A Brief History of The Simpsons

Entering its ninth season, THE SIMPSONS has been honored with a Peabody Award, 10 Emmy Awards, seven Annie Awards, three Genesis Awards, three International Monitor Awards and three Environmental Media Awards, among numerous other nods. Certainly a colorful family, the Simpsons reside in the town of Springfield. Homer works at the local nuclear power plant; Marge is a loving wife and mother who takes pride in her hair and occasionally seeks work outside the home; Bart is a 10-year-old provocateur who can instantly go from brother to bother; Lisa is an intelligent, precocious, jazz saxophone-playing 8-year-old, wise beyond her years; and toddler Maggie manages to convey a wide range of emotions via pacifier sucks.

Giving voice to the family are Dan Castellaneta as Homer, Julie Kavner as Marge, Nancy Cartwright as Bart and Yeardley Smith as Lisa. Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer also provide the voices of a myriad of characters.

THE SIMPSONS, created by cartoonist Matt Groening, first appeared in 1987 as a series of 30-second spots produced by Groening for the FOX series "The Tracey Ullman Show." Response to the spots was so positive that THE SIMPSONS premiered on FOX as a half-hour Christmas special on Dec. 17, 1989, and then as a regular series on Jan. 14, 1990.

The show has transformed the way the television industry and audiences perceive animation and comedy series in general. Evidenced by the proliferation and success of new animated series which appeal to adults, THE SIMPSONS has become the standard against which all others are measured. One aspect of its appeal may be that the show's producers and writers, socially savvy, well educated and sometimes politically correct, work throughout the year to fill each episode with erudite references and sight gags. For enthusiasts, VCRs are a must. As creator Matt Groening has often said, "You get rewarded for paying attention." Each episode takes six to eight months to produce, so changes are frequently made to keep references topical.

In May 1997, THE SIMPSONS received its first Peabody Award and in July 1997 it received its sixth Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Animated Program, having won the award in 1990, 1991 and 1995. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Mike Scully are executive producers. THE SIMPSONS is a Gracie Films Production in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television.

Matt Groening, creator and executive producer of FOX's Emmy Award-winning series THE SIMPSONS, made television history by bringing animation back to prime time, creating an immortal nuclear family.

Originally brought to life in 1987 for FOX's Emmy Award-winning series "The Tracey Ullman Show," THE SIMPSONS was Groening's introduction into the animation world. Previously, he was best known for his "Life in Hell" cartoon strip, an irreverent portrayal of broken life that debuted in 1977 and currently appears in more than 250 newspapers worldwide.

In 1993 he formed "Bongo Comics Group," whereby he serves as publisher over the following: "Simpsons Comics," "Itchy & Scratchy Comics," "Bartman," "Radioactive Man," "Lisa Comics" and "Krusty Comics. A successful series of trading cards also has evolved. In 1995 he founded and published "Zongo Comics," which included "Jimbo" and "Fleener."

In addition to producing his weekly strip, keeping on top of the ongoing production demands of the weekly television series, and meeting regularly with the Bongo team, Groening oversees all aspects of the licensing and merchandising of THE SIMPSONS.

Groening's best-selling books, based on "Life in Hell" and THE SIMPSONS, include "Love is Hell," "Work is Hell," "School is Hell," "The Big Book of Hell," "Akbar & Jeff's Guide to Life," "Love is Hell 10th Anniversary Edition," "Binky's Guide to Love," "The Simpsons Xmas Book," "The Simpsons Rainy Day Fun Book," "Making Faces With The Simpsons," "Bart Simpson's Guide To Life," "The Simpsons' Uncensored Family Album," "Cartooning With The Simpsons," "Simpsons Illustrated" magazine, "Simpsons Comics & Stories" comic book, "Simpsons Comics Extravaganza," "Simpsons Comics Spectacular," "Bartman: The Best of The Best" and "Simpsons Comics Simps-O-Rama."

Groening, a native of Portland, OR, resides with his family in Los Angeles.

James L. Brooks is a three-time Academy Award winner and 12-time Emmy Award winner whose production company, Gracie Films, brought "The Tracey Ullman Show," "The Critic" and THE SIMPSONS to Fox Broadcasting Company.

Brooks began his television career as a writer who went on to produce such classics as "Room 222," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda," "Lou Grant," "Taxi" and "The Associates." He also wrote and produced the television movie "Thursday's Game."

Brooks began working in features in 1979, writing the screenplay for "Starting Over," which he co-produced with Alan Pakula. In 1983 he won the industry's top honors with three Academy Awards: as writer, producer and director of "Terms of Endearment," which also won Best Picture. In 1987 he wrote, produced and directed the 20th Century Fox film hit "Broadcast News," which won New York Drama Critics Awards for best picture, screenplay and director. It also was nominated for Academy Awards as best picture and best screenplay.

Through Gracie Films, Brooks served as executive producer for the feature films "Say Anything" and "The War of the Roses." He also co-produced 20th Century Fox's mega-hit comedy "Big" with Robert Greenhut. In 1990, Brooks produced and directed his first play, "Brooklyn Laundry," a Los Angeles production starring Glenn Close, Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern.

Brooks' company, Gracie Films, made an overall deal with Sony Pictures in 1990. Brooks wrote, produced and directed the feature film "I'll Do Anything.² He also produced the television series "Phenom."

Brooks was executive producer of the Tom Cruise starrer "Jerry Maguire." He wrote, produced and directed the upcoming feature film "Old Friends" (working title), starring Jack Nicholson.

Emmy Award-winning writer Mike Scully joined THE SIMPSONS as a producer in April 1993. During the past four seasons he has written several episodes, including "Lisa's Rival," "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds," "Lisa on Ice," "Team Homer," "Marge Be Not Proud" and "Lisa's Date With Density."

Scully grew up in West Springfield, MA, and moved to Los Angeles in 1982, where he began performing stand-up comedy in local clubs and performing audience warm-ups for various television shows. He stopped performing in 1986 to concentrate exclusively on writing for television.

In 1996, he wrote the feature film "Little Green Men" for DreamWorks SKG. Shooting is expected to begin in 1997.

Scully lives in Los Angeles with his wife Julie and their five daughters.