The Simpsons (animation)/Characters

Oh come on. You know who these characters are...

Homer Jay Simpson
""Lord help me, I'm just not that bright.""

- Some Enchanted Evening

"The father, the dope, and more or less the Main Character of the show. Homer is overweight, almost completely bald, and rather selfish and stupid, but is a good person at heart and has a bright outlook on life. Voiced by Dan Castellaneta."

""D'OH!!!!"
 * Abusive Dad: Granted, even in his Jerkass characterization, he's less so than Peter Griffin, but still. Though he's always strangled Bart.
 * And then there's the original shorts, where he's almost as bad as Peter.
 * Adult Child
 * Angrish: Frequently lapses into this, whether he is justified or not.
 * The Alcoholic: He's the king of this Trope.
 * Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Actually manages to act dumber after sometimes drinking a few too many.
 * Anti-Hero: Type I, IV, or V, depending on the episode.
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny
 * Some of us can already hear in our heads the sound of Homer uttering that EXACT phrase.
 * Awesome McCoolname: He once legally changed his name to Max Power.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Big Eater
 * The Big Guy
 * Big No
 * Born Lucky
 * Boisterous Bruiser: He is more Falstaff than falstaff.
 * Breakout Character
 * Bumbling Dad
 * Butt Monkey: Even with all his Jerkass tendencies, you do feel sympathy for what he goes through at times.
 * Catch Phrase:

"Woo-hoo!"

"Why, you little...!!!"

"Mmm, [insert food here]..."

"AAAH!!"

"Bo-ring!""

""BERSERK IS RIIIIIIIGHT!!!""
 * Charlie Brown Baldness
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome: For all his flaws, he's the most loyal friend you can have, as he'll always help his friends with the problems of the today's episode they're facing. Hell, you don't even have to be a close friend of him to get his help, he'll surely help you even if he only met you just some moments ago. Even his enemies, like Mr. Burns or Selma, might get his aid if he's on a good mood.
 * Comically Missing the Point: Falls victim to this a lot.
 * Convenience Store Gift Shopping: Homer has a very bad habit of doing this sort of thing. It was justified in the episode Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, however, as he really didn't have any other option than to buy his family cheap Christmas gifts (including a dog toy for Maggie) because he really couldn't afford any regular gifts due to Mr. Burns denying his workers a Christmas bonus.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Strangling his son is a great example.
 * The Ditz
 * Genius Ditz: It turn out he can be a brillant Chessmaster against Mr. Burns in C.E. D'oh. "Check and mate" indeed.
 * He's also a gifted polyglot, capable of speaking even Penguin.
 * He's also quite a musician, capable of composing and playing many instruments. He even had two musical careers (when he was a member of the B-Sharps in the 1980s and when he was a member of Sadgasm in the 1990s). He also composed the hit single "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders." It gained a following in Springfield and, when he co-produced with David Byrne, it became hit with many covers.
 * He's an awful blackjack player, but he's so skilled at poker that he frequently wins without realizing it.
 * Extreme Omnivore: He'll eat anything from fancy bathroom soaps ("The Front") to plastic lobsters ("New Kid on the Block") to dishwashing liquid ("Marge Gets a Job") to radioactive waste ("E-I-E-I-[Annoyed Grunt]" and "Hello Gutter, Hello, Fadder"), and on two separate occasions, has eaten live fish, and a live seal.
 * Fat Bastard: Homer's gluttony, depending on the episode, can be taken to extremes. This can range from Homer eating to the point of being bloated and watching his belly bulge out and obscure his view of his feet, to Homer deliberately gaining weight to push past 300 lbs so that he could avoid exercising at work and doing his job at home.
 * Fat Idiot
 * The Fool
 * Freudian Excuse: His mother left him as a kid, and his father didn't know how to raise him. It's also implied that his abuse of Bart was stemmed from being abused by his own father. That, and his father's emotional abuse may have at least contributed to his lack of intellect. He also is a glutton due to mental scars of finding corpse clogging a pipe for a lake.
 * Functional Addict: Depending on the writer
 * Hair-Trigger Temper
 * Idiot Hero
 * Informed Deformity: He is considered extremely fat and unfit. Actually he is only 239 lbs, and tall to start.
 * Peter Griffin's got him beat. Even in the same universe, so do Comic Book Guy, Chief Wiggum (who actually had the nerve to call Homer fat), and Mayor Joe Quimby, for starters.
 * A real-life adult with Homer's height and weight would have a BMI of 32.4. Obese, but not morbidly so.
 * Word of God says his weight fluctuates from borderline obese to merely porky.
 * He is also said to be diabetic (from when he drank too many Starbucks Frappucinos during his stint as lead singer of the band, Sadgasm), but we never visibly see him suffer any diabetic symptoms.
 * Informed Flaw: His IQ is 55.
 * I Taste Delicious: In a Halloween episode.
 * Its the Best Whatever Ever: His opinion on the Thanksgiving depicted in "Behind the Laughter" (held during a feud between the family). "I mean, emotionally, it was terrible, but the turkey was so moist!"
 * Jerkass: Always.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Sometimes
 * Homer has always had moments of being a horrible person and being extremely caring. In later seasons, he recreates his first date with Marge so she'll fall for him all over again, repeatedly turns down sex so he can read to Lisa, gets very involved in making Bart a good student and making Lisa popular, lives in a terribly cramped apartment by himself so his kids can go to a good school, and on and on. There's just a strong bias against the later seasons, whether people watch the episodes or not.
 * Note that the stated examples came after repeated complaints of Homer being such a Jerkass. Most likely an Author's Saving Throw.
 * Large Ham: Don't try to deny it!

""I can understand food talk in any language.""
 * Lazy Husband
 * Loser Son of Loser Dad: Perhaps in part to the Simpson gene, which affects the Y chromosome.
 * Mad Libs Catchphrase: "Mmmm, [blank]."
 * Made of Iron
 * Man Child
 * Mangled Catchphrase: "Exactly. Heh, heh...D'oh!"
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Subverted in an episode when Homer is playing poker with Lenny, Carl and Moe at Lenny's house. He draws four cards and curses his bad hand, before poorly trying to bluff the other players. Lenny and Carl fold, but Moe knows that Homer is bluffing and calls. Homer then reveals that he has a straight flush, and Moe becomes so frustrated at Homer beating him that he ends up choking on his own rage. It looks as though Homer cleverly tricked Moe into playing the hand, but the next morning he tells the family that he didn't even realize he was winning.
 * Obsessed With Food
 * Omniglot: Has spoken German, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, a little bit of French (describes "Trash Night" as "La Nuit des Poubelles"), and penguin. No. Really.


 * Papa Wolf: Call Homer what you want, Homer still cares about his kids. Willing to become a Helicopter Parent for them, steal chocolate eggs for his baby, throw a pie at a guy mocking Lisa.
 * In regards to Lisa, he is also such a Papa Wolf that he'll even defend her honor against Marge. A notable of this was in the episode $pringfield, when, thanks to Marge's gambling addiction, she forgot to help Lisa with her costume (Nevada) for a school play despite promising to do so. Suffice to say, Homer was quite angered, to the extent that he drove over to the casino, located Marge, and then started shouting at her in nonsense before he shouts that he's angry because Marge broke a promise she made to her daughter.
 * Bart, whom he strangulates regularly as a running gag, however, is comparatively SOL. Even then, Homer spearheaded an effort to dig Bart out after Bart fell down a well, took some nasty physical punishment while disguised to be a battle-robot that Bart controlled, and forced crooked T-shirt manufacturer Goose Gladwell, who cheated Bart out of the ideas he'd come up with for T-shirt slogans, by threatening Goose with a portable nuclear fission reactor until Goose paid Bart the money he deserved.
 * Perma Stubble
 * The Protagonist
 * Real Men Wear Pink: He drives a pink Sedan.
 * Subverted when Bart accidentally dyed his shirt pink and it indirectly landed him in an insane asylum.
 * Sarcasm Backfire: Homer had Bart take a sanity test for him. When Bart asks Homer if he hears voices in his head, Homer, who was watching TV at the time, sarcastically says "Yes, while I'm watching TV!" Bart interprets this as a legitimate answer and checks it off. Guess what happens to Homer afterwards.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Ned's Sensitive Guy.
 * The Slacker
 * Stout Strength: He isn't physically fit and he hates working out (he doesn't even know how to pronounce the word "gym"), but he's one of the physically strongest characters.
 * Super Serum: Beer has this effect on him in at least one episode.
 * Taking Advantage of Generosity: Especially when borrowing stuff from Flanders.
 * Throw It In: "I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean, S-M-A-R-T!" Castelleneta wasn't supposed to do that misspelling, but accidentally did so during the record. As he himself reasoned, though, "Well, I'm stupid."
 * Took a Level In Dumbass: Homer started out stupid, but not really more so than anyone else. Word of God admitted that he was made stupider with each passing season to try to outdo what came before and remain fresh. (This trend ended at the start of Season 13, where the writers made a conscious effort to make him smarter.)
 * Took a Level In Jerkass: post-Flanderization
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Early episodes, it was pork chops and doughnuts. Later episodes, it was just doughnuts, though Homer's appetite doesn't discriminate (see Extreme Omnivore).
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
 * Villain Protagonist: In later episodes.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: While he definitely neglects Grandpa, its implied its due to his own neglect as a child. Occasionally Homer demonstrates he really does want his father's approval and one occasion when Grandpa angrily called him "a mistake", Homer kicked him out of the car, left him in the middle of nowhere, then completely stopped speaking to him for several weeks.
 * Well Done Half-Brother Guy: After ruining his successful half-brother's life, the next time Herb appears, now a penniless bum, Homer spends most of the episode desperately trying to make Herb forgive him.
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: In the episode "Homer Goes to College," Homer is convinced his college experience will be exactly like the party atmosphere college is often depicted as in movies, not realizing he's in a satire that thoroughly subverts the trope.



Marjorie "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier)
"The mother and typically both The Straight Man and Closer to Earth, Marge is predominantly a homemaker, but does have her wilder side. Loving and supportive, her devotion to her family may be strained at times but is never broken. Voiced by Julie Kavner."


 * Action Mom
 * Beehive Hairdo
 * Bottle Fairy: Occasionally, though she's normally more of a social drinker.
 * Catch Phrase: "Hmmmmmm..."
 * The Chick
 * Closer to Earth: Though admitedly she is only sane in comparison to Homer as seasons progress. In many cases even he is shocked at some of her actions.
 * The Comically Serious: Noted for her rather dull and no-risk demeanor, occasionally getting dizzy thrills out of monotonous activities like household chores (she does desire excitment and diversity every once in a while however, which is revealed to be a partial reason she likes Homer).
 * Education Mama: Especially with Bart, she even home-schools him for a period of time.
 * Feminine Women Can Cook: Marge seems to buy into this quite a lot.
 * Flanderization
 * Gag Boobs: She briefly had a case of this in "Large Marge" in which she was accidentally given breast implants. Amusingly the first gag about it comes from her, no less, in which she describes that her "maguppies became bazongas!"
 * The Gambling Addict: In the episode where a casino is built in Springfield, Marge loses quite a fortune at the slots. Since then, her gambling is mostly under control, though it is mentioned every now and then.
 * Gossipy Hens: She does love her gossip, like when Maggie's baby monitor picks up on phone calls, she becomes addicted to listening to it.
 * Hairy Hammerspace
 * Happily Married: For most of the show's run.
 * Hazel Eyes
 * Hikikomori: Spends a period like this in "Strong Arms of the Ma". She eventually overcame this after using the weight-lifting set Homer bought from Rainier Wolfcastle.
 * Hot Mom: Not only are there many references in-universe to her being attractive, but she's actually appeared on the front cover of Playboy in Real Life.
 * Housewife
 * Impossibly Low Neckline: Her regular dress. It's even commented on.
 * Informed Attractiveness
 * I Want Grandkids: Her greatest fear is dying without grandchildren.
 * Mama Bear
 * Mom Brings Milk and Cookies: Or Tang and cookies
 * Nervous Wreck: The antics of her family sometimes drive her to nervous breakdowns.
 * Parents Walk in At The Worst Time
 * Progressively Prettier: Although Marge's appearance hasn't changed, how attractive she is stated to be has changed from housewife to centerfold.
 * Also present in the original Tracy Ulman show shorts. Marge started out as quite dumpy, but quickly began slimming down.
 * Series Continuity Error: During the episode ''The Blue and the Gray" Marge is shocked to see gray hairs in her blue hair, even though it was established seasons before that her natural hair is gray and that she dyes it blue. The writers then make her hairstylist explain her blue hair dye causes partial memory damage.
 * Stepford Smiler: More pronounced as of recent, although it's understandable considering Homer's increasing Jerkassness.
 * Talking To Herself: Marge's voice actress (Julie Kavner) also voices Marge's sisters, Patty and Selma, and Marge's mom, Jackie.
 * The Voiceless: In the episode Krusty Gets Kancelled.
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Hot Wife to Homer's Ugly Guy.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair



Bartholomew "Bart" Jo-Jo Simpson
"The original protagonist of the show in early seasons, a self-professed hellion and mischief-making little punk, though not incapable of good things for the right reason. Voiced by Nancy Cartwright."

