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Here is an article wriiten by me, that has just been published on the simpsons web site www.frinky.com You may have read it before, as I originaly posted it here, then I cleaned it up a bit, and sent it to the simpsons source book. After about 2 months, I got a reply back asking if they could include this piece on their site, I said yes.
So here it is:
Everywhere you turn these days, a yellow cartoon character is staring at you with big eyes.
You wake up in the morning and switch on your TV and it's either "The Simpsons" or an advertisement for it. You go out into town and decide to grab a burger at Burger King, only to find a Homer Simpson toy nested between your burger and fries. After your burger, you go into a games shop and there on the shelf are "Simpsons" PC, Gameboy and Playstation games. There are also posters for new games and magazine covers featuring them as well. In the next shop, you confront a cardboard cut-out advertising the new "Simpsons" video or DVD. As you roam further into the shop, you find loads of "Simpsons" videos, underwear, t-shirts, books, CDs, clocks, radios and everything else!
The worst thing of all: I LIKE IT.
It's kind of unbelievable when you think about it, but all of this hype, merchandise and publicity came from a short cartoon sketch on the Tracey Ullman show just over 10 years ago.
Just over 10 years ago, there was a hit comedy sketch show, the Tracey Ullman show. FOX approached the creator of "The Simpsons," Matt Groening, and asked him to come up with an idea for a cartoon sketch to run in between parts of the Tracey Ullman Show. Matt was contemplating using his previous newspaper comic strip, "Life in Hell," but at the last minute drew up five characters to make a family. FOX loved it and so did the audience. The very first one of the episodes is featured as an extra feature on the "Simpsons" DVD. Every single episode is available for download of the Internet.
In 1990, "The Simpsons" was given their own Christmas special which lasted for 22 minutes. This was the first primetime episode and was called "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire."
Here in the UK, a new style of TV had been launched - Sky TV. Even though it was an improvement on TV, it didn't have any show that made Sky a must have. But then "The Simpsons" struck the satellite dish like a bolt of yellow lightning. Now there was a reason to get Sky: "The Simpsons."
Now that a large number of people had seen and experienced "The Simpsons," they began to produce merchandise such as toys and videos.
As time went by, although the characters never aged, the show had clearly aged. It had become more intelligent and witty and it also became an adult cartoon which children could also enjoy.
In the UK, the BBC had signed an agreement and paid a lot of "d'oh" to get "The Simpsons." The BBC started in first season, while Sky was already around the 6th or 7th series. However, it opened the door to even more people finding "The Simpsons." As viewers began pouring in, FOX had many different marketing options.
For the younger viewers: toys, teddies, stickers, pajamas, PEZ dispensers and loads more.
For older viewers: ties, boxers, animation cells, car accessories and much more!
For everyone: videos, CDs, books and computer games.
Many cartoons have set out to be the next "Simpsons" and haven't had what it takes. Examples of these cartoons are "Beavis and Butthead," "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," "South Park" and "Daria." The only cartoon that has come close is Matt Groening's "Futurama." The show is about a pizza guy who was frozen in time for 1000 years.
Here are my opinions on some of these "Simpsons wannabe's":
South Park - Crude, rude, and funny. Sure the animation is messy and it doesn't have the kind of charm that "The Simpsons" has, but it still has some great characters and funny stories. It has even had a movie which became a record breaker for most swear words in a film.
Family Guy - You have to love it, don't you? This show actually managed to capture the bullet-speed wit, charm and hilarious gags of "The Simpsons" and use them to their advantage. If you're a fan of spoof movies like "Hot Shots" and "Airplane," then you will like this show. Actually, you won't like it -- you will LOVE it.
Beavis and Butthead - The old episodes weren't that good, but the newer ones and the movie were both brilliant. The only dig I have is that the music videos that pop-up every five minutes. Sometimes these videos are good and the guys make funny comments about them. But some of the other videos are lame and all Beavis & Butthead do is rock their heads.
But what is it we like so much about "The Simpsons?" I think it's just the fact that it's pure wit and it has the best characters ever. The show isn't just about the main family, however. It's about the whole town of Springfield and all its inhabitants such as the shop owner, the vicar, the school principal, the bartender and the boss of the power plant. You can't forget the people behind the voices of the characters either. The voice talents are amazing, each having loads of characters to voice. Sometimes they have to have a conversation or argument with themselves using different accents. It also has fantastic writers, some of which have worked on many hit comedy TV shows and movies.
