16 Obscure Facts About ‘The Simpsons’ Fans Never Knew

7. Several Characters Are Actually Named After Real Life Landmarks

Matt Groening is a native of Portland, so when it came time for the cartoonist to name the random denizens of his fictional nowhere town, he looked at a map of his hometown and went to work. That’s why the surnames of several characters such as Homer’s neighbor Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, and Mayor Quimby are all named after streets in Portland.

8. Milhouse Was Named After a President

President Richard M. Nixon to be exact. The “M” stands for Milhous. It was “the most unfortunate name Matt Groening could think of for a child to have. Of course, the funniest part is that Milhouse isn’t even the most unfortunate part of Bart’s best friend’s name. His middle name is Mussolini after the Italian dictator.

9. Tracy Ullman Files Suit

Originally, some of the Simpson’s characters ran on the The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons. When The Simpsons took off, Tracey actually filed a suit against the program claiming that she deserved a portion of the profits because her star caliber is what got eyes on the cracked family in the first place. The courts soundly rejected that claim.