"Bart: All right, that's it! I've been scorched by Krusty before! I got a rapid heartbeat from those Krusty Brand vitamins, my Krusty calculator didn't have a 7 or an 8, and Krusty's autobiography was self-serving with many glaring omissions... but this time he's gone too far!"
 * Anti-Hero: Type III/IV --> Type V
 * Anti-Villain: Type I
 * Arch Enemy: To Sideshow Bob and Doctor Demento.
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny
 * Attention Whore: Many of his pranks are merely for recognition or approval from his friends.
 * May stem from the fact that when he started school he was taught by the current lunch lady who constantly told him he was a failure. When this was brought to his parent’s attention they completely ignored it and instead brought Lisa a saxophone.
 * Beam Me Up, Scotty: Cowabunga: Although Bart admittedly said it twice in early seasons, it was far from a Catch Phrase.
 * The reason people think it's a Catch Phrase is because lots of merchandise has him saying it. This is reflected in the DVD commentaries now and then. In fact, on the commentary for "Bart Gets an F," the writers actually express surprise when he does say it - thinking they never had him say it at all.
 * Berserk Button: Severely injure Santa's Little Helper, and he certainly would have a good enough reason for wanting to severely injure the person who did it.
 * Bart puts up with a lot under the appalling conditions at Kamp Krusty, making it through the day with firm belief that "Krusty is coming". When it becomes clear that Krusty isn't coming, Bart channels Colonel Kurtz and takes over the camp.

""Eat my shorts!"
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Or at the very least Anti-Heroic.
 * Book Dumb
 * Bratty Half-Pint: His first name is an anagram of "brat" after all.
 * Brilliant but Lazy: It's hinted at various points in the series that he could actually be very bright, he just isn't interested in schoolwork or applying himself seriously.
 * This could actually tie in with him being an attention whore. Helping Bart in school would be too much of a hassle so his parents ignore him. You’ll notice that every time his parents show the least bit attention in his school work his grades sky rocket. Even just asking him if he has homework and making sure he does is enough as “The Parent Rap” has shown us.
 * Butt Monkey / The Chew Toy: Not as much as Homer, but he still attracts a lot of slapstick.
 * Catch Phrase

"Don't have a cow, man."

"I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?"

"Get bent"

"¡Ay, caramba!" (That last bit was actually his first words, in fact)"


 * Class Clown
 * Clueless Chick Magnet
 * Deadpan Snarker: Easily one of the snarkiest characters on the show, with the exception of Comic Book Guy.
 * Dumb Blonde
 * Enfant Terrible
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Marge seems to be the only member of the family Bart doesn't drive crazy on a regular basis. Granted, he's a headache for being such a brat, but he doesn't go out of her way to bother her like Homer and Lisa. Many of the times he thinks a prank has gone too far is if it genuinely upsets her.
 * On that note, he also defended her on at least one occasion. One notable occasion being when Ned Flanders went into a total breakdown in regards to what happened and lashed out at everyone, and tried to defend her telling Ned to back off. Later leads into an Even Evil Has Standards moment below.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: There are some things that even Bart won't do, such as stealing from church collection plates. One episode has him expressing worry that he's turning into a criminal when all he really wants to be is a petty thug.
 * Also hurting animals, at least above insects. He genuinely loves and cares for his dog, as well as his once-pet elephant Stampy and at one time a horse he owned. Then there was the time he not only refused to shoot a bird, but when he accidentally did shoot it much to his horror, he raised the bird's eggs by himself. So, Bart can be a Jerkass to people, but he will NEVER be one to animals.
 * Also, after trying to defend Marge from a breaking down Ned Flanders, Flanders eventually started violently tearing him down, and even suggested a new Catch Phrase when he is an adult: "Hey, buddy! Got a quarter?!". Bart even states that he is "both shocked and apalled" at Ned's statement.
 * Also, when Homer had him doing a grease racketing job, and Homer was shoveling the grease into the back of Marge's car (without any containers), Bart objects and says "Mom's going to kill you!"
 * He absolutely hates it when someone severely injures his pet dog, and had Mr. Burns not happened to have brought his gun, he certainly would have attempted to brutally beat him up when he arrived at the town meeting discussing Mr. Burns's vile behavior.
 * Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish to Lisa's responsible.
 * Freudian Excuse: He showed a lot of creavity when he first started school, but was beaten down by the teachers and written off as a failure for not conforming to standards. When he was 5. This is probably why he is Book Dumb and a Class Clown.
 * His father could also count.
 * Repeatedly being told you were never wanted does that to you
 * G-Rated Drug: Once went on a "Squishee bender" that greatly resembled an alcoholic binge. Was also put on Ritalin Expy, Focusyn, and then Ritalin itself, for his ADD.
 * Hidden Depths: Practically prides himself on being Book Dumb, but has consistently managed to outwit Sideshow Bob on several occasions. He's also shown to have latent artistic ability and an untapped intellectual potential almost on par with Lisa's.
 * Jerkass: Always.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Though he loathes to admit it.
 * The Lancer: To Homer and to Lisa, depending on the episode.
 * Lovable Rogue: Most of the time (there are cases when he is genuinely just being a Jerkass however, especially later on).
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Momma's Boy: There is an episode where he briefly flirts with becoming one, but Marge realizes that she doesn't want that kind of relationship with him.
 * Mouthy Kid
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Bart experiences this Trope whenever he realizes that one of his stunts has gone too far.
 * Naughty Is Good
 * Omniglot: Has spoken French, Vietnamese ("Mau! Di di mau!"), Japanese, and Spanish ("¡Ay, caramba!").
 * In fact, he once learned fluent Spanish during a plane trip to Brazil.
 * Out of Focus: Still a Main Character, but was THE Main Character early on.
 * Pet the Dog: At the end of the 500th episode,
 * Screwy Squirrel: Bart enjoys pulling pranks on authority figures ranging from the town priest to his teacher and principal to his own father. That said, he's more interested in driving these same authority figures nuts rather than causing any genuine harm.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Milhouse's Sensitive Guy.
 * Shipper On Deck: Not a full-blown example, but when Lisa started showing interest in Nelson, Bart did stick up for Milhouse.
 * Taking Advantage of Generosity
 * Totally Radical: During the early years of the show. He actually did say "Cowabunga" a couple of times.
 * Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist
 * Villain Protagonist
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist / No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Sometimes when he does something with the legitimate intent of helping someone "chill out", it backfires. A notable instance was when he got Mrs. Krabappel fired when he and the other students attempted to get her to become cooled down by spiking her drink with alcohol, because of Bart's experiences with his dad.



Lisa Marie Simpson
"The smart one and the middle child, Lisa is both a bookworm and something of the "hippie" of the family. Her intelligence, as seasons roll on, can sometimes make her into an annoying know-it-all. Has trouble fitting in with other kids her age. Voiced by Yeardley Smith."

"Lisa: Ooooh...if only someone could tame him..."
 * All Girls Like Ponies: So much
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: She had a crush on Nelson once, and he was her first kiss.
 * Parodied in one episode where she reveals her crush on a boy who works at the library. His "bad boy" behavior is pretty much limited to being annoyed at people who confuse the juvenile and young adult sections.

"Lisa: Dad! The flash [of the camera] must have scrambled [the robots'] circuits!
 * Anti-Hero: Type II
 * Author Avatar
 * Bi the Way: During Holidays of Future Passed, she's shown in the family picture having been with three different women.
 * Bratty Half-Pint: In her original form, she was almost as childish and mischieveous as Bart. Toned down as Divergent Character Evolution kicked in, though she still has her moments.
 * Bob Haircut: Gets this hairstyle, complete with dyeing her hair brown, in the subplot of "To Surveil With Love".
 * Catch Phrase: Lisa didn't have a Catch Phrase since the beginning of the show until she said "If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room.", which is said in the end of the episode "Bart Gets Famous". Lisa also said this in "Lisa the Vegetarian", "Grift of the Magi", and "Dude, Where's My Ranch?".
 * She's also frequently yells out a shrill "MOOOOMMMM!!!" in response to Bart's antics.
 * And, of course, there is "Meh."
 * Cute Bookworm
 * Daddy's Girl: She's probably the only one of Homer's kids whom he makes a conscious effort to be a good father to. In addition, if anyone, even his wife, somehow hurts her in some way, he gets intensely angry.
 * It is implied that Lisa was neglected by Homer as a baby, when Homer observes some old videos of him completely ignoring her early talents, he is driven to tears in guilt.
 * Dumb Is Good: Averted, as she is easily the nicest character on the show.
 * She does however have occasional moments of imense arrogance and vindictiveness fueled by her intellect (and her obvious awareness of it) to remind us she's Not So Above It All.
 * Divergent Character Evolution: Lisa started out more or less as a Distaff Counterpart of Bart.
 * First Kiss: A "Shut Up" Kiss from Nelson Muntz. Lampshaded.
 * Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible to Bart's foolish.
 * Granola Girl
 * I Can't Dance: She eventually mastered jazz dancing, but she's terrible at tap and ballet.
 * Innocent Prodigy: Usually rather level headed and one of the most intelligent people in Springfield, however her brattiness and childlike naive perks up many times, especially where her Sibling Rivalry with Bart is involved.
 * Intelligence Equals Isolation
 * Jerkass: Has moderated but profound moments of this trope. She calls Bart's friend Andy a "loser" even AFTER he gets to write for Krusty.
 * A lot of the things Lisa does is just so she can be praised which could tie in well with Bart being an Attention Whore. In fact she is a bigger one then Bart. Bart’s problem was difficult so it was ignored yet all they needed to do for Lisa was buy her stuff and praise her success. You’ll notice from "The PTA Disbands" and “The Joy of Sect” that if she is not given constant positive reinforcement she goes insane. "Money BART" has shown us that she is not above taking attention away from Bart himself.
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover
 * The Messiah: The closest equivalent the Crapsack World of Matt Groening has, anyway.
 * Middle Child Syndrome: She often has trouble fitting in with her family, and they often have trouble understanding her. Several episodes explore this dynamic in detail.
 * Mouthy Kid
 * Miss Exposition

Homer: What are you, the narrator?

Lisa: Aah, just keep taking pictures."

