List of recurring characters from The Simpsons

Akira

As one of Springfield's most prominent Japanese American citizens, Akira is the owner of a karate dojo (which Bart briefly attended) and also works at "The Happy Sumo" sushi restaurant. At one point, he was also seen working as a furniture salesman. He once helped Homer, Bart, and Lisa discover the origin of the mysterious "Mr. Sparkle" box (it came from a Japanese dishwashing detergent company with a mascot that coincidentally bears a striking resemblance to Homer). In one episode, Homer mentions a japanese man named Akira who worked at the zoo. Also, one time, Akira, Luigi Risotto, Capt. McAllister, and the other restaurant owners of Springfield planned a (failed) assassination attempt on Homer because he gave them bad reviews.

He was originally voiced by George Takei, who played Sulu on The Original Series, and in subsequent episodes he has been voiced by Hank Azaria.

Allison Taylor

Allison Taylor is a student at Springfield Elementary School and Lisa's new classmate, introduced in the episode "Lisa's Rival". Allison is as smart or smarter than Lisa, younger (having skipped a grade) and like Lisa, a young master of the saxophone.

Regardless, Lisa tries to be her friend, though she battles her envy and jealousy. It comes to a climax during Springfield Elementary's annual "Diorama-rama", a competition in which the students build dioramas. Allison chose and constructed her project early: a scene from The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe. With Bart's help and prodding, Lisa decides to sabotage Allison's entry by switching Allison's diorama with a one containing a rotten cow's heart. When Principal Skinner not only criticizes the diorama but begin to question Allison's overall qualifications, Lisa's guilt overcomes her and she confesses to the switch.

Ironically, Lisa and Allison lose to Ralph Wiggum, whose diorama consisted of a box of Star Wars action figures, objects of sentimental value to Principal Skinner. In the end Lisa and Allison put aside their differences and become friends as they walk away, picking up Ralph along the way to hang out with them after he accidentally trips and breaks his action figures (saying two of his more well known lines, "I bent my Wookiee," and "My cat's breath smells like cat food."). In later episodes, Allison appears as a background character. Originally voiced by Winona Ryder and later by Russi Taylor and Pamela Hayden.

Arnie "Pie In The Sky"

Arnie Pie, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a disgruntled helicopter traffic reporter for Springfield's KBBL-TV; his segment is called "Arnie in the Sky". He bears an apparent dislike of anchorman Kent Brockman, with whom he often gets into arguments on the air. An example of this is when a particular disaster strikes Springfield, Kent wonders on the air whether or not his house is okay to which Arnie replies disdainfully "You mean your giant castle, Kent!?" as he points to a very large house. When Brockman claims he merely "bought at the right time," Arnie replies, "When's my right time, Kent?! When's my right time?!" In another example, Kent asked Arnie about the contents of a hijacked van being tracked by the news helicopter; Pie replied "I can't see through metal, Kent!" He has occasionally dropped objects or gotten sick while in the helicopter, warning people to watch out if they are on the street below.

Pie's helicopter once crashed; he managed "Tell my wife I love--" before the live feed was lost. The incident was dismissed with a chuckle by the oblivious Brockman. However, he survived and has been seen in several episodes afterwards.

The character's name may be an homage to famed World War II news correspondent Ernie Pyle.

Quote

Artie Ziff

Artie Ziff (voiced by Jon Lovitz), was first seen as Marge Simpson's prom date with "busy hands" in high school. A later episode revealed him to have become a nerdy, self-centered and pretentious software billionaire, becoming the fifth richest man in the country. His wealth came from a device that transforms modem noise into easy listening music. In that episode, he offers a small fortune for a weekend with his childhood love, Marge, in parody of the movie Indecent Proposal.

When Ziff returns yet again, he reveals that he ran his company, Ziffcorp, into the ground spending investors' money on such extravagant items as solid gold underpants (a parody of the excesses of the Dot-com era) and partying with Newt Gingrich, Janeane Garofalo, and Scottie Pippen. He was left penniless when the "dot-com bubble" burst, and secretly moved into the Simpsons' attic. Homer won 98% of the company from Ziff in a game of poker; seconds later, SEC agents came to arrest Ziff, but they instead arrested Homer. When Ziff eventually turned himself in, one of his first acts upon arriving in prison was to begin extinguishing other prisoners' cigarettes with a squirt bottle. Marge told the children that, as a result, they may never see Ziff alive again.

It has been said that this character is loosely based on Robert D. Ziff (R.D. Ziff). The real Mr. Ziff is 38 years old, and is one of the richest people in the United States (currently #165 in the Forbes 400). He went to Harvard with one of the writers of The Simpsons. A less likely suggestion is that the name comes from a writer's misinterpretation of the name of Massachusetts journalist Howard "Morty" Ziff.

Baby Gerald

Baby Gerald is Maggie's nemesis. Lisa once referred to the 'baby with the one eyebrow' as Maggie's nemesis. On a few occasions Gerald has been shown being pushed in a stroller by his mother outside the Simpsons' house, with the two babies glaring at each other. He is distinguished by his unibrow. In "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays" a Kent Brockman headline shows a picture of Maggie Simpson beating him up.

He apparently has a history of causing large scale public incidents, and was once rescued from an unspecified disaster by Bart's mail order "wonder dog" Laddie.

Surprisingly, according to the comic story "The Rise and Fall of Bartholomew J. Simpson" (published in Simpsons Comics #47), the adult Gerald is married to Maggie, but is so dominant in the marriage that he will not even allow her to speak up during a conversation, though the comic series is considered non-canonical.

