Homer Simpson
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Homer Jay Simpson is one of the main characters in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is the husband of Marge Simpson and the father of Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and Maggie Simpson. Although he is often portrayed as gluttonous, lazy or simple-minded, there are times where he has shown amazing intelligence (see below) and is a caring father and husband. In the years since The Simpsons first appeared on television, he has evolved into the personality of a lovable oaf. Homer is probably the most well-known and recognizable character of the series. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who changed Homer's voice that he used in The Tracy Ulman Shorts and in the first season, to what it is today because of Homer's emotional nature.
Homer Simpson embodies a number of negative, working class, American stereotypes: he has a low-level job, he is crude and fairly uneducated, overweight, intolerant, and inept. On the other hand, Homer Simpson is sometimes unpredictably adaptable, quick-witted and capable.
He is 39 years old, according to an episode in which he read a magazine and calculated that he would die when he was 42. Although Homer's mental math cannot be too reliable, this number was checked and confirmed by Marge. All episodes from seasons 1-10 that refer to his age say he is 36. However, there have been some episodes later than season 10 where he was 38 and 39 and one where the rest of his family forgot it was his birthday where he turned 39 and focused on Santa's Little Helper's birthday instead.
Homer Simpson popularized the annoyed grunt "D'oh!" (made memorable through Dan Castellaneta's distinctive voice work), which began as an abbreviated form of Jimmy Finlayson's "Dooooh" from the films of Laurel and Hardy. This modern interjection has found enough popular acceptance to be included in the Oxford English Dictionary.[It's in the dictionary, d'oh!]. BBC News. 14 June 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2006.
In 2002, Homer Simpson placed #2 on TV Guide's Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of all time, only beaten by Bugs Bunny. In 2005, Homer Simpson was listed as number 5 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, beating out beloved and respected characters like Columbo, Frasier Crane, Hawkeye Pierce, and James Kirk. He is one of only four cartoon characters to be on the list, along with Eric Cartman (#19) and Rocky & Bullwinkle (#54).
Matt Groening has indicated that Homer is named after and loosely based on his own father, Homer Groening, who also gives his name to Groening's first son.
Biography
Family and Friends
Homer was born and raised in Springfield (though one episode suggests he was born in Toronto, Canada). (See Age below) Some analysts indicate the possibility that he was born and/or raised in a small farm, perhaps in a rural Springfield area. Homer is the son of Abraham "Abe" J. Simpson and Mona Simpson (also known as Penelope Olson). His half-brother, Herb Powell (Danny Devito), was a former automobile manufacturer before Homer ruined his business. In a later episode, Homer makes his failed relationship up with Herb by allowing him to stay with his family. Herb invents a machine which translates baby speech (tested on Maggie) to understandable human speech, thus gaining back his millions. Herb was born due to an affair between Homer's father and a carnival worker and currently works as an inventor. His half-sister, Abbie, is the result of an affair between Abe Simpson and a British woman whom Abe met while stationed in Britain during World War II. If Grampa's Christmas story about an attack on the Pacific in 1941 was even partially true, then Homer would also be nephew to Abraham's brother, Cyrus.
Homer married Marjorie Bouvier, who goes by "Marge" Simpson, and fathered three children with her: Bartholomew (Bart), Lisa, and Margaret (Maggie).
He frequents Moe's Tavern, which is owned and operated by Moe, with his friends Barney Gumble, Carl Carlson, and Lenny Leonard, drinking a mug of fresh Duff beer served by Moe.
Other relatives seen include Homer's uncle Chet, owner of a shrimp company, and his first cousin once removed, Stanley.
Personality
Homer's essential personality traits presented themselves early on. He was raised solely by his father after the approximate age of six. Homer slid through his classes and apparently graduated from high school despite failing to pass Remedial Science until some 20-plus years later; he was told he would be a "shoo-in" for college but was distracted before he could sign his application form. His senior yearbook reveals a lack of interest in sports and activities, and his quote was "I can't believe I ate the whole thing". During high school, Homer fell in love with Marge Bouvier, whom he would later marry (though both would later learn that they had first met as children at summer camp).
Homer's short attention span complements his intense (albeit short-lived) passion for hobbies, enterprises and various causes. Although by nature an exceedingly lazy man, he is capable of exerting tremendous effort toward something for a short period of time. Homer says of himself, "When I'm passionate about something, I see it through to the end." For example, he has converted his garage into a bar just to spite Moe, the bartender; spent a whole episode studying and emulating Thomas Edison; convinced all of Springfield that the Rapture was imminent; and attempted to uncover a plot to trade Springfield's baseball team interstate by going on a hunger strike. These massively spirited endeavors can be triggered by almost nothing, as evidenced by his short-lived grease collection business.
