The Simpsons: A Retrospect And Home Video Release

INTROUDCTION

For a lot of us, The Simpsons have long since run their course. Personally, I don't even know anyone who watches the series these days, myself included. However, we'd be lying if we said there wasn't a time where many of us were dedicated fans, tuning in every night the series aired.

CRITICAL AND FAN RECEPTION

When it first began in 1989, the animated series was different. Not only was it a refreshing take on prime time cartoons, but to sitcoms in general. Where other shows of its time stuck to the tried and true formula of the perfect family who all got along, and could resolve all of life's problems in twenty-two minutes, The Simpsons depicted the realities of life. Where families had flaws, fought amongst each other, scrapped by financially, and rarely, if ever,  got ahead. Not only was it entertaining, but also relatable to your average viewer.

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie delivered an animated take on real life, sprinkled with comedy, and a multitude of characters that would become household names across the globe. The world of Springfield was vast, and fleshed out, with even the most minor of characters ultimately getting a back story over the seires ongoing, and seemingly never ending run of thirty plus seasons.

The series spent its first two seasons feeling its way out, and carving its own identity. It's because of this that while there are good episodes to be found in these earlier seasons, they're not considered to be part of the prime period of the series. This honor usually goes to seasons three through eight, potentially, ten, depending on who you ask.

In the height of its popularity, The Simpsons averaged between fifteen and twenty-five million viewers (seasons one through nine), rapidly declining to eight million viewers between seasons ten and eleven. What's interesting about this dip in viewers is that it coincides with a timeline many fans these days say the series jumped the shark.

SERIES DECLINE

Episode two of season nine, The Principal and the Pauper, took everything viewers knew and loved about Principal Seymour Skinner, and threw it all out the window. While at the time it was highly rated, it has since been panned by critics and fans who pinpoint it as the starting decline of the series. Even actor Harry Shearer came forward in a 2006 interview to give his own opinion, stating he told the writers it was a bad idea, and disrespectful to the audience.

Writers moving on from the series also contributed heavily to its overall feeling of decline. Homerun hitters like John Swatrzwelder, Jon Vitti, Al Jean, Michael Price, and Conan O'Brien, just to name a few, left to pursue other opportunities, leaving new writers, many of which seemed unfamiliar with the characters, to pick up the mantle. While this isn't uncommon for a long running series, it can be problematic.

Jokes which before felt thought out, and tweaked to perfection, became fewer and further between. This often resulted in quick gags or one-liners which fell flat. Additionally, the show was heavily saturated with guest star appearances, often resulting in derailed and paper thin plots devised to shoehorn in actors and actresses, rather than deliver solid storytelling.

Viewership rose slightly with season twelve, but since then, ratings have been in steady decline. The average viewers as of 2022 were down to two million, a massive drop from the show's prime. Yet, despite this, no ends is seemingly in mind for the show which has recently been renewed through 2023.

FURTHER DECLINE

The Simpsons has always had a mainstay of diverse characters, and it could probably be said that this was something which helped it to be so multicultural. The voice actors and actresses made it a point to provide life to a range of ethnicities and races. However, in the me too movement which has taken over our world, this became problematic in 2021.

Suddenly, the actors behind the voices of  Apu, Carl, and Dr. Hibbert was taboo. Racist, if you will. Under the regime of Disney, this simply wouldn't do, and this prompted immediate change to casting. A missed opportunity if you ask me.

Rather than find a clever way to retire these personalities, and create new ones which could have introduced contemporary and diverse characters, the show simply changed the actors voicing them. This caused the fans to be split, and that is never a good thing.

Fox missed the opportunity to breath new life into the show, which in turn could have brought in a new audience. The show could have even potentially been redeveloped into The World Of Springfield, where The Simpsons themselves are no longer the show runners, and this new iteration goes on for the next thirty years under the guise of new lead characters.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Being a young kid when it first aired, I was definitely a fan of Bart. His mischievous mindset was relatable, and his hijinks amusing. However, as I grew older, things shifted. I soon found myself favoring Homer, and actually despising Bart, who I felt needed a good spanking. It appeared that even the series runners were more so partial to The Simpsons head of household, as episodes seemed to shift focus from Bart and his antics to Homer and his struggles.

However, along the way, I also found myself invested in several other characters. Like I said above, this was helped by the overall fleshing out of the series, where even the seemingly most unimportant character suddenly got an impressive backstory.

Was it a perfect show? No, not by any means. I always felt episodes were hit or miss, even during its prime. But, it did eventually reach a point where it wasn't entertaining at all.

