Homer Jay Simpson
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"D'oh!"
"Woo-Hoo!"
"Wahh!"
-Homer's catch phrases.
Homer Jay Simpson
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Character Information
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Homer Jay Simpson is the father of the Simpson family; he is overweight, lazy, and not too bright. His behavior is often absurd, selfish, dangerous, clumsy, idiotic, and insensitive. However, he has shown moments of great intellect, and can be a caring parent and husband at times. Over the years, he has evolved into an iconic symbol, recognized and understood by millions of misunderstood fathers across the globe.
Homer works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, in Sector 7G, although "working" in this case refers largely to dozing and eating doughnuts. He spends a great deal of his time at Moe's Tavern with his lifelong friends Barney, Carl, Lenny, and bartender Moe. At home he is often to be found sitting on the sofa mindlessly watching TV while snacking on comfort foods and drinking Duff Beer.
The best moments of his life were finding a penny, marrying Marge, and dancing around an overturned beer truck. In Lisa's First Word he said it was getting a baby, a free burger, and a hour-long episode of 'Mama's Family' all in one day.
Homer popularized the annoyed grunt "D'oh!" (made memorable through Dan Castellaneta's distinctive voice work), which began as an abbreviated form of Jimmy Finlayson's annoyed "Dooooh" from the films of Laurel and Hardy. This modern interjection has found enough popular acceptance to be included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Contents
Role in The Simpons
Biography
Although The Simpsons has a floating timeline in which the characters do not age, and the show is set in the current year, certain dates have been given. Homer was born on May 12, 1956. He was raised on a farm by his parents, Mona and Abe. In the mid-1960s, while Homer was between nine and twelve years of age, Mona went into hiding following a run-in with the law. Homer attended Springfield High School and fell in love with Marge Bouvier in 1974. Marge became pregnant with Bart in 1980, while Homer was working at a miniature golf course, turning the crank that spins the windmill (sometimes too quickly). The two were wed in a small wedding chapel across the state line seen in "I Married Marge". They spent their wedding reception alone at a truck stop, (despite an earlier episode having Homer recall a party with lots of guests, alcohol "and a priest", and Marge informing him afterward that it was their wedding) and the rest of their wedding night at Marge's parents' house. After failing to get a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer left Marge to find a job by which he could support his family. He briefly worked at a taco restaurant called the Gulp n' Blow, until Marge found him and convinced him to return. As a result, Homer confronted Mr. Burns and secured a job at the Plant. Marge became pregnant with Lisa in 1983, shortly before the new couple bought their first house. In 1985 and 1986, Homer saw brief success as the lead singer and songwriter for the barbershop quartet the Be Sharps, even winning a Grammy. During his time with the group, Homer was frequently absent from home, which put stress on his marriage. After the group broke up due to creative differences, Homer went back to Springfield to continue his old life. Some time in the late 1980s, Homer and Marge carefully budgeted so Homer could work at his dream job, pin monkey at Barney's uncle's Bowl-O-Rama. Unfortunately for Homer, Marge became pregnant with Maggie shortly after he started his new job, and not being able to support his family, he went back to the Nuclear Plant.
According to comments on The Simpsons DVD commentaries by the writers and producers, Homer's age was initially 34, but as the writers aged, they found that he seemed a bit older too, so they changed his age to 38.
Personality
Homer's personality is one of frequent stupidity, laziness, and explosive anger; one might say it is that of the "Average Joe." He also suffers from a short attention span which complements his intense but short-lived passion for hobbies, enterprises and various causes. Homer is prone to emotional outbursts; he gets very envious of his neighbors, the Flanders family, and is easily enraged at his son Bart and strangles him in an exaggerated manner. He shows no compunction about this, and does not attempt to hide his actions from people outside the family, even showing disregard for his son's well being in other ways, such as leaving Bart alone at a port seen in "The Great Money Caper". While Homer has repeatedly upset people and caused all sorts of mayhem in Springfield, these events are usually caused by either his explosive temper or lack of foresight. Except for expressing annoyance at Ned Flanders, Homer's actions are usually unintentional. Most of his explosive anger is targeted on Bart, because of something stupid or bad he had said or done. Despite their disadvantages, in "I Am Furious Yellow" these common outbursts save Homer from dying of a pent-up rage-induced heart attack.