Homer is also prone to becoming very emotional. For example, he becomes very envious of his neighbours, the Flanders family, and he easily becomes enraged at his son, Bart, and is repeatedly physically abusive towards him. Homer enjoys a "cold" beer (Duff) after a long day's work. Homer did also save the Power Plant's dental program from ending and also refused to throw fish guts at the crowd for a great sum of money during the Springfield Thanksgiving Day Parade once too.
While Homer has repeatedly upset his family and caused all sorts of mayhem in Springfield in general, these are more often caused by either a lack of temper or a lack of foresight. Except in the case of of his hatred for Ned Flanders, Homer's actions are usually unintentional. He has also shown himself capable of being a surprisingly good father, husband and friend; selling his ride on the Duff blimp to enter Lisa in a beauty pageant to feel better about herself; giving up his chance at wealth so Maggie could keep a beloved teddy bear; using a nuclear pile to threaten a crooked businessman who swindled Bart into giving him his money back; even saving Ned Flanders from ruin by informing people about Flanders's new "Leftorium", thus breaking the curse that Homer himself had put on Ned.
Homer has an uncommon sense of humor. Like Mel Brooks, Homer tends to find the misfortune of others funny; for example, he thinks the loneliness of his father and Marge's mother is funny, and laughs hysterically at things such as a man getting hit in the groin with a football, or dogs who are on fire. For some strange reason, he also finds monkeys hilarious.
Homer can also be extremely jealous and an attention seeker often leading to fist fights. An example would be his fight with Former President George H. W. Bush. After being the center of attention in a yard sale, his thunder was stolen by the sudden moving-in by Bush across the street. Unhappy with his attention being diverted elsewhere, Homer created a hostile situation with the former president when Bush spanked Bart. This led to an all out brawl between the two families. This is not to say he dislikes everyone famous. Later in the same episode, he is found to be very friendly to another former president, Gerald Ford.
Homer also has an intense fear which is revealed during an argument with Marge. To prove Homer wrong about his claim that he 'is afraid of nothing', she says 'sock puppets', to which Homer's reply is his trademark girlish high-pitch scream and then runs out of the room.
Homer also has a habit of only strangling his son Bart- but not Marge, Lisa, Maggie, or even Flanders- for making him angry
Work
Homer works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in Sector 7G. He spends much of his time dozing and eating doughnuts, but his job is repeatedly saved by fortuitous circumstances, often having to do with his boss, plant owner Charles Montgomery Burns, being unable to remember who Homer is. In the episode 'Homer's Enemy', Frank Grimes points out the fact that meltdowns have tripled every year since Homer became safety inspector, but this is dismissed by colleagues who like Homer enough to want to keep him around. Indeed, Homer was only hired after marching into Burns's office and telling him Homer would be the perfect spineless employee. Impressed with Homer's lack of will, Burns immediately hired him, declaring "I haven't been this impressed since I first laid eyes on a young bootlick named Waylon Smithers."
It is unclear how Homer has the expertise necessary to perform his duties at the power plant. During the episode King Sized Homer, Homer becomes obese so that he can get on disability welfare, having a computer installed in his house so he can perform his job there. During this sequence, it becomes clear that Homer has no knowledge of several seemingly critical procedures which should take place routinely. Despite his stupidity in various episodes, he saves the power plant from substantial meltdowns. He also uses the wrong pronunciation "nuke-ular" instead of nuclear. However, he is seen performing other occupations, often for only one episode. It should be noted that Homer is only the worst of many incompetent buffoons who work at the nuclear plant; other employees hold cockfights, play chess on company time, remove emergency procedure posters to make get-well cards, and scream and panic during meltdown alerts and fire drills.
Height and weight
Homer stands at 6 feetAccording to the episode in which he gets a physical and in the video game entitled "Simpsons Hit and Run" at the bonus game screen. At one point Homer weighed 261 pounds — he decided to go on a diet to reach his current weight, 239 pounds. Homer's weight once totaled 315 pounds due to a major weight gain scam to get out of work by being classified as "disabled". The Simpsons. "King-Size Homer", aired November 5,1995. The writers of the episode admit that Homer's appearance suggests that he is much heavier than his 'official' weight suggests (Season 7 DVD commentary). Due to weight gain in this episode, Homer's bellybutton changed from 'inny to outty.'
Homer's birthweight is given in Bart's Friend Falls in Love as 9 pounds and 6 ounces.
