Rod and Todd Flanders
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Rod and Todd Flanders are fictional characters on The Simpsons. They are the sons of Ned and Maude Flanders.
Rod and Todd, like their parents, are very religious. They enjoy attending church, watching religious cartoons, and playing religious-themed boardgames. Maude and Ned prohibit them from consuming foods containing sugar, as they fear it will make them behave badly (or send them into diabetic shock, in the case of Rod). They are also extremely entomophobic (particularly moths and ladybugs), a behavior probably learned from their father, as he considers an insect flying near someone an 'attack.' They like stories about robots, though these also frighten them.
Both play with a mock-up newpaper press, and take the activity very seriously ('Is your source on this reliable?'). They are both also very gullible, walking into a wall when told by 'God' (actually Bart, on a radio-transmitting microphone) that He would make it disappear for them.
Early episodes depict Rod and Todd as students at Springfield Elementary, but in later episodes they are shown being home schooled. (In Skinner's Sense of Snow, Ned and Homer rescue them from the school, despite this).
It has been suggested the two are homosexuals, or suffering from gender confusion. (Rod once told Ned he was jealous of girls because they get to wear dresses.)
In Bart Has Two Mommies, Rod announces to his father, "I'm gay, Daddy! I'm gay! Mrs. Simpson made me gay!"
However, in the episode Future-Drama, when Bart's future girlfriend mentions she wants to make love to him on prom night, and becomes disappointed when he denies her, she adds 'I never had this problem with Todd Flanders!', implying a strong, though latent, sexuality in the boy.
Also, in the episode Home Away From Homer, Ned moves away and then moves back to Springfield. When announcing this to the boys, Rod says he has a girlfriend.
(In another 'future' episode, however, Ned thanks Bart for not 'outing' Rod and Todd. Both Rod and Todd are then shown washing a car in a slightly feminine way whilst wearing tight shorts and sporting mustaches.)
Interesting Facts
- On the local intramural football team, Rod and Todd wear complimentary uniforms: numbers 6 and 66.
- Rod, Todd, and Maude name were chosen possibly because the rhyme with "God".
Rod Flanders
Rod Flanders is voiced by Pamela Hayden. Rod prays. He prays first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. He prays for God to watch over him and his little brother, Todd. He prays for the success of his father's business. He also prays for all of the naughty little boys and girls, like his neighbor Bart Simpson, who are too bad to pray for themselves. Aside from praying, Rod enjoys playing wholesomely with his brother and eating lots of nachos, Flanders-style ('That's cucumbers with cottage cheese!'). His one regret is that he cannot pray at school. His favourite song is 'Bringing in the Sheaves', followed closely by 'Noah and the Arky-arky' and 'I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart'. Rod has diabetes and has described 'being quiet during trips' as 'one of his favourite hobbies'. He is also prone to bedwetting.Todd Flanders
Todd is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Todd is the youngest and most impressionable member of the happy Flanders flock. When exposed to profanity (for example, from over the fence as Homer Simpson curses his way through mowing the lawn), little Todd starts to curse a blue streak himself. Chalk it up to immaturity, or relentless sheltering by his parents, Ned and Maude -- whenever Todd comes into contact with anything outside of his family and their pious ways (like the time he was tricked into eating a Pixie Stick by Bart Simpson), he seems to get pretty nasty. Todd's proudest moments have been when he tied Bart in the mini-golf championship and when he portrayed Jesus in the Springfield Christmas Pageant. Todd can play the violin quite well, and is a part of the Springfield Elementary band.Age discrepancy
There is also some controversy as to which of the two is the eldest. In "Dead Putting Society" the commentator at the golf tournament states that Todd is 10. In "Homer Badman", one of the corrections that the TV-magazine show Rock Bottom makes is to their claim that 'the older Flanders boy is Todd, not Rod.' Later, in "Bart Sells His Soul", the Flanders family eat out for Rod's "big ten-oh", suggesting the two are of similar age. However, in "My Sister, My Sitter" Lisa, when babysitting Rod and Todd, tells a story about a robot named Todd who "had a brother named Rod, who was two space years older than him." Todd responds by saying, "I don't like this story!" As Rod is shown to be quite a bit taller than Todd, the claim that Todd is older brother is disputed. However, many children exhibit shortness in height relative to their age and this may just not have been addressed on screen.
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