Bernice Hibbert

Bernice Hibbert is Dr. Julius Hibbert's recovering alcoholic wife, voiced by Tress MacNeille. Although she is often seen around Springfield, Mrs. Hibbert remains one of The Simpsons more mysterious characters, but she is known to be something of a heavy drinker. This has been joked about on at least one occasion (in "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment," she faints, along with other imbibers of renown, upon reading the news that Prohibition has been introduced in Springfield). Bernice has three children with Dr. Hibbert, two boys and a girl, and also laughs just like her husband. In early episodes she is named Sylvia.

Blue Haired Lawyer

The Blue Haired Lawyer, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a prominent lawyer known for his pasty face, blue hair, and nasal New York accent. In one episode, he worked for Luvum & Burnham, family law. Unlike Lionel Hutz or Gil, "Blue Hair" is a competent and accredited lawyer. He has served as Mr. Burns's head lawyer, and is a member of the Springfield Republican Party.

Longtime writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss have both stated several times on the DVD commentaries that they based the character on McCarthy-era lawyer Roy Cohn, and animator Jim Reardon has said that he is designed to look like character actor Charles Lane.

He and a pair of goons presented Abraham Simpson with court orders over imitations of Jimmy Durante and Charlie Chaplin in "Lady Bouvier's Lover", and later did the same to Principal Skinner over a slogan at a school event.

Quote:

(Blue Haired Lawyer whispers something to Homer)

Homer: Plead the fifth amend-what?

(Lawyer whispers again)

Homer: Refuse to answer on the grounds that I what? ^* Inseminate myself?!?! (to the judge) Dude, I think this guy's coming on to me!

Lawyer: (stands up and yells to Homer) You, sir, are a moron!

Homer: A Mormon? But I'm from Earth!

Brandine Spuckler

Brandine Spuckler, also known as Brandine Del Roy and voiced by Tress MacNeille, is the wife of Cletus Spuckler and mother to Tiffany, Heather, Cody, Dylan, Dermot, Jordan, Taylor, Brittany, Wesley, Rumer, Scout, Cassidy, Zoe, Chloe, Max, Hunter, Kendall, Caitlin, Noah, Sasha, Morgan, Kyra, Ian, Lauren, Q-bert, Phil, Rubella, and Condoleezza/Cory McDowell Marie. She was briefly under consideration as a foster mother to the Simpson children.

Brandine and Cletus are both sterotypical representatives of so-called "trailer trash" in America's southern states. Brandine and Cletus were married by Homer Simpson despite the fact that they are siblings and/or cousins (one episode even suggested they were mother and son). She has suffered from rabies and admitted to being illiterate. One of her jobs has been as a stripper, although she refused to wear combat boots on-stage (she was afraid they would scuff the floor).

In the episode "All's Fair in Oven War", Brandine leaves Cletus for James Caan after she defeats Marge in the Oven Fresh Bakeoff. Caan is soon gunned down at a toll booth by a group of hillbillies led by Cletus in a parody of Sonny Corleone's death in The Godfather.

Bumblebee Man

Bumblebee Man appears on a television show on "Canal Ocho" dressed in a bumblebee costume. He is a caricature of "El Chapulín Colorado" (The Red Grasshopper), a character created and portrayed by Mexican television comedian Chespirito, and his show consists of simple skits, often involving heavy slapstick. In the episode "Team Homer," his bowling shirt bears the name "Pedro."

In an issue of Simpsons Comics, he states that he is actually from Belgium; however, these comics are generally not considered canon. In other Bongo Comics issues, he quotes Shakespeare.

Bumblebee Man never takes off his costume, even when by himself; the sole exception is the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield", in which Bumblebee Man's private life is shown. In this short segment, he is portrayed as innately clumsy rather than simply acting as such.

In some episodes he has spoken with an articulate British accent, but this was mentioned in an episode commentary as a mistake. In general, Bumblebee Man only speaks in simple, over-enounced Spanish sentences. His catchphrases of choice are typically "Ay, ay, ay, no me gusta!" ('I don't like it!'), "Ay, ay, ay, no es bueno!" ('That's not good!') and "Ay, ay, ay, Dios no me ama!" ('God does not love me!')

In the Spanish-language version of the show, the humour of Bumblebee Man relies on the fact that he wears a gigantic bee costume and frequently engages in physical comedy; there has been no effort made to translate his speech to another language. However, he does speak in a Mexican accent.

Colonel Antoine O'Hara (The Rich Texan)

Colonel Antoine "Tex" O'Hara, also known as the Rich Texan, is a stereotypical rich, callous business owner along the same lines as Mr. Burns. He is a member of the Springfield Republican Party and speaks with a heavy southern drawl. His title of colonel has not been explained. In place of a catchphrase, he often shouts "YEE-HAW!" while firing revolvers into the air, dancing and tossing his ten-gallon hat.

In the fifth season episode "^*]," Homer addresses O'Hara as Senator. He gives Homer his hat, telling him "I wore it the day Kennedy was shot, and it always brings me luck."

He is often portrayed as exceedingly stupid, but rich enough to not care. He belongs to a conglomerate of oil tycoons that make foolish purchases including a "stained glass bathrobe and the world's fattest racehorse". As another example, he once patronized Moe's Tavern bragging that he had just received a new liver and needed to "break it in".

He often appears heartless, as when he made Lisa cry by mocking her ornate entry in a table-setting contest at a fair. (Homer donned a disguise and struck O'Hara in the face with a pie, marking the Colonel as the first "victim" of Pie Man.)

Due to his habit of shooting into the air, O'Hara was jailed for six months after one of his bullets hit a Texas Ranger; afterwards, he has difficulty adjusting to blanks. He once admitted that he had developed OCD, and that he must tap his foot four times every time he fires into the air (mumbling "1-2-3-4" under his breath after every "YEE-HAW!").

