he Simpsons was first broadcast as a cartoon short on The Tracy Ullman Show in America, but since has become an international comic institution. Here's 10 facts about the funniest TV show in history.
1- Ever wondered why the Springfield residents are all yellow? Creator Matt Groening told the BBC: “An animator came up with the Simpsons' yellow and as soon as she showed it to me I said: 'This is the answer!' because when you're flicking through channels with your remote control, and a flash of yellow goes by, you'll know you're watching The Simpsons.”
2- In Arabic episodes, Homer drinks soda as opposed to beer, and he eats Egyptian beef sausages instead of hot dogs (to coincide with Islamic customs).
3- It takes between six to eight months to create each episode.
4- Ever wondered who the voice behind Maggie’s ‘sucking’ sound is? That would be the show’s creator, Matt Groening.
5- US President George Bush once blamed the Simpsons for society's problems, claiming that American families should be less like The Simpsons and more like The Waltons.
6- Until 1998, the six main voice actors for the show earned $30,000 per episode. From then until 2004, they earned $125,000 per show. Today, they get a whopping £400,000 per episode.
7- In 1990, ‘Do The Bartman’ topped the UK Singles Chart. The song was written and produced by Michael Jackson and Bryan Loren, and performed by Nancy Cartwright (the woman behind Bart’s voice).
8- The two alien characters, Kang and Kodos, are named after characters from Star Trek: The Original Series (where Kang is a Klingon warrior and Kodos is a mass murderer).
9- From 1991-1993, comedian and TV host Conan O’Brien was a writer and producer for the show, and has been credited as writer/co-writer for four episodes.
10- Milhouse Van Houten's middle name is Mussolini.