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Springfield (The Simpsons)
Encyclopedia
Springfield is the fictional town
in which the American
animated
sitcom The Simpsons
is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States
, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its surroundings are flexible, changing to address whatever an episode’s plot calls for. Springfield's location is impossible to determine; the show is deliberately evasive on the subject, providing contradictory clues and impossible information about an actual geographic location.
's hometown of Portland
, Oregon
and Mike Scully
's hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts
. Groening liked Second City Television
s use of Melonville, a town with a large cast of recurring characters that serves as a mini-universe for the show, and partially based The Simpsons on it. He chose the name because Springfield is one of the most common place-names in the United States.
." After he refused to found a town where men were free to marry their cousins
, half of the group left. The dissenters founded Shelbyville, after fellow pioneer Shelbyville Manhattan, and the two cities remain rivals. Springfield reached its pinnacle in the mid-20th century, when it became the home of the world's first Aquacar factory; one half of the U.S. was said to wear Springfield galoshes and Springfield's streets were literally paved with gold. The town's prosperity faded; a Time
cover story on Springfield was entitled "America's Worst City", and Newsweek
called the town "America's Crud Bucket".
"), apparently a portal to another dimension, is a popular tourist attraction.
The town's skies are usually blue and sunny. However, it has been subject to many natural disasters, including heat waves, blizzards, avalanches, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions.
Springfield's environment is unusually polluted. Overflowing garbage forced the whole town—both population and structures—to move five miles (8 km) away from the massive dump that the old town had become. Springfield is home to the state's largest self-sustaining tire fire
, which has been burning continuously for decades. Lake Springfield's pollution almost led to the town's destruction by an Environmental Protection Agency
bomb, and pollution from the nuclear power plant has mutated the fish in the river. Its atmosphere proved to have such a thick and acidic pollution layer that it once reduced a comet
to a tiny rock the size of a chihuahua's head.
, the mayor of Springfield is Joe Quimby
(D)
, while the town's representative in congress
is Herschel Krustofsky (R)
of the 24th congressional district. Mary Bailey (D) is the governor of Springfield's state. Political corruption and police bribery is common enough to be virtually taken for granted.
Religious houses of worship
include a local synagogue, the First Church of Springfield, First AME Church
, the Cathedral of the Downtown, and a Buddhist vihara
.
KBBL Broadcasting Inc. is the major media outlet
, owning at least three radio stations and one television station. The Springfield Shopper is a town newspaper.
Town, Russian Town, Junkyville, Little Bangkok
, Little Italy
, Little Newark
, Little Stockholm
, Little Seattle
, Ethnictown, the Jewish Lower East Side, Pressboard Estates, Recluse Ranch Estates, Skid Row, Springfield Harbor, Springfield Heights, Hyperion Drive, Springshire, Tibet
Town, the wealthy Waverly Hills, the artistic borough of Sprooklyn, the Lincoln Park Village Housing Project, the Flammable District, a gay district, a fast-food district, Little Ukraine, and a Nuclear Power Plant, known as Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
Springfield boasts an opera house, an outdoor amphitheater, an arboretum
, and a vibrant jazz
scene, and was previously regarded as the entertainment capital of its state.
The town has several universities, including Springfield University and sports archrival Springfield A&M, Springfield Heights Institute of Technology, and Springfield Community College. Museums include the Springfield Museum and its world's largest cubic zirconium, Springfield Knowledgeum, Springfield Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Swordfish, Springsonian Museum, and a stamp museum
.
For transportation, Springfield has an international airport, is served by a railroad, and has both an abandoned subway system, a public transit system, and an unsuccessful monorail line
.
The town is home to the Springfield Isotopes, an AA minor league baseball
team which plays its home games at Duff
Stadium; the Springfield Atoms football team at Springfield Stadium; the NBA's Springfield Excitement (formerly the Austin Celtics); and the Springfield Ice-O-Topes hockey team at the Springfield Arena.
in Springfield owned by Montgomery Burns
. The plant has the monopoly on the city of Springfield's energy supply, and the carelessness of Mr. Burns and the plant's employees (like Homer, who is employed at Sector 7G) often endangers the residents and natural environment of Springfield. At the core of the plant are two Fissionator 1952 Slow-Fission Reactors, operating in spite of more than 342 safety violations with an estimated repair bill to bring the plant up to code being in excess of $56 million. The plant has come close to a meltdown
several times, and blown up at least once.
There is an unseen crow
or raven
that lives near the Power Plant, that caws whenever an establishing shot
of the Power Plant is on screen. Mutated fish with more than two eyes have been seen in the lake behind the power plant, which has a large pipe pumping nuclear waste into it. According to Mr. Burns the plant is endowed with flippered mutants.
The design and folly of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is often rumored to be based on the troubled Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
(closed in 1993 due to defects) near Matt Groening
's home town of Portland, Oregon
, or the Hanford Site
in southeastern Washington. However, Antonia Coffman, Groening's publicist, has said that the Springfield plant's design is generic and that "the Springfield Nuclear Power plant was not based on the Trojan Plant or any other power plant in the country."
Employees
Kwik-E-Mart is a convenience store located in Springfield and run by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
. The Kwik-E-Mart first appeared in the first season episode "The Telltale Head
" (although mentioned in "Bart the General
" as the "Quick-e-Mart"). The episode "Homer and Apu
" suggests that Apu is an employee of the Kwik-E-Mart and after losing his job there had to travel to India
where the Kwik-E-Mart head office is located, in the Himalayas
. However, Apu mentions at a bachelor auction that he runs his own business in "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
".
In addition to the sale of food, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and other items offered at a typical convenience store, Petrol pumps
have been shown in front on two occasions. In the episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
", Bart is visiting Principal Skinner at Fort Springfield. Skinners tells his troops to hold their fire and a mortar is fired in the wrong direction; the scene cuts to Apu standing in front of the Kwik-E-Mart bragging about his 16 new pumps just as a shadow from the mortar appears, and back to Fort Springfield where a 'K' from the Kwik-E-Mart lands in smoke. The episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
" also shows the pumps where Apu refuses to go out and serve a customer on the forecourt.
In July 2007, convenience store chain 7-Eleven
converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the release of The Simpsons Movie
. The locations of the renovated Kwik-E-Marts were: Bladensburg, Maryland
/Washington, D.C.
; Burbank, California
; Chicago, Illinois
; Dallas, Texas
; Denver, Colorado
; Henderson
/Las Vegas, Nevada
; Los Angeles, California
; Mountain View
/San Francisco, California
; New York, New York
; Orlando
/Lake Buena Vista, Florida
; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver
/Coquitlam, British Columbia
, Canada
. These 12 locations, as well as the majority of other North American 7-Elevens, sold products found in The Simpsons, such as "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's", "Squishees", pink frosted "Sprinklicious doughnuts", and other Simpsons-themed merchandise. The Squishees were Slurpee
s that are sold in special collector cups and the Krusty-O's were made by Malt-O-Meal. The promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the changed 7-Eleven stores. This can be seen during the opening of The Simpsons Movie
.
. The comic book store and its owner first appeared in the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book
", when Bart sees the store is selling the very first edition of Radioactive Man for $100.
In the episode titled "Worst Episode Ever
" (which is a remark often used by Comic Book Guy), Bart and Milhouse
are given the job of running the comic book store after Comic Book Guy suffers from a heart attack and is told to take a rest from the store and go out and make some friends. It was damaged in The Simpsons Movie
, where Comic Book Guy stated that spending his entire life collecting comics was a "life well spent."
where Bart and the school bullies Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph all sneak into the theater through the fire escape to watch Space Mutants IV. The theater was used to screen the premiere of Itchy and Scratchy
:The Movie in the episode of the same name
. In the future, Soylent Green
is on sale in the lobby. The name and appearance parodies various ethnically-named theaters in Hollywood and other parts of the United States.
in Springfield. It is owned by Barney Gumble
's Uncle Al. The Bowl-A-Rama has appeared several times in Simpsons episodes. The very first known appearance is the episode "Life on the Fast Lane
" where Homer
forgets Marge's birthday and after rushing out to purchase a gift, he ends up buying a bowling ball. Marge is insulted at the fact her gift from Homer was something obviously intended for his own personal use given the fact the ball had Homer's name engraved on it. Marge decides she will keep the gift for her own use and goes bowling for the first time. This is seen destroyed in The Simpsons Movie
.
In the episode "And Maggie Makes Three
", Homer tells the family the story of Maggie
's birth. In this story, Homer explains how he quit his job at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to work at the Bowl-A-Rama, which was Homer's dream job. This episode reveals where the bowling pins go after they are knocked over; the pins are shown ending up in a heap and new pins are manufactured instantly to replace those knocked over.
The Bowl-A-Rama is used in the episode "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
" as a way of smuggling beer into Moe's Tavern. In this episode, alcohol
is banned
in Springfield and Homer begins bootlegging
beer he uncovered from the city dump. The beer is poured into bowling balls and Homer then bowls the ball into the gutter at the Bowl-A-Rama; the ball then falls into a pipe leading to Moe's Tavern where Moe
charges an outrageous price.
", "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II
" and "Homer vs. Dignity
".
Kent Brockman, Krusty, and Bumble Bee man.
The station jingle is "No sports, no rock, no information! For mindless chatter, we're your station!"
's saxophone was purchased. The most notable appearance of King Toots Music Store was in "Lisa's Pony
" where Lisa asks Homer to pick up a new reed for her saxophone for her recital. Homer heads to the store after work and realizes Moe's is next door; since the store wasn't to close for 5 minutes, Homer decides to have a quick beer first. Homer finishes his beer with 15 seconds to spare only to find the store owner has closed early. Homer goes back to Moe's fortunately to find the owner of the store and after much convincing from Homer and Moe the owner opens up to sell Homer a reed. Unfortunately, Homer is too late for Lisa's recital. Another appearance was in "Lisa's Sax
" where after Lisa's saxophone
was run over by a truck, as a result of a fight between Bart and Lisa, Homer tells the story of how Lisa first got her sax. King Toots is seen briefly during the opening of The Simpsons Movie
and later while the dome is being put over Springfield.