His many assets and business ventures include:

A dude ranch called "The Lazy-I"
The Omni-Pave Corporation ("sensitive to all your (our) eco-concerns")
She's the Fastest, a female greyhound who fell in love with Santa's Little Helper
A travelling carnival at which Homer and Bart had to work to repay a debt

In an uncharacteristically sympathetic moment, O'Hara dedicated a forest reserve to Lisa's memory after she was presumed to have died while protesting in a tree. He later changed his mind and decided to clear the forest and build a theme park called "Lisa Land" in its place.

The Colonel's name probably derives from that of Tex Antoine, a New York City television weatherman primarily remembered for an embarrassing remark. During a 1976 broadcast, Antoine's forecast segment followed a story about the rape of a five-year-old girl. The weatherman remarked that "if rape is inevitable, (the victim should) lie back and enjoy it." Immediately following the broadcast, Antoine was suspended and later fired.

Cookie Kwan

Cookie Kwan (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a Korean American realtor. She touts herself as being "number one on the West Side," although she also works on the East Side. Her first appearance was in episode 5F06, "Realty Bites," in which she worked at Lionel Hutz's Red Blazer Real Estate office. She has a prominent gold tooth.

She is very aggressive towards anyone whom she deems a threat to her business (she once ominously warned Marge to "stay off the West Side!"), and once said to Gil "Were you talking about the West Side?" to which he responds "No Cookie, I'm scared of you.". She is single and possibly somewhat desperate, as she once considered Homer as a romantic prospect.

Cookie is one of twenty-seven women who claimed to have had an extramarital love child with Mayor Quimby, although he denies the affair. The baby was last seen being handed to one of Quimby's assistants to "take care of as his own."

Although common in Hong Kong, the last name 'Kwan' is actually very rare in Korea. "Cookie" probably comes from the concept that realtors should have very positive, non-offensive names.

Drederick Tatum

Drederick Tatum, also known as Mr. Armageddon, is a professional boxer voiced by Hank Azaria. He has appeared in several episodes, most notably when Homer became a boxer. Tatum is a parody of Mike Tyson in several ways, including his physical appearance, criminal record and lisp. His name, however, may be based on that of former welterweight Meldrick Taylor. Tatum's manager Lucius Sweet physically resembles Don King and was once voiced by Paul Winfield, who portrayed King in the HBO movie Tyson.

Quotes

Tatum: I think Homer Simpson is a good man. I like him. I have nothing against him, but I will definitely make orphans of his children.
Reporter: Uh, you know, they do have a mother, Champ.
Tatum: Yes, but I would imagine that she would die of grief.
Litter is my greatest foe: I would like to eat his children.
We all know πr² ^*, but today, pie 'r' justice and I welcome it.
I have been paid millions to endorse these butt-ugly shoes. (crowd mutters angrily and walks away) My forthrightness is my undoing.
I insist that you desist.
Nelson: (while punching Drederick due to forces beyond his control) Please don't hurt me.
Tatum: (rolling up his sleeves) You give me little recourse.
The money from this event is going to programs to help keep people like me off the streets. I can't help myself... punch and grope, punch and grope, it's all I was taught.
I believe I speak for myself, Comic Book Guy, and Bumblebee Man when I say "I blame Chief Clancy Wiggum."
(this is an in-joke, as Hank Azaria voices these characters)

Duffman

Duffman, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the mascot and spokesman for the Duff Beer company. He is an athletic and smooth-talking corporate personality who wears blue and red tights, a red cape, white gloves, and the Duff logo emblazoned across his chest. The ensemble features a red hat, dark sunglasses, and a "utility belt" of beer cans around his waist. Duffman is generally known for his overly enthusiastic speech in which he refers to himself in the third person, complete with dramatic pauses and ending with a suggestive "Oh, yeah!" and pelvic thrusts. Fittingly, his theme song which plays at every corporate-sponsored appearance is "Oh Yeah" by Swiss Abby band Yello.

Duffman is in fact played by several different people, sometimes simultaneously. The Duff corporation does not publicly acknowledge this fact, so as not to disillusion Duffman's "fans." His "real names" have been said to be Sid, Larry, and, in the episode "Old Yeller Belly," Barry Duffman. This means that they are triplet brothers (or more) with the ironic last name Duffman.

When Lenny mentioned that he had heard Duffman died of liver failure, Duffman scoffed "Duffman can never die, only the actors who portray him!" (This is a reference to real-life corporate mascots such as Ronald McDonald and the Marlboro Man who have been portrayed by multiple actors.)

Though he is a corporate puppet of Duff Beer, he has displayed independent thought and conscience at times. In the episode "Hungry, Hungry Homer", Homer discovered that Howard K. Duff VIII, who owns not only the beer company but also the Springfield Isotopes, was planning to move the team to Albuquerque. Commanded to help discredit Homer, Duffman was torn between corporate loyalty and the truth. In the end, Duffman asked himself "What would Jesus do?" and sided with Homer.

At least one of the actors that portray Duffman is Jewish. In the episode "Co-Dependent's Day", Homer and Marge attend an Oktoberfest celebration, where Duffman energetically proclaims "This Reich will last a thousand beers! Oh, Ja!" (a reference to the Nazi slogan of a Thousand Year Reich). Under his breath, he mutters "I do this, and I'm Jewish."

Duffman was also shot by Frank Grimes Jr., although whether the wound was fatal is uncertain. Another Duffman was possibly killed in a blimp crash during a football game; it was then revealed that there were three Duffmen working the game that night.

Duffman may be based on Budweiser's former mascot Bud Man.

Eleanor Abernathy (Crazy Cat Lady )

Eleanor Abernathy, known as the Crazy Cat Lady and voiced by Tress MacNeille, is a woman who has the appearance and behavior of a stereotypical mentally ill homeless person. She is always surrounded by (and sometimes wears) a large number of cats. In nearly every appearance, she either screams gibberish or throws cats at passersby, with little provocation in either case. During her more lucid phases, she may be a cat hoarder. During DVD audio commentary for the show's fourth season, several Simpsons staffers comment on Cat Lady's physical resemblance to Ned Flanders' mother (as seen in "Lisa's First Word"), and suggest using this in a future episode.