"The Simpsons" have something for everyone, young and old, male or female, yellow or ... other.
What does the future hold for "The Simpsons?" Well, in terms of TV, two more seasons have been confirmed and I'm confident that there will be more to follow. The voice talents are getting a hefty pay raise as well. The executive producer, Mike Scully, has also been demoted and fresh blood has been brought in.
There is also a new "Simpsons" video coming out soon in the UK, "The Simpsons Backstage Pass" featuring: "Homerpalooza," "A Tale of Two Springfields," "New Kids on the Blech," and "The Otto Show."
"The Simpsons" have also just landed on DVD and will be back soon with a Series Two DVD collection, which you won't want to miss. Matt Groening's other cartoon, "Futurama," is coming to video and DVD soon as well. A movie is also being planned and the cast have signed to it. Production has been rumored to start next summer. You can also expect loads of new merchandise as well including:
- Interactive talking toys
- Christmas sweets and gifts
- console games
- trading cards
- mobile phone covers
- new Halloween Burger King toys
... and so much more, it could turn you yellow.
So here it is:
Everywhere you turn these days, a yellow cartoon character is staring at you with big eyes.
You wake up in the morning and switch on your TV and it's either "The Simpsons" or an advertisement for it. You go out into town and decide to grab a burger at Burger King, only to find a Homer Simpson toy nested between your burger and fries. After your burger, you go into a games shop and there on the shelf are "Simpsons" PC, Gameboy and Playstation games. There are also posters for new games and magazine covers featuring them as well. In the next shop, you confront a cardboard cut-out advertising the new "Simpsons" video or DVD. As you roam further into the shop, you find loads of "Simpsons" videos, underwear, t-shirts, books, CDs, clocks, radios and everything else!
The worst thing of all: I LIKE IT.
It's kind of unbelievable when you think about it, but all of this hype, merchandise and publicity came from a short cartoon sketch on the Tracey Ullman show just over 10 years ago.
Just over 10 years ago, there was a hit comedy sketch show, the Tracey Ullman show. FOX approached the creator of "The Simpsons," Matt Groening, and asked him to come up with an idea for a cartoon sketch to run in between parts of the Tracey Ullman Show. Matt was contemplating using his previous newspaper comic strip, "Life in Hell," but at the last minute drew up five characters to make a family. FOX loved it and so did the audience. The very first one of the episodes is featured as an extra feature on the "Simpsons" DVD. Every single episode is available for download of the Internet.
In 1990, "The Simpsons" was given their own Christmas special which lasted for 22 minutes. This was the first primetime episode and was called "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire."
Here in the UK, a new style of TV had been launched - Sky TV. Even though it was an improvement on TV, it didn't have any show that made Sky a must have. But then "The Simpsons" struck the satellite dish like a bolt of yellow lightning. Now there was a reason to get Sky: "The Simpsons."
Now that a large number of people had seen and experienced "The Simpsons," they began to produce merchandise such as toys and videos.
As time went by, although the characters never aged, the show had clearly aged. It had become more intelligent and witty and it also became an adult cartoon which children could also enjoy.
In the UK, the BBC had signed an agreement and paid a lot of "d'oh" to get "The Simpsons." The BBC started in first season, while Sky was already around the 6th or 7th series. However, it opened the door to even more people finding "The Simpsons." As viewers began pouring in, FOX had many different marketing options.
For the younger viewers: toys, teddies, stickers, pajamas, PEZ dispensers and loads more.
For older viewers: ties, boxers, animation cells, car accessories and much more!
For everyone: videos, CDs, books and computer games.
Many cartoons have set out to be the next "Simpsons" and haven't had what it takes. Examples of these cartoons are "Beavis and Butthead," "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," "South Park" and "Daria." The only cartoon that has come close is Matt Groening's "Futurama." The show is about a pizza guy who was frozen in time for 1000 years.
Here are my opinions on some of these "Simpsons wannabe's":
South Park - Crude, rude, and funny. Sure the animation is messy and it doesn't have the kind of charm that "The Simpsons" has, but it still has some great characters and funny stories. It has even had a movie which became a record breaker for most swear words in a film.