The Leftorium is a store in the Springfield Mall that specializes in products for left-handed people. The store is owned by Ned Flanders
, who first started The Leftorium in the season 3 episode "When Flanders Failed
". At first, business at the store was going very poorly. Irritated with Flanders, Homer wished that the store would go out of business after Homer received the larger half of a wishbone
. Homer got his wish and the Flanders family were forced to sell many of their possessions, much of which Homer purchased at a very low price. The bank repossessed the Flanders home and the store was to be next. Homer then regretted making this wish and the fact that he never told any of his friends who were in need of left-handed items about The Leftorium. As a result, he managed to get everyone he knew in town to shop at Ned's store, thus saving the store.
The Leftorium has continued to thrive since. However, there have been episodes where Flanders mentioned the store doesn't do that well, such as in the season ten episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo
," where Ned mentions that he purchased most of his possessions cheaply, and that the business moved way down hill since "Leftopolis" moved in next door to it. In the episode "Home Away from Homer
", Ned mentions that a recently opened, left-hand megastore, called "Left-Mart" (a parody of Wal-Mart
) is threatening his business.
The writers had wanted to have Flanders own a failing business and the idea for the store was suggested by George Meyer
. He got the idea from a friend whose family had owned a left-handed specialty store which had failed.
in downtown Springfield, a popular place for the youth. Arcade games include Escape from Grandma's House, Kevin Costner's Water World and Larry the Looter. The video arcade has had several appearances in The Simpsons, although mostly in the earlier seasons. The earliest known appearance was in "Moaning Lisa
" where Bart challenges Homer to a boxing game on their home TV game
system. As Bart is continuously undefeated, Homer decides to fight back by going to the video arcade to learn from the young children how to win in the same boxing game. Homer almost beats Bart but Marge switches off the game at the crucial moment. It was seen destroyed briefly in The Simpsons Movie.
. It is first seen in "The Fat and the Furriest
." Abe
and Homer worked there in "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister
;" Homer was required to work overtime in the store for no extra pay and workers were locked in the store. The workers used this as an opportunity to steal whatever wasn't bolted down.
), and smaller stores such as Girdles N' Such, Eye Caramba, The Ear Piercery, Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor, Love Your Computer, Gum4Less, Popular Books, The Leftorium
, Nick's Bowling Shop, Stoner's Pot Palace, Bookacchino's, and many others.
", Bart is caught shoplifting in a Try-N-Save, a store based on retail outlet Pic 'n Save. Despite being told by Try-N-Save security to never return to the store because of shoplifting
, Bart is forced to go back with his family for a photo portrait session. Seen by security again, Bart's crime is revealed, and his relationship with Marge is threatened. The store also appears in the "Kamp Krusty
" episode of The Simpsons. In the episode "The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
," the Try-N-Save brand comes up when Seymour Skinner leads Superintendent Chalmers to believe that his shoes are genuine Hush Puppies
when they are actually Try-N-Save Shush Mutts.
. It has appeared in several episodes.
in Springfield frequented by Homer Simpson, Carl Carlson, Lenny Leonard and Barney Gumble. The tavern is named after and ran by Moe Szyslak
. Moe's Tavern first appeared in the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
". In the first season of The Simpsons, the entrance appeared to be a saloon door. The bar sells mostly Duff Beer
although other beverages are served. In the episode "Flaming Moe's
", Moe's beer payments were delinquent so his beer distributor stopped delivering to him. When Homer shows Moe a drink he developed called the Flaming Homer, Moe sells it as his own, calling it the Flaming Moe. The drink becomes extremely popular until Homer reveals its secret ingredient, allowing other businesses to create a similar product. The drink's popularity wanes significantly.
Moe's Tavern has seen several other makeovers in various episodes of The Simpsons, but the tavern always reverts back to its former state before the show's end. In the episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet
" Moe's Tavern is named Moe's Cavern as a reference to the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool
, which is the club where the Beatles
began playing. Other notable makeovers are in the episode "Bart Sells His Soul
" where Moe turns his tavern into a family restaurant called Uncle Moe's Family Feed Bag and in "Homer the Moe
" where Moe turns his tavern into a yuppie bar called m. Also in this episode, it is revealed that the television in Moe's is not black and white (as it is always seen) but a dirty color television (Homer says "When was the last time Moe cleaned this thing?" then wipes the screen with a cloth). In addition it is turned into an English pub
named Nag and Weasel in the episode "Mommie Beerest
". In "My Sister, My Sitter
", Moe appears to have become Moe's Brewing Co., a brewpub that is moved to a posh new premises at the Springfield Squidport, but it is revealed to just be a very long tunnel to the existing bar. In The Simpsons Movie
it is located next to the church and named Moe's Bar, and in The Simpsons Game
it is seen next to the Sleep-Eazy Motel. In the episode "Homer the Smithers
", Mr. Burns believes in order to operate a telephone, you spell the requested person's name out using the alphabetic keypad (he spells out S-M-I-T-H-E-R-S
), he is instead connected to Moe's Tavern. As a result if one was to spell Smithers name out on a telephone keypad, the fictional phone number minus the area code for the tavern would be revealed as 764-8437(7).
restaurant chain owned by Krusty the Clown as one of his many branded products and services. Krusty Burger is seen as a parody of a typical fast food chain such as McDonald's
, Burger King
, KFC
or Arby's
. A typical store features a drive-thru with a speaker box and most of the employees are young teenage workers. In the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield
", the Springfield police are comparing the differences between Krusty Burger and McDonald's, a parallel of the "Royale With Cheese
discussion" seen in Pulp Fiction
. This can be seen in The Simpsons Movie
during the dome sequence after Homer and Bart buy lunch by themselves and with the family.
It appears that Krusty Burger is located across the entire United States
; in the episode "Boy-Scoutz n the Hood
", Homer loses the map of the rafting route but tells the group that luckily he has brought a map along. It happens to be a map of the entire United States with locations of Krusty Burger restaurants. There is even a Krusty Burger located on an offshore oil rig
; it was seen after Homer, Bart, Ned Flanders
, and Rod Flanders had been lost at sea several days and were saved from starvation after finding it. There is also a Krusty Burger in France
, as seen in the episode "The Devil Wears Nada
". It exists under the name "Le Krusty Burger". In the episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can
" it was also revealed that Krusty Burger operates in different markets across the USA when Krusty Burger has a new burger called the Ribwich. After the Ribwich stopped selling in Springfield, Homer and a group of Ribwich fans known as the "Ribheads" followed the "Ribwich tour" as the Ribwich was tested in various markets. The Ribwich sandwich is based on a real life McDonald's
sandwich called the McRib
.
According to the episode "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife, and Her Homer", Krusty Burger is one of the only burger places open in Springfield because Krusty has been paying mobster Fat Tony to keep McDonald's and Burger King from establishing local locations. The extent of Fat Tony's involvement is unknown, as there are no locations of Wendy's
, and other major chains. Ironically, Springfield does have an In-N-Out Burger
location in town to compete with Krusty Burger.
, a competitor of Eat'n Park
.
In The Simpsons Game
, the Lard Lad mascot is a boss
. Lard Lad Donuts is shut down by a health inspector in The Simpsons Movie
, and the Lard Lad is painted in different colors and seen later in the movie during the dome sequence. The former was disproved in "E. Pluribus Wiggum" when an explosion violently detaches the correctly colored Lard Lad's head.
" and was given a job as a freak attraction
"more stomach than man" (to Marge's great embarrassment).
"; Marge celebrates her birthday there. Bart also celebrated here after getting an A, however after Homer not able to pay them for the food they had to sing on stage to pay for the bill in the episode "Homer vs. Dignity
".
, attended by Bart Simpson
, Lisa Simpson
and other Springfieldian children. Springfield Elementary is a grossly underfunded school and suffers from the incompetence and apathy of its administration, teachers, staff and students. It is portrayed within the show as a satire of publicly funded schools and education in the United States. As an illustrative example and parody of the lengths undertaken by some schools to attempt to overcome underfunding, some Springfield Elementary School students (specifically Cletus and Brandine Spuckler's children) are purposely excluded from state or federal standardized testing regimens. The impetus being the maintenance of artificial school-wide averages and therefore basic levels of government support—a practice not unheard of in the United States and other systems where funding is tied to test results.
Established in the episodes "Separate Vocations
" and "Pokey Mom
", the school's mascot is a puma. It's revealed in the episode "Lisa Gets an "A"" that Springfield Elementary was at one time voted "The Most Dilapidated School in Missouri"—it was then moved, brick-by-brick, to Springfield. It has been stated several times that the school is filled with asbestos
, and the underfunding of the school has resulted in a variety of troubling scenarios for students and staff. Sub-standard facilities abound; including a cinder block having replaced the school's tetherball
, cafeteria food made from circus animals, shredded newspaper, and old gym mats, among others (only the teachers eat French fries
made from potatoes). In one episode, prison inmates occupied the cloakrooms in the classrooms, in an effort to save money. In another episode Lisa Simpson who has been voted student president is tricked into authorizing the cancellation of music, gym and art. The school later finds the funding for these extra curricular activities by cancelling flu shots.
For a few episodes the school also had a tower with a winding staircase within which led to an observation area. This has since been removed. Other short period additions include a phoney disabled ramp access system built by the local Mafia
and other constructions. In one episode the presentation hall is bulldozed to make way for a mini-mall.The school's address is 19 Plympton Street, revealed in the episode "Bart on the Road
" when Principal Skinner
receives an envelope addressed to the school containing his airline tickets to Hong Kong. In the episode Team Homer, school uniforms are temporarily introduced following a riot brought on by Bart wearing a "Down With Homework" T-Shirt to school.
