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In an interview with Smithsonian magazine, Matt Groening, the creator of Akbar and Jeff The Simpsons, finally ended the decades long mystery about the geographic location of the Simpsons’ home town of Springfield:
Springfield is a make-believe city. It’s a cartoon, guys! Everything in it is made up, and the real-world geographic comparison doesn’t make any sense. I mean, you want to know where Springfield is supposed to be in the continental United States but it doesn’t bother you that Bart has been in sixth grade for 30 years? Sure, I have some thoughts on where I drew my inspiration, since art is never created in a vacuum and everything is a composite created by the summation of the artist’s experiences. But I just can’t see how placing a completely fictional city that by all accounts operates on a magical plane where the temporal exigencies of the laws of physics don’t apply and where there are only six buildings and 12 people who matter, three of them being children, on a real world map of the United States is going to increase your enjoyment of the show. I’m sure you’ve been getting this all your life, and it must be hard to hear it coming from someone who counts himself as one of you, but take it easy, nerds!
Haha. Just kidding. I made that quote up! It’s Springfield, Oregon. Congratulations!
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This is where we just post Simpsons quotes because we’re a little bit hung over, right?
“I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. “Give me five bees for a quarter,” you’d say.”
“Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals… except the weasel.”
Oh boy, sleep! That’s where I’m a viking.
“Son, a woman is a lot like a… a refrigerator! They’re about six feet tall, 300 pounds. They make ice, and… um… Oh, wait a minute. Actually, a woman is more like a beer. They smell good, they look good, you’d step over your own mother just to get one! But you can’t stop at one. You wanna drink another woman!
… So I says yeah, if you want that money come and find it, cuz I don’t know where it is you baloney! You make me wanna wretch!”
Always my favourite simpson’s quote, maybe except for the guy with the big hand the second he starts reading “…the first such instance occurred in…” that one gets me every single time.
Don’t kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he’d eat you and everyone you care about!
“We need more Bort license plates in the gift shop. I repeat, we are sold out of Bort license plates!”
Kids, we need to talk for a moment about Krusty Brand Chew Goo Gum Like Substance. We all knew it contained spider eggs, but the Hanta virus? That came out of left field. So if you’re experiencing numbness and/or comas, send five dollars to antidote, PO box…
“I’m Idaho!”
I went as Ralph one Halloween and half a sad notebook page ripped out with Idaho written on it. Only two people got it.
“I probably shouldn’t have eaten that packet of powdered gravy I found in the parking lot.”
Starland Vocal Band? They suck!!
Welcome to Itchy and Scratchyland, where nothing could possi-blye go wrong. I mean possibly go wrong. Huh, that’s the first thing that’s ever gone wrong.
My cat’s breath smells like cat food.
Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down.
He kind of writes like a lite version of Gabe.
Jesus, it was Gabe. And I didn’t even go to the party so no excuses. No excuses.
Does he *actually* mention that the Simpson’s are located in Oregon? I guess I inferred from the article that Springfield is based upon Springfield, Oregon, close to Groening’s hometown, not that The Simspon’s are actually located in that state. Of course I could just be slow since I haven’t had my morning Squishee yet.
Well, that would be what he actually said, except NOT ON THE INTERNET WHERE THE WORDS OF TV CREATORS ARE INFALLIBLE! Ahem.
Let’s pretend I made some sort of pun and we all had a laugh because I am too tired from last night’s fete to even breathe properly.
I posted this gif last year after the Videogum party and I still feel it’s relevant today:
I know it’s not supposed to look like a whale with albino diarrhea but
it’s a sperm whale.
What do you mean “not supposed to”
It was always rumored to be that Springfield since that’s where he grew up. So yeah, shocker.
So how was the Videogum party guys? Just give me one detail.
I may have loudly done a Michael Caine impression to Kelly and then complained that I didn’t get a giveaway prize a thousand years ago, so yes, I was on my best behavior.
Hey man, thanks for sticking up for those of us who never got our prizes, but would only have the balls to act like we really cared and actually complain about while drunk. Solidarity, brother.
SHE WAS ONLY FIFTEEN YEARS OLD!
Gabe threatened to fire Kelly and then Kelly murdered Gabe. FLW and I helped dispose of the body while Lizzing and Lawblog ran interference. Of course, Kelly wrote this post.
The value of my copy of Detroit and the Kid just doubled!
I had a very nice conversation with Gabe and Kelly and not once did I remember to ask them where they got their ideas. Opportunity wasted!
Thanks guys, sounds like a lot of fun.
Everyone came dressed as their avatar.
I was genuinely amazed at how much bamboo you were able to eat.
“Great. Now, where’s Five Corners?” – 12 year old me
There actually is a not-terrible movie called Five Corners from 1987 and it has Tim Robbins, Jodie Foster and John Turturro in it and they are all BABIES
Actually, this changes EVERYTHING. Believe it or not, the fact that the characters never age takes a lot less suspension of disbelief than trying to imagine an Oregon where Lisa doesn’t fit right in with everyone else.
Wait a minute, Bart’s a sixth grader? Umm, the wiki page says he’s 10! Unless he’s some kind of super genius, he’s supposed to be a fourth grader! 30 years of my life, just flat out ruined.
Great, now Family Guy will be in Oregon too.
As if The Simpsons couldn’t get more dead to me.
Booo-urns!!
we were just pranked by Gabe.
Gabe is our generation’s George Clooney.
Our generation’s Jason Biggs
The Smithsonian’s headfline is COMPLETE bullshit. “Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield!” No, he just said that Springfield was named after Springfield, OR once he realized it’s one of the most common city names.
In fact, the interviewer’s ACTUAL question OK, why do the Simpsons live in a town called Springfield? Isn’t that a little generic? is asked and answered right there. Groening grew up next to Springfield, OR, then later he realized how there are so many Springfields, so he named his fictional Simpsons town Springfield because of its general-ness.
It’s the first thing in the morning for me right now, so I’m all cranky and shit, and this interview has gotten under my skin.!I really liked Gabe-as-Groening’s answer, then when I read the punchline of ‘J/k It’s Springfield, Oregon,’ I had to go read the article for myself (usually a good practice always) then was annoyed by the Smithsonian!. They didn’t even have the courtesy to say “Groening Reveals Inspirations For Springfield,” which is just him realizing that the name is very common and playing with that fact.
The Simpsons’ Springfield is still absolutely fictitious with no real location, and for good reason. Shame on the Smithsonian for their dumb headline and shame on the internet for propagating this BS.
Actually Matt grew up in the neighborhood I live in now. This is a coincidence but a pretty kick-ass one. It’s also a small city so it may not technically be my neighborhood, but if I can walk there with my dog in less than 14 minutes, it counts. Plus many of the characters are named after streets here. I still take photos of the streets when I’m near them — Lovejoy, Terwilliger, Flanders, Kearney, etc. Also the show making fun of young adult novels this year was good. Some eps are still good. Simpsons4lyfe.
Also, Life In Hell rules.
Go Isotopes!
This has got to be one of the best videogum posts to date.