Difference between revisions of "Life in Hell"

Revision as of 18:38, February 24, 2025

Life in Hell

Comic Information

Release date:	1977 to 2012
Publisher:	Matt Groening

Life in Hell was a 1977-2012 weekly comic strip by Matt Groening. The strip featured a family of anthropomorphic rabbits (father Binky, mother Sheba and son Bongo) and a pair of identical-looking gay lovers (Akbar and Jeff). Groening used these characters to explore a wide range of topics about love, sex, work, and death. His drawings are full of expressions of angst, alienation, self-loathing, and fear of inevitable doom.

Life in Hell started in 1977 as a self-published comic book Groening used to describe life in Los Angeles to his friends. Groening photocopied and distributed it in a small "punk" corner of the record store in which he worked, Licorice Pizza on Sunset Boulevard. Life in Hell debuted as a comic strip in the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978,^[1] to which Groening made his first professional cartoon sale. The first strip, entitled "Forbidden Words", appeared in the September/October issue. Popular in the underground, Life in Hell was picked up by the Los Angeles Reader^[2] (an alternative weekly newspaper where Groening also worked as a typesetter, editor, paste-up artist and music critic) in 1980, where it began appearing weekly.

Life in Hell reached the attention of Hollywood producer James L. Brooks, who received one strip — "The Los Angeles Way of Death" from 1982.^[3] In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers", for The Tracey Ullman Show. Originally, Brooks had wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights to his characters, Groening instead created an entirely new batch of characters, the Simpsons. Groening continued Life in Hell' until 2012.^[4]

References to Life in Hell on The Simpsons

Shorts

Season	Episode number	Episode name	Reference
1	5	"The Pacifier"	Rabbit dolls can be seen on the floor of Maggie's room and a framed picture of Binky is seen on the TV room.
2	9	"The Funeral"	Lisa holds a Binky doll.
2	15	"Bart's Haircut"	Lisa holds a Binky doll.
2	18	"Scary Stories"	Lisa holds a Binky doll.
2	25	"Family Portrait"	Lisa plays with a Binky doll.
2	26	"Bart's Hiccups"	Maggie and Lisa are seen with Bongo and Binky dolls.
2	27	"The Money Jar"	Lisa holds an eyeless Binky doll.
3	29	"Shut Up Simpsons"	Maggie squeaks a Binky doll.
3	32	"The Bart Simpson Show"	Bart names his Binky doll "Ed".
3	34	"Simpson Christmas"	Maggie gets Binky and Bongo dolls.
3	36	"Bart the Hero"	A Binky doll is seen on the floor.
3	37	"Bart's Little Fantasy"	A Binky doll is seen on the floor.
3	39	"Home Hypnotism"	A Binky doll is seen on the floor.
3	41	"Echo Canyon"	Bart and Lisa read Life in Hell comics.
3	43	"Bart's Nightmare"	Homer's shadow is cast on the floor as he looks down at Bart and the broken cookie jar, which is an allusion to the "Shadow Rabbit" gag in Life in Hell.
3	46 & 47	"Maggie in Peril (Chapter One)" and "Maggie in Peril (The Thrilling Conclusion)"	A Bongo doll is seen in Maggie's crib.

