Audiences continue to laugh
at famed Springfield family
By Kyle Boggs
Staff Writer
When classes are over for the day, herds of people
gather around their TVs to get their daily dose of a cartoon that many
have been watching since elementary school.
"The Simpsons" debuted in 1988 on "The Tracy Ullman
Show" as a 30-to 60-second cartoon. After two years, America fell in
love with the cartoon family who playfully made fun of police, teachers,
parents, doctors and most of all, themselves.
When "The Simpsons" was made into a television
series on FOX, many admired the spunky, rebellious character Bart Simpson.
In the early '90s, grade school and junior high students could often
be found sporting T-shirts of Bart on a skateboard shouting, "Don’t
have a cow, man" and "Eat my shorts."
As the show has matured, so has its audience and
many fans enjoy "The Simpsons" because the humor has grown with them.
"I love the fact that I’ve been watching
the show since I was in elementary school, and it is still funny every
time I watch it," said Adam Goss, a sophomore in the School of
Liberal Arts. "The humor is still relevant for a 20-year-old, just
as funny as it was for an eight-year-old."
Glenn Sparks, a professor of communication, said
his daughter is a big fan of the show.
"The show is appealing to all sorts of audiences,"
said Sparks.
"It may appeal to people who simply like animation
or who have come to identify with the characters in the program. But
it may also appeal to those who really appreciate the commentary and
observation made about American life."
"In the TV industry, whenever you can get a show
that is "multi-modal" in its appeal, you have a winner," said Sparks.
Now that "The Simpsons" is in its 11th year as
a series, the humor is less about Bart and his one-liners and more about
the many different supporting characters.
"My favorite character by far is Ralph Wiggum,"
Goss said. "Everything that comes out of his mouth is funny."
"I love Chief Wiggum (Ralph's dad), because
he is the most perfect stereotype of a dumb cop," said Ashley Carter,
a sophomore in the School of Liberal Arts.
Favorite characters vary from person to person.
Other students love the strung-out school bus driver, Otto; the overly
Scottish Groundskeeper Willie; the pathetic salesman, Gil; the ambulance
chasing insurance scam-artist, Lionel Hutz and the stereotypic Quickie
Mart owner, Apu, and many others.
"I love their style of humor, how they pick
on everyday life, and the fact that it’s an ordinary family,"
said Mark Jamerson, a sophomore in the School of Liberal Arts.
Though "The Simpsons" make fun of just
about everything, it is still a moralistic cartoon for some.
There is an episode where Bart planned to jump
Springfield Gorge on his skateboard. Homer and Marge made Bart promise
not to do it and sent him to his room. But after a heart-to-heart with
Homer, Bart sneaked out and headed to the gorge anyway.
Homer realized what happened and met Bart there.
To show him his foolishness he grabbed the skateboard and said he'd
attempt the jump. Bart, put in the same position his parents were in,
learned his lesson besides the fact that Homer rolled backward down
into the gorge and fell, breaking every bone in his body.
Most of the show's fans don’t just watch TV
and happen to catch it. Die-hard viewers say they know exactly what
time "The Simpsons" is on and feel bad when they miss it.
"The show plays at 6 and 6:30 p.m. on the
weekdays and 8 p.m. on Sundays," said Carter. "I base my schedule around
it."
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