She first appeared in the ninth-season episode "Girly Edition," in which she pelted Lisa with cats during Lisa's news segment at Kidz Newz. In the episode "I, D'oh-Bot", the Simpsons' family cat Snowball II dies; after adopting two more short-lived cats (Snowball III and Coltrane), Lisa gives up on cat ownership. When Crazy Cat Lady appears, babbling and hurling cats, Lisa catches a particularly hardy specimen that looks exactly like Snowball II. She considers naming the new pet Snowball V, but decides to name it Snowball II instead to save on personalized food dishes.

In the episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", the Cat Lady enjoys "brief moments of lucidity" after taking psychoactive medication. She abruptly resumes her usual bizarre behavior when Marge mentions that the pills are actually Reese's Pieces.

Kent Brockman revealed the Crazy Cat Lady's true name, Eleanor Abernathy, during an interview in the episode "See Homer Run". She was actually a leading candidate against Homer in the recall Mayoral election, adding phrases like lower taxes and better jobs in her gibberish.

Homer introduces the Cat Lady to Marge, after Marge complained that she has no friends. Once Marge rejects Homer's candidate Homer turns to the Cat Lady and says, "Bet you can't throw a cat over the roof." Moments later he is proven wrong.

Compare Hattie McDoogal from Futurama.

Eddie and Lou

Eddie is a police officer. He rarely speaks, though he is always there at every case, with Lou and Wiggum. Lou complains occasionally that Eddie has been seeing his ex-wife, causing Chief Wiggum to act as mediator. One of Eddie's most humiliating moments is when he is forced to wear a bear costume and play the character of Curtis E. Bear (The Courtesy Bear) in front of a class of dangerous drivers. He is beaten severely by the class members when Chief Wiggum encourages them to take out their frustrations on Eddie. When Lou is promoted to Chief of Police, Eddie is promoted to "Lou," but when asked who will be Eddie, Chief Wiggum replies "We don't need an Eddie." In Worst Episode Ever, Eddie vomits at the sight of naked Agnes Skinner and the Comic Book Guy and Lou tells him, "It's okay, man. If it doesn't affect you, you're not human."

Lou is the police sergeant. The name of his ex-wife is Amy. Lou often finds the time to correct Chief Wiggum. He is briefly promoted to Chief of Police when Wiggum becomes commissioner. He is briefly seen with an attractive woman that is implied to be a prostitute, carrying a case of beer to an impromptu party at the house of a blind man whom he has helped to arrest on marijuana possession charges. Hank Azaria admitted in an interview with Conan O'Brien that Lou's voice is based on Sylvester Stallone's. In early episodes Lou was Caucasian, possibly Italian-American, he was later changed to African-American, maybe to avoid similarities with Stallone.

Neither of their surnames have ever been shown. In one episode they are quoted saying that they don't have surnames, much like Cher. Another officer is sometimes shown, as well as one appearance of Luigi in one of his many jobs.

Frankie the Squealer

Frankie the Squealer is another member of the Mafia and associate of Fat Tony. However, he does not appear to be very useful to his colleagues in criminal activity due to his uncontrollable habit of squealing (he claims that "it makes ^* feel big"). On several occasions, the mob has attempted to kill him for his squealing, though they have repeatedly been unsuccessful. He was seen once on the ocean floor, however, dead, with his feet in a concrete block.

Gil

Ol' Gil, or just Gil, (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is loosely based on Jack Lemmon's portrayal of Shelley Levene in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross: a nervous, middle-aged man with the inability to hold a steady job due to strings of misfortunes that tend to hit him at the worst times. He has been seen holding any number of jobs, first as a real estate agent in the episode "Realty Bites", but also as a used car salesman, doorbell salesman, Coleco computer salesman, bank teller, newspaper subscription salesman, corn farmer and Kwik-E-Mart clerk. Since the departure of Lionel Hutz from the series, Gil has filled the role of cheap lawyer. Gil frequently refers to himself in the third person ("C'mon, help ol' Gil out here!").

At one point, at least, Gil has been married; in the episode " "Screaming Yellow Honkers"", he mentions that his wife will leave him if he doesn't start "bringing in the green." Later in the same episode, he telephones his wife and overhears her carousing with his friend Fred. She then asks Gil if he would like to speak to Fred. ^*

Later, in "Old Yeller Belly", Gil apparently lived at the Springfield Men's Mission (a hostel for down-and-outs), although he was forceably ejected from the premises because he had overstayed the "6 month occupancy limit." A defiant Gil walked straight into a shady organ donation clinic to sell his eyes for cash. In another episode, it is implied that Gil lives in a hot-air balloon, which is stolen by Homer and Marge Simpson. Gil's lone possession in the balloon is a hot plate.

Gil has not always been entirely unsuccessful in life. He found some brief success as a lawyer, assisting Marge with her anti-sugar campaign in Sweets and Sour Marge. He returned to the legal profession in The Frying Game, but he was less successful, as Homer and Marge went to prison.

The episode "'Tis The Fifteenth Season" includes a brief scene showing Gil attempting suicide by hanging himself with Christmas lights. He appears later in the same episode ice skating at Homer's house with the Christmas lights around his neck, suggesting that he failed yet again.

In another dead-end job, Gil works as a basketball mascot. The costume he wears is that of a basketball with very shapely, feminine legs and high heels. He dances around, Moe then proposes to him. When his costume falls off, Moe then requests he put the costume back on and be a girl for "a little longer." When Gil asks for how much longer, Moe replies "For the rest of our lives."

