Homer

Homer Simpson is also a character in the book The Day of the Locust and the film based on the book.{| cellspacing="5" class="infobox" style="line-height: 1.5em; width: 20em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;" ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 110%; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(250, 218, 0);"|The Simpsons character ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 110%; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(250, 218, 0);"|Homer Simpson ! style="text-align: left;"|Gender ! style="text-align: left;"|Job ! style="text-align: left;"|Relatives Children: Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Parents: Abraham and Mona Half sibling: Herb Powell (see also: Simpson family) ! style="text-align: left;"|Voice actor ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 110%; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(250, 218, 0);"|First appearance ! style="text-align: left;"|Ullman shorts ! style="text-align: left;"|The Simpsons Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father 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. Homer was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the character after his father Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpson family got their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.
 * colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 100%;"|
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 * style=""|Male
 * style=""|Safety Inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
 * style=""|Wife: Marge
 * style=""|Dan Castellaneta
 * style=""|"Good Night" (1987)
 * style=""|"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (1989)
 * }

Homer is the boorish father of the Simpson family. With his wife, Marge, he has three children: Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. As the family's provider, he works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Homer embodies several American working class stereotypes: he is crude, overweight, incompetent, clumsy, lazy and ignorant; however, he is also fiercely devoted to his family. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences.

In the shorts and earlier episodes, Castellaneta voiced Homer with a loose impression of Walter Matthau; however, during the second and third seasons of the half-hour show, Homer's voice evolved to become more robust, to allow the expression of a fuller range of emotions. He has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons – including video games, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Ride, commercials and comic books – and inspired an entire line of merchandise. His catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "d'oh!", has been included in The New Oxford Dictionary of English since 1998 and the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001.

Homer is one of the most influential fictional characters on television, having been described by the British newspaper The Sunday Times as "the greatest comic creation of [modern] time". He was ranked the second greatest cartoon character by TV Guide and was voted the greatest television character of all-time by Channel 4 viewers. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and a special achievement Annie Award for voicing Homer. In 2000, Homer, along with the rest of his family, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. {| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide]*1 Role in The Simpsons
 * 2 Character
 * 2.1 Creation
 * 2.2 Design
 * 2.3 Voice
 * 2.4 Character development
 * 2.5 Personality
 * 3 Reception
 * 3.1 Commendations
 * 3.2 Analysis
 * 4 Cultural influence
 * 4.1 D'oh!
 * 4.2 Merchandising
 * 5 Notes
 * 6 References
 * 7 Further reading
 * 8 External links
 * }

Role in The Simpsons
Homer Simpson is the bumbling husband of Marge and father of Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson.[1] He was born to and raised by Mona and Abraham Simpson. Homer has held over 188 different jobs in the first 400 episodes of The Simpsons.[2] In most episodes, he works as the Nuclear Safety Inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, a position he has held since "Homer's Odyssey", the third episode of the series.[3] At the plant, Homer is often ignored and completely forgotten by his boss Mr. Burns, and constantly falls asleep and neglects his duties. Matt Groening has stated that he decided to have Homer work at the power plant because of the potential for Homer to create havoc.[4] The rest of his jobs have lasted only one episode. In the first half of the series, the writers developed an explanation of how he got fired from the plant and then rehired in every episode; in later episodes he often began a new job on impulse, without any mention of his regular employment.[5]

The Simpsons uses a floating timeline in which the characters do not physically age, and as such the show is generally assumed to be set in the current year. Nevertheless, in several episodes, events in Homer's life have been linked to specific time periods.[1] "Mother Simpson" (season seven, 1995) depicts Homer's mother, Mona, as a radical who went into hiding in the mid-1960s following a run-in with the law;[6] "The Way We Was" (season two, 1991) shows Homer falling in love with Marge Bouvier as a senior at Springfield High School in the 1970s;[7] and "I Married Marge" (season three, 1991) implies that Marge became pregnant with Bart in 1980.[8] However, the episode "That 90's Show" (season 19, 2008) contradicted much of this backstory, portraying Homer and Marge as a childless couple in the early 1990s.[9]

Homer's age has increased as the series developed; he was 36 in the early episodes,[10] 38 and 39 in season eight,[11] and 40 in the eighteenth season,[12] although even in those seasons his age is inconsistent.[1] During Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein's period as showrunners, they found that as they aged, Homer seemed to become older too, so they increased his age to 38.[13]