Most students travel to school by bus with Otto being the regular driver. However in The Otto Show, Otto is suspended from his job and Principal Skinner temporarily takes over his route. Additionally, in another episode the students are forced to car pool when the school bus is wrecked after Otto falls asleep at the wheel and the bus crashes into the auto wrecking yard. Furthermore on one occasion, the regular school bus breaks down and a Springfield State Prison bus is used instead.
In "Lisa the Vegetarian
" it is shown that both Ms. Hoover and Lunch Lady Doris have access to "Independent Thought Alarms" which are sent to Principal Skinner
's office and are both triggered by Lisa
. Also in Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
, Chalmers fires Ned Flanders
only because the latter's freely express his religious views in the school. Many of the school faculty seem very bored with their jobs and do not try to help students, leaving them to unfulfilling futures. They also take full advantage of any-and-all time off that they have. Several of the teachers and staff smoke and drink. In one episode, the teachers are shown joyfully running out of the school building with the students at the end of the day and subsequently are then shown trooping back into school the following day. Otto Mann
is shown to be a user of illicit drugs, and in the episode "Weekend At Burnsie's", Lisa notices a smell of marijuana
and remarks that "it smells like the art teacher's office". The teachers, e.g. Miss Hoover and Mrs. Krabappel
do not seem to care whether or not the students achieve in their class, and seem to have given up on many of them.
In 1994, the naming of a new elementary school in Greenwood, South Carolina
was left up to the students, and the name Springfield Elementary was chosen. The school board was unaware of the connection to The Simpsons
until a protest by one group of parents, who argued that Bart was a poor role model. The name stood, and the school opened in August 1994. Bart Simpson weighed in on the controversy, in a statement from the Fox Network where he said "at least they didn't call it Beavis and Butt-head
Elementary".
." It teaches several different courses, including nuclear physics, arts management, and the meaning of cartoons, and has a fierce rivalry with Springfield A&M University.
" when Homer and Marge tell the story of how they met. Springfield High School is seen in the present time in "The Front
" when Marge and Homer have their high school reunion there.
, this is a run-down motel
where everything is coin-operated, including the Bible
. The name is clearly a play on "sleazy motel".
and his neighbors, Jasper Beardley, and the Crazy Old Man.
For Abraham Simpson, the Retirement Castle is a lonely place to be. He often gets mad when his family
doesn't come and visit him. The door features a sign reading 'Thank you for not discussing the outside world'. The most interesting way to pass time at the home is to "stake yourself out a good spot at the staring window", which overlooks nothing but a barren tree, and bingo
(the prize being a banana
). The staff of the home have little to no respect for the residents, doing things like vacuuming their hair during "nap time", or switching their IV bags
with their catheter
bags when the former is empty and the latter is full. In the episode "Old Money
" Grandpa inherits $106,000 from his girlfriend Beatrice "Bea" Simmons. He uses the money to refurbish and redecorate the home, after which its name is changed to Springfield Retirement Castle instead of Springfield Retirement Home. The main dining area is renamed "The Beatrice Simmons Memorial Hall".
public library due to longtime The Simpsons background designer Lance Wilder, a former resident.
and is rarely seen in the show.
indicates the exact spot. The Simpsons visit Five Corners while driving to Itchy & Scratchy Land
. In "The Bob Next Door
", Sideshow Bob
plots to kill Bart at the marker where the location's unique property would result in a lack of extraterritorial jurisdiction
, explaining it as: "I can stand in one state, fire a gun in a second state, the bullet will travel through the third, hitting you in the fourth, so you fall dead in the fifth. No single act is against any law, but their sum total is the greatest murder..."
among his followers, causing a split between himself and Jebediah Springfield. An intense rivalry between the two cities continues today, especially in the sixth season episode "Lemon of Troy
", in which Shelbyville residents steal a prized lemon tree from Springfield. In several episodes, "Lemon of Troy
" in particular, it is suggested that Shelbyville is to an extent a parallel version of Springfield. Shelbyville is also the city where Luann van Houten grew up. It also has at least one McDonalds restaurant, a Speed-E-Mart, Joe's Tavern and a school. Per "Last Exit to Springfield
," Shelbyville was at least briefly called "Morganville" during Abe Simpson's youth.
Shelbyville was ranked 10th in "The 10 Best Dystopia
s" in the December 2005 issue of Wired
.
conferences. Its nickname is The Windy Apple (a joke by the show's writers, combining the nicknames of New York City
's "The Big Apple" and Chicago
's "The Windy City"). Landmarks include a Duff
brewery, possibly mimicking the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, the Cross-town suspension bridge
resembling San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge
, the Capital City Stadium, the Capital City Amphitheatre, and the intersection of 4th and D Streets. Capital City is the city where Principal Skinner
was raised (as Armin Tamzarian).
) as a town to which he's sold monorail
systems ("Marge vs. the Monorail
").
Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook are also mentioned in Episode 18 of the TV series Supernatural
by Sam Winchester
, as locations of past Shtriga
activity.
", when Lyle Lanley claimed to have sold a monorail to Ogdenville. Ogdenville has also been mentioned in other episodes such as "Saddlesore Galactica
", Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
", "Bart Star
" and "To Surveil with Love
". In "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
", Maya is from Ogdenville. Ogdenville has an outlet mall, and is separated from Springfield by a rocky desert. In "Coming to Homerica
", Ogdenville is a town of barley producing farms that are shut down due to tainted barley being used in a new, vegetarian Krusty Burger. Ogdenvillians are composed of Norwegian immigrants with thick Norwegian accents. They also are big fans of the Minnesota Vikings
.
. Marge
arrives in North Haverbrook and finds a desolate ghost town, where the faulty monorail derailed, causing a disaster and scaring away investors. North Haverbrook locals have since denied the monorail's existence, as Marge is met by a woman who works at the 'Monorail Cafe' and orders Marge to "Go away! There ain't no monorail and there never was!" Lanley is later attacked by the citizens of the town after his plane makes an unscheduled stop there.
North Haverbrook also appeared in "Little Big Girl
". After Bart
is awarded a driver's license, he gets sick of countless errands and goes for a drive and eventually finds North Haverbrook, and falls in love with a girl named Darcy. In this episode, the town appears to have recovered well from the monorail disaster, as it is now changed from a ghost town to a thriving community with multiple businesses Bart enjoys. It has a romantic reputation. All signs of the monorail have also disappeared.
It also appears on a road sign as Snake drives towards Mexico with the Kwik-E-Mart on a flatbed trailer during "Marge in Chains
".
, Ned Flanders
tells Bart
that Ohio
, Nevada
, Maine
, and Kentucky
all border Springfield's state.
The city's unknown and unknowable geography is a recurring joke in the series; despite the "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's location", Lisa Simpson
states that "it's a bit of a mystery, yes. But if you look at the clues, you can figure it out." Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state is unidentifiable by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references.
The telephone area codes for Springfield are 636
(St. Charles County - Western St. Louis County
, Missouri
) and 939 (Puerto Rico
). David Silverman
has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Takoma". This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show. However, this has never been officially confirmed in any canonical
episode of The Simpsons or by other Simpsons producers.
To promote The Simpsons Movie
, various towns and cities across the United States
called Springfield
competed to hold the premiere
. The town of Springfield, Vermont
, was chosen.
Fictional location
Fictional locations are places that exist only in fiction and not in reality. Writers may create and describe such places to serve as backdrop for their fictional works. Fictional locations are also created for use as settings in Role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons...
in which the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
sitcom The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its surroundings are flexible, changing to address whatever an episode’s plot calls for. Springfield's location is impossible to determine; the show is deliberately evasive on the subject, providing contradictory clues and impossible information about an actual geographic location.
Creation
Springfield is meant to represent "anytown, USA" and not be a specific real town, although the producers acknowledge basing the town on various locations including The Simpsons creator Matt GroeningMatt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
's hometown of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Mike Scully
Mike Scully
Mike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
's hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. Groening liked Second City Television
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
s use of Melonville, a town with a large cast of recurring characters that serves as a mini-universe for the show, and partially based The Simpsons on it. He chose the name because Springfield is one of the most common place-names in the United States.
The town
Springfield was founded in 1796 by a group led by Jebediah Springfield (also known as Hans Sprungfeld) that, after misinterpreting a passage in the Bible, left Maryland trying to find "New SodomSodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
." After he refused to found a town where men were free to marry their cousins
Cousin marriage
Cousin marriage is marriage between two cousins. In various jurisdictions and cultures, such marriages range from being considered ideal and actively encouraged, to being uncommon but still legal, to being seen as incest and legally prohibited....
, half of the group left. The dissenters founded Shelbyville, after fellow pioneer Shelbyville Manhattan, and the two cities remain rivals. Springfield reached its pinnacle in the mid-20th century, when it became the home of the world's first Aquacar factory; one half of the U.S. was said to wear Springfield galoshes and Springfield's streets were literally paved with gold. The town's prosperity faded; a Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
cover story on Springfield was entitled "America's Worst City", and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
called the town "America's Crud Bucket".
Geography, climate, and environment
Springfield's geography is varied, including forests, meadows, mountain ranges, a desert, a gorge, a glacier, beaches, badlands, canyons, swamps, a harbor, waterholes, and waterways. Major named geographical features include Springfield Gorge, Springfield National Forest, the volcanic Mt. Springfield, the West Springfield Desert ("three times the size of Texas!"), the Springfield Badlands (also known as the Alkali Flats), the gigantic Murderhorn Mountain, Springfield Glacier, Mt. Useful National Park, Springfield Mesa, and Springfield National Park. The Springfield Mystery Spot (seen in "Homer at the BatHomer at the Bat
"Homer at the Bat" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons third season, which originally aired February 20, 1992. The episode follows the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, having a winning season and making the championship game. Mr. Burns makes a large bet that the...