In Treehouse of Horror XIII, Gil seems to own a successful farm containing a large field of corn, but the many clones of Homer eat all of the corn. The clones then proceed to eat all of the flesh off of Gil's body, obviously killing him, but this obviously doesn't affect the normal storyline of the show.

He can be compared to Kirk Van Houten due to his bad luck, bad love life and frequent unemployment.

God

God, voiced by Harry Shearer, has had many appearances in the series, including "Homer the Heretic", "Thank God It's Doomsday", and a quick scene with Him, Buddha, and Colonel Sanders in "Pray Anything". He is portrayed in the traditional depiction of God - a grey-haired man in a white robe with a booming voice. however, his face is never seen, only his beard. He seems not to be all-knowing - for instance, when referring to His son, He stated that He didn't know "what you people did to Him" because he's just not the same anymore.

One of the most notable scenes that He was involved in is when Homer asked Him to turn back the Rapture, and after agreeing, he said "Deus ex machina" and all seemingly returned to normal - although whether or not it was all supposed to have actually happened is ambiguous.

God's most recent appearance was in the season 17 episode "Bart Has Two Mommies," in which Maude Flanders was seen looking down on her boys from Heaven. She was then joined by Bob Hope and then by God Himself, who chuckled, "Why did I wait 100 years to get you up here?"

His face is never seen, with the exception of one early appearance. He is routinely drawn with four fingers (and thumb) instead of the usual Simpsons three and thumb. He is also a fan of the Arizona Cardinals.

Gunter and Ernst

Gunter and Ernst, Las Vegas-style entertainers voiced by Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria, are obvious parodies of Siegfried & Roy: they speak with German accents, their act involves magic and white tigers, and one has dark hair while the other has bleached-blond hair. The duo appear in the episodes "Viva Ned Flanders", "^*]", and "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons."

Reflecting rumors about Siegfried & Roy's sexuality, Gunter and Ernst are implied to be homosexuals. At the end of the episode "Viva Ned Flanders", Homer and Ned are dumped at the Vegas city limits by their new wives. Ginger says "We found some guys that know how to treat a woman," indicating Gunter and Ernst in the back seat of their car; the pair look at each other uncomfortably as their white tiger (also crammed into the back seat) rolls its eyes theatrically.

In a bizarre coincidence, the 1993 episode "$pringfield" depicts the duo being savagely mauled by their trademark white tiger, Anastasia (who is angered by memories of her capture by the entertainers). Ten years later, the trained white tiger Montecore dragged Roy Horn offstage by his throat during a performance at The Mirage. (Descriptions of the incident vary, with Horn insisting that the tiger was protecting him while some animal behavioral experts claim that it was an attack.)

Herman

Herman, voiced by Harry Shearer, is the owner of a military antiques store, Herman's Military Antiques. He dresses in military fatigues. He has only one arm; the other arm was lost by sticking it out of the window of a moving bus, although the writers had originally intended for him to give a different reason each time he appeared (Similar to Jonah Hex). His voice is similar to that of George H.W. Bush, and he is based on Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder.

He is friends with Abraham Simpson, to whom he sold a fez hat, claiming it was previously owned by Napoleon, after briefly owning "the hat McKinley was shot in." He also negotiated a peace treaty between Bart Simpson and the bully Nelson Muntz. He also tried to sell counterfeit jeans out of the Simpson's car hole (garage), but was foiled by Marge Simpson.

He once captured Chief Wiggum and Snake and held them hostage in a scene reminiscent of Pulp Fiction, but was thwarted by Milhouse Van Houten wielding a flail.

Herman possesses a small scale tactical nuclear bomb, designed by the government during the 1950s to be dropped from a B-52 onto Beatniks. He keeps it in a plot of land behind his store, and usually only brings potential buyers to see it on special occasions: when Homer and his friends were buying dozens of guns, Herman assumed they were a bachelor party of some kind, but when Homer told him they were forming a vigilante movement, Herman brought him to see the Bomb. The Bomb has a sign next to it which reads "Do Not Ride The Bomb", a rule which Homer promptly broke (spoofing Dr. Strangelove).

In one of the "Treehouse" episodes, Herman tries to sell Homer a nuclear bomb shelter, boasting that it can withstand the force of a 6 Megaton blast, no more, no less. This seems to be true, as Homer does survive a nuclear blast in the shelter that kills every one on earth (a la The Omega Man, but then again thanks to the layers of lead paint on his house, so does his family.

Hyman Krustofsky

Hyman Krustofsky (voiced by Jackie Mason and occasionally by Dan Castellaneta) is the father of Krusty the Klown. He is the rabbi at the local synagogue. Perhaps a reference to the Al Jolson film The Jazz Singer, Krusty and his father became estranged when Hyman discovered that his son was the entertainment at a dinner he was attending. Hyman very strongly disapproved of his son's profession and the disrespect he had for his Jewish heritage. Thanks to the efforts of Bart and Lisa, the pair were reunited and made amends. More recently, Hyman officiated at his son's belated Bar Mitzvah.

He was first introduced in the 1991-1992 episode "Like Father, Like Clown".

Jack Larson

Jack Larson is a slick spokesman for Laramie Cigarettes and once owned the Springfield Isotopes. He also was the spokesperson for the Little Miss Springfield pageant with Laramie cigarettes as the main sponsor in a commercial advertisement that Homer saw on TV at Moe's while he tried to figure out a way to increase Lisa's self-esteem.

Janey

Janey is Lisa's best friend (Note: Powell is her last name in Bart Simpson's Guide To Life, Henderson is her last name in the episode "My Fair Laddy"). She is the closest person that Lisa Simpson has as a best friend. She has spent the night over the Simpsons' house. However, at times, she seems to resent Lisa and her intelligence just as other Springfield Elementary School students do. She once blew a bubble with chewing gum rather than engage in Lisa's conversation. She may have a crush on Milhouse Van Houten who has a crush on Lisa. She enjoys reading babysitting books. She is the ghost of George Washington's reluctant second choice for the first female President after he is disappointed with Lisa.

