30 years is a long time for a series to evolve, but going back to take a look at how The Simpsons started it’s amazing to see what they used to look versus what they look like now. I’m willing to bet that some of those that watch the show now didn’t know about The Tracy Ullman Show, where the Simpsons family first showed up, looking totally different since the spiky hair that Bart and Lisa sported was simply nuts and Homer and Marge were more or less walking potato heads with enormous upper lips. As time went on though things changed, as they tend to do, and the designs became a little tighter, the colors a bit brighter, and the storylines were absolutely insane. People need to go back and try to find the clips from The Tracy Ullman Show just to remember what this family used to look like to know how far they’ve come. There’s been talk of The Simpsons finally ending at some point but until that happens it doesn’t feel as though anyone is going to be taking the matter that seriously, which is for the best really since trying to imagine this show not producing any new episodes is kind of hard to do. But it does feel as though that day is coming, especially since it’s been put into words. One has to imagine that the creator is getting set for the day when he’ll either hand the show to someone else or let it retire finally. For now, it’s fun to remember just how the show started off and take a trip through the past few decades to see how The Simpsons have influenced the world in numerous ways since the truth is that they’ve been one of the most noted families from one side of the globe to the other.
For so long The Simpsons have been seen to influence pop culture in ways that have been highly noticeable and ways that have kind of built up over the years. From simple catchphrases to merchandise that’s accounted for an untold fortune the characters have continued to evolve during the course of the show and throughout the movie that followed eventually. On top of that, the number of characters that have inhabited Springfield have continued to become more noticeable as the family has interacted with guest stars and new faces that have either come and gone or have stayed on for a while. Even the supporting characters were once very different since one has to remember that while the family is the main focus of the show, the supporting characters play a big part in the Simpsons’ world since they provide the situations and issues that the family has to deal with from time to time. Marge’s family and Homer’s boss have been humongous influences, as has their next-door neighbor Ned Flanders, as well as anyone and everyone else that they’ve had to interact with now and again. The number of guest stars that have been seen on the show over the years has only risen as some stars have played animated versions of themselves while others have taken on different roles.
The Simpsons have even tackled different subjects in their own way over the year and it’s kind of funny to think that at one time they were considered by some as an offensive show that depicted subject material that wasn’t suitable for younger viewers. Then came shows such as Family Guy, American Dad, and others, and people promptly went silent since there was no way to compare The Simpsons with such shows given that they were actually pretty innocent when set side by side. Even King of the Hill managed to get a little more risque than The Simpsons at times, though one can honestly and openly admit that every animated series has pushed the boundaries of good taste at times since that’s the nature of the show. But thinking of how much the show has changed makes it easy to think that as the animation changed, so too did the attitude and the overall feeling of the show since when it was still new to the viewers the animation was choppy, not quite as refined, and gave a person the feeling that this was a rush job, which it kind of was since it was for a short clip on another show. But as The Simpsons eventually gained their own show and notoriety things began to change and the evolution of the show took off in a big way that was seen with each passing season. To think that the crew behind the show was so small, to begin with, is kind of funny, especially now that the show has become such a huge deal around the world. It might be a sad day when The Simpsons finally sign off, but until then it’s been fun to see how things have changed.
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