Spring 2004 Edition

This is the Frequently Asked Questions document for alt.tv.simpsons, updated quarterly (Summer, Autumn, Winter & Spring Editions), which is posted to the newsgroup as required and pointed to users asking about topics covered here.

Translations:

• Finnish
• German
• Japanese
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish

The Episode QuickList is available through http://www.snpp.com/guides/ql.html.

Submissions and corrections are encouraged!
Direct all comments to Tammy Hocking or Matt Rose.

Please read through this FAQ carefully before contacting the maintainers - emails asking questions already answered in this document will NOT be replied to.

Additionally, episode capsule submissions should be sent to Benjamin Robinson or Andrew Gill.

NOTE: This document is by no means all-inclusive. It is intended to serve as a general guide to the series and pointer to other sources with more detailed information on specific aspects of the series and newsgroup.

New topics in this edition:

Section I - Introduction

• 1.1 - alt.tv.simpsons Basic History
• 1.2 - Frequently Used Acronyms
  • ATS, SNUH, BTW, OTOH, IMHO, etc.
• 1.3 - How Do I Pronounce ...
  • Groening? Yeardley? Klasky-Csupo?
• 1.4 - Topics That Go Nowhere
• 1.5 - Netiquette

Section II - Series Background

• 2.1 - Creation of The Simpsons
  • Who is Matt Groening?
  • What exactly does he do for The Simpsons?
  • Where did Matt Groening get the name/s for the Simpson family?
  • How were the characters created?
  • Why were the characters made yellow?
• 2.2 - The Tracey Ullman Show
  • What was the first Simpsons short and when did it air?
  • How many shorts are there in total?
  • Why do the characters look so different?
  • Why does Lisa behave so differently? She's basically a female Bart.
  • Is it true that Maggie speaks in the shorts?
  • I noticed that her pacifier sounds different, too.
  • Why are Homer and Marge not given voice credits?
  • Do any other well-known characters from the half-hour series make appearances?
  • Why does Homer's voice sound so different?
  • Are all the voices the same?
  • Why was the "Babysitting Maggie" short censored?
  • Why did the shorts disappear during the last season of The Tracey Ullman Show?
  • I heard that Tracey Ullman actually filed a law suit against Fox. What became of that?
• 2.3 - Transition to Half-hour Primetime Series
  • What was the first episode?
  • When did each of these episodes air?
• 2.4 - Series timeline

Section III - Characters, Places & Events

• 3.1 - The Simpson Family
  • What is the Simpsons' home address?
  • What is the Simpsons' home phone number?
  • How come the characters don't age?
  • How much does Maggie cost in the opening titles?
  • But he trivia question in The 138th Episode Spectacular said that the cash register read "NRA4EVER". What's going on here?
  • Is it me or do older episodes have a different opening? I seem to recall Bart stealing the "Bus Stop" sign, for example.
  • Is it me or does Lisa's sax solo in the opening always change? Does she play any particular songs?
  • How old is Homer, exactly?
  • What does he say exactly? D'oh? Dough? Where does it come from?
  • What do the J's stand for in Homer J. and Bartholomew J. Simpson?
  • Why is Bart's shirt sometimes orange and sometimes blue?
  • What type of saxophone does Lisa play?
  • What is the name of the song played in (episode)?
  • What happened to Snowball I?
• 3.2 - Springfield and Its Inhabitants
  • Where is Springfield, anyway?
  • In "Behind the Laughter", the Simpsons are revealed to be a Northern Kentucky family. But when they re-ran the episode later, it was changed to Southern Missouri. What's going on?
  • Are Smithers and Karl gay (or bisexual)?
  • Is Milhouse/Bart/Homer/Martin gay?
  • How old is Mr. Burns, exactly?
  • Which one is Patty and which one is Selma?
  • What are all of Selma's married names?
  • But she never married Lionel Hutz!
  • Which one is Itchy and which one is Scratchy?
  • What are the words to the Itchy & Scratchy theme song?
  • Is it just me or are several of the characters left-handed?
  • What are the names of the bullies who pick on Bart, and which is which?
  • Is Bart's friend named Milhous, Millhouse, Milhouse?
  • What is the name of ... ?
  • What exactly does Professor Frink say? Ng-hiey? Ng-wiey? Glaven?
  • Is Groundskeeper Willy Irish or Scottish?
  • What nationality is Dr Nick Riviera?
  • Who is the bumblebee guy?
  • Who is the guy who always says "Yeeeeeeeessssss?"
• 3.3 - Episodes and Events
  • Was Smithers black in one episode?
  • When and how did Dr. Marvin Monroe die?
  • Why was he killed off?
  • When and how did Maude Flanders die?
  • Why was she killed off?
  • What is the spelling of Bart's fake Scrabble word in Bart the Genius?
  • What's the deal with the rake scene in Cape Feare?
  • In Sunday, Cruddy Sunday, why do Moe and Lenny cover their mouths when they mention the two Super Bowl participants?
  • Bart uses the line "So I says to Mabel, I says" in El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Homer. What is this in reference to?
  • Why does Mr Burns use "Ahoy, hoy!" as his phone greeting?
  • Barney seems a lot more clean-cut in recent seasons. What changed?