She is voiced by Pamela Hayden.

Jebediah Springfield

Jebediah Obadiah Zachariah Jedediah Springfield is the purported historical founder of the town of Springfield. Springfield had many famous quotations, such as "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man," and was well known for his silver tongue (literally; a metal prosthetic tongue, his original tongue having been bitten off by a Turkish pirate in a grog house fight). He might be a parody of Jeremiah Johnson or Jedediah Smith. It has also been suggested that he is based on Eugene Skinner, the founder of the city of Eugene, Oregon.

Springfield led a band of wagons westward along with his partner Shelbyville Manhattan; but they parted ways when Manhattan wanted to found a town where people could marry their cousins, and Springfield wanted a town devoted to: chastity, abstinence, a flavorless mush he called root-marm and where people would be free to worship how they wanted and "grow hemp for making ropes." Manhattan went on to found the rival town of Shelbyville.

In the winter of 1848 Jebediah reportedly built Springfield's first hospital alone out of wood and mud.

On an expedition to Springfield's historic "Fort Sensible," Bart Simpson uncovered inconsistencies in the Jebediah legend. In "Lisa the Iconoclast," Lisa Simpson proved that "Jebediah Springfield" was a bloodthirsty pirate and enemy of George Washington named Hans Sprungfeld, who had changed his name to hide and who hated the town of Springfield. This was written on the historical "missing piece" of George Washington's portrait.

Springfield is said to have dramatically killed a bear with his bare hands. A statue of this sits in the center of the Springfield town square, in front of the city hall. Contemporary historians believe that the bear story is probably untrue, and that the bear probably killed him. He is also said to have once tamed an untamable buffalo (although he later secretly admitted that it had already been tame; he merely shot it). The Springfield Marathon commemorates an occasion on which he ran across six states in order to avoid his creditors. In "The Telltale Head," Bart beheaded the statue, thinking that this would make him more popular. In reality, the town became depressed and angry, leaving Bart to endure "The Tell-Tale Heart"-style guilt before replacing it. If a viewer watches carefully it may be noticed that the finger being held up on the statue of Jebediah changes from the index finger to the middle finger from time to time.

Jessica Lovejoy

Jessica Lovejoy is the rebellious daughter of Reverend Lovejoy and Helen Lovejoy. Attractive, devious and wilful, she was Bart's first crush. In a later non-speaking appearance, she and her father were participants in a robot fighting competition. Their creation, a centipede-like machine, was defeated by "Chief Knock-a-Homer", Homer and Bart's entry. Voiced by Meryl Streep.

Johnny Tightlips

Johnny Tightlips is a member of the Mafia and associate of Fat Tony. He says very little, which spares him from accusations of being a "squealer," but his reticence tends to be unhelpful to himself or others.

In the episode "Insane Clown Poppy", there is a shoot-out in Fat Tony's mansion and Tightlips is shot by accident:

Louie: Johnny Tightlips! Where did they get you?
Tightlips: I ain't sayin' nothin'.
Louie: But what will I tell the doctor?
Tightlips: Tell 'im to go suck a lemon.

Also appearing in the episode "Papa's Got a Brand New Badge":
Fat Tony: Ahh, my Joi'zee muscle... It's so good to see you. Did you have a nice flight, Johnny Tightlips?
Johnny Tightlips: I ain't sayin' nothin'.
Fat Tony: I undastand. How is your motha'?
Johnny Tightlips: Oh ey, who says I have a motha?

Fat Tony: Johnny Tightlips, can you see the shooter?
Johnny Tightlips: I see a lot of things...
Fat Tony: You know, you could be a little more helpful.

Johnny Tightlips is a reference to Frank "Tight Lips" Gusenberg, who was shot down in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and replied "nobody shot me" while dying.

Judge Constance Harm

Judge Constance Harm is a judge in Springfield who lives in a houseboat (which Homer put a cinderblock through with the amusing quotation "Oh Lord, guide this cinderblock" - he was originally aiming for her head) with a pet sea lion named Poncho. She is voiced by Jane Kaczmarek (Commonly known for her role as Lois in Malcolm in the Middle) and is known for her strict and harsh punishment, similar to Judge Judy. This is logical, assuming the fact that her name is a pun on "constant harm" It is implied that she is a transsexual but it is never confirmed or denied -- she once remarked that Bart reminded her of herself when "she was a little boy".

Judge Roy Snyder

Judge Roy Snyder is a judge in Springfield. Starting off as stern and no-nonsense (with a grudge against Lionel Hutz for running over his son repeatedly) and originally Jewish, Snyder later became an African-American and known for his lenient punishment despite bearing a resemblance to Judge Robert Bork. He was seen in Ned Flanders's film, Tales of the Old Testament, cutting himself in half. Judge Snyder has a little clown figure on his desk. In one episode, he came back from vacation, placed the clown on his desk, and said, "Well, I'm back from vacation," just as Judge Constance Harm was about to bang her gavel, making the sentence (sending Bart to juvie) final. "Now, it's too late. I've already put my clown down," Judge Snyder replied. Judge Harm tried to argue, "But..." she began. Judge Snyder sternly replied, "THE CLOWN IS DOWN." and proceeded to rule that boys will be boys and dismissed Bart's case.

Legs and Louie

Legs and Louie are the two mafia hitman who accompany Fat Tony at all times.

