14 Things Fox Wants You To Forget About The Simpsons

2. It Was Originally About Bart

The Simpsons Bart
Fox

Ask anyone who the main character of The Simpsons is, and the reply will almost certainly be Homer. He's the face of the show, and quite probably the most well-known and recognisable TV character ever created. Without Homer, The Simpsons wouldn't be going today.

And yet, Homer was never intended to be the central figure of the show. It was originally intended to focus more around Bart, and indeed that's exactly how the first year or two worked, sparking what's referred to as Bartmania.

Bart was, back then, the face of the show: he dominated the merchandise, with an endless array of catchphrases adorning everything from t-shirts to key-rings, and half of the USA singing along to Do The Bartman. Bart was completely taking over, and was so big he could've consumed the entire show. He had the most episodes of the characters earlier on, and it's often credited to Conan O'Brien that the shift away from Bart, and to Homer, Marge, and a more family/town dynamic was made.

That proved a huge turning point for the show - for example Season 4, which is arguably the best it has ever been, featured no episodes with Bart in the title - and it totally moved away from Bartmania.

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Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.