"), apparently a portal to another dimension, is a popular tourist attraction.
The town's skies are usually blue and sunny. However, it has been subject to many natural disasters, including heat waves, blizzards, avalanches, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions.
Springfield's environment is unusually polluted. Overflowing garbage forced the whole town—both population and structures—to move five miles (8 km) away from the massive dump that the old town had become. Springfield is home to the state's largest self-sustaining tire fire
Tire fire
Tire fires, where tires are stored, dumped or processed, exist in two forms: as fast-burning events, leading to almost immediate loss of control, and as slow-burning pyrolysis which can continue for over a decade. They are noted for being difficult to extinguish. Such fires produce a lot of smoke,...
, which has been burning continuously for decades. Lake Springfield's pollution almost led to the town's destruction by an Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
bomb, and pollution from the nuclear power plant has mutated the fish in the river. Its atmosphere proved to have such a thick and acidic pollution layer that it once reduced a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
to a tiny rock the size of a chihuahua's head.
Politics, religion, and the media
In politicsPolitics in The Simpsons
Politics is a common theme in the animated television series The Simpsons, and this phenomenon has had some crossover with real American politics. U.S. conservatives voiced opposition to the show early in its run, when it was still controversial for its crude humor and irreverent take on family...
, the mayor of Springfield is Joe Quimby
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...
(D)
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, while the town's representative in congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
is Herschel Krustofsky (R)
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
of the 24th congressional district. Mary Bailey (D) is the governor of Springfield's state. Political corruption and police bribery is common enough to be virtually taken for granted.
Religious houses of worship
Religion in The Simpsons
Religion is one of the major themes on the American animated television series The Simpsons. Much of the series religious humor satirizes aspects of Christianity. However, the series is not necessarily anti-religious, as the Simpsons themselves are Christian and some episodes are actually...
include a local synagogue, the First Church of Springfield, First AME Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
, the Cathedral of the Downtown, and a Buddhist vihara
Vihara
Vihara is the Sanskrit and Pali term for a Buddhist monastery. It originally meant "a secluded place in which to walk", and referred to "dwellings" or "refuges" used by wandering monks during the rainy season....
.
KBBL Broadcasting Inc. is the major media outlet
Media in The Simpsons
Media is a recurring theme of satire on The Simpsons. The show is known for its satire of American popular culture and especially television culture, but has since its inception covered all types of media such as animation, journalism, commercials, comic books, movies, internet, and music. The...
, owning at least three radio stations and one television station. The Springfield Shopper is a town newspaper.
Neighborhoods and attractions
The town is divided into many neighborhoods, including Rats Nest, Bum Town, Chinatown, Crackton, East Springfield, GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Town, Russian Town, Junkyville, Little Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Little Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Little Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, Little Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Little Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Ethnictown, the Jewish Lower East Side, Pressboard Estates, Recluse Ranch Estates, Skid Row, Springfield Harbor, Springfield Heights, Hyperion Drive, Springshire, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
Town, the wealthy Waverly Hills, the artistic borough of Sprooklyn, the Lincoln Park Village Housing Project, the Flammable District, a gay district, a fast-food district, Little Ukraine, and a Nuclear Power Plant, known as Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
Springfield boasts an opera house, an outdoor amphitheater, an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, and a vibrant jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
scene, and was previously regarded as the entertainment capital of its state.
The town has several universities, including Springfield University and sports archrival Springfield A&M, Springfield Heights Institute of Technology, and Springfield Community College. Museums include the Springfield Museum and its world's largest cubic zirconium, Springfield Knowledgeum, Springfield Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Swordfish, Springsonian Museum, and a stamp museum
Philately
Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
.
For transportation, Springfield has an international airport, is served by a railroad, and has both an abandoned subway system, a public transit system, and an unsuccessful monorail line
Marge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsonss fourth season and originally aired on January 14, 1993. The plot focuses around Springfield's purchase of a monorail from a conman, and Marge's dislike of the purchase. It was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore...
.
The town is home to the Springfield Isotopes, an AA minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team which plays its home games at Duff
Duff Beer
Daleside is an independent brewery founded in 1988 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.-Products:Daleside produce a wide range of beers, including Morocco Ale, a traditional spiced beer based on an Elizabethan recipe; Old Legover, a low abv Old Ale ; Monkey Wrench, a stronger Old Ale; Ripon...
Stadium; the Springfield Atoms football team at Springfield Stadium; the NBA's Springfield Excitement (formerly the Austin Celtics); and the Springfield Ice-O-Topes hockey team at the Springfield Arena.
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plantNuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
in Springfield owned by Montgomery Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
. The plant has the monopoly on the city of Springfield's energy supply, and the carelessness of Mr. Burns and the plant's employees (like Homer, who is employed at Sector 7G) often endangers the residents and natural environment of Springfield. At the core of the plant are two Fissionator 1952 Slow-Fission Reactors, operating in spite of more than 342 safety violations with an estimated repair bill to bring the plant up to code being in excess of $56 million. The plant has come close to a meltdown
Nuclear meltdown
Nuclear meltdown is an informal term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term is not officially defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency or by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission...
several times, and blown up at least once.
There is an unseen crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
or raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
that lives near the Power Plant, that caws whenever an establishing shot
Establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...
of the Power Plant is on screen. Mutated fish with more than two eyes have been seen in the lake behind the power plant, which has a large pipe pumping nuclear waste into it. According to Mr. Burns the plant is endowed with flippered mutants.
The design and folly of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is often rumored to be based on the troubled Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant was a pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant located southeast of Rainier, Oregon, United States, and the only commercial nuclear power plant to be built in Oregon. After sixteen years of service it was closed by its operator, Portland General Electric , almost...
(closed in 1993 due to defects) near Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
's home town of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, or the Hanford Site
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
in southeastern Washington. However, Antonia Coffman, Groening's publicist, has said that the Springfield plant's design is generic and that "the Springfield Nuclear Power plant was not based on the Trojan Plant or any other power plant in the country."
Employees
- Owner: Charles Montgomery Burns
- Owner's executive assistant: Waylon SmithersWaylon SmithersWaylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
- Safety inspector: Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
- Employees: Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson and others
Kwik-E-Mart
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
. The Kwik-E-Mart first appeared in the first season episode "The Telltale Head
The Telltale Head
"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons first season, and it originally aired February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of...
" (although mentioned in "Bart the General
Bart the General
"Bart the General" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons first season, which premiered on the Fox network on February 4, 1990. The episode deals with Bart's troubles with the bully, Nelson Muntz. Bart chooses to go to war with Nelson uniting the neighborhood children against him...
" as the "Quick-e-Mart"). The episode "Homer and Apu
Homer and Apu
"Homer and Apu" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 10, 1994. In the episode, Homer participates in a hidden camera investigation of the expired meat selling at the Kwik-E-Mart. Apu is immediately fired and...
" suggests that Apu is an employee of the Kwik-E-Mart and after losing his job there had to travel to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where the Kwik-E-Mart head office is located, in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. However, Apu mentions at a bachelor auction that he runs his own business in "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons ninth season, that originally aired on November 16, 1997. It was written by Richard Appel and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode sees Apu Nahasapeemapetilon marry Manjula, and incorporates several aspects of Hindu...
".
In addition to the sale of food, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and other items offered at a typical convenience store, Petrol pumps
Fuel dispenser
A fuel dispenser is a machine at a filling station that is used to pump gasoline, diesel, CNG, CGH2, HCNG, LPG, LH2, ethanol fuel, biofuels like biodiesel, kerosene, or other types of fuel into vehicles...
have been shown in front on two occasions. In the episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons fifth season, and the 100th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 28, 1994. In the episode, Superintendent Chalmers fires Principal Seymour Skinner after a disaster at the...
", Bart is visiting Principal Skinner at Fort Springfield. Skinners tells his troops to hold their fire and a mortar is fired in the wrong direction; the scene cuts to Apu standing in front of the Kwik-E-Mart bragging about his 16 new pumps just as a shadow from the mortar appears, and back to Fort Springfield where a 'K' from the Kwik-E-Mart lands in smoke. The episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
"Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" is the 14th episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 1996. In the episode, Marge buys a Chanel suit and is invited to join the Springfield Country Club...
" also shows the pumps where Apu refuses to go out and serve a customer on the forecourt.
In July 2007, convenience store chain 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the release of The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
. The locations of the renovated Kwik-E-Marts were: Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
/Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
; Chicago, Illinois
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
; Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
; Henderson
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
/Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
; Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
; Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
/San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; New York, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
/Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake....
; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
/Coquitlam, British Columbia
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Coquitlam is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Coquitlam is mainly a suburban city, and is one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. According to the 2007 Canadian Census, it is the 5th-largest city in British Columbia...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. These 12 locations, as well as the majority of other North American 7-Elevens, sold products found in The Simpsons, such as "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's", "Squishees", pink frosted "Sprinklicious doughnuts", and other Simpsons-themed merchandise. The Squishees were Slurpee
Slurpee
A Slurpee is a flavored frozen drink sold by 7-Eleven. In 1967, 7-Eleven licensed the product from the ICEE Company, and began selling it as the Slurpee.-Slurpee history:Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s...
s that are sold in special collector cups and the Krusty-O's were made by Malt-O-Meal. The promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the changed 7-Eleven stores. This can be seen during the opening of The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
.
The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop
The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop is a comic book store owned by Jeff Albertson a.k.a. Comic Book GuyComic Book Guy
Comic Book Guy is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the second-season episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", which originally aired on May 9, 1991. He is the proprietor of a comic book store, The...