Fans often get the two confused due to neither of them having any real definitive characteristic and because they are almost always seen together. Legs has a short haircut and raspy voice. Louie has a slight afro and a more high-pitched, even squeaky tone. Louie says that tear gas is "^* one weakness," though this is likely an embellishment. Louie is based upon the character actor Frank Sivero, who has played gangster roles in films such as Goodfellas and The Godfather Part II.

Lindsey Naegle

Lindsey Naegle (voiced by Tress MacNeille) first appeared in the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show." In this episode her character was simply referred to as "Female Network Executive," and she later returned in "Girly Edition."

In "They Saved Lisa's Brain", the character was introduced as Lindsey Naegle, a member of the Springfield Mensa Society.

Over the course of the series, Lindsey has popped up in several capacities, working a seemingly different job in every episode. Her professional job titles have included the aforementioned network executive, as well as marketing researcher, financial planner (also making a point that she wasn't a financial consultant), public relations consultant, venture capitalist (her company, Advanced Capital Ventures, specializes in synergy and books on how to cheat at bridge), advertising executive, and executive with the Child Development Group. Naegle once dated Ned Flanders, but the date was interrupted by Naegle receiving a fax (from a fax machine strapped to her leg) which indicated she had been indicted. She is an enthusiastic practicer of the childfree lifestyle, and at one point spearheads a movement to make Springfield less child-friendly. Once romantically linked with Judge Roy Snyder, she is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School. She is a stereotypical upper management executive, and her ventures almost always promote the business buzzword "synergy."

Lindsey once stated that she keeps changing jobs because she is a sexual predator. While working for Child Development Group, she shared a hot tub and champagne with fellow executive Jim Hope. She is also an alcoholic.

Lindsey has been seen searching for date-worthy men with Cookie Kwan at the Domiciles for the Destitute facility, indicating that they may be close friends. In this particular instance, they both are attracted to Homer after seeing his "wedding ring tan line." {Homer's ring had been removed to avoid staining it with paint while applying paint to the wall of a house.}

Named in honor of Sue Naegle, a partner at United Talent Agency who represents several Simpsons writers.

Luigi Risotto

Luigi Risotto, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the proprietor of the local Italian restaurant. He is a parody of the "Italian pasta/pizza chef" stereotype, but seems to be aware of his status as a stock character. He often treats his customers rudely, insulting and belittling them; at times under his breath, at other times in a conversational tone, and sometimes shouting the slurs to the (unseen) chef Salvatore.

Befitting to a consciously stereotypical Italian character, Luigi seems to have some connections to the mafia. Local gangster Fat Tony is a frequent customer at his restaurant. When Homer was a food critic, he gave Luigi's eatery a poor review; in retaliation, Luigi hired a friend to place a horse's head in Homer's bed, a reference to The Godfather. (Homer subsequently ate the head and gave it a bad review. True story)

His surname is a reference to the Italian food risotto. He does not actually speak Italian, only "fractured English", as did his parents. Luigi may be an illegal immigrant because he disappered during an immigration officer's introduction at Luigi's restaurant and took the citizenship exam with Apu.

Luigi objected when, in a "cultural sensitivity" effort, Principal Skinner ordered the school cafeteria staff to refer to pizza as "Italian American sauce-bread."

In the DVD commentary, it is mentioned that Luigi was copied exactly from a pizza box, which is why he looks somewhat different from the other Simpsons characters.

Lugash

Lugash, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a gymnastics instructor (and a parody of former Olympics coach Béla Károlyi) who has his own gym. He has a thick Romanian accent and has appeared in several episodes, premiering in Children of a Lesser Clod. His origin is a bit mysterious as he says that he came into the United States in 1983 by cartwheeling over the Berlin Wall. However, another character in a later episode claims that he defected into East Germany. His harsh but effective training techniques once helped Lisa to achieve a high standard of gymnastic ability. He also has a habit of confiscating his students' cats and dogs, only giving them back cats when the student has accomplished a physical task.

Lugash: You girls were all great! Cats back for everyone!
Student: I had a dog!
Lugash: Is cat now!

Lugash: I give you stank! I am Lugash.
Lugash: Hello little girl, how old are you?
Lisa: Eight.
Lugash: EIGHT? BAH, TOO OLD! GO HOME GRANDMA!.. I am sorry little girl, Lugash must go next door to anger management class. STUPID ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASS! I HATE IT SO MUCH! I SPIT ON IT!

Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon

Manjula (voiced by Jan Hooks) is Apu's wife and mother of the octuplets. She was arranged to be married to Apu when she was very young and Apu was to set out to America for college (The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons). She also works at the Kwik-E-Mart. She claims that Fried Green Tomatoes is her favorite book, movie and food. In The Sweetest Apu, Apu has an affair with a beautiful blonde Squishee lady. After Homer discovers this, he and Marge reveal the discovery to Apu, who eventually caves into the guilt and vows to apologize to Manjula. Manjula, however, already knows and kicks Apu out of the house. With some help from the Simpson family, she eventually agrees to give Apu another chance after he completes an often-vengeful list of grueling tasks fashioned by Manjula. Since then, their relationship has been strained, with Manjula often making remarks at her husband's expense. Homer seems to think her name is Apulina; once, when the two were arguing in Hindi, he commented he thought "Manjula" meant "spaceship."

Menthol Moose

Menthol Moose is the spokesperson (mascot) for Laramie Cigarettes. He is a takeoff of Joe Camel, the spokesperson (mascot) of Camel Cigarettes. He is featured in about 4 episodes. In one episode Laramie advertises that they need a replacement for Menthol Moose after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. This leads to Santa's Little Helper becoming the new mascot. He is presumed dead.

Mrs. Glick

Elderly shut-in whom Bart did chores for. She has a dead brother named Asa. She is occasionally seen in the background of various episodes. Originally voiced by Cloris Leachman and later Tress MacNeille.

