You've seen them for years, but you certainly don't know why the Simpsons, as well as all the characters in the series, are yellow. Here is the explanation.
You've seen them on TV for over 30 years, making you laugh or annoying you, but they're still here. Them ? They are the Simpsons, the most famous family in the world for one of the most famous series in the world. But one thing remains very strange? Why are the Simpsons characters yellow?
Before giving you the answer, we must understand where the Simpsons come from. Because they were born completely by chance and on a crazy gamble. In 1986, Matt Groening, the father of The Simpsons, had an appointment with a producer, James L. Brooks, to adapt his comic strip for television.
His comic is called Life in Hell and tells the story of a gay couple with anthropomorphic rabbits. Matt Groening really loves this comic, but he's not sure if it really makes it to the screen.
So before the date, he quickly sketches a sketch of another series. A much more classic series. A dad, a mom, 1 boy, 1 girl and a baby. Not possible to do more traditional. And that's how the Simpsons were born.
“Okay, so that’s where he colored them yellow, right?” No way ! Wait a little longer, it's happening.
We therefore discover for the first time this funny family in the Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987 in small sketches. The show loosely works but the Simpsons concept appeals. And so on December 17, 1989, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie arrive with their own series... and in yellow!
So ok, but what happened in the meantime?
Well, Matt Groening had done a rough sketch, so no colors at all. And one of her hostess tried draping them in yellow, and there:revelation . For him, it was the genius idea that would make The Simpsons truly different.
Why ? Well, it's still him who explains it best:“When you skip the channels with your remote control, and a yellow flash appears, you know immediately that you are watching The Simpsons”.
Well, what good old Matt may not have known is that indeed yellow is one of the best and most quickly perceived colors by the human eye . That's why New York taxis and tennis balls are yellow.
But another theory is circulating about the real reason for having yellow characters. It's one of the screenwriters of the series, Mike Reiss, who explains it in his book:Springfield Confidential:Jokes, Secrets and Outright Lies From a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons.
He says that Matt Groening would have chosen yellow for purely practical and aesthetic reasons . He wanted to make it easier with the hair, especially for the characters of Liza and Bart (because Homer in terms of hair is very, very limited).
Well, you should know that not all the characters were always yellow. In the first episode, we can see Smither, the underling of Mr Burns, being much more mixed. An error quickly repaired to avoid any controversy of a really really unpleasant boss on a subordinate.
Today, The Simpsons is more than 700 episodes, always in yellow, and it's not about to stop.
Now you know everything.
Ah yes, last little funny thing.The first names of the characters come from the family of Matt Groening the creator. Homer and Marge are her parents' real names, and Lisa and Maggie are her sisters' names.
That's it, now you really know everything!