Hair
Homer has been bald since the early 1980s, mostly due to the fact that every time Marge became pregnant and had a child Homer would tear out large portions of his hair. Also, there was an episode early in the series suggesting that his hair loss was due to an Army experiment. Although he only has two hairs remaining on top of his head, he has a combover. On several occasions, he has also lost these last two hairs. He did briefly manage to regain his hair, in one episode, by using a hair re-growth formula. Another episode saw him grow two more hairs to complement his usual two while Bart was at summer camp, thus removing his main source of stress.His beard, while usually shaved, remains a constant, rough, '5 o'clock shadow'. On several occasions, his beard has been shown growing back within moments of being shaved. He has also let it grow out fully several times.
Diet
Homer is known for his enormous appetite. He is particularly fond of doughnuts, especially Lard Lad Brand, and pork chops, but also pie, cake, candy, bacon, Krusty Burgers, pizza, seafood, American cheese, steak, salt doodles, and pork rinds. He drinks his favorite beverage, Duff Beer, both at home and at Moe's Tavern. In one episode, he spends weeks eating a gigantic hoagie long after it goes bad.The Simpsons. "Selma's Choice", aired January 21, 1993. In the halloween special Treehouse of Horror XII it was revealed that his favorite meal was assorted eggs. In one episode, Homer sold his soul to the Devil for a doughnut, and was forced by several demons to eat "all the doughnuts in Hell" as a means of torturing him. The plan backfired however, as Homer actually did eat all the doughnuts in Hell, and was actually still hungry to the surprise of the devilish demons.In various episodes, he has acquired more exotic tastes, including crab juice, Play-Doh, flowers, Vaseline, dirt, Legos,wax, pure flour, raw "Maine Potatoes", some novelty plastic lobsters from a salad bar, whale blubber, toxic waste, buttered up bacon, dishwashing liquid, the decorative bride and groom from a wedding cake, a lubricated rubber stopper that had been inserted into his mouth just before receiving electroconvulsive therapy, a gummi Venus de Milo, fancy soaps, and Marge's lipstick, as well as Dutch flowers. Homer has also resorted to testing the effectivness of Plutonium by rubbing the substance into his gums. Homer also has his own special recipe for his "patented" out-of-this-world space-age Moon Waffles, which are made by putting a bag of caramel cubes, a large serving of waffle batter and a bottle of "liquid smoke" into a waffle iron,cooking it till it's burnt, wrapping the mishappen "waffle" around a stick of butter and placing the concoction on a toothpick (and/or shish kabob poker)
In one episode when Marge developed a gambling addiction, Homer tried to make a breakfast of cloves, a frozen pie crust, and Tom Collins mix. After he tried it he went to bring Marge home, meaning he doesn't like everything.
Homer responds to seeing food by drooling, by making excited poses, or by saying "Mmm" and then the name of the food about which he is thinking (eg. Mmm...Doughnuts). It was also seen in one episode where text letters appeared on screen and Homer ate them. Saying "Mmm ... Promo" and spitting out the other letters (oddly spelling F-O-X) saying "Eww FOX".
Health issues
He gains an extra 76 pounds on top of his already obese frame to get on disability welfare in the "King-Size Homer". The Simpsons. "King-Size Homer", aired November 5,1995 Due to his heart problem brought about by his obesity, Homer once required a quadruple bypass surgery. He has broken almost every bone in his body, been shot numerous times, twice fallen all the way down Springfield Gorge(both times in the same episode), and received countless cuts and bruises (both major and minor), frequently to the cranium. In fact, Homer has a crayon inserted into his nose so far that it is lodged in his brain. However, he has developed a near superhuman tolerance to pain and injury, and he is able to quickly heal whenever he is hurt. Homer has also apparently been rendered sterile from prolonged exposure to toxic materials at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Homer also, against his will, gave his father one of his kidneys in "".Homer also suffers from several congenital conditions, including a male "Simpson stupidity gene", finger stubbiness (abnormally short and thick fingers) and the "Simpson butt" (a large rear end which requires him to wear "balloon seated" pants). Homer also appears to have far-sighted vision (on occasion), requiring the use of reading glasses when reading a book or newspaper. He has also put contacts which have possibly replaced his glasses. In addition he has what Dr. Hibbert calls "Homer Simpson Syndrome" whereby he has a cushioning layer of fluid around his brain that protects his head from injury (this allowed him a short-lived career as a boxer). He also experiences night terrors (during which he screams about snakes) which cause him to scream and babble.