Section IV - Cast, Staff & Production

• 4.1 - The Voice Actors
  • Who does what voice?
  • I noticed that Old Money has voice credits, but none of the other episodes do. Why only one episode, and why that particular episode?
  • It seems to me that Homer's voice sounds different in early episodes. Did they change actors, or is it just my imagination?
  • There are a few other characters who sound different in early episodes. Were all the same actors doing the voices?
  • Why do some of the female characters sound different in recent episodes?
  • Is it true the entire cast was nearly fired and replaced?
  • With the passing of Phil Hartman, will Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz have new voices?
  • Who plays the baritone saxophone for Lisa?
  • I heard that (so-and-so) was going to be on The Simpsons. Is that true?
  • Why did Michael Jackson and Dustin Hoffman not use their real names?
  • Which actors/celebrities have appeared on The Simpsons who are now deceased?
• 4.2 - The Staff
  • How do I contact Matt Groening or the producers/writers of the show?
  • What about e-mail addresses?
  • I have a script/story idea I want to show to the producers ...
  • Who is Ian Maxtone-Graham, and why is he so disliked on the newsgroup?
  • Is The Simpsons' production staff aware of UseNet and a.t.s.?
  • Have any of them actually posted to the newsgroup?
  • Why is John Frink's name in the opening credits? I thought that was the nerdy scientist's name. Is it a joke?
  • What is Matt Groening's favorite episode? What about cast members? Writers? Directors?
  • What are the known cast and staff birth dates/places?
  • I heard a member of No Doubt quit to work on The Simpsons. Is that true?
  • What does a consulting producer do and what does a supervising producer do?
  • How many staff members are Harvard alums?
• 4.3 - Production
  • How is a Simpsons episode created?
  • Who creates the animation for the show?
  • I heard that the animation is done primarily by computer now. Is that true?
  • Why did the animation change from Klasky-Csupo to Film Roman?
  • How much does it cost to produce one episode?
  • How long does it take?
  • I see people using numbers like "9F07" to refer to episodes. What does this mean?
  • Where are the production codes seen?
  • Why do the Season Six production codes jump from 2F22 to 2F31? And what about 3F31 in Season Seven?
  • Why did they use 3G01-3G04 for four episodes instead of extending the "3F" sequence?
  • Why did Matt Groening remove his name from the credits of episode 2F31?
  • Where are the episode titles seen?
  • I see that 7G11 has three different titles. Which one is official, and if/when were the other two used?
  • How come Halloween episodes don't follow established continuity?
  • Why was EABF04 referred to as the 300th episode? I counted it as the 302nd.

Section V - Miscellany

• 5.1 - Music, Merchandise, Literature
  • Have any of the episodes been released on video?
  • What about on DVD?
  • What musical albums and compilations have been released?
  • What books have been written about the show?
  • How many Simpsons video games are there?
  • What is Bongo Comics Group/Simpsons Illustrated?
  • Has The Simpsons won any awards?
  • Didn't The Simpsons do commercials for ... ?
  • Who is the winner of 1995's 1-800-COLLECT "Who Shot Mr Burns?" Contest?
  • What's this I hear about a real-life version of the Simpson house?
• 5.2 - Broadcast Information & Syndication
  • In what time slots have The Simpsons aired?
  • What is syndication?
  • Why are syndicated episodes cut?
  • Is my local station cutting the episodes?
  • How come I rarely see any episodes preceding Season Six in syndication?
  • Why are some clips shown in commercials not in the transmitted episodes?
  • The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson was pulled from syndication after September 11. Is that true?
• 5.3 - Rumors
  • Will there ever be a Simpsons movie?
  • Is the show being cancelled soon?

Section VI - Lists & Resources

• 6.1 - The Episode Capsules
• 6.2 - Lists and Guides
  • Episode Quicklist
  • Episode Guides and Technical Documents
  • Miscellaneous Documents
  • alt.tv.simpsons Mail Server
  • Fanclubs
• 6.3 - Internet Resources
  • Relevant WWW sites, newsgroups and fanclubs
  • I heard Fox is shutting down websites. Is this true?
  • Where can I download Simpsons episodes off the net?

Section VII - Closing Remarks

• 7.1 - Acknowledgements
• 7.2 - Contributors
• 7.3 - Disclaimer & Copyright Information

On to Section I

Copyright © 2004 by Tammy Hocking & Matt Rose (See Sec 7.3)

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