Creation
Matt Groening created Homer while waiting in James L. Brooks' office.Matt Groening conceived Homer and the rest of the Simpson family in 1986 in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show, and had intended to present an adaptation of his Life in Hell comic strip. When he realized that animating Life in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights, Groening decided to go in another direction,[14] and hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family, naming the characters after members of his own family. Homer was named after Groening's father.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-americasfirstfamily_13-1">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[15] Very little else of Homer's character was based on him, and to prove that the meaning behind Homer's name was not significant, Groening later named his own son Homer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[16] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[17] Although Groening has stated in several interviews that Homer's namesake is his father, he also claimed in several 1990 interviews that a character in the 1939 Nathanael West novel The Day of the Locust was the inspiration for naming Homer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-p78_0-3">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[19] Homer's middle initial "J", which stands for "Jay",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[20] is a "tribute" to animated characters such as Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show who got their middle initial from Jay Ward.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[22]

Homer made his debut with the rest of the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[23] In 1989, the shorts were adapted into The Simpsons, a half-hour series airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company. Homer and the Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[24]

Design
Homer's design has been changed several times over the course of the series. Left to right: Homer as he appeared in "Good Night" (1987), "Bathtime" (1989), and "Bart the Genius" (1990).The entire Simpson family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[25] The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead, they just traced over his drawings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-americasfirstfamily_13-2">[14] Homer's physical features are generally not used in other characters; for example, in the later seasons, no characters other than Homer and Lenny have a similar beard line.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[26] When Groening originally designed Homer, he put his initials into the character's hairline and ear: the hairline resembled an 'M', and the right ear resembled a 'G'. Groening decided that this would be too distracting though, and redesigned the ear to look normal. He still draws the ear as a 'G' when he draws pictures of Homer for fans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[27] The basic shape of Homer's head is described by director Mark Kirkland as a tube-shaped coffee can with a salad bowl on top. Bart's head is also coffee can shaped, while spheres are used for Marge, Lisa and Maggie.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[28] During the shorts, the animators experimented with Homer's mouth movements when talking and at one point his mouth would stretch out back "beyond his beardline", but this was stopped when it got "out of control."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[29] In some early episodes, Homer's hair was rounded rather than sharply pointed because animation director Wes Archer felt it should look disheveled. Homer's hair later evolved to appear consistently pointed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dancin_29-0">[30] During the first three seasons, Homer's design for some close-up shots included small lines which were meant to be eyebrows. Matt Groening strongly disliked them and they were eventually dropped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dancin_29-1">[30]

In the season seven (1995) episode "Treehouse of Horror VI", Homer was computer animated into a three dimensional character for the first time for the "Homer3" segment of the episode. The computer animation directors at Pacific Data Images worked hard not to "reinvent the character".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3D_30-0">[31] In the final minute of the segment, the 3D Homer ends up in a real world, live-action Los Angeles. The scene was directed by David Mirkin and was the first time a Simpsons character had been in the real world in the series.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3D_30-1">[31] The episode "Lisa's Wedding" (season six, 1995) is a flashforward, set fifteen years in the future and Homer's design was altered to make him older. He was redesigned to be heavier, one of the hairs on top of his head was removed and an extra line was placed under the eye. A similar design has been used in subsequent flashforward episodes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[32]

Voice
"I was trying to find something I was more comfortable with that had more power to it, so I had to drop the voice down. [...] People will say to me, 'Boy, I'm glad they replaced the guy that was there that first season.' That was me!"—Dan Castellaneta<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FN_32-0">[33] Homer's voice is performed by Dan Castellaneta, who voices numerous other characters, including Abraham Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby and Hans Moleman. Castellaneta had been part of the regular cast of The Tracey Ullman Show and had previously done some voice-over work in Chicago alongside his wife Deb Lacusta. Voices were needed for the Simpsons shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta and fellow cast member Julie Kavner to voice Homer and Marge rather than hire more actors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FN_32-1">[33] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_Age_33-0">[34] Homer's voice sounds different in the shorts and first few seasons of the half-hour show than it does in the majority of the series. The voice began as a loose impression of Walter Matthau, but Castellaneta could not "get enough power behind that voice",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_Age_33-1">[34] and could not sustain his Matthau impression for the nine to ten hour long recording sessions so had to find something easier.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MTV_1-1">[2] Castellaneta "dropped the voice down",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FN_32-2">[33] and developed it into a more versatile and humorous voice during the second and third season of the half-hour show, allowing Homer to cover a fuller range of emotions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-matthau_34-0">[35]

