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The Simpsons Anniversary: How Old are the Simpsons?

by Jordan Yerman | December 17, 2009 at 02:21 pm

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The Simpsons turn 20 today. On December 17, 1989, The Simpsons debuted on Fox with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie began life as a short cartoon on The Tracey Ullman Show, and were basically Matt Groening's Life in Hell characters without rabbit ears. I remember watching The Simpsons for the first time, having remembered them from Tracey Ullman; for some reason I thought the show was older than 20. Over 21 seasons, there have been 449 Simpsons episodes aired so far, making it the longest-running comedy show in history.

So, how old are the Simpsons?

Bart would be 30. He'd likely be married, and would probably have a petty criminal record. Dream/fantasy/Halloween versions of an older Bart depict him as a goofy manchild with a mullet or rat-tail. I believe this to be accurate.
Lisa would be 28. She'd be finished with grad school, and working for the UN.
Maggie would be nearly 21. She can drink legally in most countries. She'll likely look like Marge.
Homer would be 56. He was 36 when the series began. Somehow he'll have managed to keep his job at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
Marge would be 54. She would probably have to dye her hair a bit.

So, happy birthday to one of the best American shows of all time. Of all time. And, wait, hang on... no Google doodle? That's criminal.

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