Ms. Albright

Ms. Albright the Sunday School Teacher , voiced by Tress MacNeille, teaches Sunday school at the local church. She speaks with a Southern accent and appears to be somewhat intolerant, as when referring to Bart when he was tempted to convert to Catholicism, she said "I heard he's Catholic now." She is occasionally seen in the background of various episodes as well as in Church scenes (such as in The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guest Star).

Patches and Poor Violet

Patches and Poor Violet are two orphans who are occasionally seen around Springfield. Patches is voiced by Pamela Hayden and Poor Violet is voiced by Tress MacNeille. Introduced in Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, they have since had cameos in I'm Goin' to Praiseland and Simple Simpson. Poor Violet often has a cough, while Patches seems to vaguely resemble Tiny Tim from the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol.

Princess Kashmir

Princess Kashmir is an Exotic dancer. Using his toy spy camera at a restaurant, Bart captures Homer drunk and cavorting with a belly-dancing named Princess Kashmir. When he gets the photo developed, it is photocopied and distributed all over town, ruining Homer's reputation and nearly wrecking his marriage to Marge, who kicks Homer out of the house.

Fearing that Bart may be learning a bad lesson about how to treat women, Marge insists that Homer introduce Bart to the Princess so he can learn that women aren't sex objects. She once dated Apu before his marriage with Manjula and was seen with his brother Sanjay. She is also a member of the Homewreckers bowling team, as seen in Team Homer. Voiced by Maggie Roswell.

Rachel Jordan

Rachel Jordan is the lead singer of a Christian rock band. She is first seen in Alone Again, Natura-Diddily, when she befriends Ned Flanders after Maude's death. She returns in I'm Goin' to Praiseland. She stays at the Flanders house with Ned, and leaves briefly after Ned attempted to mold her into the image of his deceased wife Maude. At the end of the episode, she returns and has a date with Flanders. She is voiced by Shawn Colvin. Because of this, she is expected to return on later episodes featuring Ned as the main character

Richard

Richard is a gray haired student at Springfield Elementary School and is one of Bart's close friends Bart. He is usually seen with Lewis and has a leather jacket. As one of the most minor characters in the show, Richard appears frequently in scenes involving the Springfield children. Throughout the series, he has been voiced by Jo Ann Harris, Pamela Hayden and Maggie Roswell. This is for the fact the he rarely speaks and thus has no specific voice actor. He has also rarely appeared in more recent episodes.

Ruth Powers

Ruth Powers is The Simpsons' new neighbour introduced in the episode "New Kid on the Block". She is divorced and has a daughter, Laura Powers that no longer lives with her. She is usually seen as a background character. One episode features Marge taking up weightlifting, and Ruth returns as a fellow lifter who encouraged the use of steroids. Originally voiced by Pamela Reed and later Maggie Roswell.

Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon

Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon is Apu's younger brother. He has a daughter and a son, named Pahusacheta and Jamshed. Sanjay sometimes runs the store with Apu, but he is not there all the time. Sometimes he skips out on his shift, which aggravates Apu to no end. He is also hinted to be a nudist like Apu. He has been seen with Princess Kashmir.

Sanjay: (to Apu) 'If I die, promise me you won't sleep with my wife'
Apu: 'I promise nothing.'

Sarcastic Middle-Aged Man

The Sarcastic Middle-Aged Man is a man with a sarcastic outlook on life. He has held numerous jobs in Springfield including: garage owner, mail man, taxi driver, and various shop clerks. His voice is intended to resemble Charles Bronson, as seen when the Simpsons try to travel to Branson, Missouri, but mistakingly end up in Bronson, Missouri first. One episode gives his first name as Rafael, which Sideshow Bob called him in "Day of the Jackanapes". He often calls people "pally", or "boy-yo".

(Heard from a crowd around an overly obese Homer): "Hey fatty, I got a movie for ya: A Fridge Too Far."

Homer: "What are you, a junkie or an ex-convict?'
Sarcastic Middle-Aged Man: "A little of both".

"So, you don't like the old time bikes huh'?"

"Do yourself a favor, invent yourself some underpants."

(To Comic Book Guy trying to return a too small belt) "Whoa, whoa. A fat, sarcastic Star Trek fan. You must be a devil with the ladies."

In one episode, he is called Raphael Maffia and is seen at a club with Fat Tony and others. He is sometimes known as "Wiseguy" on the scripts of The Simpsons.

The Yes-Guy

The Yes-Guy is a character known for bellowing "Ye-e-e-es?!" in a rising inflection, and appears to be highly eccentric in both his speech and appearance. He has appeared several times working with several jobs: waiter, employee at Costington's, Death Row guard, and ice cream man. Apparently, his name is Raoul, but he has been referred to by Homer Simpson as "that jerk that goes 'Yeeeeesss!'" in Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays. He says in Mayored to the Mob that he speaks this way because of a "Strooooooke".

He is a tribute to a recurring Frank Nelson character from The Jack Benny Show and later Sanford and Son, whose trademark greeting in all his characters was a loud, drawn-out "Yeeeeesss?!" or "Hellooooo!" Inexplicably, the original character could always be found working behind the service counter of whatever shop Benny or Fred Sanford might be patronizing, and his Simpsonian counterpart is equally omnipresent. There was also a Brazilian version seen, uttering a Portuguese variation of the catchphrase ("Si-i-i-i-i-i-i-m?" - meaning yes in Portuguese).

The Yes-Guy shares the physical characteristics of his real-life counterpart: he can be described as a rather squat, stocky man with a mustache, and black hair receding into a widow's peak.

Some fans were initially under the impression that the character was intended to resemble Vincent Price.

Lists of characters on The Simpsons

Quelques personnages récurrents des Simpson | Jessica Lovejoy | Lijst met terugkerende personages in The Simpsons

Gourt Home::Gourt :: List of recurring characters from The Simpsons