Castellaneta's normal speaking voice has no similarity to Homer's.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Aspen_35-0">[36] To perform Homer's voice, Castellaneta lowers his chin to his chest,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_Age_33-2">[34] and is said to "let his IQ go".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mirkin_36-0">[37] While in this state, he has ad-libbed several of Homer's least intelligent comments,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mirkin_36-1">[37] such as the line "I am so smart, s-m-r-t" from the episode "Homer Goes to College" (season five, 1993) which was a genuine mistake made by Castellaneta during recording.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CastellanetaBIC_37-0">[38] Castellaneta likes to stay in character during recording sessions,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Tribune_38-0">[39] and tries to visualize a scene in his mind so that he can give the proper voice to it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[40] Despite Homer's fame, Castellaneta claims he is rarely recognized in public, "except, maybe, by a die-hard fan".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Tribune_38-1">[39]

"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" (season five, 1993) is the only episode where Homer's voice was provided by someone other than Castellaneta. The episode features Homer forming a barbershop quartet called The Be Sharps and at some points, his singing voice is provided by a member of The Dapper Dans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[41] The Dapper Dans had recorded the singing parts for all four members of The Be Sharps. Their singing was intermixed with the normal voice actor's voices, often with a regular voice actor singing the melody and the Dapper Dans providing backup.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[42]

Until 1998, Castellaneta was paid $30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing for casting of new voices.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Glaister_42-0">[43] However, the dispute was soon resolved and he received $125,000 per episode until 2004 when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $360,000 an episode.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Glaister_42-1">[43] The issue was resolved a month later,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43">[44] and Castellaneta earned $250,000 per episode.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44">[45] After salary re-negotiations in 2008, the voice actors receive approximately $400,000 per episode.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45">[46]

Character development
Executive producer Al Jean notes that in The Simpsons' writing room, "everyone loves writing for Homer", and many of his adventures are based on experiences of the writers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[47] Homer's behavior has changed a number of times through the run of the series. He was originally "very angry" and oppressive toward Bart, but these characteristics were toned down somewhat as his persona was further explored.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47">[48] In early seasons, Homer appeared concerned that his family was going to make him look bad; however, in later episodes he was less anxious about how he was perceived by others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-disgrace_48-0">[49] In the first several years, Homer was often portrayed as sweet and sincere, but during Mike Scully's tenure as executive producer (seasons nine, 1997 to twelve, 2001), he became more of "a boorish, self-aggrandizing oaf".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49">[50] Chris Suellentrop of Slate wrote, "under Scully's tenure, The Simpsons became, well, a cartoon. [...] Episodes that once would have ended with Homer and Marge bicycling into the sunset [...] now end with Homer blowing a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50">[51] Fans have dubbed this incarnation of the character "Jerkass Homer".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[52] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Back_52-0">[53] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[54] At voice recording sessions, Dan Castellaneta has rejected material written in the script that portrayed Homer as being too mean. He believes that Homer is "boorish and unthinking, but he'd never be mean on purpose."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SundayTimes_54-0">[55] When editing The Simpsons Movie, several scenes were changed or otherwise toned down to make Homer more sympathetic.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-com_55-0">[56]

The writers have made Homer's intelligence appear to decline over the years; they explain this was not done intentionally, but it was necessary to top previous jokes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-138th_56-0">[57] For example, in "When You Dish Upon a Star", (season 10, 1998) the writers included a scene where Homer admits that he cannot read. The writers debated including this plot twist because it would contradict previous scenes in which Homer does read, but eventually they decided to keep the joke because they found it humorous. The writers often debate how far to go in portraying Homer's stupidity; one suggested rule is that "he can never forget his own name".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dish_57-0">[58]