Mental capacity
Mental acuity
Homer has a vacuous mind, but he is still able to retain a great amount of knowledge about very specific subjects. He shows small bursts of astonishing foresight, memory, creativity, and fluency with many languages in nearly every episode. These bursts, however, are almost always temporary, constantly changing, and frequently self-serving. Among other examples, in one episode, he poses the question "You guys are commies? Then why am I seeing rudimentary free markets springing up everywhere?" to a Chinese adoption agent. In another, he exhibits considerable knowledge of Iranian Ayatollahs, but only to persuade Marge to let him keep a vulgar T-shirt. The Simpsons. "Two Bad Neighbors", aired January, 1996In certain episodes he has displayed a polished talent for singing and song-writing, which won him a Grammy with his Barbershop quartet the "B Sharps." His musical abilities have reoccurred in other episodes where he has played the piano, classical guitar and the trombone. He is also able to touch-type.
Mental deficiencies
Homer’s brief periods of intelligence are overshadowed by much longer and more consistent periods of ignorance and forgetfulness.Homer has an IQ of 55, which means he is mentally retarded. This can be partly attributed to the presence of a crayon in the frontal lobe of his brain that remained lodged there when he inserted sixteen crayons up his nose as a child. His stupidity may be exacerbated by prolonged, excessive alcohol consumption, exposure to radioactive waste, and repetitive cranial trauma.
It has been suggested in some episodes that Homer's normal functions do not require the use of his brain, as Homer has at times entered into debates against his own brain. Occasionally, a specific body part is portrayed debating with his brain, such as his face, stomach, or liver.
Homer is inclined to retreat into fantasy. In one episode, he fantasizes about riding the atomic bomb (à la Slim Pickens in the film Dr. Strangelove). In another episode, he fantasizes about primitive black and white cartoon characters dancing to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw." In one noted episode, he daydreams of going to Germany, "the land of chocolate." At times, Homer perceives reality in a more personally appealing manner.
In one episode, Homer's IQ is boosted to 105 after the aforementioned crayon is removed from his brain. However, his new personality alienates him from his friends, which drives his decision to have the crayon reinserted (by bartender Moe Syzlac, who is also an unlicensed surgeon).
In the episode "When You Dish Upon a Star", Homer admits to Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger that he can't read. Although later in this episode, his secret is disproven when he reads several items, and even writes a script. Throughout the series, there are other cases of Homer claiming illiteracy, but he never seems to have a problem reading or writing.
Sexuality
Despite being severely homophobic, Homer has been kissed by at least two other adult men—his brief personal assistant Karl and his openly gay temporary housemates, after being kicked out of the house by Marge (this is one of many occasions that Marge kicks Homer out of the house) in one episode—and he once kissed Ned Flanders and Milhouse (albeit accidentally). During his brief career as an artist he paints Lenny and Carl while showering, unconvincingly claiming that it is for "art". In another episode, Homer is skiing and tries to remember his lessons but all he remembers is Flanders shaking his butt wearing a skin tight suit and saying, "It feels like I'm wearing... nothing at all! Nothing at all! Nothing at all!" to which Homer exclaims, "Stupid sexy Flanders!". In the episode 'Fear of Flying', there are two references that Homer's favorite song is 'It's Raining Men', a song hailed as a gay anthem. He has also admitted to wearing ladies' underwear, which he discussed with Marge to be "purely a comfort thing". Also, he once held Marge's purse with both hands and raised his leg when she kissed him.Homer's severe homophobia is evidenced by his complaints that homosexuals have taken "all the toughest American names such as Bruce and Lance and Julian". He has attempted to ensure that his son Bart remains heterosexual by taking him on an (unsuccessful) deer hunt. He has once expressed an unwillingness to enter a gay bar, but only out of self-consciousness for his appearance. In another episode Homer finds Bart and Milhouse dressing up as girls and, angrily demanding a "non-gay explanation", is delighted to discover that it is because they are drunk. He becomes violent when Bart mentions being "a little attracted to Milhouse".
Subsequently, however, Homer's homophobia seems to have entirely abated. He has for example disco danced at a gay bar with his two gay housemates.
Homer has also had autoerotic fantasies about marrying himself, and replacing his wife by wearing a wig that looks like her hair. And in one episode has fantasies of making out with an exact clone and having little Homer babies.
While having an appreciation for beautiful women, he has always been faithful to Marge. On a few occasions, temptation has arisen and Homer has made the moral decision. Aspiring country music star Lurleen Lumpkin wrote a song called "I finally bagged me a Homer", and power plant co-worker Mindy Simmons also was a great temptation, sharing Homer's love for beer and food, but Homer always remained faithful. Homer also repeatedly expressed interest in the late Maude Flanders.