Episodes

Season	Episode number	Episode name	Reference
1	6	"Moaning Lisa"	The referee in the video game looks like Akbar or Jeff.
1	9	"Life on the Fast Lane"	Lisa's research "about what happens to kids whose parents no longer love and cherish each other" bares a striking resemblance to the 'Life in Hell' strip "The 12 Stages of Divorce for Kids", along with stage two (denial), and stage three (fear). However, Lisa's version is only 8 stages and "self-pity" is stage five (it is stage eight in the strip).
2	16	"Treehouse of Horror"	In the segment "Bad Dream House" a Binky doll is seen beside the box Bart unpacks. Later Maggie is seen sleeping next to a Bongo doll...
2	23	"Bart Gets Hit by a Car"	Lionel Hutz' office is is next to Yogurt Nook, where the proprietors look like Akbar and Jeff. Later they can also be seen in the courtroom.
3	36	"Stark Raving Dad"	Maggie is seen sleeping next to a Binky doll.
4	61	"A Streetcar Named Marge"	Sheba appears in a pop-up book, opened by a baby to warn Maggie that the school principal is coming.
5	90	"The Last Temptation of Homer"	When Homer's sweat has made the writing on his palm unreadable he tries to decipher the text anyway, which spells out: "Nom Yo Ho Renge Kyo", a mantra once sang by Akbar and Jeff.
6	108	"Sideshow Bob Roberts"	Maggie has a green Binky doll in her crib.
7	134	"Treehouse of Horror VI"	Matt Groening's name turns up in the opening credits as "Funk Lord of the USA". He used to describe himself as such at the start of each 'Life in Hell' comic.
7	138	"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"	In Matt Groening's office a 'Life in Hell' poster can be seen. Later Troy McClure says: "Yes, the Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off old gambling debts."
8	158	"Bart After Dark"	In the Itchy and Scratchy short Good Cats, Bad Choices Bongo is in the audience.
8	165	"Mountain of Madness"	Bart asks Lisa to come and look at two identical snowflakes, a nod to the Life in Hell episode: Lies My Older Brother and Sister Told Me (1986).
9	188	"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"	Chief Wiggum steals a Life in Hell rabbit from The Simpsons' house.
9	195	"Lisa the Simpson"	As a last-minute science project, Lisa makes a pig out of an eraser and pushpins, a make-your-own-office-toy featured in a 1982 Life in Hell strip entitled "How To Kill 8 Hours A Day And Still Keep Your Job" .
9	196	"This Little Wiggy"	A Binky doll is seen in Ralph Wiggum's room.
10	219	"Make Room for Lisa"	Maggie has a Bongo doll.
10	222	"Mom and Pop Art"	Homer notices a drawing of Akbar and Jeff in a museum and feels that Matt Groening doesn't belong in a museum as he "can barely draw."
11	237	"Faith Off"	The Springfield Church picks out "Life in Hell" as their "topic for today".
12	259	"Worst Episode Ever"	Comic Book Guy pours a can of soda over a Radioactive Man comic, which bounces off and lands on a Bongo Comics issue instead.
13	270	"Treehouse of Horror XII"	One of the rabbits in the hole full of Trix is Bongo.
13	278	"Jaws Wired Shut"	Maggie plays with a Bongo doll.
26	558	"Simpsorama"	Some of the mutant rabbits resembly Binky and Bongo.
33	707	"The Star of the Backstage"	Bart and Lisa pull at a Bongo doll.
35	761	"Frinkenstein's Monster"	Homer was reading Life in Hell-sinki, a reference to Life in Hell and to Helsinki, the capital city of Finland.

Specials

Picture	Special name	Reference
	The Force Awakens from Its Nap	A Binky doll is among the stuff in the cabinet.

Comics

Picture	Comic issue	Story name	Reference
	Simpsons Illustrated #7	Treat or Trick	Someone is seen dressed as Bongo.
	Simpsons Comics #31	Radioactive Homer	Otto Mann dresses as Bongo at the masquerade ball.

Books

Picture	Book	Reference
	The Krusty Book	Matt Groening's Life in Hell is #35 in Krusty's Top 40. Krusty describes it as a "funny, funny strip" and says "I bet that guy's great to work for."

References to The Simpsons in Life in Hell

Picture	Date	Reference
	1988	Bart is seen in a crowd.
	1994	In one comic, Matt Groening is asked several questions about the Simpsons, but does not answer them.

References

External links

Wikisimpsons has a collection of images related to Life in Hell.