"Lisa: He's down there.
 * Honor Before Reason: Lisa is willing to bend the rules, but only if she comes to that conclusion by herself. If someone tells her to lie, cheat, or even just conceal the truth, she will refuse, even if lying, cheating or concealing the truth would be to everyone's advantage.
 * Not So Above It All: Though often priding herself on her intelligence and stoicism, she is still a kid and enjoys some of the same things as Bart (such as Itchy & Scratchy or prank-calling Moe). And as noted above, she is not above bending the rules completely.
 * Only Sane Man: Albeit with frequent Not So Above It All moments.
 * Positive Discrimination: She is intelligent and Good, while Bart is a Jerkass and Dumb. There are occasional aversions to this however (see above).
 * Proud to Be A Geek: Though she may lapse depending on the episode.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Snap Back: Averted. The only way to get Paul McCartney on the show was to promise him that Lisa would stay a vegetarian forever.
 * Soapbox Sadie
 * The Stool Pigeon: Lisa is this in "Bart the Daredevil", "My Pods and Broomsticks", and in "22 Short Films About Springfield" when she told the Tall Guy who drove his car where Nelson is hiding after his "HA-HA" backfired on him.

Nelson: Crud!"

"Homer: Lisa's aged 7 to 9!"
 * Smug Snake: On her bad days.
 * Too Clever By Half: Frequently done. Lisa is a genius, but occasionally arrogant and misguided about it, not to mention lives in quite the Crapsack World.
 * Took a Level In Dumbass: Played for Laughs in "Bart of Darkness"; the Simpsons get a pool, and Lisa gains popularity among the kids of Springfield. Her intelligence fortunately comes back.
 * Took a Level In Jerkass: For a while in the later seasons Lisa could be quite rude and pushy about her beliefs. Recent seasons have mostly fixed this by having Lisa focus on self-improvement and making friends instead of political activism.
 * Vague Age: In "Lisa the Beauty Queen":


 * Wise Beyond Their Years



Margaret "Maggie" Simpson
"The youngest of the children. Typically a marginal figure, but does get her share of scenes. Voiced by Elizabeth Taylor, Jodie Foster, James Earl Jones, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith."


 * Anti-Hero: Type IV, as demonstrated with her competence with firearms and occasional similarities to Alex DeLarge.
 * Badass Adorable: Saved Homer's life on four separate occasions and.
 * Berserk Button: Losing her pacifier
 * Brainy Baby: Numerous episodes have implied she's very smart for her age. She may be more intelligent than the rest of the family. Yes, even Lisa, as demonstrated when two-year-old Maggie effortlessly played her sax.
 * Daddy's Girl
 * Drop the Hammer: When she saw Itchy bonk Scratchy on the head with a mallet, she did the same thing to Homer. The blow knocked him out cold.
 * Enfant Terrible
 * Kid Hero
 * Little Miss Badass: For an infant, she sure knows her way around a firearm. And then there was the time she knocked Homer unconscious by bonking him on the head with a mallet.
 * Oral Fixation Fixation: Her pacifier.
 * Silent Snarker
 * Suddenly Voiced: By Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Jodie Foster, Nancy Cartwright (who usually does vocal effects, like Maggie's cooing and crying), and even Meg Ryan.
 * The Speechless:
 * The Voiceless

Grampa Abraham "Abe" Simpson
"Homer's eldery, cranky, senile father, a seargent in WW 2. For all Homer's failures as a father-figure, his father has proven he was worse. Voiced by Dan Castellaneta."

""You mean I have to think of an ending to this nonsense?!""
 * Abusive Parents: There's at least one flashback that shows him strangling young Homer just like Homer now does to Bart.
 * Badass Grandpa: It turns out he's a World War II veteran and his stories about his fighting days are generally true. It resurfaces when Burns threatens Bart.
 * Butt Monkey: Is often ignored, treated with contempt, and otherwise left to rot at the nursing home by his own son.
 * Considering how he raised him, this may be justified.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Partly due to his senile disposition, though he seems on par with most other Simpsons.
 * December-December Romance: Has had several, with Marge's mom, Beatrice, and a hoochie named Zelda.
 * Grumpy Old Man
 * I Was Quite a Looker: "I was once the handsomest man in Buffalo!"
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: At times, particularly in his younger days, despite being a gruff, uniterested father figure, he did dress up as Santa Claus for Christmas to cheer up Homer, and sold his house in order to allow Homer and Marge to buy a place of their own.
 * May-December Romance: Is briefly married to Selma, but they eventually realize it won't work and get divorced.
 * The Munchausen
 * Although there is the occasional implication that his rambling and nonsensical stories are actually true. There is also at least one implication that he is actually aware that he is rambling nonsense, but does it anyways because he thinks his grandkids don't actually pay attention to his stories anyways.


 * Oblivious Grandparent
 * Senior Sleep Cycle
 * Rambling Old Man Monologue: "So I tied an onion to my belt. Which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say. Now where was I... Oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. You couldn't get white onions...."
 * Actually parodied twice: The first was in Double, Double, Boy In Trouble, where in the middle of Grampa's ramble, "Bart" (actually Simon Woosterfield) exclaims shock and pride that Grampa shot a buffalo. Grampa then turns around and expresses shock that "Bart" was even listening to his ramble, and complains about now having to find an ending to his nonsense. The second is after Homer saves his life from an ax-crazy humanitarian journalist trying to kill him, and rewards Homer with the opportunity to have his "first ramble," indicating that its a family tradition to have the Simpson Male's do rambling.
 * Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!
 * Shell Shocked Senior
 * Unexplained Recovery: He recovers from a variety of disturbing conditions.
 * Vague Age: God only knows
 * To make it especially confusing, in one episode, Mayor Quimby is trying to determine the oldest person in town by having everyone stand up and then sit down when Quimby calls out a number greater than their age. At about eighty, Grampa sits down, and then at ninety, he stands up again.
 * One episode says he's 83.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Homer is suggested to be scarred by Abe's Abusive Parenting (which is portrayed as eeringly similar to Homer's own treatment of Bart). In turn Homer stuffed him in a nursing home at the first call and often attempts to ignore his existence. They do get genuine moments of bonding at times however.
 * When I Was Your Age: He loves these



Grandma Mona Simpson
"A militant hippie in her youth, she had to leave Homer and her husband alike when Homer was young because she made an enemy of Mr. Burns and fled into the hippy underground. Sincerely loves her family, and desperately wants to be with them. Dies in her third appearance. Voiced by Glenn Close, Maggie Roswell, Tress MacNeille and Pamela Hayden."


 * Cool Old Lady
 * Dying Alone: *sniff*
 * Granola Girl
 * Missing Mom/Parental Abandonment/Mommy Had A Good Reason For Abandoning You: Let's just say that she can't see Homer without putting him and his father at risk (due to her becoming wanted by the Law due to her and some hippies ruining a germ lab run by Mr. Burns).
 * Although there is an episode where it implies she was negligent towards Homer when she was around.
 * New Age Retro Hippie
 * The Other Darrin: Voiced by four actresses in various appearances.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right
 * What Happened to The Mouse?: A meta example. "Mother Simpson" aired during the seventh season and averting the trope was the initial impetus to producing the episode. Showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein admitted surprise that in all those years the status of Homer's mother had never been given on-screen.



Patricia "Patty" and Selma Bouvier
"Marge's twin sisters, addicted to smoking and notoriously crabby. Both dislike Homer intensely, and neither of them is interested in the male gender itself much (so much so that it is eventually revealed that ), though Selma does want to have a child. Voiced by Julie Kavner."


 * Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male: Especially where Homer is concerned.
 * The Beard: Selma is this to Troy McClure for a period of time.
 * Covert Pervert
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Does Not Like Men: Patty especially, but Selma applies as well.
 * Gossipy Hens
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: Patty in particular
 * Hates Being Touched: Patty.
 * Jerkass: Both but Patty is by a long shot the most embittered and spiteful of the two.
 * They tried to murder Homer Simpson.
 * Looking for Love In All The Wrong Places: Selma has about 4 or 5 failed marriages under her belt. Patty is a subversion in that, while she occasionally laments being the only single girl left in the family, when she sees Homer stuffing his face full of hors d'oeuvres she realizes that it could be worse.
 * Obnoxious In-Laws
 * Maiden Aunt: Both embody the "bitter spinster" archetype to a T.
 * The Mistress: Selma becomes this to Fat Tony for an episode, although she has been led to believe she's actually his wife. She is heartbroken and angry with Fat Tony when she finds out...but then gets into a Cat Fight with another woman who also claims to be Fat Tony's wife.
 * Of Course I Smoke
 * Pet the Dog: Selma, who is shown to be much more likely to do this than Patty due to her craving for someone to love, which she eventually achieves by adopting Ling. She's also the one most able to act in kind towards Homer, even though such a thing is very rare.
 * Promotion to Parent: With some help from Homer (and a sympathetic Chinese bureaucrat), Selma adopts a baby girl named Ling. (Patty does help take care of Ling, too.)
 * Single-Minded Twins: Initially
 * The Reveal:
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: Used by Selma
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Snowball II
"Lisa's pet cat."


 * Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: She only wears a collar and she doesn't even wear one all the time.
 * Female Feline, Male Mutt: The female cat.
 * Furry Confusion: When she and Scratchy show up together in Treehouse of Horror IX segment, "The Terror of Tiny Toon."
 * Humanoid Female Animal: Inverted to the point of Furry Confusion when she and Scratchy show up together in Treehouse of Horror IX segment, "The Terror of Tiny Toon."
 * Legacy Character: As the name implies, she replaced the original, white Snowball, who was run over by a car..

Santa's Little Helper
"Bart's pet, a grayhound abandoned one christmas due to his never winning any races. Though Homer had just lost a bundle betting on him instead of the dog that Barney tipped him off to bet on, Bart took such a shine to him that Homer brought him home and the family adopted him. Once ran away and was taken in as Mr Burns' new guard dog, while another prominent interact with Mr. Burns was when he ended up purchasing the 22 pups he had fathered on a champion racing female greyhound, which all turned out to be world champions. As a result, Mr Burns can remember Santa's Little Helper, but not Homer."


 * A Dog Ate My Homework: Santa's Little Helper does this once, much to Bart's surprise.
 * Canine Companion
 * Cone of Shame: Comes with doggie-wheelchair.
 * Dogs Are Dumb: It varies.
 * Female Feline, Male Mutt: The male dog.
 * Go Fetch: He can be distracted by sausages, along with Homer.
 * Heroic Dog: From time to time, especially when Bart is concerned.
 * Subverted, where the Simpson house is on fire, and Homer is asleep on the couch, it appears that Santa's Little Helper is trying to rouse Homer, but rather he is getting a candy bar from Homer's pocket. Once the candy bar is out, Santa's Little Helper leaves Homer to his fate.
 * Kick the Dog: Gets treated pretty bad often (usually by Homer). He actually runs away in "Dog of Death" when the entire family condemns him due to the financial burden caused by a needed operation.
 * Morality Pet: Literally he is this to Bart.

Nedward "Ned" Flanders


"The nice guy next door neighbor to the Simpson family. Originally, Ned was just a "better American" than Homer, being affable, polite, intellectual, friendly, and sincerely religious. As the seasons went on, his "sweetness" and his religiosity grew until he became a byword for fanatical religious faith and doormat-like pleasantry. His being a doormat in the name of being nice to others faded. The religious zeal, however, remains. Voiced by Harry Shearer."