. The comic book store and its owner first appeared in the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book
Three Men and a Comic Book
"Three Men and a Comic Book" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 1991...
", when Bart sees the store is selling the very first edition of Radioactive Man for $100.
In the episode titled "Worst Episode Ever
Worst Episode Ever
"Worst Episode Ever" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 2001. In the episode, Bart and Milhouse are banned from The Android's Dungeon after stopping Comic Book Guy from buying a box of priceless...
" (which is a remark often used by Comic Book Guy), Bart and Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
are given the job of running the comic book store after Comic Book Guy suffers from a heart attack and is told to take a rest from the store and go out and make some friends. It was damaged in The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, where Comic Book Guy stated that spending his entire life collecting comics was a "life well spent."
Aztec Theater
Aztec Theater is the old downtown movie theater in Springfield. The first known appearance was in The Telltale HeadThe Telltale Head
"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons first season, and it originally aired February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of...
where Bart and the school bullies Jimbo, Kearney and Dolph all sneak into the theater through the fire escape to watch Space Mutants IV. The theater was used to screen the premiere of Itchy and Scratchy
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
:The Movie in the episode of the same name
Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie
"Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons fourth season and first aired on November 3, 1992. The plot follows Bart continually getting in trouble, and how Homer is unable to give him any suitable punishment. Marge gets Homer to agree to make a punishment stick, and he...
. In the future, Soylent Green
Soylent Green
Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
is on sale in the lobby. The name and appearance parodies various ethnically-named theaters in Hollywood and other parts of the United States.
Barney's Bowl-A-Rama
Barney's Bowl-A-Rama is the bowling alleyBowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
in Springfield. It is owned by Barney Gumble
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
's Uncle Al. The Bowl-A-Rama has appeared several times in Simpsons episodes. The very first known appearance is the episode "Life on the Fast Lane
Life on the Fast Lane
"Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques To Be Wild", is the ninth episode of The Simpsons first season, which originally aired on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Albert Brooks guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling instructor, with...
" where Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
forgets Marge's birthday and after rushing out to purchase a gift, he ends up buying a bowling ball. Marge is insulted at the fact her gift from Homer was something obviously intended for his own personal use given the fact the ball had Homer's name engraved on it. Marge decides she will keep the gift for her own use and goes bowling for the first time. This is seen destroyed in The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
.
In the episode "And Maggie Makes Three
And Maggie Makes Three
"And Maggie Makes Three" is the thirteenth television episode of The Simpsons sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 22, 1995. In the episode, Lisa notices that there are no photos of Maggie in the family photo albums. This leads to a recount of...
", Homer tells the family the story of Maggie
Maggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
's birth. In this story, Homer explains how he quit his job at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to work at the Bowl-A-Rama, which was Homer's dream job. This episode reveals where the bowling pins go after they are knocked over; the pins are shown ending up in a heap and new pins are manufactured instantly to replace those knocked over.
The Bowl-A-Rama is used in the episode "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment
"Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons eighth season, which originally aired March 16, 1997. Prohibition is enacted in Springfield and Homer helps fight it by illegally supplying alcohol to the town. It was written by John Swartzwelder, and directed by Bob...
" as a way of smuggling beer into Moe's Tavern. In this episode, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
is banned
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in Springfield and Homer begins bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
beer he uncovered from the city dump. The beer is poured into bowling balls and Homer then bowls the ball into the gutter at the Bowl-A-Rama; the ball then falls into a pipe leading to Moe's Tavern where Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
charges an outrageous price.
Costingtons
Costingtons is a department store near the Springfield Mall featured in such episodes as "Trash of the TitansTrash of the Titans
"Trash of the Titans" is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ninth season and the 200th overall. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 26, 1998...
", "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II
Kill Gil, Volumes I & II
"Kill Gil, Volumes I & II" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons eighteenth season which originally aired on December 17, 2006. This episode won a Writers Guild of America Award for best animation. The title of this episode is a reference to Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2. This episode aired exactly 17 years...
" and "Homer vs. Dignity
Homer vs. Dignity
"Homer vs. Dignity" is the fifth episode of the The Simpsons’ twelfth season, first broadcast by Fox on November 26, 2000. In the episode, Mr...
".
KBBL Broadcasting
is a media company which runs all KBBL TV and radio stations; it's used to parody the media. Its personalities includeKent Brockman, Krusty, and Bumble Bee man.
The station jingle is "No sports, no rock, no information! For mindless chatter, we're your station!"
King Toots
King Toots is a music store located next door to Moe's Tavern. The store sells musical instruments and is the place where LisaLisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
's saxophone was purchased. The most notable appearance of King Toots Music Store was in "Lisa's Pony
Lisa's Pony
"Lisa's Pony" is the eighth episode of the third season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1991. In this episode, Homer goes drinking at Moe's Tavern instead of buying a new reed for Lisa's saxophone, resulting in her flopping at the school...
" where Lisa asks Homer to pick up a new reed for her saxophone for her recital. Homer heads to the store after work and realizes Moe's is next door; since the store wasn't to close for 5 minutes, Homer decides to have a quick beer first. Homer finishes his beer with 15 seconds to spare only to find the store owner has closed early. Homer goes back to Moe's fortunately to find the owner of the store and after much convincing from Homer and Moe the owner opens up to sell Homer a reed. Unfortunately, Homer is too late for Lisa's recital. Another appearance was in "Lisa's Sax
Lisa's Sax
"Lisa's Sax" is the third episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on October 19, 1997 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. In the series' sixth flashback episode, it is explained how Lisa got her saxophone...
" where after Lisa's saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
was run over by a truck, as a result of a fight between Bart and Lisa, Homer tells the story of how Lisa first got her sax. King Toots is seen briefly during the opening of The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
and later while the dome is being put over Springfield.
The Leftorium
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
, who first started The Leftorium in the season 3 episode "When Flanders Failed
When Flanders Failed
"When Flanders Failed" is the third episode of the The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1991. In the episode, Homer makes a wish for Ned Flanders's new left-handed store to go out of business. The wish comes true and gets the Flanders...
". At first, business at the store was going very poorly. Irritated with Flanders, Homer wished that the store would go out of business after Homer received the larger half of a wishbone
Furcula
The ' is a forked bone found in birds, formed by the fusion of the two clavicles. In birds, its function is the strengthening of the thoracic skeleton to withstand the rigors of flight....
. Homer got his wish and the Flanders family were forced to sell many of their possessions, much of which Homer purchased at a very low price. The bank repossessed the Flanders home and the store was to be next. Homer then regretted making this wish and the fact that he never told any of his friends who were in need of left-handed items about The Leftorium. As a result, he managed to get everyone he knew in town to shop at Ned's store, thus saving the store.
The Leftorium has continued to thrive since. However, there have been episodes where Flanders mentioned the store doesn't do that well, such as in the season ten episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo
Thirty Minutes over Tokyo
"Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" is the twenty-third episode and season finale of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 16, 1999. In the episode, after being robbed by Snake Jailbird, the Simpsons visit a money-saving seminar, where they learn ways to...
," where Ned mentions that he purchased most of his possessions cheaply, and that the business moved way down hill since "Leftopolis" moved in next door to it. In the episode "Home Away from Homer
Home Away from Homer
“Home Away from Homer” is the twentieth episode of The Simpsons’ sixteenth season. The episode aired on May 15, 2005 in the United States.-Plot:...
", Ned mentions that a recently opened, left-hand megastore, called "Left-Mart" (a parody of Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
) is threatening his business.
The writers had wanted to have Flanders own a failing business and the idea for the store was suggested by George Meyer
George Meyer
George A. Meyer is an American producer and writer. Raised in Tucson, Arizona in a Roman Catholic family, Meyer attended Harvard University. There, after becoming president of the Harvard Lampoon, he graduated in 1978 with a degree in biochemistry. Abandoning plans to attend medical school, Meyer...
. He got the idea from a friend whose family had owned a left-handed specialty store which had failed.
Noiseland Video Arcade
Noiseland Video Arcade is the video arcadeVideo arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
in downtown Springfield, a popular place for the youth. Arcade games include Escape from Grandma's House, Kevin Costner's Water World and Larry the Looter. The video arcade has had several appearances in The Simpsons, although mostly in the earlier seasons. The earliest known appearance was in "Moaning Lisa
Moaning Lisa
"Moaning Lisa" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired February 11, 1990. The episode was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and was directed by Wes Archer. Ron Taylor guest stars in the episode as Bleeding Gums Murphy. The episode deals with Lisa's depression and...
" where Bart challenges Homer to a boxing game on their home TV game
Handheld TV game
A TV game is an interactive entertainment device designed for use on a television set that does not require the use of an actual video game console for operation...
system. As Bart is continuously undefeated, Homer decides to fight back by going to the video arcade to learn from the young children how to win in the same boxing game. Homer almost beats Bart but Marge switches off the game at the crucial moment. It was seen destroyed briefly in The Simpsons Movie.
Sprawl* Mart
Sprawl* Mart is a department store in Springfield and a parody of Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
. It is first seen in "The Fat and the Furriest
The Fat and the Furriest
"The Fat and the Furriest" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, which originally aired November 30, 2003. The episode is about Homer fighting a bear.-Plot:...
." Abe
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
and Homer worked there in "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister
On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister
"On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season, which originally aired on March 6, 2005.-Plot:...
;" Homer was required to work overtime in the store for no extra pay and workers were locked in the store. The workers used this as an opportunity to steal whatever wasn't bolted down.
Springfield Mall
The Springfield Mall is a shopping mall in Springfield and it features stores such as Happy Market, Cost-Mo (an obvious parody of CostcoCostco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
), and smaller stores such as Girdles N' Such, Eye Caramba, The Ear Piercery, Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor, Love Your Computer, Gum4Less, Popular Books, The Leftorium
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
, Nick's Bowling Shop, Stoner's Pot Palace, Bookacchino's, and many others.