While Homer's stupid antics often upset his family, he has also performed acts that reveal him to be a surprisingly loving father and husband: in "Lisa the Beauty Queen", selling his cherished ride on the Duff blimp and using the money to enter Lisa in a beauty pageant so she could feel better about herself; in "Rosebud" (episode 1F01, giving up his chance at wealth to allow Maggie to keep a cherished teddy bear; in "Radio Bart", spearheading an attempt to dig Bart out after he had fallen down a well, even though Homer generally hates doing physical labor; and in "A Milhouse Divided", arranging a surprise second wedding with Marge to make up for their lousy first ceremony, even going so far as to hire one of The Doobie Brothers as part of the wedding band and getting a divorce from Marge, essentially making their second wedding a "real" one. In one episode, while driving Bart and Lisa to school, he abandoned them to win a $20 prize from a radio station.
Homer tends to derive amusement from the misfortune of others. He is a chronic petty thief and borderline kleptomaniac, stealing from Ned Flanders everything from TV trays to power tools and air conditioners, even an entire room of the Flanders' house (Flanders knows about this, though, but Homer constantly says that he "borrowed" those things, and even compares a stolen weed hacker to Flanders losing his wife "It's gone, now..."). He has also stolen golf balls from the local driving range, office supplies (including computers) from work, and beer mugs from Moe's Tavern.
Homer has a vacuous mind, but he is still able to retain a great amount of knowledge about very specific subjects. He shows short bursts of astonishing insight, memory, creativity and fluency with many languages in nearly every episode. Homer is also extremely confident; no matter how little skill or knowledge he has about anything he tries to do, he has no doubt that he will be successful. However, his brief periods of intelligence are overshadowed by much longer and more consistent periods of ignorance, forgetfulness and stupidity. Homer has a low IQ due to his hereditary "Simpson Gene," which is shown in "Lisa the Simpson" (this is contradicted in later episode that says his low intelligence is the result of crayon lodged in his brain). His alcohol problem, exposure to radioactive waste, repetitive cranial trauma, and in "HOMR" we learn that there is a crayon lodged in the frontal lobe of his brain. The crayon in his brain is possibly the largest causal factor in his stupidity. Homer's intelligence was said to jump fifty points when he had the crayon removed, bringing him to an IQ of 105, slightly above that of an average person (though he showed far above average intelligence in that episode, further implying that the crayon is the main reason for his stupidity), but he went back to his old self when he had it reinserted, presumably lowering his IQ back to its original 55.
Some episodes suggest that Homer's normal functions do not require the use of his brain, as Homer has at times debated against it. Occasionally, a specific body part such as his face, stomach or liver is also shown debating with his brain. In one notable scene Homer's mind actually leaves his body out of boredom, causing him to collapse. Homer is also inclined to retreat into fantasy, such as daydreaming of Germany as "the land of chocolate.
Homer's attitudes toward woman, romance, and sex are occasionally explored. While Homer's marriage with Marge is occasionally strained, it seems generally happy. Despite this, Homer is oft tempted with other women, and usually shows no qualms with gawking at (and drooling) attractive women. Homer successfully avoided an affair with Mindy Simmons, but has made the occasional remark denoting his attraction to other women (including the gag about coveting his neighbor's wife), even in front of Marge on occasion.
Character
Creation
Matt Groening first conceived the Simpson family in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. He had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to present his Life in Hell series. When he realized that animating Life in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights for his life's work, Groening decided to go in another direction.[1] He hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family, with Homer being named after his father.[2][1] Homer then made his debut with the rest of the Simpsons clan on 19 April, 1987 in the Tracey Ullman short "Good Night".[3] Homer's middle initial "J," which was revealed to stand for "Jay",[4] was a "tribute" to Bullwinkle J. Moose from Rocky and Bullwinkle, a show Matt Groening loved as a child.[5]
According to Matt Groening, the whole family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette.[6] However, the features of Homer's character design are not used in other characters.[7] Homer then made his debut with the rest of the Simpsons clan on April 19, 1987 in the Tracey Ullman short "Good Night".[8]
Voice
Homer is performed by Dan Castellaneta. Homer's voice sounds different on the shorts than the later half-hour show. His voice began as a loose impression of Walter Matthau, but developed into a more robust and humorous voice during the second and third season of the half-hour show, allowing Homer to cover a fuller range of emotions.[9] Castellaneta changed the voice, as he could not sustain his Matthau impression for the 9-10 hour long recording sessions and had to find something easier.[10] During an interview with the cast of the show on Inside the Actors Studio, Castellaneta stated that Homer's voice was based in part on his own father who often spoke with an exuberant tone.