"Homer: Networks like animation 'cause they don't have to pay the actors squat!
 * The Ace
 * Always Someone Better: Is this to Homer, which was why Homer would be such a jerk. Was played up a lot more in the early seasons.
 * As the Good Book Says...
 * Badass Grandpa: Good thing he's such a nice guy. Otherwise, he would've kicked Homer's butt all over the place years ago.
 * Badass Moustache: Look at it and soak in its glory.
 * Berserk Button
 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Catch Phrase: "Hidely ho!"
 * Conservatives Love Flanders: Though meant to be as a mockery, Flanders actually ended up having a fan-based among conservative groups.
 * Flanderization: Trope Namer.
 * The Fundamentalist
 * Gag Penis: Shown in a dating tape Homer made to show Ned off to women. Ned was also upset with Homer for doing so (as well as publically displaying his social security number)
 * Heroic BSOD: The episode Hurricane Neddy shows exactly what happens when Ned Flanders' breaking point is reached in terms of his sanity, as well as what caused his mannerisms.
 * Also, in the episode Home Away from Homer, as soon as he realizes that not only were two college girls taking advantage of his kindness by renting out one of his rooms for them by making a softcore webcam series, but also that the entirety of Springfield mocked him behind his back and took advantage of his kindness despite his attempts at being a very kind neighbor to them, he undergoes a very deep depression, to the extent that he actually decides to go to a place in Pennsylvania that made Humble Figurines despite earlier having a belief that he shouldn't move to places based on logos.
 * Hippie Parents: Or Beatnik, in this case
 * Knight Templar: When it involves something he takes a religious stance about, he is unshakable in pursuing his goal.
 * Limited Wardrobe: Lampshaded by Homer: "I'm a big four eyed lame-o and I wear the same stupid sweater everyday...".
 * The Messiah / Only Sane Man: Alongside Lisa Simpson, he is probably one of the few Springfielders who is not amoral or terrible.
 * Nice Guy: Well before his Christian background was established, Ned was simply the nice guy that lived next door.
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He does attempt to follow the Christian faith and be a kind neighbor, even renting out his room to people who need it. Unfortunately for him, many of the people of Springfield have a tendency to take advantage of his kindness and make it even worse. This eventually reached a breaking point when, after he allowed some college girls to rent out one of the guest rooms in his house, they ended up repaying his kindness by filming a softcore webcam video called "sexy slumber party" without Ned's knowledge, and Homer also leaked this to every single person in the town, to the extent that, when Ned Flanders ousts the college girls out of the room upon finding out about this, they cheer the girls on, thus shocking him about how all this time, the townspeople actually mock him behind his back.
 * Older Than They Look: Ned looks around Homer's age, but he's actually sixty years old.
 * How does he retain his youthful appearance? By following the "three Cs" -- clean living, chewing thoroughly, and a daily dose of vitamin church.
 * The Other Darrin: Parodied in the episode Homer to the Max.

Ned: (voiced by Karl Wiedergott) Plus, they can replace them, and no one can tell the diddley-ifference!"

""OH, HELL, DIDDLY-DING-DONG CRAP! CAN'T YOU MORONS DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!""
 * Overprotective Dad: Orders satellite TV, only to have ALL the channels locked out.
 * It's Justified, however, when one remembers when, after Bart, Lisa, and Maggie were placed in the Flanders home and watched an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, even seeing the cartoon was more than enough to mentally scar Rod and Todd.
 * Another episode deals with Marge babysitting them repeatedly and seeing how ridiculously over-protective he is, with Ned admitting that he's afraid of losing them because they're all he has after Maude's death.
 * That said, he was willing to hire Lisa, even after or maybe because Her disastrous job looking after Bart.
 * Pals With Jesus: Even though his religious zeal didn't develop until later seasons, even the early seasons had Ned being in obvious favor with God, to the point that politely stating skyward "It's me, Ned" had his golfball suddenly jolt forward to give him a hole-in-one and he once called down a lightning bolt with a prayer to God to save Todd, after which God gave him the "OK" hand sign and told him it was no problem.
 * Parting Words Regret: "I can't believe my last words to (Maude) were 'no footlongs.'" It Makes Sense in Context.
 * Precision F-Strike: Hurricane Neddy has one. Well, for Flanders, anyway.


 * Rage Breaking Point
 * Ridiculous Procrastinator: Inverted: He manages to start, and finish, his tax returns as early as New Years Day, which is exactly 105-106 days (depending on whether the year is a leap year or not) before the last day of taxes (April 15th). It should also be noted that he is the only one, or at least one of the few, Springfielders to actually deliver their taxes before the deadline, as the episode that revealed this also had what is implied to be everyone in Springfield rushing to the Post Office to get their Tax Returns in at the last possible moment.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl: Sings like one, too, which Bart finds very disturbing.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Homer's Manly Man.
 * Sex God: He has sex once with a movie star who is in town to shoot a film. He tells her that the first one's free, but if she wants any more she'll have to marry him. She almost does.
 * Stepford Smiler
 * Strawman Political: In later episodes. It's justified, however, when you take into account that a few times, his attempts at being a good neighbor often result in his good nature being exploited.
 * Stupid Sexy Flanders: Is it any wonder?
 * Took a Level In Badass: By the episode The Squirt and the Whale, Ned has officially stopped taking crap from Homer.
 * Ver-diddly-erbal Tic

Maude Flanders


"Ned's wife, who he doted upon, until a horrific freak accident killed her. Voiced by Maggie Roswell."


 * Beware the Nice Ones: See below.
 * Hot Mom
 * Killed Off for Real: In an untimely manner in Season 11
 * McLeaned: Maggie Roswell left over pay disputes, as her pay wasn't covering the travel expenses to get to the recording studio (she lived out of state). Maude was killed off in response.
 * Nice Gal
 * The Other Darrin: After Roswell left, Marcia Mitzman-Gaven took over for what would be Maude's remaining episodes.
 * Out-of-Character Moment: She's not all that nice when she's not around her family. Why, when Marge made her own franchise around pretzels (with Homer's indirect help by hiring Fat Tony and his croneys to stop all other businesses behind her back), she and the other women hired Yakuza to stop her. It didn't work, apparently, and everything was forgotten about that incident.

Rod and Todd Flanders


"Ned's two children, innocent to the point of being naive due to their upbringing and easily misled by the more worldly Bart. Voiced by Pamela Hayden and Nancy Cartwright."


 * Ambiguously Gay
 * Lampshaded by Bart when he got them to tell Ned they were gay.
 * Catch Phrase: "YAAAAAAAY!!!!"
 * Cheerful Child
 * Children Are Innocent
 * Rod and Todd Flanders Has Standards: While they are just as god-fearing like their dad, Ned, they do draw the line on some of his actions. In "You Kent Always Say What You Want", they thought Ned's demands of having Kent Brockman punished for his words while interviewing Homer pushing it. They forgive Brockman for the incident, unlike Ned.

Hans Moleman


"A dwarfish, heavily wrinkled elderly man with thick glasses and terrible luck, who repeatedly shows up in the series. Voiced by: Dan Castellaneta"


 * Back From the Dead: He died many times, yet he still returns.
 * Born Unlucky
 * The Chew Toy: Is The Simpsons' answer to Kenny on South Park (read: he gets killed or injured in every episode just for laughs)
 * Iron Butt Monkey: Up to Eleven.
 * Off-Model: Some episodes have Moleman with yellow skin; others with brown
 * Shout-Out: In his first appearance in season 2's "Principal Charming", Moleman was actually called Ralph Melish (as seen on his driver license). The latter is a reference to Monty Python.
 * Sword Cane: "You call that a knife? This is a knife. Whoooa, down I go."
 * They Killed Kenny
 * Younger Than They Look: In season four's "Duffless," Moleman reveals that he's 31 years old, despite looking like an old man. The reason: . Thanks to Canon Dis Continuity, Moleman's age has been projected to be at least in the ballpark of 80 and above (although one episode still hinted at the younger than they look trope when Moleman was doing a wheelbarrow race with his Dad at the Springfield Retirement Castle).

Ruth Powers
"Voiced by: Pamela Reed"


 * Action Girl
 * Hikikomori
 * Hot Mom
 * Looking for Love In All The Wrong Places: Implied, at least.

Laura Powers
"Voiced by: Sara Gilbert"


 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: To Jimbo Jones until she breaks up with him thanks to Bart's crank call.

Barney Gumble
"Voiced by: Dan Castellaneta"

""Yeah, but it was worth it.""
 * The Alcoholic: Was arguably worse than Homer early on. He has tried to overcome it, but does relapse now and then.
 * Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: As expected, he's done a few acts that can be attributed to this.
 * Catch Phrase: Sort of. His famous belch.
 * He Cleans Up Nicely: His hair is neater when he isn't drinking.
 * The Ditz: Justified, as he's usually drunk.
 * Fat Best Friend
 * Hidden Depths: He's often shown to be artistically talented, skilled as drawing, and at one point even putting together an artistic short film.
 * Naked People Are Funny: Went streaking at the Springfield High School senior prom in 1974.
 * Off the Wagon
 * Out of Focus: There was a time when he was Homer's best and most frequently seen friend.
 * Pink Elephants
 * Singing Voice Dissonance: Although he has an odd-sounding conversational voice, Barney has a beautiful singing voice (much like Jim Nabors).
 * The Smart Guy: Was studying for the S.A.T exam, hoping to go to Harvard, when Homer introduced him to beer. He started drinking more as a result of
 * Status Quo Is God: In a rare subversion on the show, Barney sobered up in season 11 and stays that way for several seasons.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Once charged a tab to Mr. Burns. He later woke up in a landfill.

""He's in here somewhere.""
 * Trash of the Titans: His apartment is such a mess that he can't find his dog.

Mr. Charles Montgomery Burns


"An extremely elderly man (over one hundred years ago by the more recent seasons, though in the earliest seasons he was only in his eighties) and the corrupt, malevolent owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Always has his eyes on the greatest profit to himself. Voiced by Christopher Collins [aka Chris Latta] (1989-90); Harry Shearer (1990-present)."


 * Affably Evil: Sometimes.
 * Angry Guard Dog: "Release the hounds".
 * Anti-Hero: Type V, whenever he happens to be on the same side as the good characters (which is not that often.)
 * Antiquated Linguistics: He does this all the time in his version of Two Decades Behind. In one example, he went to the post office in order to send a letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam by the 4:30 auto-gyro. The person working at the post office even informed him how much he Did Not Do the Research.
 * Anti-Villain: Occasionally, such as when he started a recycling business. And recycled sea life into slurry.
 * Big Bad: Whenever the show needs one, anyway.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: He may be senile, but he is a brilliant businessman.
 * The Caligula: Mr. Burns usually treats his workers, and even his own workplace, far too shabbily to even be considered a sane boss, never mind a good one.
 * Caligula's Horse: He has a canary act as the owner of the Power Plant (meaning, even Mr. Burns is at a lower level than the canary), namely as a way to avoid responibility if someone tries to investigate anything within the plant thats against the law. This tendency was also implied in earlier episodes when he made a Dog vice president (even after nominating a far more eligable person Vice President), and made a carbon rod Employee of the Month above Homer.
 * Card-Carrying Villain: At least whenever declaring his own evil doesn't compromise its effectiveness. Or sometimes, even when it does.
 * Catch Phrase: "Excellent."
 * "Release the hounds!" could be his second Catch Phrase.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Cruella to Animals
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: His moral compass is so far off kilter that when he's actually trying to do something good, he's even more evil than when he's trying to be evil.
 * Evil Is Hammy
 * Faux Affably Evil
 * Fiction 500
 * Forgot to Feed The Monster: His league of evil.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: This is how he views his relationship with Smithers, much to the latter's dismay.
 * Horned Hairdo: Sported one in "Lisa the Buddhist".
 * Jerkass: From time to time.
 * Large Ham
 * Looks Like Orlok
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money
 * Smug Snake
 * The Other Marty: Only for the first few episodes, Mr. Burns was voiced by Christopher Collins, before being replaced by Harry Shearer.
 * The Power of Hate:
 * Up to Eleven: His villainy goes into this level when he does things like block out the sun.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: The episode "Last Exit to Springfield" implies that the reason why he wanted to end the Nuclear Worker's Union was because they were getting corrupt, based on something an atom worker said when he was with his grandfather.

Waylon Smithers, Jr.


"The second-in-command and most competent minion of Mr. Burns, Smithers is fanatically devoted to his master (fortunately for Burns, who is so physically feeble and out of touch with the modern age he depends on Smithers to do everything for him), which is eventually revealed to be due to him being in love with him. Voiced by Harry Shearer."