Try-N-Save
In the episode "Marge Be Not ProudMarge Be Not Proud
"Marge Be Not Proud" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. In the episode, Marge refuses to buy Bart the new video game Bonestorm, so he steals it from a local discount store...
", Bart is caught shoplifting in a Try-N-Save, a store based on retail outlet Pic 'n Save. Despite being told by Try-N-Save security to never return to the store because of shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
, Bart is forced to go back with his family for a photo portrait session. Seen by security again, Bart's crime is revealed, and his relationship with Marge is threatened. The store also appears in the "Kamp Krusty
Kamp Krusty
"Kamp Krusty" is the first episode of The Simpsons fourth season, which originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 24, 1992. During summer vacation, the children of Springfield attend Kamp Krusty, a summer camp named after Krusty the Clown. The camp is extremely...
" episode of The Simpsons. In the episode "The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
"The Good, the Sad and the Drugly" is the seventeenth episode of the twentieth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, and the 437th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2009...
," the Try-N-Save brand comes up when Seymour Skinner leads Superintendent Chalmers to believe that his shoes are genuine Hush Puppies
Hush Puppies
Hush Puppies is an international brand of contemporary, casual footwear for men, women and children. The shoes have been described as "the classic American brushed-suede shoes with the lightweight crepe sole". A division of Wolverine Worldwide, Hush Puppies is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan...
when they are actually Try-N-Save Shush Mutts.
The Gilded Truffle
The Gilded Truffle is the local restaurant serving French cuisineFrench cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
. It has appeared in several episodes.
Moe's Tavern
Moe's Tavern is a local barBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
in Springfield frequented by Homer Simpson, Carl Carlson, Lenny Leonard and Barney Gumble. The tavern is named after and ran by Moe Szyslak
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
. Moe's Tavern first appeared in the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
". In the first season of The Simpsons, the entrance appeared to be a saloon door. The bar sells mostly Duff Beer
Duff Beer
Daleside is an independent brewery founded in 1988 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.-Products:Daleside produce a wide range of beers, including Morocco Ale, a traditional spiced beer based on an Elizabethan recipe; Old Legover, a low abv Old Ale ; Monkey Wrench, a stronger Old Ale; Ripon...
although other beverages are served. In the episode "Flaming Moe's
Flaming Moe's
"Flaming Moe's" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons third season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer tells Moe Szyslak of a secret alcoholic cocktail that includes cough medicine and fire that he calls "Flaming Homer"...
", Moe's beer payments were delinquent so his beer distributor stopped delivering to him. When Homer shows Moe a drink he developed called the Flaming Homer, Moe sells it as his own, calling it the Flaming Moe. The drink becomes extremely popular until Homer reveals its secret ingredient, allowing other businesses to create a similar product. The drink's popularity wanes significantly.
Moe's Tavern has seen several other makeovers in various episodes of The Simpsons, but the tavern always reverts back to its former state before the show's end. In the episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet
Homer's Barbershop Quartet
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifth season. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland. It features The Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of The Beatles...
" Moe's Tavern is named Moe's Cavern as a reference to the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, which is the club where the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
began playing. Other notable makeovers are in the episode "Bart Sells His Soul
Bart Sells His Soul
"Bart Sells His Soul" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network, on October 8, 1995. In the episode, Bart pranks churchgoers by replacing the music to a hymn with a psychedelic rock song, so Reverend Lovejoy forces him and Milhouse...
" where Moe turns his tavern into a family restaurant called Uncle Moe's Family Feed Bag and in "Homer the Moe
Homer the Moe
“Homer the Moe” is the third episode of The Simpsons’ thirteenth season. The episode first aired on the Fox network on November 18, 2001. In the episode, Moe, following advice of his former bartending professor, decides to modernize his bar...
" where Moe turns his tavern into a yuppie bar called m. Also in this episode, it is revealed that the television in Moe's is not black and white (as it is always seen) but a dirty color television (Homer says "When was the last time Moe cleaned this thing?" then wipes the screen with a cloth). In addition it is turned into an English pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
named Nag and Weasel in the episode "Mommie Beerest
Mommie Beerest
"Mommie Beerest" is the seventh episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons.-Plot:The Simpsons celebrate a brunch at a fancy restaurant to celebrate Homer's finally paying off the mortgage. After Bart and Lisa get in a food fight, Homer goes to Moe's, where the health inspector has come for his...
". In "My Sister, My Sitter
My Sister, My Sitter
"My Sister, My Sitter" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons eighth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 2, 1997. In the episode, Marge and Homer go to a party and leave Lisa to babysit Bart. Being unhappy with this, Bart does everything he can to annoy...
", Moe appears to have become Moe's Brewing Co., a brewpub that is moved to a posh new premises at the Springfield Squidport, but it is revealed to just be a very long tunnel to the existing bar. In The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
it is located next to the church and named Moe's Bar, and in The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game is an action/platformer video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons, made for the Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed, published, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was released in North...
it is seen next to the Sleep-Eazy Motel. In the episode "Homer the Smithers
Homer the Smithers
"Homer the Smithers" is the 17th episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1996. In this episode, Smithers takes a vacation and hires Homer to take over as Mr. Burns' assistant...
", Mr. Burns believes in order to operate a telephone, you spell the requested person's name out using the alphabetic keypad (he spells out S-M-I-T-H-E-R-S
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
), he is instead connected to Moe's Tavern. As a result if one was to spell Smithers name out on a telephone keypad, the fictional phone number minus the area code for the tavern would be revealed as 764-8437(7).
Krusty Burger
Krusty Burger is a fast foodFast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
restaurant chain owned by Krusty the Clown as one of his many branded products and services. Krusty Burger is seen as a parody of a typical fast food chain such as McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
or Arby's
Arby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
. A typical store features a drive-thru with a speaker box and most of the employees are young teenage workers. In the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield
22 Short Films about Springfield
"22 Short Films About Springfield" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on April 14, 1996. It was written by Richard Appel, David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh...
", the Springfield police are comparing the differences between Krusty Burger and McDonald's, a parallel of the "Royale With Cheese
Quarter Pounder
The Quarter Pounder is a hamburger product sold by international fast food chain McDonald's, originally containing a patty with a precooked weight of a quarter of a pound .-History:...
discussion" seen in Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
. This can be seen in The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
during the dome sequence after Homer and Bart buy lunch by themselves and with the family.
It appears that Krusty Burger is located across the entire United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; in the episode "Boy-Scoutz n the Hood
Boy-Scoutz N the Hood
"Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 18, 1993. In the episode, Bart, intoxicated from a squishee, mistakenly joins the Junior Campers, a Boy Scout-style organization...
", Homer loses the map of the rafting route but tells the group that luckily he has brought a map along. It happens to be a map of the entire United States with locations of Krusty Burger restaurants. There is even a Krusty Burger located on an offshore oil rig
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
; it was seen after Homer, Bart, Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
, and Rod Flanders had been lost at sea several days and were saved from starvation after finding it. There is also a Krusty Burger in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as seen in the episode "The Devil Wears Nada
The Devil Wears Nada
"The Devil Wears Nada" is the fifth episode of the twenty-first season of The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 2009...
". It exists under the name "Le Krusty Burger". In the episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can
I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can
I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on February 16, 2003. Twenty-two million people watched this episode, making it the second-most watched episode since 2002.-Plot:...
" it was also revealed that Krusty Burger operates in different markets across the USA when Krusty Burger has a new burger called the Ribwich. After the Ribwich stopped selling in Springfield, Homer and a group of Ribwich fans known as the "Ribheads" followed the "Ribwich tour" as the Ribwich was tested in various markets. The Ribwich sandwich is based on a real life McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
sandwich called the McRib
McRib
The McRib is a barbecue pork sandwich periodically sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was first introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1981....
.
According to the episode "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife, and Her Homer", Krusty Burger is one of the only burger places open in Springfield because Krusty has been paying mobster Fat Tony to keep McDonald's and Burger King from establishing local locations. The extent of Fat Tony's involvement is unknown, as there are no locations of Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
, and other major chains. Ironically, Springfield does have an In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger is a regional chain of fast food restaurants with locations in the western United States. Founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife Esther, establishing the first In-N-Out burger in Baldwin Park and headquartered in Irvine, California, In-N-Out Burger has since expanded outside...
location in town to compete with Krusty Burger.
Lard Lad Donuts
Lard Lad Donuts is a donut store in Springfield. Its mascot is an (estimated) 8 m (26.2 ft) tall mascot of a boy proudly holding a donut over his head. The name and the statue of the eponymous boy are likely references to Big Boy restaurantsBig Boy (restaurant)
Big Boy is a restaurant chain with its headquarters in Warren, Michigan.Big Boy was started in 1936 by Bob Wian, in partnership with Arnold Peterson in Glendale, California, USA. Marriott Corporation bought the chain in 1967...
, a competitor of Eat'n Park
Eat'n Park
Eat'n Park is a restaurant chain based in Homestead, Pennsylvania with over 75 locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The chain is known for its Smiley Cookies.-History:...
.
In The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game is an action/platformer video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons, made for the Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed, published, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was released in North...
, the Lard Lad mascot is a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. Lard Lad Donuts is shut down by a health inspector in The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, and the Lard Lad is painted in different colors and seen later in the movie during the dome sequence. The former was disproved in "E. Pluribus Wiggum" when an explosion violently detaches the correctly colored Lard Lad's head.
The Frying Dutchman
The Frying Dutchman is a maritime-themed restaurant operated by Sea Captain Horatio MacAllister. Its cuisine specializes in seafood (to which Marge is allergic), and even the bread has fish in it. Homer sued for refusing to honor the 'all you can eat' promise in the episode "New Kid on the BlockNew Kid on the Block
"New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons fourth season, which originally aired on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, Laura, Bart develops a crush on her, only to later discover that she has a boyfriend, Jimbo Jones, whom he attempts to scare off so that he can...