Personality
Homer's personality and comic efficacy lies in his frequent bouts of stupidity, laziness and his explosive anger. He has a low intelligence level, described by director David Silverman as "creatively brilliant in his stupidity".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sundvd_58-0">[59] Homer also shows immense apathy towards work, is overweight, and "is devoted to his stomach".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sundvd_58-1">[59] His short attention span is evidenced by his impulsive decisions to engage in various hobbies and enterprises, only to "change ... his mind when things go badly".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sundvd_58-2">[59] Homer often spends his evenings drinking Duff Beer at Moe's Tavern and, as shown in the episode "Duffless" (season four, 1993), is a borderline alcoholic.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59">[60] He is very envious of his neighbors, the Flanders family, and is easily enraged by Bart. Homer will often strangle Bart on impulse in a cartoonish manner. The first instance of Homer strangling Bart was in the short "Family Portrait". Matt Groening's rule was that Homer could only strangle Bart impulsively, never with pre-meditation, and that it would always be over quickly.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60">[61] Another of the original ideas entertained by Groening was that Homer would "always get his comeuppance or Bart had to strangle him back", but this was dropped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61">[62] He shows no compunction about expressing his rage, and does not attempt to hide his actions from people outside the family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sundvd_58-3">[59] While Homer has repeatedly upset people and caused all sorts of mayhem in Springfield, these events usually result from a lack of foresight or his intense temper, rather than any malice. Except for expressing annoyance at Ned Flanders, Homer's destructive actions are usually unintentional. The first sketch of Homer strangling Bart, drawn in 1988.Homer has complex relationships with all three of his children. He often berates Bart, but the two commonly share adventures and are sometimes allies. Homer and Lisa have opposite personalities and he usually overlooks Lisa's talents, but when made aware of his neglect does everything he can to help her. He sometimes forgets that Maggie even exists, although Homer has often tried to bond with her; "daddy" was her first word. While Homer's thoughtless antics often upset his family, he has also revealed himself to be a caring father and husband: in "Lisa the Beauty Queen", (season four, 1992) he sold his cherished ride on the Duff blimp and used the money to enter Lisa in a beauty pageant so she could feel better about herself;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Beauty_9-1">[10] in "Rosebud", (season five, 1993) he gave up his chance at wealth to allow Maggie to keep a cherished teddy bear;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62">[63] in "Radio Bart", (season three, 1992) he spearheaded an attempt to dig Bart out after he had fallen down a well;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63">[64] and in "A Milhouse Divided", (season eight, 1996) he arranged a surprise second wedding with Marge to make up for their unsatisfactory first ceremony.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64">[65] Homer however has a poor relationship with his father Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, whom he placed in a nursing home as soon as he could.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65">[66] The Simpson family will often do their best to avoid unnecessary contact with Grampa, but Homer has shown feelings of love for his father from time to time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66">[67]

Homer is "a (happy) slave to his various appetites",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67">[68] and would gladly sell his soul to the devil in exchange for a single doughnut.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68">[69] He has a vacuous mind but is still able to retain a great amount of knowledge about very specific subjects. Homer's brief periods of intelligence are overshadowed however by much longer and consistent periods of ignorance, forgetfulness, and stupidity. Homer has a low IQ of 55 which has variously been attributed to the hereditary "Simpson Gene" (which eventually causes every male member of the family to become incredibly stupid),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69">[70] his alcohol problem, exposure to radioactive waste, repetitive cranial trauma,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-70">[71] and a crayon lodged in the frontal lobe of his brain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HOMR_71-0">[72] In the episode "HOMR" (season 12, 2001) Homer had surgery to remove the crayon from his brain, boosting his IQ to 105, but although he bonded very well with Lisa, his newfound capacity for understanding and reason made him less happy and he had Moe reinsert a crayon, causing his intelligence to return to its previous level.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HOMR_71-1">[72] Homer often debates with his own mind, which is expressed in voiceover. His brain has a record of giving him dubious advice, sometimes helping him make the right decisions, but often failing spectacularly. It has even become completely frustrated and, through sound effects, walked out on him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72">[73] Homer's conversations with his brain were used several times during the fourth season, but were later phased out after the producers "used every possible permutation".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Duffless_73-0">[74] These exchanges were often introduced because they filled time and were easy for the animators to work on.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Duffless_73-1">[74]