In writing the above sections on the show's decline and further decline, it really dawned on my where The Simpsons derailed for me. Flat jokes and guest stars aside, The Simpsons never evolved. The age of the characters today, are the same as they were when the series first launched. Nobody has moved forward. The characters have changed, but only as a product of our time, not because the characters themselves have grown in wisdom or epiphany with age.

I suppose to some, there is a comfort in that regard. Where we as people move ever forward in time, The Simpsons are locked in an era of time that stands still. I can definitely understand the appeal in that regard, and respect it, as I feel it's no different than how I collect 80's toys and music to stay forever grounded in that decade.

HOME VIDEO RELEASE

While it was no stranger to VHS home video releases during its run, leading up to the debut of season thirteen in 2001, Fox Home Entertainment began releasing the series on DVD. Up until this time, the format stayed more so geared towards movie releases, and as a result, television shows, which often needed multiple discs to capture an entire season or series, were expensive. A single season could easily cost between fifty and one hundred dollars, making them desirable to many, but too costly for some.

Fox released the first twenty seasons on DVD, as well as the movie, which falls between season eighteen and nineteen, and as time passed, these prices began to drop as DVD sales rose, making them a cheaper and more feasible format to produce. The average season fell between a more reasonable twenty and thirty dollars.

However, in 2020, Fox announced that they would cease home video releases due to sales dropping in lieu of digital downloads and streaming. While this isn't surprising, it's definitely disappointing to physical media collectors. Especially since streaming services have been known to edit content to appease the overly sensitive nature of people these days. Meaning, it's possible that the episodes in their original format could be edited out of existence if not obtained physically.

It's not impossible to think that The Simpsons would receive an ultimate home video release upon the series ending. That is of course if physical media even exists at that point. With no ending seemingly in sight, who knows if DVD's will even exist at that point.

CLOSING

There is true wisdom in Jerry Seinfeld's decision to bow out while at the height of his popularity, and at the top of the ratings. Seinfeld is remembered fondly as a classic television series. Meanwhile, The Simpsons, when it does finally end, will go out with most people saying, "It's about time." The show has long since missed its opportunity to bow out gracefully, and go out with any form of dignity and grace.

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The Simpsons (Mattel)

The Simpsons
Mattel
1990

We have wanted to do a post on Mattel's 1990 The Simpsons line for the longest time, but the opportunity never presented itself until now.

The Simpsons began its iconic climb to fame in 1987 when it was produced by Matt Groening as short sketches for the Tracey Ullman Show. After airing for three seasons, the show was developed for a half hour series, and helped to launch the relatively new Fox network. Since its debut in December of 1989, the series as aired over five hundred episodes, and though new episodes of the show continue to air as of this writing, it is rumored that season 30 will be its last - Something many claim to be too long, and others as not long enough.

Now rewind if you will all the way back to 1990 during the show's first season run. Simpsonmania was rising at a rapid pace. Many viewers tuned in to laugh at the absurd nature that Homer, Bart, Maggie, Lisa and Marge (as well as the several other soon to be hundreds of Springfield characters) acted out in outlandish ways that left some saying, "That sounds like my kids," and other protesting in appalled tones that a family could act in such a way.

Keep in mind that during this time of world history that television was still considered wholesome (for the most part) with shows such as The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Growing Pains and Married...With Children providing good old fashioned morals and family values in half hour blocks. Those days were quickly coming to an end, and despite the hilarity of shows like The Simpsons, we can honestly say we miss those days.

Right, so where were we? Oh, right - Rewind if you will all the way back to 1990. Mattel got the distinct honor of being the first company to produce toy related merchandise for The Simpsons. Today we're going to take a look at the highly coveted "action figures" of that era. Now we know that many Simpsons fans will profess that this is far from all the toys that Mattel produced, and they would be 100% correct. Not only did Mattel produce the majority of the figures encompassed in this post, but also several other items such as wind ups, 11 inch dolls and water squirters (to name a few). All of these items technically fall into this line of The Simpsons merchandise, but sorry, we're not looking at those today.

Mattel produced all five of the Simpsons family members which included Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. In addition they produced Nelson, and Bartman. Each figure came packed on its own individual blister card showcasing character specific art, and featured character unique accessories. Each figure also came packed with five mini word bubbles with pre-printed phrases from the show. These word bubbles could be placed over the heads of each character in a cheap way to mimic that it was talking.