" and was given a job as a freak attraction
Freak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...
"more stomach than man" (to Marge's great embarrassment).
The Singing Sirloin
The Singing Sirloin is a restaurant where all the waiters sing everything they say. It is first featured in the Season 1 episode "Life on the Fast LaneLife on the Fast Lane
"Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques To Be Wild", is the ninth episode of The Simpsons first season, which originally aired on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Albert Brooks guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling instructor, with...
"; Marge celebrates her birthday there. Bart also celebrated here after getting an A, however after Homer not able to pay them for the food they had to sing on stage to pay for the bill in the episode "Homer vs. Dignity
Homer vs. Dignity
"Homer vs. Dignity" is the fifth episode of the The Simpsons’ twelfth season, first broadcast by Fox on November 26, 2000. In the episode, Mr...
".
Springfield Elementary School
Springfield Elementary School is a local school on The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, attended by Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
and other Springfieldian children. Springfield Elementary is a grossly underfunded school and suffers from the incompetence and apathy of its administration, teachers, staff and students. It is portrayed within the show as a satire of publicly funded schools and education in the United States. As an illustrative example and parody of the lengths undertaken by some schools to attempt to overcome underfunding, some Springfield Elementary School students (specifically Cletus and Brandine Spuckler's children) are purposely excluded from state or federal standardized testing regimens. The impetus being the maintenance of artificial school-wide averages and therefore basic levels of government support—a practice not unheard of in the United States and other systems where funding is tied to test results.
Established in the episodes "Separate Vocations
Separate Vocations
"Separate Vocations" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 27, 1992. In the episode, the Springfield Elementary School makes the students take career aptitude tests...
" and "Pokey Mom
Pokey Mom
"Pokey Mom" is the tenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 2001. In the episode, Marge tries to rehabilitate a convict with remarkable artistic talent. Meanwhile, Homer uses a trash...
", the school's mascot is a puma. It's revealed in the episode "Lisa Gets an "A"" that Springfield Elementary was at one time voted "The Most Dilapidated School in Missouri"—it was then moved, brick-by-brick, to Springfield. It has been stated several times that the school is filled with asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
, and the underfunding of the school has resulted in a variety of troubling scenarios for students and staff. Sub-standard facilities abound; including a cinder block having replaced the school's tetherball
Tetherball
Tetherball is a North American game for two opposing players. The equipment consists of a stationary metal pole, from which is hung a volleyball from a rope, or tether. The two players stand on opposite sides of the pole. Each player tries to hit the ball one way; one clockwise, and one...
, cafeteria food made from circus animals, shredded newspaper, and old gym mats, among others (only the teachers eat French fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
made from potatoes). In one episode, prison inmates occupied the cloakrooms in the classrooms, in an effort to save money. In another episode Lisa Simpson who has been voted student president is tricked into authorizing the cancellation of music, gym and art. The school later finds the funding for these extra curricular activities by cancelling flu shots.
For a few episodes the school also had a tower with a winding staircase within which led to an observation area. This has since been removed. Other short period additions include a phoney disabled ramp access system built by the local Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
and other constructions. In one episode the presentation hall is bulldozed to make way for a mini-mall.The school's address is 19 Plympton Street, revealed in the episode "Bart on the Road
Bart on the Road
"Bart on the Road" is the twentieth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 1996. In the episode, Bart makes his own fake driver's license. He rents a car with it and takes Milhouse, Martin, and Nelson on a road trip to...
" when Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
receives an envelope addressed to the school containing his airline tickets to Hong Kong. In the episode Team Homer, school uniforms are temporarily introduced following a riot brought on by Bart wearing a "Down With Homework" T-Shirt to school.
Most students travel to school by bus with Otto being the regular driver. However in The Otto Show, Otto is suspended from his job and Principal Skinner temporarily takes over his route. Additionally, in another episode the students are forced to car pool when the school bus is wrecked after Otto falls asleep at the wheel and the bus crashes into the auto wrecking yard. Furthermore on one occasion, the regular school bus breaks down and a Springfield State Prison bus is used instead.
In "Lisa the Vegetarian
Lisa the Vegetarian
"Lisa the Vegetarian" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 15, 1995. In the episode, Lisa decides to stop eating meat after bonding with a lamb at a petting zoo...
" it is shown that both Ms. Hoover and Lunch Lady Doris have access to "Independent Thought Alarms" which are sent to Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
's office and are both triggered by Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
. Also in Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song
"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons fifth season, and the 100th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 28, 1994. In the episode, Superintendent Chalmers fires Principal Seymour Skinner after a disaster at the...
, Chalmers fires Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
only because the latter's freely express his religious views in the school. Many of the school faculty seem very bored with their jobs and do not try to help students, leaving them to unfulfilling futures. They also take full advantage of any-and-all time off that they have. Several of the teachers and staff smoke and drink. In one episode, the teachers are shown joyfully running out of the school building with the students at the end of the day and subsequently are then shown trooping back into school the following day. Otto Mann
Otto Mann
Otto Mann is a fictional character on the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the school bus driver for Springfield Elementary School...
is shown to be a user of illicit drugs, and in the episode "Weekend At Burnsie's", Lisa notices a smell of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and remarks that "it smells like the art teacher's office". The teachers, e.g. Miss Hoover and Mrs. Krabappel
Edna Krabappel
Edna Krabappel is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. She is a 4th grade teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Krabappel is the only character Wallace voices on a regular basis.- Profile :...
do not seem to care whether or not the students achieve in their class, and seem to have given up on many of them.
In 1994, the naming of a new elementary school in Greenwood, South Carolina
Greenwood, South Carolina
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 22,071 at the 2000 census and had slightly increased to 22,710 according to a 2009 estimate.-Geography:...
was left up to the students, and the name Springfield Elementary was chosen. The school board was unaware of the connection to The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
until a protest by one group of parents, who argued that Bart was a poor role model. The name stood, and the school opened in August 1994. Bart Simpson weighed in on the controversy, in a statement from the Fox Network where he said "at least they didn't call it Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
Elementary".
Springfield University
Springfield University is a large college which Homer attended in "Homer Goes to CollegeHomer Goes to College
"Homer Goes to College" is the third episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 14, 1993. In the episode, Homer's lack of a college degree is revealed and he is sent to Springfield University to pass a nuclear physics class...
." It teaches several different courses, including nuclear physics, arts management, and the meaning of cartoons, and has a fierce rivalry with Springfield A&M University.
Springfield High School
Springfield High School is the high school in Springfield, is most often seen in flashbacks, notably in "The Way We WasThe Way We Was
"The Way We Was" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1991. In the episode, Marge tells the story of how she and Homer first met and fell in love. Flashing back to 1974, we see how Homer falls in love with...
" when Homer and Marge tell the story of how they met. Springfield High School is seen in the present time in "The Front
The Front (The Simpsons)
"The Front" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons fourth season, and originally aired in the United States on the Fox network on April 15, 1993. In the episode, Bart and Lisa decide to write an episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show; after their script is rejected, they resubmit it under the name...
" when Marge and Homer have their high school reunion there.
Krustylu Studios
Krustylu Studios is where all of channel 6 shows are filmed which includes the Krusty the Clown show and the news featuring Kent Brockman. Located across from it is the Box Factory. The name is a parody of Desilu Studios.Sleep Eazy Motel
First seen in The Cartridge FamilyThe Cartridge Family
"The Cartridge Family" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons ninth season, which originally aired on November 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Pete Michels. In the episode, Homer purchases a gun to protect his family, of which Marge disapproves...
, this is a run-down motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
where everything is coin-operated, including the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The name is clearly a play on "sleazy motel".
Springfield Retirement Castle
The Springfield Retirement Castle is Springfield's retirement home for the elderly. Some noted residents of the Castle include Abraham "Grampa" J. SimpsonAbraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
and his neighbors, Jasper Beardley, and the Crazy Old Man.
For Abraham Simpson, the Retirement Castle is a lonely place to be. He often gets mad when his family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
doesn't come and visit him. The door features a sign reading 'Thank you for not discussing the outside world'. The most interesting way to pass time at the home is to "stake yourself out a good spot at the staring window", which overlooks nothing but a barren tree, and bingo
Bingo (US)
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...
(the prize being a banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
). The staff of the home have little to no respect for the residents, doing things like vacuuming their hair during "nap time", or switching their IV bags
Intravenous therapy
Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein. The word intravenous simply means "within a vein". Therapies administered intravenously are often called specialty pharmaceuticals...
with their catheter
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization...
bags when the former is empty and the latter is full. In the episode "Old Money
Old Money (The Simpsons)
"Old Money" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 1991. In the episode, Grampa's new girlfriend at the Retirement Castle passes away and leaves him with $106,000...
" Grandpa inherits $106,000 from his girlfriend Beatrice "Bea" Simmons. He uses the money to refurbish and redecorate the home, after which its name is changed to Springfield Retirement Castle instead of Springfield Retirement Home. The main dining area is renamed "The Beatrice Simmons Memorial Hall".
The Springfield City Hall
The City Hall of Springfield serves as the workplace of Mayor Quimby and the City Government. Often it is the site of town meetings regarding an issue facing the city, where the citizens vote to approve a proposal that generally causes havoc (most of the time proposed by Homer) and causes more problems. The building is based on the Chelmsford, MassachusettsChelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
public library due to longtime The Simpsons background designer Lance Wilder, a former resident.
