. We get beat up, but we get an explanation."[132] While Bart and the bullies have been adversaries at times, with Bart once declaring war on Nelson,[142] the school bullies actually like Bart for his ways and hang out with him at times, especially Nelson who eventually becomes close friends with him.[144]

Bart is one of the biggest fans of children's television host Krusty the Clown. He once declared, "I've based my whole life on Krusty's teachings", and sleeps in a room filled with Krusty merchandise. He has helped the clown on many occasions, for example, foiling Sideshow Bob's attempt to frame Krusty for armed robbery in "Krusty Gets Busted" (season one, 1990), reuniting Krusty with his estranged father in "Like Father, Like Clown".[145] and helping Krusty return to the air with a comeback special and reignite his career in "Krusty Gets Kancelled".[146] For his part, Krusty has remained largely ignorant of Bart's help and treats Bart with disinterest.[145] One summer, Bart enthusiastically attended Kamp Krusty, which turned out to be a disaster, with Krusty nowhere to be seen. Bart keeps his hopes up by believing that Krusty would show up, but is soon pushed over the edge, and finally decides that he is sick of Krusty's shoddy merchandise and takes over the camp. Krusty immediately visits the camp in hopes of ending the conflict and manages to appease Bart.[147][148] One of the original ideas for the series was that Bart worshiped a television clown but had no respect for his father, although this was never directly explored.[149][150] Because of this original plan, Krusty's design is basically Homer in clown make-up.[151] When Bart foiled Sideshow Bob's plans in "Krusty Gets Busted", it sparked a long-standing feud between the two. The writers decided to have Bob repeatedly return to get revenge on Bart. They took the idea of the Coyote chasing the Road Runner and depicted Bob as an intelligent person obsessed with catching a bratty boy.[152] Bob has appeared in fourteen episodes, generally plotting various evil schemes which often have to do with getting revenge on Bart (and sometimes the entire Simpson family by proxy), but is always foiled in the end.[153]

Reception and cultural influence

Bartmania

In 1990, Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Bartmania".[154][155][156][157] He became the most prevalent Simpsons character on memorabilia, such as T-shirts. In the early 1990s, millions of T-shirts featuring Bart were sold;[158] as many as one million were sold on some days.[159] Believing Bart to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Bart next to captions such as "I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')".[160][161][162] The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales.[160] The success of Bart Simpson merchandise inspired an entire line of black market counterfeit items, especially T-shirts. Some featured Bart announcing various slogans, others depicted redesigns of the character, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Bart, Air Simpson Bart, [and] RastaBart".[163] Matt Groening generally did not object to bootleg merchandise, but took exception to a series of "Nazi Bart" shirts which depicted Bart in Nazi uniform or as a white power skinhead.[164] 20th Century Fox sued the creator of the shirts, who eventually agreed to stop making them.[165]

Bart became so associated with Fox that, when bidding in 1993 to show pro football, the network had to assure the NFL and reporters that the character would not announce games.[166] Due to the show's success, over the summer of 1990 Fox decided to switch The Simpsons' timeslot so that it would move from 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday night to the same time on Thursday, where it would compete with The Cosby Show on NBC, the number one show at the time.[167][168] Through the summer, several news outlets published stories about the supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry.[167][159] The August 31, 1990 issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a picture of Bill Cosby wearing a Bart Simpson T-shirt.[169] "Bart Gets an 'F'" (season two, 1990) was the first episode to air against The Cosby Show, and it received a lower Nielsen rating, tying for eighth behind The Cosby Show, which had an 18.5 rating. The rating is based on the number of household televisions that were tuned into the show, but Nielsen Media Research estimated that 33.6 million viewers watched the episode, making it the number one show in terms of actual viewers that week. At the time, it was the most watched episode in the history of the Fox Network,[170] and it is still the highest rated episode in the history of The Simpsons.[171] Because of his popularity, Bart was often the most promoted member of the Simpson family in advertisements for the show, even for episodes in which he was not involved in the main plot.[172]