The oddly shaped cardbacks contribute greatly to the difficulty of finding the figures mint on the cards. Each card is cut along the right edge to frame the character artwork. It is because of these intricate cuts that many cards received various dings and bends. Sadly a lot of these imperfections weren't received while in the hands of collectors, but in the cases from the factories to the warehouses of the various retail chains. In short - The cardbacks are incredibly fragile.

Mattel rounded out the series of figures with The Simpsons Sofa & Boob Tube - The one and only accessory produced to coincide with the series. The piece was fairly basic in production, but worked well with the limited articulation of the figures.

A button on the back of the couch operated an ejection feature, and the TV featured slide in cardboard cards depicting characters such as Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob, Itchy and Scratch, The Happy Little Elves. and a scene from the infamous Fight To Knock The Other Guy Out. When no card was in place, the television showcased a colorful background with static lines. The TV also feature wheels on the bottom for rolling it around, as well as antenna on the top that could be rotated around. Much like the figures, the set also came with pre-printed bubble cards that could be placed over the television to mimic sound coming from it. Overall it's not a bad accessory, in fact it's fairly iconic in and of itself to The Simpsons family.

The last item made available in the US is the incredibly rare mail away Bart Simpson with white "Save Blinky" shirt. This figure was produced in 1991, but due to rapidly dwindling sales was not very popular among fans. Though we aren't sure just how many of these figures were redeemed from Mattel, these days they're not easy to come by.

For those of you that are a 100% completest when it comes to your action figure collections, then you definitely want to consider this one prior to diving in. If (and that's a very large IF) you can find one, be ready to drop upwards of a grand on this figure alone. This is absolutely one of the most rarest action figures in existence.

Also along the lines of scarce and rare, there were three additional figures produced and sold strictly in South Africa. All three were renditions of Bart, and feature him in a white ninja outfit, a Superman-type outfit and a black ninja outfit. Though still difficult to find, they are far from as scarce as Blinky Shirt Bart.

Its important to note that while the packages share the similar style to that of the Mattel series, and the mold is definitely that of the Bart Simpson figure above, the packages themselves make no reference to Mattel - Or any toy company for that matter. Couple that with a 1992 release date (well after the Mattel line was distributed in the US), and the question could be argued that these are actually bootlegs. Unfortunately it's never really been confirmed. However, it's also key to note that toy manufacturers were notorious for selling their molds to foreign toy manufacturers in the 80's and 90's once popularity dwindled in the US. With that in mind, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that this is what happened in this particular case.

For the most part, the basic figures that encompass series one (or rather, the entire series) aren't difficult to come buy. However, finding a seller that is a little more knowledgeable about what the going rate should be is. A lot of sellers price these figures from $35.00 to $60.00 each when in reality most Simpsons fans are more so willing to pay between $5.00 and $15.00 - Depending on the characters. Marge, Lisa and Maggie seem to be the most desired figures, and as such are the high(er) dollar ones to obtain. Still, if you're patient, you can nab them all for a fairly reasonable price.

Then of course there are the mail away and South Africa ones. Those are a whole different story. Like we said above, if you're a completest, then you may want to steer far clear of this series. However, if you're up for the challenge, the thrill of the hunt, and have an exorbitant amount of expendable cash, then this could be the line for you. Just keep in mind that it's going to take more than cash to obtain this entire series. It's going to take patience, persistence, and possibly a collector abroad to help out.

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The Simpsons: The Movie (McFarlane Toys)

The Simpsons: The Movie
McFarlane Toys
2007

As fans of The Simpsons television series, it's difficult for us to admit that we didn't particularly care for the movie. It suffered from the same fate that so many animated television series do when being transitioned into a full length film. I.E. It had the exact same story as most of them. Why is it that when a television show is developed into a film that the plot always revolves around saving the town? It's such a tired and overdone concept.

McFarlane's line of toys based on the film is equally disappointing as the majority of them are nothing short of the Simpsons family at the movies as seen in the first five minutes of the film. Each character, though sculpted nicely, is featured sitting in a movie theater chair. Couple that with a naked Bart Simpson deluxe set, and really there is little to desire here.

McFarlane doesn't dud often, but this is clearly a case of how hard a well known company can when they don't seem to bother to try.

Homer Simpson*Marge Simpsons

Bart Simpson*Lisa Simpson

Homer Simpson and Harry Plopper*Itchy and Scratchy



"What You Lookin' At" Bart and Flanders*"Doodle Double Dare" Bart, Sherri and Terri

Join us next time when we take a look at Ghost Rider!

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The Simpsons (AKA World of Springfield) (Playmates Toys)

The Simpsons (AKA World of Springfield)
Playmates Toys
2000 - 2004

The Simpsons toys themselves have spawned several series - Almost as many as the TV show itself. However, unlike the TV show, it appears (at least for now) that the series has stopped at number 16. There of course have been a couple subsets as well as mail away and exclusives.