 * Anti-Villain
 * Battle Butler
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Though usually a bit of a doormat to Burns, some of the schemes Burns comes up with will have Smithers objecting to them at the risk of losing his own job.
 * Extreme Doormat: Most of the time. See above.
 * Flanderization: Smithers was originally just the Yes-Man to Burns, though after a couple seasons, the writers began playing the idea that he was attracted to him. Al Jean has referred to this as Smithers being "Burns-sexual" and this was pretty consistent for years. Recently, however, throwaway jokes have portrayed him as more openly gay and not interested in just Burns.
 * The Dragon / The Lancer: It varies if Burns is, in the episode, in the good side or the bad side.
 * Race Lift: In his earliest appearance ("There's No Disgrace Like Home"), Waylon is black. The creators then worried that the role of Yes-Man to a rich white man falling to a black man could have Unfortunate Implications, and so the next time around, they drew him as white instead.
 * Lampshade Hanging: Production later joked that Smithers had just returned from vacation and still had a tan.
 * Only Sane Man
 * The Renfield: Again, see above.
 * Single-Target Sexuality: Smithers admires Mr. Burns to a way-past-Ho Yay degree.
 * Single-Issue Psychology: It was implied in one episode that Smithers' sexuality was caused by Mr. Burns telling him, when he was young, that his father died in the Amazon, killed by a tribe of savage women.
 * Straight Gay
 * Subordinate Excuse
 * Yes-Man

Lenford "Lenny" Leonard and Carlton "Carl" Carlson


"Homer's two workmates and closest buddies. Voiced by Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria."

""Ow, my eye! I'm not supposed to get [object name] in it!""
 * Alliterative Name
 * Ascended Extra: They were initially just background characters that appeared at the plant. Over time, they became some of Homer's most frequently seen friends.
 * Bad Boss: Parodied when Mr. Burns lost his fortune, the bank took over the Nuclear Plant and put Lenny in charge. We never really see what goes on, but Homer gets sent home early to think about a bad mistake he made and Smithers describes him as "a real bear on tardiness." Even Mr. Burns takes notice, and the whole thing is referred to as "Lenny's reign of terror."
 * Department of Redundancy Department: "I'm Lenny. This is Carl and Homer. I'm Lenny."
 * Eye Scream: Lenny is way too prone to this type of injuries.


 * Genius Ditz: Both may seem no smarter than generally anyone else, but they did earn master's degrees in nuclear physics.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With a heaping dose of Ho Yay.
 * Mistaken for Gay
 * Only Sane Man: Well, Carl is.
 * Repetitive Name
 * Salt and Pepper
 * Those Two Guys
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Not seen that often, but whenever it does come up (like in "Mountain of Madness", Type 2.

Frank Grimes


"A new employee at the plant who is annoyed by Homer's behaviour. Goes insane because of this and ends up killing himself. Not very well received by the fans. Voiced by Hank Azaria."


 * Berserk Button: Homer is a big fat button. Also Grimey doesn't like to be called Grimey. Or Stretch.
 * Chew Toy: Bordering on Cosmic Plaything.
 * Giving Up On Logic: Angrily did this after his Sanity Slippage and began imitating Homer's stupid antics. It took him about a minute to get himself killed.
 * Hilariously Abusive Childhood: His Backstory describes a ridiculous amount of misfortune that he's had to overcome.
 * In-Series Nickname: "Grimey."
 * Killed Off for Real: "I don't need safety gloves, because i'm Homer Simp..." (electric shocks)
 * Knight of Cerebus: His lone episode "Homer's Enemy" is considered to be one of the darkest episodes in the entire run of the show.
 * Expy / Shout-Out: Frank is based on Michael Douglas' character Bill Foster from "Falling Down". They both wear glasses, white shirt, black tie, black pants. They both even have the same haircut.
 * Only Sane Man: He's the only person to point that Homer shouldn't be half as successful, popular, or even alive given his behaviour and is driven mad when no-one else cares. Even the universe is against him, as he's trying to apply real-world logic to a cartoon world.
 * Oakley and Weinstein summed it up best by referring to Grimes as what would happen if someone from the real world met Homer.
 * Parental Abandonment
 * Stock Footage
 * What Could Have Been: The writers originally saw Grimey as an ex-mariner with a crew cut. Also Hank Azaria based Frank's voice on that William H Macy before changing to Michael Douglas.
 * Azaria was actually in favor of Macy doing the voice. Though it was considered, showrunners Oakley and Weinstein thought someone with a better understanding of the show would do a better job.

Jeff "Comic Book Guy" Albertson
"Overweight and extremely nerdy owner & proprietor of the local shop, "The Android's Dungeon", which sells comics and similar paraphenalia. Legendary for his sarcastic, cynical outlook on life. Voiced by Hank Azaria."

"Comic Book Guy: Last night's Itchy & Scratchy was, without a doubt, the worst episode ever. Rest assured I was on the Internet within minutes registering my disgust throughout the world.
 * Berserk Button: See the article on Canon.
 * The Cyber Bully
 * Deadpan Snarker: And how! Comic Book Guy seems to live by the philosophy "If you can't say something snarky or sarcastic, don't say anything at all."
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": For over a decade, he was just known as "Comic Book Guy" until he gave his real name out in random conversation in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass." (Word of God says that episode was chosen for the task because it was post-Super Bowl and thus would have such a large audience.)
 * Fat Bastard
 * Freudian Excuse: It is heavily implied, if not outright stated, that the reason why Jeff Albertson often is sarcastic and insulting to people is because he himself is a victim of it in regards to his obesity.
 * "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading back to my own store, where I dispense the insults rather than absorb them".
 * Hollywood Nerd: Type 1.
 * Insufferable Genius
 * Likes Older Women: Once dated (and lost his virginity to) Agnes Skinner.
 * Mad Libs Catchphrase: Worst/Best __ Ever.
 * Proud to Be A Geek: "Life well spent!"
 * Although in one Treehouse of Horror episode, Comic Book Guys admits "I've wasted my life" the instant before he killed by a neutron bomb.
 * Take That: The writers of the Simpsons sometimes use Comic Book Guy to lampoon the show's Unpleasable Fanbase.

Bart: Hey, I know it wasn’t great, but what right do you have to complain?

Comic Book Guy: As a loyal viewer, I feel they owe me.

Bart: For what? They’ve given you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? If anything, you owe them.

Comic Book Guy: Worst. Episode. Ever."

"Bart: How come I've never seen that Itchy & Scratchy before?
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness/Canis Latinicus:

Comic Book Guy: Perhaps because you are prepubescent ignoramus."

""There are a million valid reasons. Which one did you choose?""
 * Straw Fan
 * You're Not My Type: Was ultimately on the receiving end of this from Mrs. Krabappel in "My Big Fat Geek Wedding." He was oddly okay with it.

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
"Owner of the local convience store, "The Kwik-E-Mart", which is open 24/7 and cheap and so attracts plenty of customers despite its rather lacking standards of quality. Renowned as a workaholic, he is eventually partnered off with an arranged marriage and ends up the father of octuplets. Voiced by Hank Azaria."

""Thank you, come again!"
 * Ascended Extra: Was simply the convenience store clerk that only knew the family cause they shopped there. Over time, his screentime grew and he got several focus episodes.
 * Asian Store Owner: Indian, specifically.
 * Bollywood Nerd: Doesn't come up a lot, but he graduated as top of his class in computer science back in Calcutta.
 * Catch Phrase:

"I can't believe you don't shut up!""


 * Determinator: In one early episode, Apu says that the town government should hire more police officers, since he'd be shot 8 times that year. As a result, he almost missed work. Almost.
 * And then there was the time when he managed to work a 96-hour shift without having a break. It ended when he started thinking he was a hummmingbird and tried to drink nectar out of his brother's head.
 * Funny Foreigner
 * Henpecked Husband
 * Immigrant Patriotism
 * Massive Numbered Siblings: When he and Manjula could not concieve a child they underwent IVF and Manjula had octuplets.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Cheats on Manjula with the Squishee lady.

Moe Szyslak
"Famously ugly, surly and hateful owner of Moe's Tavern, the Local Hangout that Homer, Carl, Lenny and Barney frequent. Has a softer side under his crustiness. Voiced by Hank Azaria."

""They called me Kid Gorgeous. Then I was Kid Presentable. Then Kid Gruesome. Then finally, Kid Moe.""
 * Accent Relapse: Even though he is not a spy.
 * Back-Alley Doctor
 * The Bartender
 * Deep-Fried Whatever: Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag
 * Driven to Suicide: Not quite, but later episodes do have Moe trying to kill himself so much that Suicide Prevention has blocked his number. It is also implied at least once that the only reason why he constantly attempts to commit suicide is because Reverend Lovejoy keeps on telling him that he has nothing to live for.
 * Flanderization
 * Friend to All Children: He is probably the nicest guy to ever babysit Maggie.
 * Moe also reads classic literature to children at a homeless shelter on Wednesday nights.
 * Gonk
 * I Was Quite a Looker: Then he started boxing, which is the explanation for why he became so ugly that women find him repulsive.


 * Informed Deformity: While Moe is quite odd-looking compared to other characters, people act like he's hideous and even inhuman.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Despite his somewhat angry attitude at times, he does show a soft spot towards children and his close friends and customers.
 * The Other Marty: Originally voiced in his first appearance by Christopher Collins, but Azaria dubbed over all his lines as Moe.
 * Parental Neglect: Implied with, "Oh Papa, why didn't you ever hug me? I've seen you hug everbody - even the mailman!"
 * Punny Name: Not Moe himself, but he's always being asked for Al Koholik, Ivana Tinkel, and Hugh Jass.
 * Stalker With a Crush: On Midge... er, Marge.
 * Think of the Children
 * Trapped By Gambling Debts

Kent Brockman
""Now, at the risk of being unpopular, this reporter places the blame squarely on you, the viewers!""

- $pringfield (Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Legalised Gambling]]|undefined

"The primary reporter for the local TV News channel. Voiced by Harry Shearer."


 * Delusions of Local Grandeur
 * Kent Brockman News: The Trope Namer himself.
 * The Quisling: One memorable episode where he, for one, "welcome(d) our new insect overlords".

Herschel "Krusty the Klown" Krustofsky
"The most famous celebrity in Springfield, due to being the host of the city's favorite children's entertainment program, "The Krusty the Klown Show". Born an Orthodox Jew, he was estranged from his Rabbi father due to his wanting to be a clown instead of following in his father's footsteps. Originally an optimistic fellow who just wanted to help people laugh, years in the ugly reality of showbusiness have left him grizzled, sarcastic, jaded and indifferent, striving only to make as much money as possible. Voiced by Dan Castellaneta."


 * Ambiguously Jewish: Later confirmed.
 * Catch Phrase: "Hey hey, kids!"
 * Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: "Let's just say that (Burns' film) moved me...TO A BIGGER HOUSE!"
 * Hates the Job, Loves The Limelight
 * The Hyena: He has a very hard time staying serious during an interview with Kent Brockman; he is issued a First Name Ultimatum.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Monster Clown: Krusty has the uncanny ability to sometimes cause heart attacks in people with pacemakers. He even has one himself.
 * One episode had him show his audience what he would like in HD. They screamed.
 * OOC Is Serious Business: What happens when Krusty is framed.

Melvin Van Horne (Sideshow Mel)
"Krusty's sidekick on his TV show, a replacement for Sideshow Bob, Melvin Van Horne plays the part of an inarticulate caveman on stage, but is actually a very refined, dignified intellectual in his private life. Voiced by Dan Castellaneta."

"Smithers: Mr. Burns was the closest thing I ever had to...a friend. But he fired me! And now I spend my days drinking cheap scotch and watching Comedy Central!
 * Butt Monkey: He gets his moments, mainly with Krusty and the Krusty show. He doesn't learn to give up though and look for the good things in life.
 * Classically-Trained Extra: Like Sideshow Bob before him.
 * Genre Savvy: In the "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" episodes:

(later)

Sideshow Mel: Hmm...at the town meeting, [Mr. Smithers] mentioned that he watched Comedy Central. I made sure to note that, as it seemed quite unusual."


