16 Obscure Facts About ‘The Simpsons’ Fans Never Knew

For 27 seasons (and counting), Matt Groening’s modern animated masterpiece, The Simpsons, has thrilled a fanbase that never seems to run out love for the first family of the American sitcom. What began as a side bit on a sketch show no one remembers — The Tracy Ullman Show — the Simpsons have become an indelible part of American culture. Homer, Marge, their three precocious kids, and the entire town of lovable oddballs that inhabit Springfield have become a familiar place in the landscape that are as beloved as they are lauded. Over its nearly three decades on the air, The Simpsons has created a sprawling history for itself both in front of and behind the screen. Here are a few things even ardent fans may not know about The Simpsons.

1. Smithers’ Hue

If you’ve been a fan since the get-go, you may remember that Smithers used to be a black character. As the show went on, the writers decided that a subservient African American character could be construed as controversial, so he took on a yellow hue.

2. In His Image

In the Simpson’s universe, every character has four fingers — technically, three fingers and a thumb — and four toes. Everyone, that is, except for God and Jesus (who have made intermittent appearances on the program since its inception). God and his kin actually have five fingers; they’re the only characters to feature anatomically correct digits.

3. Life in Hell

Before he was hired on The Tracy Ullman Show, Groening caught the eye of producer James L. Brooks, who asked the cartoonist to pitch some ideas for animated sketches based on the strength of Groening’s Life in Hell comic strip, which featured the exploits of a pair of anthropomorphic rabbits and a gay couple.