Family Guy - You have to love it, don't you? This show actually managed to capture the bullet-speed wit, charm and hilarious gags of "The Simpsons" and use them to their advantage. If you're a fan of spoof movies like "Hot Shots" and "Airplane," then you will like this show. Actually, you won't like it -- you will LOVE it.
Beavis and Butthead - The old episodes weren't that good, but the newer ones and the movie were both brilliant. The only dig I have is that the music videos that pop-up every five minutes. Sometimes these videos are good and the guys make funny comments about them. But some of the other videos are lame and all Beavis & Butthead do is rock their heads.
But what is it we like so much about "The Simpsons?" I think it's just the fact that it's pure wit and it has the best characters ever. The show isn't just about the main family, however. It's about the whole town of Springfield and all its inhabitants such as the shop owner, the vicar, the school principal, the bartender and the boss of the power plant. You can't forget the people behind the voices of the characters either. The voice talents are amazing, each having loads of characters to voice. Sometimes they have to have a conversation or argument with themselves using different accents. It also has fantastic writers, some of which have worked on many hit comedy TV shows and movies.
"The Simpsons" have something for everyone, young and old, male or female, yellow or ... other.
What does the future hold for "The Simpsons?" Well, in terms of TV, two more seasons have been confirmed and I'm confident that there will be more to follow. The voice talents are getting a hefty pay raise as well. The executive producer, Mike Scully, has also been demoted and fresh blood has been brought in.
There is also a new "Simpsons" video coming out soon in the UK, "The Simpsons Backstage Pass" featuring: "Homerpalooza," "A Tale of Two Springfields," "New Kids on the Blech," and "The Otto Show."
"The Simpsons" have also just landed on DVD and will be back soon with a Series Two DVD collection, which you won't want to miss. Matt Groening's other cartoon, "Futurama," is coming to video and DVD soon as well. A movie is also being planned and the cast have signed to it. Production has been rumored to start next summer. You can also expect loads of new merchandise as well including:
- Interactive talking toys
- Christmas sweets and gifts
- console games
- trading cards
- mobile phone covers
- new Halloween Burger King toys
... and so much more, it could turn you yellow.
Page:
allardini wrote:
> funny stuff
What? The simpsons or my post?
> funny stuff
What? The simpsons or my post?
funny stuff
No sorry I dont.
I wrote something about merchendise ages ago
I wrote something about merchendise ages ago
Do you have MSN Messenger? Add me, I'm [email protected]
Im on the site now, I can see your article there.
Ive never been on the site but I'm gonna go on now.
What other Simpsons article have you wrote?
I think I'm gonna claim F Zero Maximum Velocity for the GBA. I fht eprize was £30 I would choose something else, F Zero is the only good game under £25.
What other Simpsons article have you wrote?
I think I'm gonna claim F Zero Maximum Velocity for the GBA. I fht eprize was £30 I would choose something else, F Zero is the only good game under £25.
In a month or two, I will write a more updated version of this. Because I original wrote this piece in september I think. Thats why it mentions halloween and christmas. When I do write a new piece I will have stuff on the new DVD, maybe the next simpsons game, bits about animation and more!
Does anyone ever go to www.frinky.com ? I get most of my simpsons new from there, which I post here. Like the info about BBC which I posted in another topic. I have had connections with them in the past, this is the second piece I wrote for them.
If you like simpsons, you should check it out!
If you like simpsons, you should check it out!
What you going to claim?
Im getting Tony Hawk 3 on Game boy colour. I would have got a DVD, but over christmas I got 8 DVD'S. I either brought, claimed or was given them for crimbo.
Thats 10 times I have won now! Woo-Hoo
Im getting Tony Hawk 3 on Game boy colour. I would have got a DVD, but over christmas I got 8 DVD'S. I either brought, claimed or was given them for crimbo.
Thats 10 times I have won now! Woo-Hoo
Yay, my first win. You found out before I did!
Hey everyone, the shows over, nothing to see. OH MY GOD! Look everyone, come crowd round.
Something like that anyway, I laugh everytime I see that
Hey everyone, the shows over, nothing to see. OH MY GOD! Look everyone, come crowd round.
Something like that anyway, I laugh everytime I see that
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