Life in Hell references
Life in Hell at Wikipedia

Cultural references

view • talk • edit • past Television
The A-Team • All in the Family • Alvin and the Chipmunks • America's Funniest Home Videos • Animaniacs • Barney & Friends • Battlestar Galactica • Baywatch • Beauty and the Beast • Bewitched • The Big Bang Theory • Black Mirror • Bob's Burgers • The Brady Bunch • Breaking Bad • Charlie's Angels • Cheers • The Critic • CSI • Dallas • Davey and Goliath • DC Comics • Dennis the Menace • Dilbert • Disenchantment • Doctor Who • The Dukes of Hazzard • Family Guy • The Flintstones • Frasier • Futurama • Game of Thrones • Garfield • Gilligan's Island • Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. • Happy Days • The Honeymooners • Gunsmoke • I Dream of Jeannie • I Love Lucy • The Jetsons • King of the Hill • Late Show with David Letterman • Law & Order • The Lone Ranger • Looney Tunes • Lost • Lost in Space • Married... with Children • Marvel • MAS*H • Matlock • Monty Python's Flying Circus • Mork & Mindy • The Munsters • The Muppets • My Little Pony • MythBusters • The Odd Couple • Orange Is the New Black • Peanuts • Pokémon • Popeye • The Powerpuff Girls • The Ren & Stimpy Show • Rick and Morty • The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show • Sailor Moon • Scooby-Doo • Sesame Street • Seinfeld • The Smurfs • The Sopranos • South Park • SpongeBob SquarePants • Stargate • Starsky & Hutch • Star Trek • Stranger Things • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • Teletubbies • That '70s Show • Thriller • The Tracey Ullman Show • Transformers • The Twilight Zone • The Walking Dead • When Animals Attack! • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? • The Wonder Years • The X-Files

view • talk • edit • past Films
2001: A Space Odyssey • Alice in Wonderland • Alien • Alvin and the Chipmunks • Apocalypse Now • Avatar • Back to the Future • Beauty and the Beast • Ben-Hur • Das Boot • C.H.U.D. • Charlie's Angels • Casablanca • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory • A Christmas Carol • Citizen Kane • A Clockwork Orange • Close Encounters of the Third Kind • DC Comics • Dial M for Murder • Die Hard • Dracula • The Dukes of Hazzard • The Exorcist • Fantasia • The Fly • Frozen • Garfield • Ghostbusters • The Godfather • Godzilla • Gone with the Wind • Harry Potter • Home Alone • The Hunger Games • Indiana Jones • It's a Wonderful Life • James Bond • Jaws • Jurassic Park • King Kong • Laurel & Hardy • The Lion King • The Little Mermaid • The Little Rascals • The Lone Ranger • Looney Tunes • The Lord of the Rings • MAS*H • Mad Max • Marvel • The Marx Brothers • The Matrix • The Odd Couple • Pirates of the Caribbean • Planet of the Apes • Pokémon • Popeye • Psycho • Pulp Fiction • RoboCop • Saw • Scooby-Doo • The Shawshank Redemption • The Shining • The Silence of the Lambs • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • The Sound of Music • Soylent Green • SpongeBob SquarePants • Star Trek • Star Wars • A Streetcar Named Desire • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • Terminator • Thelma & Louise • They Saved Hitler's Brain • The Three Stooges • Thriller • Titanic • Toy Story • Transformers • When Harry Met Sally... • The Wizard of Oz

view • talk • edit • past Video games
Angry Birds • Candy Crush Saga • Donkey Kong • Grand Theft Auto • The Legend of Zelda • Mario • Minecraft • Pokémon

view • talk • edit • past Magazines
Cracked • MAD • The New Yorker • Playboy • Rolling Stone

view • talk • edit • past Books
Alice in Wonderland • Beauty and the Beast • Ben-Hur • The Catcher in the Rye • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory • A Christmas Carol • A Clockwork Orange • Dial M for Murder • Dracula • The Exorcist • Fahrenheit 451 • The Fly • Game of Thrones • The Godfather • Gone with the Wind • Goosebumps • Harry Potter • The Hunger Games • James Bond • Jaws • Jurassic Park • The Little Mermaid • The Lord of the Rings • Moby-Dick • The Old Man and the Sea • Planet of the Apes • Psycho • The Silence of the Lambs • The Shining • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • A Streetcar Named Desire • The Wizard of Oz

view • talk • edit • past Comics
DC Comics • Dennis the Menace • Dilbert • Garfield • Life in Hell • Marvel • Mary Worth • My Little Pony • Peanuts • Popeye • Sailor Moon • The Smurfs • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • Tintin • The Walking Dead

view • talk • edit • past Other
Art references • Gilbert and Sullivan • Hindenburg disaster • References in other media

[1] ttps://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/groening.htm

[2] ttps://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/groening.htm

[3] ttps://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/groening.htm

[4] ttps://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/groening.htm

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]