 * Nice Guy
 * The Voiceless: When he first showed up in Season 2, he only communicated with his horn. He starts speaking in Season 3, with his first voice-over being triumphantly singing in "Radio Bart."
 * Walking Shirtless Scene: And pants-less too!

Rainier Wolfcastle
"A German who moved to Springfield and became an action movie star, Rainier Wolfcastle is legendary for the over-the-top nature of his movies and his bad acting. Voiced by Harry Shearer."


 * The Ahnold: Of the man the trope is named after no less. He is one of the best known examples and currently the image on the trope page.
 * Catch Phrase: Mendoooozaa!!!
 * Chewing the Scenery: Inverted. He's almost hilariously deadpan and monotonal in most of his appearances. Perhaps as an enforced case of Bad Bad Acting.
 * Goggles Do Nothing: The Trope Namer
 * I Am Not Shazam: He is sometimes called McBain by those not too familiar with this character. (In Universe similarly.) See Show Within a Show.
 * Show Within a Show: Type II. A hilariously well-hidden example that spoofs hardboiled Cowboy Cop and 80's action flicks.

Troy McClure
"An aging actor who starred in an incredibly wide variety of B-movies and short-lived serials, who frequently reminds people of the flicks he has starred in as a way to try and cling to a sense of still being a bigshot actor. Voiced by Phil Hartman."

"Lisa: You let us stay up to watch Troy McClure in such other bible epics as David vs. Super-Goliath and Suddenly Last Supper!"
 * But You Screw One Goat!: Its thought that he gives "sleeping with the fishes" a new name.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: All of Hartman's characters were retired after his death, as production thought it would be in poor taste to simply replace him. (The fact that his children would be watching was often cited.) There is the very rare occasion where they will turn up in the background, though.
 * Mad Libs Catchphrase: "Hi, I'm Troy McClure! You may remember me from such [genre he's currently appearing in]s as [title X] and [title Y]." A few episodes play with this:
 * In "Das Bus", he only appears in-character on a TV movie based on the story of Noah's Ark. When Marge walks in and tells the family to get to bed, Lisa had this line:

"McMahon: Hi, I'm Ed McMahon! Tonight on FOX, from the producers of When Skirts Fall Off, and Secrets of National Security Revealed, it's World's Deadliest Executions!"
 * In "Treehouse of Horror IX", he was supposed to host a special on executions. When he was replaced with guest star Ed Mc Mahon after Phil Hartman died, we get this greeting:


 * The Other Darrin: In an early episode, Dan Castellaneta did a line of dialogue for him (presumably because Hartman was unavailable or the cost to just have him do one line).
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Because he's an actor. A number of his appearances are simply different projects he's done.
 * You Might Remember Me From: The Trope Namer.

Drederick Tatum
"Voiced by: Hank Azaria"


 * Badass: He manages to stop a prison riot by politely asking that everyone quiet down. (Even the guards back away out of fear.) In a later episode, Homer breaks his jaw getting punched in the face by a statue of him.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's a dead ringer for Mike Tyson.

Principal W. Seymour Skinner
""Elementary school is where I wound up, and it's too late to do anything about that!""

- Lisa's Rival

"The highly put upon principal of Springfield Elementary School, a former Army officer and Vietnam survivor, harrassed by Bart Simpson, put upon by his Superintendent, challenged by his groundskeeper, and under the thumb of his domineering, overbearing mother. Voiced by Harry Shearer."

"Skinner: Welcome kindergarteners, I'm Principal Sinner-- Skinner! (kindergarteners laugh) Well, that's it. I've lost them forever."
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: You don't believe that a momma's boy like him can beat up two of Disney Corporation's goons.
 * Dean Bitterman
 * Determinator: Once parodied The Terminator. See "Non-Giving-Up-School Guy"
 * Former Teen Rebel: Was a worse prankster than Bart in his youth.
 * Malaproper: He was quite prone to these in his early appearances:

"Skinner: I've been hoping I could find something that would be named after me.
 * Momma's Boy: Which leads to...
 * My Beloved Smother: Trope Namer; he lives with, and is co-dependent with, his mom.
 * Non-Giving-Up-School Guy: Trope Namer.
 * Noodle Incident:

Bart: And you've never found anything?

Skinner: Once. But by the time I got to the phone, my discovery had already been reported by Principal Kohoutek. I got back at him, though... him and that little boy of his."


 * Retired Badass: Former army sergeant.
 * He also mentions in one episode that he's an ex-Green Beret (US Army Special Forces).
 * Shell-Shocked Veteran: Parodied. Frequently has flashbacks to his experiences in Vietnam.
 * Stern Teacher: He has it in for Bart Simpson, but it's hard to blame him when you realize just what Bart's put him through for so long. He's generally a lot nicer to the other students, and can even be civil to Bart when the latter isn't pranking him.
 * That Came Out Wrong: "This is our last chance to bone up. And bone we will!"
 * After the kids trap him in the dodgeball sack and the class hamster Nibbles helps rescue them. "Good work Nibbles! Now, chew through my ballsack!" The hamster gives him a squicked expression, then runs away.

Edna Krabappel


"The emotionally scarred, bitterly sarcastic teacher unfortunate enough to teach the very class that Bart Simpson attends. The two are fierce enemies, but their relationship is not totally hostile, and Bart has tried to help her on a few occasions. She even receives an award and recognition amongst the education circles when Bart reveals he is not merely some urban myth and that Mrs. Krabappel has survived being his teacher. Voiced by Marcia Wallace."


 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Seymour
 * Broken Bird: She hasn't been the same since Mr. Krabappel left her, and teaching Bart for the past 20 years hasn't helped.
 * Catch Phrase: "Ha!"
 * Christmas Cake
 * Hot Teacher: Arguably. She was presented this way mostly in seasons 2 and 3, but eventually this characterization faded, as she became more sarcastic and bitter.
 * Knight in Sour Armor
 * Lady Drunk: "Dinner for one, wine for three..."
 * Meaningful Name: "Krabappel" is clearly a reference to "crab apple", a species of apple notorious for its bitter, sour taste -- and which is also used in America to denote a person who is extremely bitter, sour, cranky or generally bad-tempered.
 * Mrs. Robinson: Also lampshaded to hell and back.
 * The Snark Knight

Elizabeth Hoover
"Dispassionate teacher of the class that houses both Lisa Simpson and Ralph Wiggum. Voiced by Maggie Roswell (1991-1999; 2002-present); Marcia Mitzman-Gaven (1999-2002)."


 * The Alcoholic: Once graded the kids' "Wind in the Willows" tests with flavored liqueurs (Kahlua and Drambuie).
 * Broken Bird: Has zero passion for her job.

Groundskeeper William "Willie" MacDougal
"Cantankerous Scottish groundskeeper of Springfield Elementary. Voiced by Dan Castellaneta."

"Willie: Brothers and sisters are natural enemies like Englishmen and Scots, or Welshmen and Scots, or Japanese and Scots, or Scots and other Scots! Damn Scots! They ruined Scotland!
 * A Day in The Limelight: "My Fair Laddy"
 * Ascended Extra: Thought to be a one-shot character for "Principal Charming," but Dan Castellaneta's performance led to him coming back and becoming a fixture in the recurring cast.
 * Badass: In "Marge Gets a Job", he fights a timber wolf with nothing but his bare hands.
 * Bonnie Scotland
 * The Caligula: Was implied to have tendencies of this when he decides to run for Mayor in one episode (don't ask). During his election speech, he admits that the very first thing he's going to do when he is elected Mayor is kill everyone in Springfield and then torch the town itself to the ground. And yes, he definitely was aware that the mic was still on, so he was honestly promising this to the public and not just joking.
 * Cannot Tell a Joke: His comedy routine about Scottish golfers.
 * Covert Pervert: Was revealed in the season six episode "Homer Badman" (the episode where Homer is accused of sexually harassing a babysitter by grabbing her butt and calling her "Precious Venus") to be a camera-toting Peeping Tom. ("But every Scotsman does it!")
 * Culture Equals Costume: Frequently seen in a kilt and plaid hat.
 * Fan Disservice: His kilt is often portrayed as this.
 * Although his occasional shirtless scenes reveal he's ripped like no one else in Springfield (except for maybe Ned).
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Funny Foreigner
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: Oh, so many examples of this.

Skinner: You Scots sure are a cantankerous bunch.

Willie: Ya just made an enemy for life!"

""Ya used me Skinner! YA USED ME!""
 * Multiple Choice Past He hails from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Loch Ness, and North Kilt-Town.
 * Once while recounting a miner's strike and cave-in: "Nobody made it out alive, not even Willie!"
 * He also claimed his father was hung for stealing a pig, but his father is shown to be very much alive in a later episode.
 * Third Person Person: Occasionally.
 * Unwitting Pawn: After he finds out Skinner made up Scotchtoberfest as a sting for Bart.

"Homer: I can't believe everyone was in on it.
 * In "The Great Money Caper," Willie stands trial and is found guilty for stealing Homer's car. Homer and Bart had actually been grifting, lost the car to a better grifter and lied about it. However, everything was a con by Marge, Lisa and the townspeople to teach them a lesson about grifting.

Willie: WILLIE WASN'T!"


 * Violent Glaswegian

Superintendent Gary Chalmers
"The Board of Education superior to Principal Skinners, and thusly the man who has to show up at Springfield Elementary to investigate the goings on there. Voiced by Hank Azaria."


 * Big Word Shout
 * Catch Phrase: "SKIN-NER!"
 * Genre Savvy: He calls out virtually every single trick or excuse that Skinner tries to pull on him.
 * Only Sane Man: The writers have noted unlike other characters, Chalmers is above the zaniness of the other characters and is a (relatively) normal guy, aside from his pathological habit of bellowing any word that sounds even remotely like 'SKI-NEEER!.
 * Say My Name

Otto Mann
"Bart and Lisa's bus driver. Although he seems to be an unambitious loser, Bart idolizes him. Voiced by: Harry Shearer."


 * The Alcoholic: When introducing himself to an Alcoholics Anonymous group, Otto says "My name is Otto, I love to get blotto!"
 * Catch Phrase: "All right!"
 * Defictionalization: Otto's Bus Man comic from "Three Men and a Comic Book" was later made into a back-up story in Simpsons Comics
 * Genius Ditz: Although he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, it is shown from time to time that Otto has artistic talent. He is a very skilled guitar player, and he even created his own comic book called "Bus Man" about a bus driver who fights vampires in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. He's also an excellent bowler. And he almost got tenure at Brown.
 * Last-Second Word Swap: From The Mook, the Chef, The Wife and Her Homer: "Fuuuuu...nk."
 * Metalhead: Otto is passionate about Heavy Metal and Classic Rock music, to the point where he actually left his bride at the altar because she tried to make him give up Heavy Metal.
 * Military Brat: Otto's father is an Admiral in the United States Navy who disapproves of his lazy, pot-smoking son.
 * Species Surname: Rare human example.
 * The Stoner: When viewed under a microscope in The Seven-Beer Snitch, Otto's urine sample contains so many illegal drugs that it resembles a scene from The Beatles film Yellow Submarine.

Nelson Muntz
"Originally the worst bully in Springfield Elementary, the closest thing Bart had to an archnemesis of his own age and the leader of Jimbo, Kerney and Dorf. As the seasons passed, though, he became more sympathetic and eventually began to clean up his act. As a result, his broken home started mending itself. Voiced by Nancy Cartwright."