Reception
On May 30, 2003, Homer was made an honorary citizen of Winnipeg, Canada, in recognition of Matt Groening's father Homer Groening, who is believed to be from the Manitoba capital.[11]
Homer placed second on TV Guide's 2002 Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters, behind Bugs Bunny.[12] In 2005, Homer was listed fifth on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, one of only four cartoon characters on that list.[13] British TV viewers voted him as the greatest TV character of all time. [14] In 2007, Entertainment Weekly placed Homer ninth on their list of the "50 Greatest TV icons".[15]
The Simpsons has been recommended for use in the teaching of sociology to modern-day college students.[16] The (non-academic) book The Simpsons and Philosophy, the D'oh! of Homer includes a chapter analyzing Homer's character from the perspective of Aristotelian virtue ethics.[17]
Homer Simpson syndrome
A five-year study of more than 2,000 middle-aged people in France found a possible link between weight and brain function, dubbed the "Homer Simpson syndrome".[18] Results from a word memory test showed that people with a BMI of 20 (considered to be a healthy level) remembered an average of nine out of 16 words. Meanwhile, people with a BMI of 30 (inside the obese range) remembered an average of just seven out of 16 words.[18]
D'oh
Template:Wiktionary Homer's ubiquitous catch phrase "D'oh!" was famously added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2002,[19] without the apostrophe. The spoken word D'oh is a trademark of 20th Century Fox.[20]
It is typically represented in the show's script as "(annoyed grunt)", and is so spelled out in the official titles of several episodes.[21]
When Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, was first asked to voice the exclamation, he rendered it as a drawn out "doooh", inspired by Jimmy Finlayson, the mustachioed Scottish actor who appeared in 33 Laurel and Hardy films. Finlayson coined the term as a minced oath to stand in for the word "Damn!"[22] The show's creator Matt Groening felt that it would better suit the timing of animation if it were spoken faster so Castellaneta shortened it to "D'oh!"[23]
Merchandising
Homer's inclusion in many Simpsons publications, toys, and other merchandise is evidence of his enduring popularity. He has played central roles in the Simpsons Comics series.[24] A book written about Homer's personality and attributes has been published and is commercially available.[25] Numerous other items such as bottle openers, alarm clocks and other merchandise is widely available for purchase.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 BBC. (2000). 'The Simpsons': America's First Family (6 minute edit for the season 1 DVD) (DVD). UK: 20th Century Fox.
- ↑ Sadownick, Doug. "Matt Groening"Advocate, Issue 571.
- ↑ Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, pg. 14. ISBN 0-00-638898-1
- ↑ The Simpsons "D'oh-in in the Wind" November 15, 1998
- ↑ J is for Jay. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
- ↑ Groening, Matt; Al Jean, Mike Reiss. (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ↑ Groening, Matt; James L. Brooks, David Silverman. (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ↑ Richmond, p. 14
- ↑ Brownfield, Paul. "He's Homer, but This Odyssey Is His Own"Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Larry Carroll. "'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers"MTV. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ↑ Romaniuk, Ross. "Is Homer Simpson Canadian?". Winnipeg Sun. May 30, 2003. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
- ↑ "TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time"CNN. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ↑ The 100 Greatest TV Characters. Bravo. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ↑ 100 Greatest TV characters
- ↑ "The 50 Greatest TV Icons"Entertainment Weekly{{{date}}}. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ↑ Template:Cite journal "The Simpsons, can be particularly effective for illustrating sociological themes and encouraging critical thinking among today's undergraduates"
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Obese people lose IQ through 'Homer Simpson effect'"Thisislondon. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ↑ It's in the dictionary, d'oh!. BBC News, Entertainment. BBC (2001-06-14). Archived from the original on 2002-12-03. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ↑ Latest Status Info. TARR. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ↑ Episode titles with the original spelling include "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)", "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", and "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)". Episodes with d'oh in their titles include: "D'oh-in' in the Wind", "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses", "C.E. D'oh", "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere", and "He Loves to Fly and He D'oh's".
- ↑ Template:Citation
- ↑ Simon, Jeremy. "Wisdom from The Simpsons' 'D'ohh' boy" (Interview)The Daily Northwestern.
- ↑ Simpson crazy.
- ↑ Template:Citation