THE REGULAR FIGURES

There are several things about The Simpson toy line from Playmates that intrigue me about it. The first would have to be that the sculpt jobs are almost identical to the characters themselves (if not dead on). The second is that unlike a lot of toy lines out there, you won't find any figures that have not appeared in the show. Even when it comes to the variations of the same figures, they're all in a likeness as seen in an episode. Last, but certainly not least, the little accessories that the figures come with are simple comical. From cans of Duff Beer to Radioactiveman Comics, all your favorite props from the show have made the transition over to the toys.

There are a few characters who I noticed didn't make it to figures, but for the most part, they're all available and were as follows;

SERIES 1: Homer, Bart, Lisa, Grampa, Krusty, and Mr. Burns

SERIES 2: Pin Pal Homer, Barney, Ned Flanders, Smithers, Chief Wiggum, and Sunday Best Bart

SERIES 3: Sunday Homer, Nelson, Moe, Kamp Krusty Bart, Milhouse, and Otto

SERIES 4: Lenny, Ralph, Patty, Willie, Casual Homer, and Itchy & Scratchy Two-Pack

SERIES 5: Kent Brockman, Sea Captain, Bartman, Martin, Sideshow Mel, and Bumble Bee Man

SERIES 6: Dr. Hibbert, Snake, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Carl, Mascott Homer, and Professor Frink

SERIES 7: Dolph, Cletus, Mrs. Krabappel, Lou, Hans Moleman, and Officer Marge

SERIES 8: Kearney, Sherri & Terri Two-Pack, Ripped Willie, Uter, Superintnedant Chalmers, and Daredevil Bart

SERIES 9: Sunday Grampa, Rod & Todd Two-Pack, Busted Krusty, Prison Bob, Disco Stu, and Sunday Lisa

SERIES 10: Stonecutter Homer, Wendell, Sunday Marge, S. Leader Flanders, Dr. Marvin Monroe, and Resort Smithers

SERIES 11: Blue Haired Lawyer, Kirk Van Houten, Rainer Wolfcastle, Gil, Plow King Barney, and Larry Burns

SERIES 12: Mr. Plow Homer, Don Vittorio, Mr. Largo, Luanne Van Houten, Database, and Number One

SERIES 13: Helen Lovejoy, Freddy Quimby, Tuxedo Krusty, Legs, Princess Kashmir, and Stephen Hawking

SERIES 14: Luigi, Louie, Sarcastic Man, Kilted Willie, Miss Hoover, and Mrs. Botz

SERIES 15: Manjula, The Octuplets, Handsome Moe, Deep Space Homer, Brandine, and Comic Book Guy

SERIES 16: Squishee Bart, Agnes Skinner, Devil Homer, Artie Ziff, Doug, and Benjamin & Gary Two-Pack


CELEBRITY SERIES

During the never ending run of The Simpsons, I think it would be safe to say that there have been a ton of guest stars. From singers to actors, even characters from other animated show like The Critic have been “Simpsonized.”

While it didn't last long, and probably could have been included in the regular figures series, Playmates instead chose to make three individual series entitled "The Simpsons Celebrity Series". The three series saw a total of only eight new figures, though there clearly could have been hundreds more. But, then you would have to take into consideration all the royalties to the actual people as well as contract negotiations. In short, it would have been a huge mess simply to release an action figure. Probably for this reason (as well as others), Playmates stuck to doing original figures from the series voiced by famous guest appearing actors.

SERIES 1: Phil Hartman as Troy McClure, Danny DeVito as Herb Powell, and Joe Montegna as Fat Tony

SERIES 2: Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz, and Al Brooks as Brad Goodman

Series three of the celebrity line was actually cancelled prior to release. As a result, Al Brooks as Hank Scorpio was released with the regular line of series 10 figures, while the Jon Lovitz as Llewyn Sinclaire and Jim Varney as Cooder were released as a two pack mail away.

SERIES 3: Al Brooks as Hank Scorpio, Jon Lovitz as Llewyn Sinclaire, and Jim Varney as Cooder.


MAIL-AWAYS

Like most good toy lines, The Simpsons offered mail away figures via sending in a set amount of proof of purchases from various figures as well as a receipt. Over the years, toy manufacturers had "wised up" with regards to people buying toys and saving proof of purchases for potential mail-away and began implementing stricter policies which required the figures to be purchased around a set time frame - Thus the requirement of a receipt. This in turn meant that dedicated fans to a series would most likely end up purchasing multiple duplicates as they would purchase the figures prior to the mail-away offers.