Religion
As with all things, Homer's knowledge and appreciation of religion is lacking, and has been known to distort his religious beliefs to suit the needs of a particular moment. He founds his own religion to avoid going to church on Sundays and going to work on religious holidays. In retribution for his sins, Homer's house catches fire, so he recants in fear of an angry God. He is a nominal devout Christian ("Save me Jebus!"), and like most of the citizens of Springfield, he sees non-Christian religions as below him, at one point even adressing Christianity as "the winning team". Despite this, he thinks little of church itself. He calls Reverend Lovejoy, "Captain What's-His-Name" and tends to fall asleep in church. In the episode when Marge is forced to join a rehab center, he has a fake bible with a flask of liquor inside and he asks Reverend Lovejoy if he can read from the bible and he opens it and takes a swig. Then he exclaims "No wonder people call it the good book!"http://www.tv.com/simpsons/co-dependents-day/episode/315351/summary.htmlHomer is (usually) a Presbylutheran, which is the name of the branch of Christianity practiced by most of Springfield. Ned Flanders explains that it separated from Roman Catholicism centuries ago over the right for parishioners to come to church with wet hair, a right they later renounced. He has also been a hedonist, a Stonecutter (a parody of the Freemasons), a Movementarian (a parody of Raëlism and Scientology), and a Catholic.
After seeing the movie Left Below, a parody of the novel Left Behind, Homer tries twice to correctly predict the time and place of the Rapture. The first time, the citizens of Springfield believe him and follow him, but find no Rapture. The second time he makes the correct prediction but no one believes him, so Homer goes to heaven alone. He convinces God to delay the Rapture in order to be with his family. He also states in one episode that God is his "favorite fictional character".
In another episode of, Homer decides to cash in on the gay marriage boom and become an ordained minister over the Internet. When all the gays were married, he started marrying people to objects.
Education
Homer attended school at Springfield although never did graduate from High School which was evident when Marge noticed that he also didn't get an invitation to their high school reunion (he later earned a GED). When caught during a employee inspection of the power plant Homer had to take a Nuclear Physics course at Springfield University.
Appearances in other media
Due to his immense popularity, Homer Simpson has been used as a spokesman for various commercial products, including Butterfinger, Doritos, Intel, Reebok, 1-800-COLLECT, Winchell's Donuts, Church's Chicken, and Burger King. He has also appeared in a MasterCard television commercial with other classic characters such as Apu and Moe. He even appears briefly in the Family Guy episode "PTV" where when Stewie is riding his tricycle during the beginning of the episode, Homer's in the garage and (as Stewie acts like the Simpsons' car in the intro), he runs into the door instead of outside. Also, during an episode of The Late Show with David Letterman he makes an appearance in the Top 10 list segment, giving the top 10 reasons why he was excited to be on the show.Homer also appears in many of the various as well as in the Simpsons Comics.
Notable Quotations
[Upon experiencing any negative situation]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
Homer: "D'oh!"
[Homer prepares to launch a rocket into space]
Son, we are about to break the surly bonds of gravity and punch the face of God!
[when tempted]
Mmmm...
[before strangling Bart for making him angry]
Why you little!
[Homer mistakenly believes that Mr. Burns is making sexual advances at him.] The Simpsons. "Last Exit to Springfield", aired 11 March 1993
Homer: "Sorry, Mr. Burns. I don't go in for these backdoor shenanigans. Sure I'm flattered, maybe even a little curious. But the answer is no!"
[On a golf course.]
Mr. Burns: "Use an open-faced club. A sand-wedge!"
Homer: "Mmmm, open-faced club sandwich..."
[Homer tries to explain to Lisa why playing ice hockey isn't right for her]
Homer: "If the Bible has taught us nothing else - and it hasn't - it's that girls should stick to girls' sports, such as hot-oil wrestling, foxy boxing, and such-and-such."
[When Santa's Little Helper was made new Duff Spokesperson, Homer revealed his "Homer's Family List", in which he rates family members in descending order.]
Number 1: Homer
Number 2: Santa's Little Helper
Number 3: Marge
Number 4: Lisa
Number 5: Snowball
Number 6: Bart
Number 7: Vegas Wife
[Inviting Apu to a Civil War Re-Enactment]
Homer: Thanks. Are you sure you don't want to come? In a civil war re-enactment we need lots of Indians to shoot.
[Asking Apu to break a $10USD bill to use a pay-phone to call the police (to save Apu from Snake who`s threatening to shoot Apu for his cash register) reacting to Apu`s outrageous lowest price ]
Homer: 5.99?! What a rip-off! Someone should shoot you!Trivia
References
External links
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