 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: His short-lived romance with Lisa.
 * Anti-Hero: Type IV or V.
 * Catch Phrase: "Haw haw!"
 * Character Development: Though it lead to Menace Decay, Nelson has become softer and is often one of Bart's friends now, while the position of bullying tormentor have been passed onto Jimbo, Kerney and Dorf. Nelson's mother meanwhile cleaned up her act, and his Disappeared Dad came back.
 * Enemy Mine: A couple of times has had to work with Martin - much to his chagrin.
 * Freudian Excuse: The main reason why Nelson is the way he is is because he is from a poor neighborhood, is neglected by his mother, has a Disappeared Dad, and is looked down upon by his peers and teachers even though he is implied to have high potential.
 * Genius Bruiser: He is large, and noted above, he is implied to have high potential (although the school fails to recognize it). He also was once shown to be very good at planning, actually giving Marge some tips on how to organize a method to get rid of a sport when she decided to get rid of mixed wrestling.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Kids Are Cruel: Initially.
 * Menace Decay: The Nelson of today is whimpy and pathetic compared to the Nelson of the earlier episodes. In a very early episode he was so fearsome Bart had to band together an army to stand up to him because the school was so terrified of him, and before that he regularly beat Bart bloody after school.
 * Parental Abandonment
 * Pet the Dog: Usually towards Lisa. When he goes to live with the Simpsons for a time, he sees that Sherri and Terri's constant teasing has really affected her, so he proceeds to bully/prank them.

Ralph Wiggum
"Police Chief Wiggum's only son, heavily implied to be mentally disabled to some degree. Voiced by Nancy Cartwright."


 * A Day in The Limelight: "I Love Lisa", "This Little Wiggy", and, to an extent, "E. Pluribus Wiggum".
 * Ambiguously Gay: "I like men now!". Though he did love Lisa...
 * Determinator: Ralph is too scared to enter the abandoned prison in "This Little Wiggy", until the bullies steal the police master key and throw it in. Ralph ignores his fear and enters the prison to get the key. Bart congratulates him for it.
 * The Ditz
 * Flanderization: Ralph actually had an intelligent side in the early seasons but this disappeared in later episodes.
 * Genius Ditz: Despite being...well...TheDitz, Ralph is an amazingly talented actor (I Love Lisa), tap dancer (Last Tap Dance in Springfield) and nose flutist (Round Springfield).
 * Throw the Dog A Bone: At the end of "This Little Wiggy," Bart, Homer and Marge congratulate Ralph for saving the day, even though it was Lisa's plan. Lisa goes along with it after Bart says, "C'mon, let him have this one, Lis. After all, it's Ralph."
 * Vague Age: In "The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase", Chief Wiggum describes him as "between the ages of six and ten".

Terri and Sherri
"Voiced by Russi Taylor"


 * Alpha Bitch
 * Creepy Twins
 * Flanderization: While Sherri and Terri weren't exactly the nicest girls, nowadays they seem to pretty much hate anyone who's not them. They didn't even become suddenly afraid when Michael turned out to be the son of Fat Tony.
 * Single-Minded Twins

Martin Prince
The school's biggest nerd, regarded as being even more of a geek and a teacher's pet than Lisa Simpson. Voiced by Russi Taylor.


 * Bi the Way: In an Imagine Spot, he sees himself as the star basketball player, with a female cheerleader on one arm and a male cheerleader on the other.
 * School Newspaper Newshound: Sometimes.
 * Spock Speak
 * TV Genius

Milhouse Van Houten
"Bart's closest friend, who acquires a bit of protection from his nerdy nature by being so close to the class clown and mayhem expert. Voiced by Pamela Hayden."

"Lisa: I feel kind of weird wearing white, Mom. You know, Milhouse...
 * Anchored Ship:
 * Butt Monkey: Milhouse has suffered everything from inheriting Bart's permanent record (which will disqualify him from all but the hottest and noisiest jobs) to being beaten into a coma by Nelson after he mistakes a love note Milhouse passes him from Lisa as coming from Milhouse himself, to having his manliness insulted in an episode set in the future when an adult Lisa is about to get married:

Marge: Oh, Milhouse doesn't count.

They both laugh"


 * Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Lisa.
 * Forced Meme: Was one on 4chan for a while, leading to the meme "Milhouse is not a meme."
 * Future Badass: First subverted but then straight. "Bart to the Future" reveals that he'll look just as his father in his adult years. Then the episode "Future-Drama" reveals that Milhouse'll become a muscular, shorter version of He-Man in his teens.
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Bart's Manly Man.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Reverend Timothy Lovejoy


"The preacher at the church that the Simpsons family and the Flanders family attend. He really doesn't care much about his job or his "flock" at all, and can even be read as not actually being that religious, is often no more reasonable on religious matters then Springfield's other religious characters -- he just usually has ulterior motives, typically relating to increasing the money he gets from the church. It's revealed that his original caring nature and sincere drive to help his congregation was basically eroded by coming into contact with Ned Flanders and his fixation on being a "proper" Christian. Voiced by Harry Shearer."

"And that's when I got mad."
 * Badass Preacher: Has saved Homer's life on at least one occasion, as well as Flanders in another occasion.
 * Christianity Is Catholic: Averted. Although he wears a clerical collar, the church the Simpsons belong to is a weird pastiche of Protestantism.
 * In fact, he does get into a nasty brawl with an Irish Priest after the two quarrel about the subject of Catholic vs. Protestant practices.
 * Hiding Behind Religion
 * Jade-Colored Glasses: After Ned's constant whining got to him, he just stopped caring.
 * Let's Get Dangerous: His description of his fight with the baboons at the zoo.


 * Parental Neglect: Apparently the reason why Jessica Lovejoy was not a good girl.
 * Playing With Fire: It is implied throughout the show that he has pyromaniacal tendencies: Namely, he is overly enthusiastic about burnings (such as burning Krusty merchandise when Krusty was framed, or when he got a van that was used solely for burning books besides the obvious use of actually driving it), and was also hinted to have set gasoline in the church and set it on fire possibly to get the insurance covered on it at least once beforehand.
 * Preacher Man
 * Rail Enthusiast
 * The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes

Helen Lovejoy
"Reverend Lovejoy's snooping, interfering, gossipy busy-body of a wife. Voiced by Maggie Roswell and Marcia Mitzman Gaven."


 * Bifauxen: The Pastor, when visiting Reverend Lovejoy to break the bad news that he was, for three months, acting as Minister without a license, implies that Helen Lovejoy may have been a transsexual. Of course, this is contradicted with her giving birth to Jessica, not to mention her being a girl at age 10.
 * Think of the Children: Trope Namer
 * Gossipy Hens

Jessica Lovejoy
"Reverend and Helen Lovejoy's daughter, who feigns being as sweet and pleasant a girl as one would expect of a Reverend's daughter, but who is actually such a bad girl she unnerves Bart. Voiced by Meryl Streep."


 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 * Freudian Excuse: Apparently the reason she acts like a total bad girl is because she craved attention, due to her father not giving her any.
 * Manipulative Bitch
 * Preacher's Kid
 * Smug Snake
 * The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes

Itchy
"The psychotic mouse member of the cartoon duo, a clear expy-cum-parody of Jerry at his most Jerkass. He is usually the antagonist, and always brutally slaughters Scratchy in the show, no matter how little Scratchy may have done to deserve it."


 * Amazing Technicolor Wildlife
 * Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal
 * Karma Houdini
 * Rodents of Unusual Size
 * White Gloves
 * You Gotta Have Blue Fur

Scratchy
"The cat member of the Tom and Jerry parodying Show Within a Show, Scratchy is almost never a bad person in his depictions, but invariably suffers nightmarish deaths at Itchy's hands."


 * Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: He only wears White Gloves
 * Cruel and Unusual Death: He suffers one Once Per Episode
 * Furry Confusion: When he and Snowball II show up together in Treehouse of Horror IX segment, "The Terror of Tiny Toon."
 * Humanoid Female Animal: Inverted to the point of Furry Confusion when he and Snowball II show up together in Treehouse of Horror IX segment, "The Terror of Tiny Toon."
 * But played straight in the "Grand Theft Scratchy" segment of The Simpsons Game. The orange female prostitute cats look more humanoid than Scratchy.
 * Offscreen Moment of Awesome: There was an episode where he finally got even with Itchy, featured in "Homer Goes to College". Unfortunately, Bart and Lisa, and consequently the viewer, don't get to see it as the television is unplugged by one of the nerds currently living with the Simpsons (they needed the outlet for their rock tumbler). Once they got the TV plugged back in, the short is over and Krusty excitedly claims, "They'll never let us show that again! Not in a million years!"
 * The Chew Toy
 * They Killed Kenny
 * White Gloves

Poochie
"Homer's attempt at designing a new character to boost interest in the Itchy & Scratchy Show, who became loathed by the fanbase and was promptly removed with all speed."

""TO THE EXTREME!""
 * Barefoot Cartoon Animal: When he is not wearing shoes.
 * Fully-Dressed Cartoon Animal: When he is wearing shoes.
 * Nice Hat
 * Remember the New Guy
 * Shoo Out the New Guy: Former Trope Namer of The Poochie.
 * The Scrappy: In Universe.
 * Totally Radical: Parodied

Robert Underdunk Terwilliger (Sideshow Bob)


"A man cursed to have both huge feet (standard floppy clown shoes fit him perfectly) and a natural hairstyle like a palm tree while also having the mind of a keen intellectual, he was, while originally not interested in becoming a performer, coaxed into joining the Krusty The Clown Show with the prospect of appealing to a huge audience of children with his own brand of edutainment. To his horror, though, his ideas were all ignored and he became the abused straight-man for Krusty's lowbrow slapstick. Jealousy and resentment eventually led to him framing Krusty and then assuming control over the show while Krusty was imprisoned, but Bart Simpson exposed him and sent him to prison. As a result, he carries a murderous grudge against both his former "partner" and the Simpson boy. Voiced by Kelsey Grammer."

"Bob: You...you saved my life.
 * Actor Allusion: He and his family are voiced by cast members from Frasier
 * When hired as school announcer, he claims to have always had an interest in a radio career.
 * In "The Bob Next Door," Homer and Marge note that Sideshow Bob sounds like "Frasier on Cheers" and "Frasier on Frasier" and "Tom Dodge in Down Periscope".
 * Affably Evil
 * Anime Hair
 * Arch Enemy: To Bart.
 * And rakes.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Butt Monkey: Many of his appearances involve some physical or mental suffering. "Cape Feare" may be the best example, given what he goes through under the car or when a parade (complete with several elephants) tramples him.
 * Catch Phrase: "Hello, Bart".
 * Camp Straight
 * Classically-Trained Extra: Much to his dismay.
 * Even Evil Has Standards
 * Eviler Than Thou: His brother Cecil.
 * Evil Redhead
 * Expy: Some viewers see Sideshow Bob as an awful lot like Frasier Crane. Only he doesn't have a radio show, he's more successful at romance, and he's a crazy maniac (albeit one with very good manners) who wants to kill Bart.
 * Failure Is the Only Option: His plans to kill Bart.
 * Hates the Job, Loves The Limelight: This trope is what led to Bob's Start of Darkness. He accepted Krusty's job offer because he originally wanted to do a show that would be both entertaining and enlightening to the children who watched it, but his talents were utterly wasted on Krusty's lowbrow slapstick. Finally having enough, he framed Krusty for armed robbery so he could take over the show and remold it into what he wanted to do. Bob had finally realized his dream, and his show was earning great ratings...and then Bart exposed him for framing Krusty. Ouch.
 * And while he hated the indignity of being the put-upon sidekick, when Krusty accidentally erased all those old episodes, Sideshow Bob vowed revenge for him erasing his past.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Does he still want Bart dead or not?!

Bart: Yeah, I guess that means you can't ever try to kill me again!

Bob: Oh, I don't know about that... Joking, joking!"

