"The Simpsons" is a cartoon that started back in the late 1980's as a 30-second clip on the "Tracy Ullman show" and eventually made its way onto the Fox network as its own show in January of 1990. Currently, it has a stronghold on a position in Fox's prime time lineup. In a survey taken by "Time" magazine, "The Simpsons" was ranked first among men ages 18-49 and second among women in the same age category. How has this show managed to remain popular over all these years? Not only is it popular with the general viewing public, it has also been critically acclaimed and has won numerous awards including 10 Emmys. Perhaps it is the way in which the show has managed to keep up with the times. For example, the way in which "The Simpsons" satirizes the media culture in America plays a large role in its ingenious humor. The show is so clever that one can't help loving it. I can honestly say that "The Simpsons" is one of the only shows that I will watch religiously. The particularly intriguing aspect about the show is the show within the show. Even though it is a popular cartoon sitcom, it mocks many facets about media culture in a classy way. On one hand, there are the popular personalities of television, radio, and cinema. On the other hand, there are the common citizens who are drawn into the media culture. The show portrays Springfield's media personalities as greedy people who will do anything for ratings or some extra cash. It also pokes fun at the people who seem to almost depend on things such as television. By satirizing these people, the show is not trying to be malicious or offensive in any way. Instead, it takes some typical stereotypes of certain people, exaggerates them a bit, and expresses them in a humorous sort of way. Below, I have links to a page for Krusty the Clown, a television personality, and Rainier Wolfcastle, a movie personality. Click on them to find out how the show portrays television and movie personalities. I have also included some fun stuff like sounds and movies, and also check out the links to some other Simpsons pages.
This site is maintained by David Cho