I Didn't Do It: How The Simpsons Affects Kids
The Simpsons is one of Americas most popular television shows. It ranks
as the number one television program for viewers under eighteen years of age.
However, the ideals that The Simpsons conveys are not always wholesome,
sometimes not even in good taste. It is inevitable that The Simpsons is
affecting children.
Matt Groening took up drawing to escape from his troubles in 1977. At
the time, Groening was working for the L.A. Reader, a free weekly newspaper. He
began working on Life in Hell, a humorous comic strip consisting of people with
rabbit ears. The L.A. Reader picked up a copy of his comic strip and liked what
they saw. Life in Hell gradually became a common comic strip in many free
weeklies and college newspapers across the country. It even developed a cult
status. (Varhola, 1)
Life in Hell drew the attention of James L. Brooks, producer of works
such as Taxi, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Terms of Endearment. Brooks
originally wanted Groening to make an animated pilot of Life in Hell. Groening
chose not to do so in fear of losing
royalties from papers that printed the
strip. Groening presented Brooks with an overweight, balding father, a mother
with a blue beehive hairdo, and three obnoxious spiky haired children. Groening
intended for them to represent the typical American family "who love each other
and drive each other crazy". Groening named the characters after his own family.
His parents were named Homer and Margaret and he had two younger sisters named
Lisa and Maggie. Bart was an anagram for "brat". Groening chose the last name
"Simpson" to sound like the typical American family name. (Varhola, 2)
Brooks decided to put the 30 or 60 second animations on between skits on
The Tracy Ullman Show on the unsuccessful Fox network. Cast members Dan
Castellaneta and Julie Kavner did the voices of Homer and Marge. Yeardley Smith
(later to star in Herman's Head)... [continues]
The Simpsons is one of Americas most popular television shows. It ranks
as the number one television program for viewers under eighteen years of age.
However, the ideals that The Simpsons conveys are not always wholesome,
sometimes not even in good taste. It is inevitable that The Simpsons is
affecting children.
Matt Groening took up drawing to escape from his troubles in 1977. At
the time, Groening was working for the L.A. Reader, a free weekly newspaper. He
began working on Life in Hell, a humorous comic strip consisting of people with
rabbit ears. The L.A. Reader picked up a copy of his comic strip and liked what
they saw. Life in Hell gradually became a common comic strip in many free
weeklies and college newspapers across the country. It even developed a cult
status. (Varhola, 1)
Life in Hell drew the attention of James L. Brooks, producer of works
such as Taxi, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Terms of Endearment. Brooks
originally wanted Groening to make an animated pilot of Life in Hell. Groening
chose not to do so in fear of losing
royalties from papers that printed the
strip. Groening presented Brooks with an overweight, balding father, a mother
with a blue beehive hairdo, and three obnoxious spiky haired children. Groening
intended for them to represent the typical American family "who love each other
and drive each other crazy". Groening named the characters after his own family.
His parents were named Homer and Margaret and he had two younger sisters named
Lisa and Maggie. Bart was an anagram for "brat". Groening chose the last name
"Simpson" to sound like the typical American family name. (Varhola, 2)
Brooks decided to put the 30 or 60 second animations on between skits on
The Tracy Ullman Show on the unsuccessful Fox network. Cast members Dan
Castellaneta and Julie Kavner did the voices of Homer and Marge. Yeardley Smith
(later to star in Herman's Head)... [continues]
Cite This Essay
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(1999, 10). I Didn't Do It: How the Simpsons Affects Kids. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 10, 1999, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Didnt-Do-It-Simpsons-Affects-Kids-2630.html
- MLA
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"I Didn't Do It: How the Simpsons Affects Kids" StudyMode.com. 10 1999. 10 1999 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Didnt-Do-It-Simpsons-Affects-Kids-2630.html>.
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"I Didn't Do It: How the Simpsons Affects Kids." StudyMode.com. 10, 1999. Accessed 10, 1999. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Didnt-Do-It-Simpsons-Affects-Kids-2630.html.