"Bart: "Oh, it's you Bob. How ya doin'?"
 * Hypocrisy Nod: "I'm aware of the irony of appearing on TV in order to decry it, so don't bother pointing that out."
 * Knight of Cerebus
 * Large Ham
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Monster Clown: Well, ex-clown.
 * Motive Decay: While he's almost always intended to kill Bart out of revenge for foiling his schemes, he goes so far as to side with his brother against him, even though his brother tried to kill him, embezzle a lot of money, destroy the town, and frame Bob for the latter two. Meanwhile, Bob and Bart seemingly made up during that period. If anything, he should want revenge on Cecil.
 * Phrase Catcher: AAAGH! Sideshow Bob!
 * "Oh, please children. We've known each other so long, just call me Bob."
 * AAAGH! Bob!
 * Reformed but Rejected: Sideshow Bob really tried to live a honest life in "Brother from Another Series", but Chief Wiggum stubbornly refused to believe him to be innocent regarding Cecil's plot in that episode.
 * Status Quo Is God: He will always have a venomous hatred of Bart and Krusty, despite having made up with each of them at least once. He interestingly holds nothing against the rest of the Simpson family despite a increasingly similar amount of suffering they have caused (Lisa has arguably became more pivotal in foiling his plans than Bart), and even publicly states his desire to kill Bart and only Bart. He's even sided with his brother Cecil against Bart, even though Cecil tried to frame and murder him and Bart saved Bob's life from Cecil.
 * Too Dumb to Live: In one episode, while on a houseboat, he honors Bart's last request to sing the entire score to the H.M.S. Pinafore. During this time, they pass the cops.
 * Vile Villain Saccharine Show
 * Villain Decay: Averted, but lampshaded. Bob is always devious and brilliant, but Bart has foiled his plans so often he isn't as afraid of him as he was in his first few appearances.

Bob: "No scream? Not even an 'eep'?"

Bart: "Hey I'm not afraid of you, every time we tango you end up in jail, I'm 6-0.""


 * Wicked Cultured
 * You Meddling Kids: "Krusty Gets Busted".

Gil Gunderson
"Voiced by: Dan Castellaneta"

"Gil: Oh, Ol' Gil's gonna collect big from insurance. I'll be eating food tonight!"
 * Alliterative Name
 * Ascended Extra: Ol' Gil was expected to be a one-shot character in "Realty Bites." However, Dan Castellaneta was reportedly so funny at that episode's table read, the writers wanted to keep bringing the character back.
 * Butt Monkey
 * The Chew Toy
 * Expy: In his original appearances, he was a parody of Shelly "The Machine" Levene from Glengarry Glen Ross.
 * Straw Loser: Say what you will about Moe or Comic Book Guy, but at least they have a steady income and a roof over their heads. Gil will never have the former, and he's lucky whenever he gets the latter. He really seems to be at the bottom of the social ladder nearly all the time.


 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Since Phil Hartman's death, the Simpson family has been hiring Gil as their lawyer instead of Lionel Hutz.
 * Unexplained Recovery: Gil was shot and apparently killed in Season 19's "I Don't Wanna Know Why The Caged Bird Sings." No explanation is given for his return/survival.

Professor John Frink, Jr.
"Local mad scientist and nerdy genius. Voiced by Hank Azaria."


 * Bungling Inventor: Several of his inventions have malfunctioned, with hilarious results.
 * Depending On the Writer: Sometimes Professor Frink's inventions malfunction, and other times they work perfectly well, depending on the needs of the plot. The self-tapping dance shoes he invented for Lisa ended up going out of control, but the auto-dialling machine that Homer used in his electric panhandling scheme worked just fine.
 * Expy: Of Jerry Lewis' character in The Nutty Professor. To the point where Lewis himself voiced Frink's father, John Frink Sr., in "Treehouse of Horror XIV".
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * Mad Scientist
 * Verbal Tic: The "Frink noise"

Shauna Tifton A.K.A. Princess Kashmir

 * Background Character: Is usually this, except for the "Homer's Night Out" episode
 * Belly Dancer: She's dressed as a belly dancer for a bachelor party on the season one episode, "Homer's Night Out" and has often appeared in her belly dancer garb in other episodes.
 * Hidden Depths: Homer introduces Bart to her (at Marge's request), to show him that women are not mindless sex objects.
 * What Exactly Is His Job?: Works at every gentlemen's club in Springfield, under several different stage names.

Kang and Kodos
"Cyclopian aliens resembling giant green heads on writhing octopus tentacles, these two aliens from Rigel IV make guest appearances in some episodes but are most prominent in the "Simpson's Halloween" episodes, which are non-canonical horror analogies."


 * Aliens Speaking English: Rigellian coincidentally sounds just like English
 * Cyclops
 * Halloween Episode: Traditionally, they've appeared in every installment, whether cameo appearence or part of the plot in a Halloween story(TOH I: "Hungry are they Dammed", TOH VI: "Citizen Kang", TOH IX: "Starship Poopers").
 * Naughty Tentacles: Averted. They impregnate Marge by zapping her with a special ray gun instead of actually having sex with her.
 * Starfish Aliens
 * What Could Have Been: Interviews revealed that they were originally going to be regulars and only Homer could see them, but that proved "too weird," so they were moved to the Halloween specials. This is occasionally alluded to when they express bitterness at only showing up on Halloween, and eagerly accept a contract to do a commercial for Old Navy clothing when they decide that "work is work".

Rich Texan

 * Americans Are Cowboys
 * Catch Phrase: Yeeeeahaw!
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Everything Is Big in Texas
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Subverted. Rich Texan is his actual name. He even has a teenaged daughter named Paris Texan. (It helps that "Rich" as a name is short for "Richard".)
 * Fat Sweaty Southerner in A White Suit
 * Guns Akimbo
 * Reckless Gun Usage
 * Rich in Dollars, Poor In Sense: In one of the first episodes he appeared in, he was representing a group of oil tycoons who make foolish purchases. Some of their past "investments" included a stained-glass bathrobe, and the world's fattest racehorse.
 * Strawman Political: Along with post-Flanderization Ned, he serves as the show's primary target for TakeThats directed at Republicans/conservatives.
 * How much he is one is debatable, as he did once mention that he's going to tell his gay son that he loves him.
 * Truth in Television: Dick Cheney (one of the most conservative Republicans around) loves his gay daughter dearly and is a big supporter of gay marriage as a result.

Chief Clancy Wiggum


"Chief of Springfield Police Department, Chief Wiggum is portrayed as lazy, gluttonous, out of shape, incompetent (if not mildly corrupt) and dim-witted. Voiced by Hank Azaria."


 * Anti-Hero: Type I
 * Brilliant but Lazy: The episode Pranksta Rap reveals that if he's motivated enough, he can make some great police work.
 * Dirty Cop
 * Doting Parent / Good Parents: Which trope depends on the episode. His saving grace is his interactions with Ralph: Wiggum is very encouraging of his son, and they have a very close and healthy releationship. Arguably, they're the most well-adjusted parental relationship on the show.
 * Fat Idiot
 * I Owe You My Life: In "Mother Simpson," flashbacks reveal Wiggum had asthma, but Mona and her group's releasing Burns' germs cured him - allowing him to join the police academy. Years later, he repaid the favor by tipping Homer off about the authorities coming for Mona.
 * Inspector Javert: Sometimes.
 * Inspector Lestrade: When Bart or Lisa play Amateur Sleuth.
 * Police Are Useless
 * Stripper Cop Confusion: Went along with it for the money.
 * Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Sometimes, when played sympathetically.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Earlier in the show, he had black hair. Became blue as the show evolved in later seasons.

Joseph "Diamond Joe" Quimby
"Springfield's mayor and head of a rich and politically influential clan. Known for his womanizing, general corruption and for changing his political stance at the drop of a hat if he thinks it will increase his popularity with the voters. Voiced by Dan Castellaneta."


 * American Accents: Joe Quimby and his family speak in a broad Boston (Kennedese) accent, humorously picked up on by Jon Stewart whenever he's discussing the Kennedys.
 * Corrupt Politician
 * Even Corrupt Politicians Has Standards: Quimby maybe just as corrupt as Mr. Burns, but he even was upset with Burns' plot to block out the sun in order to power the city from his nuclear plant for a price.
 * Fat Idiot
 * I Take Offense to That Last One: Diamond Joe would have you know that though he is a tax-cheat, a wife-swapper and a pot-smoker, he is no longer illiterate.
 * Mayor Pain: Trope Namer for Type B.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: The Quimby clan displays many of the hallmarks of the seamier sides of the Kennedys, although Diamond Joe in some stories also resembles other Democratic politicians, most notably Dukakis in Sideshow Bob Roberts. Mrs. Quimby dresses like Jacqueline Kennedy.
 * Strawman Political: As the series' most prominent recurring Democratic politician, he serves as primary target for TakeThats aimed at Democrats/Liberals.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Has a wife, but has had several gazillion different mistresses throughout the series.

Fat Tony


"Head of the Springfield Mafia. Voiced by Joe Mantegna."


 * Exact Words: Fat Tony loves invoking these tropes: One instance is when, after Homer lost some money he borrowed from him in a football bet, Fat Tony, who learned of this, stated that Homer shouldn't worry, as he's sure that they'll "hammer out a payment plan." When he said "hammer out" a payment plan, he meant this literally, and certainly wasn't kidding, as he meant that he was going to have his goons restrain Homer and whack his right hand with a hammer multiple times.
 * Faux Affably Evil
 * : But.
 * The Mafia
 * : Because Status Quo Is God,
 * The Other Darrin: Phil Hartman voiced him for one line in "A Fish Called Selma".
 * Retcon: His name. It was eventually changed to Fat Tony D'amico.
 * They Killed Kenny: See Killed Off for Real.

Snake Jailbird
"A recurring petty thug and minor crook, most often seen mugging people or holding up the Kwik-E-Mart. Voiced by Hank Azaria."


 * Affably Evil: In more recent seasons.
 * Anti-Villain: Again, in more recent seasons.
 * "Goodbye, student loan payments!"
 * Catch Phrase: "Bye!"
 * Despair Event Horizon: In "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", stolen Maya coins that Snake was going to bring to the Springfield museum, which caused him to turn to a life of crime as shopkeepers and cashiers. Snake was an archaeologist when it happened, so his life of crime is revenge out on convenience stores.
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Has a Generation Xerox son, and a long-term girlfriend
 * Known Only By Their Nickname: He's has been called Snake Jailbird since he was a teenager, first by Clancy Wiggum.
 * Embarrassing First Name: His real name is Chester, but he's likely got used to being called Snake.
 * Perma Stubble
 * The Smart Guy: Is actually an archaeologist, but became a thief
 * Surfer Dude: Well, he has the accent, anyway.
 * Unholy Matrimony: Is often seen with his girlfriend, Gloria, who left him for Mr. Burns, but then came back when she saw that Mr. Burns was truly evil, not just a bad boy like Snake.
 * Villains Out Shopping

Lindsey Naegle
"Voiced by: Tress MacNeille"


 * The Alcoholic
 * Children Are a Waste: Believes this, and even starts a group for the child-free citizens of Springfield
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Because she's a sexual predator.

Lionel Hutz
"Voiced by: Phil Hartman"

"Marge: You know, we should really stop hiring him."
 * The Alcoholic: As implied in "Marge in Chains." He even argued his case before the court and was then informed he wasn't wearing any pants.
 * He's also seen drinking scotch at nine-thirty in the morning. In front of clients, no less.
 * Ambulance Chaser: In "Bart Gets Hit By a Car," Homer says upon meeting him, "You were the guy chasing Bart's ambulance."
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Averted. He's eccentric, odd and sleazy. And really, really bad at his job.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: All of Hartman's characters were retired after his death, as production thought it would be in poor taste to simply replace him. (The fact that his children would be watching was often cited.) There is the very rare occasion where they will turn up in the background, though.
 * Frivolous Lawsuit: His usual thing. Heck, he once sued the makers of The Neverending Story for false advertising.
 * Make the Dog Testify: Does this occasionally
 * Ultimate Job Security: Frequently lost his cases, but kept getting hired by Homer and Marge regardless. Lampshaded:


 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: He started as a lawyer and later became a real estate agent (As many of his clients end up losing their houses).