: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Donut Dr. Markus Hünemörder, LMU München you can download this presentation at www.amerikahaus.de/simpsons
The Fool Monty The Simpsons, 2010 22nd season In this extended opening sequence, the Simpsons family travel to the planet Pandora and act out a short parody of James Cameron s Avatar, the best-selling movie of all time. 2
: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Donut Dr. Markus Hünemörder, LMU München you can download this presentation at www.amerikahaus.de/simpsons
The Simpsons Phenomenon 4
The Simpsons: An Overview on the air since 1987/89 28 seasons (at least two more to come) 48 short clips, 600+ episodes, one feature film longest-running American television series with a script runs on the FOX network Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons 5
Origins Matt Groening series of animated shorts for the Tracey Ullman Show Groening planned to animate Life in Hell, but created a new set of characters instead named for members of his own family, with Bart replacing Matt The Tracey Ullman Show was not a big hit, but the Simpsons got their own show in 1989 Cover of a Life in Hell book, 1987 6
Good Night The Simpsons, 1987 The Tracey Ullman Show This was the very first Simpsons cartoon ever broadcast. 7
Recurring Aspects Opening sequence Chalkboard gag Couch gag Guest appearances In the chalkboard gag, if you read what Bart is writing you can find out what he did wrong that day. 8
The Regina Monologues The Simpsons, 2003 15th season In this episode, the Simpsons family travel to England. They meet Tony Blair, Ian McKellen and J. K. Rowling, who all appear as themselves. 9
Reading the Simpsons 10
The Simpsons as Satire The Simpsons look like a sit-com, but it is a social, cultural, and political satire Springfield, a fictional town is meant as a metaphor for American society it satirizes nearly every aspect of life in the US, incl. politics, religion, art, morality, philosophy the Simpsons ridicule and subvert political, social, and cultural authority through exaggeration Nobody knows where Springfield is, the Simpsons even make jokes about it. 11
The Many Layers of the Simpsons most Simpsons episodes have several layers of humor and meaning first layer: slapstick and sitcom second layer: openly satirical treatment of political and social issues third layer: fairly obvious to very hidden references to (pop) culture; hidden jokes fourth layer: jokes about the American media and TV, including the Simpsons themselves Itchy and Scratchy are a satire about the rules on violence on US television 12
MoneyBart The Simpsons, 2010 22nd season This couch gag was written by British graffiti artist and political activist Banksy. It points out that, however subversive the Simpsons may be, they are also a commercial product. Some Simpsons merchandise is probably produced in poor countries with poor labor conditions. 13
Bart s Friend Falls in Love The Simpsons, 1992 3rd season This is a parody of the first two Indiana Jones movies, and also an instruction on how to make movies the Steven Spielberg way. 14
Trilogy of Error The Simpsons, 2001 12th season This a parody of one of the few German movies that had an impact in the US. 15
The Simpsons vs Donald Trump an example of the Simpsons as a political satire 16
Making Fun of Donald Trump the Simpsons is a highly political show with many satirical episodes about elections, candidates, and political issues for many years, the idea of a Trump presidency was a joke the Simpsons predicted it in 2000 when Trump actually ran for president, the Simpsons produced several jokes about him The Simpsons predicted a Trump presidency in 2000. In 2016, they were not happy about being right. 17
Bart to the Future The Simpsons, 2000 While visiting an Indian casino, Bart sees a vision of the future in 2030, when Lisa is president of the United States. 18
Trumptastic Voyage The Simpsons, 2015 Homer is hired to cheer at a Donald Trump campaign rally. When he comes close to Trump s infamous hairdo, Homer is pulled into a strange wonderland. 19
3 a.m. The Simpsons, 2016 Marge and Homer Simpsons turn on the TV to decide whether to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. 20
Homer Votes 2016 The Simpsons, 2016 Homer plans to vote for Clinton like he promised Marge. Then he meets a strange man at the polling station 21
The Simpsons and Guns an example of the Simpsons as a social satire 22
The Simpsons and Gun Control gun ownership and control laws are among the most divisive issues in American politics gun ownership is seen as a fundamental right by many Americans second amendment to the US Constitution: right to bear arms many others want to restrict gun ownership for safety reasons some gun control laws exist, but their effectiveness is limited stricter gun control laws have repeatedly failed, largely due to the National Rifle Association (NRA) The last person on earth who should be allowed to own a gun. 23
The Cartridge Family The Simpsons, 1997 9th season After a soccer riot nearly destroys Springfield, Homer wants to buy a gun to protect his home. However, buying a gun is a little bit more complicated than he expected. 24
The Cartridge Family The Simpsons, 1997 9th season Having a gun in the Simpsons house is inherently unsafe. After Bart nearly kills Milhouse with the gun, Marge takes the kids and moves out of the house one of the greatest crises in the Simpsons marriage. 25
The Cartridge Family The Simpsons, 1997 9th season Home hosts a meeting of the local National Rifle Association chapter. Even these gun aficionados are shocked at Homer s reckless gun handling. 26
The Cartridge Family The Simpsons, 1997 9th season After the gun nearly destroys his marriage, Homer finally hands it over to Marge to throw it away. However 27
Conclusion 28
The Simpsons and Other Shows several other shows take a similar, but often cruder or more offensive approach than the Simpsons: South Park Family Guy American Dad in recent years, the Simpsons are less satirical than they used to be still, the Simpsons invented cartoon satire and continue to define it South Park compared the 2016 presidential election to a choice between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich. 29
No Loan Again, Naturally The Simpsons, 2009 20th season This couch gag commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Simpsons as a stand-alone show. 30
Thank You for Your Attention! you can download this presentation (no videos, sorry) and a bibliography for further reading at www.amerikahaus.de/simpsons 31