Springfield Courthouse
The courthouse is the center for all trials and cases in Springfield. It has two judges, Judge Constance Harm, who is a tough and unforgiving judge who enjoys giving cruel punishments to criminals in her courtroom, and Judge Roy Snyder, who is known for his lenient punishments. Often the prosecutor is The Blue Haired Lawyer who also represents Mr. Burns and The Walt Disney Company and unlike Gil Gunderson or Lionel Hutz, he is a competent lawyer (but not always ethical). It appears to resemble the Hill Valley courthouse only with two columns.The Springfield Stadium
Is where the Springfield Isotopes play; they are generally sponsored by Duff Beer. It has a JumboTronJumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
and is rarely seen in the show.
Five Corners
Five Corners is "the only geographic location in the US where five states meet". A boundary markerBoundary marker
A boundary marker, boundary stone or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in a direction of a boundary...
indicates the exact spot. The Simpsons visit Five Corners while driving to Itchy & Scratchy Land
Itchy & Scratchy Land
"Itchy & Scratchy Land" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons sixth season and first aired on October 2, 1994. Wanting a perfect family vacation, the Simpson family visits Itchy & Scratchy Land. The trip starts out great, but things take a turn for the worse when a horde of Itchy and Scratchy...
. In "The Bob Next Door
The Bob Next Door
"The Bob Next Door" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season and the 463rd episode overall on Fox Broadcasting Company...
", Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...
plots to kill Bart at the marker where the location's unique property would result in a lack of extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...
, explaining it as: "I can stand in one state, fire a gun in a second state, the bullet will travel through the third, hitting you in the fourth, so you fall dead in the fifth. No single act is against any law, but their sum total is the greatest murder..."
Shelbyville
Shelbyville is Springfield's neighbor and rival city. It was founded in 1796 by Shelbyville Manhattan, who advocated cousin marriageCousin couple
A cousin couple is a pair of cousins who are involved in a romantic or sexual relationship.-See also:*Consanguinity*Genealogy*Genetic sexual attraction*Westermarck effect*Inbreeding*Pedigree collapse*Prohibited degree of kinship-External links:...
among his followers, causing a split between himself and Jebediah Springfield. An intense rivalry between the two cities continues today, especially in the sixth season episode "Lemon of Troy
Lemon of Troy
"Lemon of Troy" is the 24th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, and originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 14, 1995. In the episode, the children of Springfield wage war on Shelbyville after their beloved lemon tree is stolen from them by Shelbyville children...
", in which Shelbyville residents steal a prized lemon tree from Springfield. In several episodes, "Lemon of Troy
Lemon of Troy
"Lemon of Troy" is the 24th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, and originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 14, 1995. In the episode, the children of Springfield wage war on Shelbyville after their beloved lemon tree is stolen from them by Shelbyville children...
" in particular, it is suggested that Shelbyville is to an extent a parallel version of Springfield. Shelbyville is also the city where Luann van Houten grew up. It also has at least one McDonalds restaurant, a Speed-E-Mart, Joe's Tavern and a school. Per "Last Exit to Springfield
Last Exit to Springfield
"Last Exit to Springfield" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons fourth season which originally aired March 11, 1993. It was directed by Mark Kirkland and was the last episode written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky...
," Shelbyville was at least briefly called "Morganville" during Abe Simpson's youth.
Shelbyville was ranked 10th in "The 10 Best Dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
s" in the December 2005 issue of Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
.
Capital City
Capital City (often spelled Capitol City in early episodes) is the capital and largest city in the state in which the show is set. It is a major urban center, hosting major sports events, conventions, and United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
conferences. Its nickname is The Windy Apple (a joke by the show's writers, combining the nicknames of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's "The Big Apple" and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's "The Windy City"). Landmarks include a Duff
Duff Beer
Daleside is an independent brewery founded in 1988 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.-Products:Daleside produce a wide range of beers, including Morocco Ale, a traditional spiced beer based on an Elizabethan recipe; Old Legover, a low abv Old Ale ; Monkey Wrench, a stronger Old Ale; Ripon...
brewery, possibly mimicking the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, the Cross-town suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
resembling San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, the Capital City Stadium, the Capital City Amphitheatre, and the intersection of 4th and D Streets. Capital City is the city where Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
was raised (as Armin Tamzarian).
Brockway
Brockway is mentioned by Lyle Lanley (voiced by Phil HartmanPhil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
) as a town to which he's sold monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
systems ("Marge vs. the Monorail
Marge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsonss fourth season and originally aired on January 14, 1993. The plot focuses around Springfield's purchase of a monorail from a conman, and Marge's dislike of the purchase. It was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore...
").
Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook are also mentioned in Episode 18 of the TV series Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
by Sam Winchester
Sam Winchester
Samuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of The CW Television Network's Supernatural along with his older brother Dean. He is portrayed by Jared Padalecki.-Background:...
, as locations of past Shtriga
Shtriga
The Shtriga , in Albanian folklore, was a vampiric witch that would suck the blood of infants at night while they slept, and would then turn into a flying insect...
activity.
Ogdenville
Ogdenville was first mentioned in "Marge vs. the MonorailMarge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsonss fourth season and originally aired on January 14, 1993. The plot focuses around Springfield's purchase of a monorail from a conman, and Marge's dislike of the purchase. It was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore...
", when Lyle Lanley claimed to have sold a monorail to Ogdenville. Ogdenville has also been mentioned in other episodes such as "Saddlesore Galactica
Saddlesore Galactica
"Saddlesore Galactica" is the thirteenth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 6, 2000...
", Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield
"Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" is the 14th episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 1996. In the episode, Marge buys a Chanel suit and is invited to join the Springfield Country Club...
", "Bart Star
Bart Star
"Bart Star" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, which originally aired November 9, 1997. The title of this episode is a play on Bart Starr...
" and "To Surveil with Love
To Surveil With Love
"To Surveil with Love" is the twentieth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States on May 2, 2010 as the 461st episode of the whole series. In the episode, radiation seeps out of Homer's gym bag after a bomb squad blows it up and...
". In "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
"Eeny Teeny Maya Moe" is the sixteenth episode of the The Simpsons twentieth season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 5, 2009. Moe falls in love with a woman named Maya, whom he met over the Internet. When Moe meets her in person, she turns out to be a dwarf. Moe remains in...
", Maya is from Ogdenville. Ogdenville has an outlet mall, and is separated from Springfield by a rocky desert. In "Coming to Homerica
Coming to Homerica
"Coming to Homerica" is the twenty-first episode and season finale of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 17, 2009. Its name is a parody of the 1988 film Coming to America. The storyline is a pick on illegal immigration to the United States,...
", Ogdenville is a town of barley producing farms that are shut down due to tainted barley being used in a new, vegetarian Krusty Burger. Ogdenvillians are composed of Norwegian immigrants with thick Norwegian accents. They also are big fans of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
.
North Haverbrook
North Haverbrook was first mentioned by Lyle Lanley in Marge vs. the MonorailMarge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsonss fourth season and originally aired on January 14, 1993. The plot focuses around Springfield's purchase of a monorail from a conman, and Marge's dislike of the purchase. It was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore...
. Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
arrives in North Haverbrook and finds a desolate ghost town, where the faulty monorail derailed, causing a disaster and scaring away investors. North Haverbrook locals have since denied the monorail's existence, as Marge is met by a woman who works at the 'Monorail Cafe' and orders Marge to "Go away! There ain't no monorail and there never was!" Lanley is later attacked by the citizens of the town after his plane makes an unscheduled stop there.
North Haverbrook also appeared in "Little Big Girl
Little Big Girl
"Little Big Girl" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons eighteenth season, which was originally broadcast on February 11, 2007. It was written by Don Payne, and directed by Raymond S. Persi. Natalie Portman guest starred as a new character, Darcy. The title is a play on the Dustin Hoffman movie...
". After Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
is awarded a driver's license, he gets sick of countless errands and goes for a drive and eventually finds North Haverbrook, and falls in love with a girl named Darcy. In this episode, the town appears to have recovered well from the monorail disaster, as it is now changed from a ghost town to a thriving community with multiple businesses Bart enjoys. It has a romantic reputation. All signs of the monorail have also disappeared.
It also appears on a road sign as Snake drives towards Mexico with the Kwik-E-Mart on a flatbed trailer during "Marge in Chains
Marge in Chains
"Marge in Chains" is the 21st episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 6, 1993. In the episode, Marge is arrested for shoplifting after forgetting to pay for an item at Kwik-E-Mart...
".
Location
Due to the many contradictory statements regarding Springfield, it is impossible for the town to exist in any specific U.S. state. For example, in The Simpsons MovieThe Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
tells Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
that Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
all border Springfield's state.
The city's unknown and unknowable geography is a recurring joke in the series; despite the "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's location", Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
states that "it's a bit of a mystery, yes. But if you look at the clues, you can figure it out." Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state is unidentifiable by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references.
The telephone area codes for Springfield are 636
Area code 636
Area code 636 serves east-central Missouri, excluding the city of St. Louis and most of St. Louis County. 636 includes parts of the community of Chesterfield, and all of Union, De Soto, Troy, St. Charles, Jefferson, and Warren counties. Area code 314, now assigned to St. Louis and some suburbs,...
(St. Charles County - Western St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
) and 939 (Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
). David Silverman
David Silverman
David Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Takoma". This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show. However, this has never been officially confirmed in any canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
episode of The Simpsons or by other Simpsons producers.
To promote The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, various towns and cities across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
called Springfield
Springfield (toponym)
Springfield is a famously common place-name in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey there are currently 34 populated places in 25 states named Springfield throughout the United States, including at least four in Wisconsin;...
competed to hold the premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
. The town of Springfield, Vermont
Springfield, Vermont
Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,373 at the 2010 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was chartered on August 20, 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth and awarded to Gideon Lyman and 61 others...
, was chosen.
External links
- Where Is The Simpsons' Springfield? from the fan-maintained "The Simpsons Archive"