The six mail-away figures available over the entire 16 series line were; Be Sharp Homer, Be Sharp Apu, Be Sharp Skinner, Be Sharp Barney, Stonecutter Moe, and Stonecutter Lenny.



EXCLUSIVES

If you were to ask me what kills my desire to collect anything, right away I would say, "Exclusives." To me, nothing ruins the fun of collecting something like the ability to not be able to complete my set. I don't know about the rest of you, but I personally can't fly from State to State for convention after convention just to get an exclusive item being sold there. I certainly have no desire to go onto EBay and pay someone an outrageous amount for it either.

I don't understand the logic behind manufacturers creating exclusives. Why would you want to piss off your consumers by not allowing them the opportunity to buy what you're selling? It makes no sense at all.

Whatever the reason is, (and there must be one because toy line after toy line continues to do this) it must be a good one.

Over the years there were several exclusives offer via different stores and websites. Production numbers were generally low, and getting your hands on them was relatively difficult to do. The exclusives were as follows;

TOYFARE: Glow Radioactive Homer, Pin Pal Mr. Burns, Boxing Homer, Convention Comic Book Guy, and Pin Pal Moe

KB TOYS: The Ingestible Homer, Vampiredna Krabapple, Captain Kwik Apu Three-Pack

EB GAMES: Radioactive Man & Milhouse as Fallout Boy Two-Pack, High School Homer & High School Marge Two-Pack, Bill & Marty with KBBL Radio Station Two-Pack, Moe's Tavern, and Future Burns & Future Smithers Two-Pack


TOYS R' US: Treehouse of Horror 1, Treehouse of Horror 2, Family Christmas Set, Colonel Homer & Lurleen Two-Pack, Bowling Marge & Jacques Two-Pack, Interactive Main Street, Treehouse of Horror 3, New Year's Playset, Be Sharps Playset, Treehouse of Horror 4, and Tracey Ullman Set




PLAYSETS

With each line of action figures that made their way to the shelves, there were additional playsets released. They included a figure and a small scene from the show. The attention to detail was outstanding, and like the figures was meticulous to a "T". Some would argue that the playsets are actually a lot more accurate than the actual figures.

From the Simpson's home to Noise Land Arcade, almost all your favorite scenes from the show were available and ready to be displayed. Each one included various sound effects from the show to make interaction with the toys even more enjoyable. But, what really made the playsets such a treat was that most of the figures available in them were never available separately, so one was generally never stuck with duplicates.

The playsets available were; Radioactive Homer with Power Plant, Marge with Living Room, Principal Skinner with Elementary, Apu with Kwik-E-Mart, Sideshow Bob with Krustylu Studios, Mayor Quimby with Town Hall, Comic Book Guy with Comic Shop, Pin Pal Apu with Bowl-A-Rama, Reverend Lovejoy with Church, Jimbo Jones with Noiseland Arcade, Muumuu Homer with Family Kitchen, Pimply Face Teen with Krusty Burger, Selma with DMV, Lunchlady Doris with Cafeteria, Eddie with Police Station, Jasper with Retirement Castle, Pajama Burns with Burn's Manor, Dr. Nick with Hospital, Judge Snyder with Courtroom, Military Bart with Treehouse, Herman with Military Antique Store, McBain with Aztec Theater, Frank Grimes with Power Plant, and Jebediah Springfield with Town Square.






VEHICLES

Unlike most toy lines, The Simpsons weren't riddled down with various vehicles. In fact, there were only two available in the entire line - The Simpson's Family Car and Otto's School Bus. Each vehicle included interactive sounds as well as moving parts such as doors and wheels.

RE-RELEASES

As the line was coming to a close, Playmates collected a handful of the various figures and re-packaged them with a Springfield background. While not as popular (due to already being released), it was a good opportunity for late comers to the series to pick up some of the older figures without having to pay an arm and a leg for them.

The figures included; Homer, Marge and Maggie Three-Pack, Grandpa and Apu Two-Pack and Krusty and Milhouse Two-Pack.


Though for now it appears that the toy line has ended, there are certainly several more figures that could be included should Playmates and Fox desire to do so. The series was awesome, no question about that, and the secondary market still remains a-buzz with collector's trying to track down and complete their sets, some at very high prices to boot.

The Simpsons have become a staple in American culture. I think it can be expected that they will be around for a lot longer, and even after they're official gone, will still remain a large part of American Pop Culture.

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