Bart was described as "television's king of 1990",[173] "television's brightest new star"[174] and an "undiminished smash".[159] Entertainment Weekly named Bart the "entertainer of the year" for 1990, writing that "Bart has proved to be a rebel who's also a good kid, a terror who's easily terrorized, and a flake who astonishes us, and himself, with serious displays of fortitude."[175] In the United States congressional, senatorial and gubernatorial elections of 1990, Bart was one of the most popular write-in candidates, and in many areas was second only to Mickey Mouse amongst fictional characters.[176][177] In the 1990 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Bart made his debut as one of the giant helium-filled balloons for which the parade is known.[178] This was referenced in The Simpsons in the episode "Bart vs. Thanksgiving", which aired the same day as the parade, where Homer tells Bart, "If you start building a balloon for every flash-in-the-pan cartoon character, you turn the parade into a farce!" Meanwhile, behind and unbeknownst to him, the television briefly shows a Bart Simpson balloon.[141][179]

The album The Simpsons Sing the Blues was released in September 1990 and was a success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200[180] and becoming certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[181] The first single from the album was the pop rap song "Do the Bartman", performed by Nancy Cartwright and released on November 20, 1990. The song was written by Bryan Loren, a friend of Michael Jackson.[182] Jackson was a fan of The Simpsons, especially Bart,[183] and had called the producers one night offering to write Bart a number one single and do a guest spot on the show.[184] Jackson eventually guest starred in the episode "Stark Raving Dad" (season three, 1991) under the pseudonym John Jay Smith.[185] While the song was never officially released as a single in the United States, it was successful in the United Kingdom. In 1991 it was the number one song in the UK for three weeks from February 16 to March 9 and was the seventh best-selling song of the year.[186] It sold half a million copies and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on February 1, 1991.[187]

Bart as a role model

I now have a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old boy, so all I can say is, I apologize. Now I know what you guys were talking about. My standard comment is, If you don't want your kids to be like Bart Simpson, don't act like Homer Simpson.

— Matt Groening, in a 1998 interview when asked, "How do you respond to critics who consider Bart Simpson a dreadful role model for children?"[188]

Bart's rebellious nature, which frequently resulted in no punishment for his misbehavior, led some parents and conservatives to characterize him as a poor role model for children.[189][190] Robert Bianco of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that "[Bart] outwits his parents and outtalks his teachers; in short, he's the child we wish we'd been, and fear our children will become."[191] In schools, educators claimed that Bart was a "threat to learning" because of his "underachiever and proud of it" attitude and negative attitude regarding his education.[192] Others described him as "egotistical, aggressive and mean-spirited."[193] In response to the criticism, James L. Brooks said, "I'm very wary of television where everybody is supposed to be a role model, you don't run across that many role models in real life. Why should television be full of them?"[194]

In 1990 William Bennett, who at the time was drug czar of the United States, visited a drug treatment center in Pittsburgh and upon noticing a poster of Bart remarked, "You guys aren't watching The Simpsons, are you? That's not going to help you any."[195] When a backlash over the comment ensued, Bennett apologized, claiming he "was just kidding"[196] and saying "I'll sit down with the little spike head. We'll straighten this thing out."[197] In a 1991 interview, Bill Cosby described Bart as a bad role model for children, calling him "angry, confused, frustrated". In response, Matt Groening said, "That sums up Bart, all right. Most people are in a struggle to be normal. He thinks normal is very boring, and does things that others just wished they dare do."[198] On January 27, 1992, then-President George H. W. Bush said, "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons."[160] The writers rushed out a tongue-in-cheek reply in the form of a short segment which aired three days later before a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad" in which Bart replied, "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too."[199][200]

Although there were many critics of the character, favorable comments came from several quarters. Columnist Erma Bombeck wrote, "Kids need to know that somewhere in this world is a contemporary who can pull off all the things they can only fantasize about, someone who can stick it to their parents once in a while and still be permitted to live."[192] In 2003, Bart placed first in a poll of parents in the United Kingdom who were asked "which made-up character had the most influence" on children under 12 years old.[201]

Commendations

In 2000, Bart, along with the rest of the Simpson family, were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1998, Time named Bart one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. He was the only fictional character to make the list.[114] He had previously appeared on the cover of the edition of December 31, 1990.[202] He was also ranked No. 48 in TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time" in 1996[203] and both he and Lisa ranked No. 11 in TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" in 2002.[204] In 2022, Paste writers claimed that Bart is the 26th best cartoon character of all time.[205]

At the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1992, Cartwright won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for voicing Bart in the season three episode "Separate Vocations". She shared the award with five other voice actors from The Simpsons.[206] Various episodes in which Bart is strongly featured have been nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program, including "Radio Bart" in 1992, "Future-Drama" in 2005, "The Haw-Hawed Couple" in 2006 and "Homer's Phobia", which won the award in 1997.[207] In 1995, Cartwright won an Annie Award for "Voice Acting in the Field of Animation" for her portrayal of Bart in an episode.[208] In 2000, Bart and the rest of the Simpson family were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.[209]

In 2014 Bart Simpson became the second mascot of Russian football club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, wearing number 87 on his back (referring to the character's debut in 1987; the club's first mascot is a blue-maned lion).[210]

Merchandising

Alongside T-shirts, Bart has been included in various other The Simpsons-related merchandise, including air fresheners, baseball caps, bumper stickers,[159] cardboard standups, refrigerator magnets, key rings, buttons, dolls, posters, figurines, clocks, soapstone carvings, Chia Pets, bowling balls and boxer shorts.[211][212] The Bart Book, a book about Bart's personality and attributes, was released in 2004.[213][214] Other books include Bart Simpson's Guide to Life. The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, which is not an official publication, includes a chapter analyzing Bart's character and comparing him to the "Nietzschean ideal".[215]

Bart has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons. He has appeared in every one of The Simpsons video games, including Bart vs. the World, Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly, Bart vs. the Space Mutants, Bart's House of Weirdness, Bart vs. The Juggernauts, Bartman Meets Radioactive Man, Bart's Nightmare, Bart & the Beanstalk and The Simpsons Game, released in 2007.[216] Alongside the television series, Bart regularly appears in issues of Simpsons Comics, which were first published on November 29, 1993, and are still issued monthly, and also has his own series called Bart Simpson Comics which have been released since 2000.[217][218] Bart also plays a role in The Simpsons Ride, launched in 2008 at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood.[219] Bart appears as a playable character in the toys-to-life video game Lego Dimensions, released via a "Fun Pack" packaged with a Gravity Sprinter accessory in November 2015.[220]

Bart, and other The Simpsons characters, have appeared in numerous television commercials for Nestlé's Butterfinger candy bars from 1990 to 2001, with the slogan "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!"[221] Lisa would occasionally advertise it too. Matt Groening would later say that the Butterfinger advertising campaign was a large part of the reason why Fox decided to pick up the half-hour show.[222] The campaign was discontinued in 2001, much to the disappointment of Cartwright.[223] Bart has also appeared in commercials for Burger King and Ramada Inn.[223] In 2001, Kellogg's launched a brand of cereal called "Bart Simpson Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch", which was available for a limited time.[224][225] Before the half-hour series went on the air, Matt Groening pitched Bart as a spokesperson for Jell-O. He wanted Bart to sing "J-E-L-L-O", then burp the letter O. His belief was that kids would try to do it the next day, but he was rejected.[226]

On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44-cent stamps featuring Bart and the four other members of the Simpson family. They are the first characters, other than Sesame Street characters, to receive this accolade while the show is still in production. The stamps, designed by Matt Groening, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2009.[227][228]

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Bibliography

Further reading

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