Who's Who? In Springfield
Maintained by Haynes Lee
An exhaustive list of literary, political, historical, television,
military, movie, musical, commercial, and cartoon allusions to
supporting characters in The Simpsons plus geographical
references to Simpsons creator Matt Groening's (MG) home town
Portland, Oregon.
This list was inspired by Deddi Shy's initial list
"Why are characters named the way they're named"
posted December 25, 1996.
Recurring Characters
- Bleeding Gums Murphy:
- Clarence Clemons (sax player for Bruce Springsteen).
- Napoleon Murphy Brock (sax player for Frank Zappa).
- Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1929), a famous country blues artist. {ho}
- Bouvier, Jacqueline:
- Jackie Kennedy-Onassis (née Bouvier).
- Bouvier, Patty & Selma:
- "Female" olympic gold medal winning track & field athlete
Stella Walsh who following
her death was found to be genetically a man from the autopsy.
- Brockman, Kent:
- Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) "Mary Tyler Moore". {rd}
- amalgam of L.A. newscasters Kent Schocknek,
Hal Fischman, Jerry Dunphy, George Putnam. {agd} {gl} {ol} {ds2}
- but looks and acts like Dunphy who played himself in movies
such as "Independence Day".
- John Swartzwelder is from Detroit and maybe fiddled with the
Brockman character to resemble local Detroit (60's-90's) news
personality/raging alcoholic Bill Bonds. Example of Bonds' style:
Bond. {ga}
- Bumble-Bee Guy:
- Chespirito from Miami-based Univision tv network.
{lisa}
- tv show "El Show de Luis De Alba" {lisa}
- John Belushi's snl "Killer Bee" sketch.
- Burns, Charles Montgomery:
- amalgam of tycoons Rupert Murdoch,
Randolph Hearst, Scrooge, Howard Hughes. {t5}
- Charles Foster Kane from "Citizen Kane". {mk}
- voice sounds like Ronald Reagan. {dt}
- in Springfield Illustrated #1, Simpsons producer
David Silverman says Mr. Burns is modeled after
the praying mantis (i.e. his hand rubbing gesture, shape of head).
- Charles Burns, future cartoonist Matt Groening met
while studying at Evergreen State College.
- looks like the very, very rich corporate "baddie", played by actor
John Morrow, in an old "Miami Vice" episode ("Prodigal Son"). {dh}
- looks like Norwegein billionaire Frederic Olsen. {bp}
- in "Meeting of the Minds", a short SF novel by Robert Sheckley
published in the 1960's, there is a minor character named
Monty Byrnes. {dh}
- modelled after and looks like CEO Barry Diller, creator of
Fox Television network. {dh}
- MG said at a 1992 UCLA seminar that Burns got his name from
`radiation burns'. {pj}
- also looks like William Wordsworth as an old man. {mm}
- a pseudonym the ancient Greek hero Odysseus gave himself in
Homer's 'The Odyessy' - Aethon - translates as 'Mr. Burns'. {mi}
- there has always been some disgression in MG's old high school as
to whether or not Mr. Burns was based off of one of the civics
teachers. {sm}
- looks like and has the same ogre-ish tendencies as Cornelius
Vanderbilt (1794-1877), founder of the Pullman Railway Company. {jtv}
- Professor Michael Sandel, who is a famous moral and political
philosopher at Harvard. He is also widely believed to be the
physical model for Mr. Burns (He teaches one of the most popular
classes on campus). While the physical model for Mr. Burns is
Professor Sandel, the personality model is Professor Marty
Feldstein (former economic advisor to Reagan). {mah}
- Very strong rumor that Mr. Burns is based off of a law professor
at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Richard Appel's
(writer for the Simpsons) mother has been the dean at this school
for a very long time. Professor Charles Murdock's mannerisms and
appearance mirror Mr. Burns perfectly. {lr}
- Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) in "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946).
- bears a striking resemblance to the elderly the John D. Rockerfeller. {su}
- "This is pretty under wraps, but Montgomery Burns is actually based on
Former Grand Consul of Sigma Chi Fraternity Dick Hester. Matt Groening,
who is also a Sigma Chi, based the character on him after seeing him give
a speech. That came from The Man's Lips himself."
Hint: Check how many episodes of The Simpsons has the Greek
Letters Sigma Chi in them.-- unidentified source.
- Comic Book Store Guy:
- looks like Simpsons creator Matt Groening
(for more clues see how MG portrays himself in his
"Life in Hell" comic strip). {bv}
- looks like Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder.
- supposed to sound like animator Ralph Bakshi. {kurth}
- largely modeled after the main character, Ignatius Reilly in the
hilarious book "A Confederacy of Dunces". {dm2}
- bootleg video collection similar to that of movie critic and internet
geek Harry Knowles, and looks like him too.
- Matt Groening suggested his name is Louis Lane (similar to Lois Lane of Superman), but this is not considered Simpsons canon.
- real name is Jeff Albertson.
- Delroy, Cletus:
- redneck comedian Jeff Foxworthy.
- satirical country singer Cletus T. Judd.
- Jim Varney, aka "Ernest" in the movies. {jh}
- "The Funky Emperor" in Frank Zappa's big band jazz/concept
album "The Grand Wazoo" from 1972; also the title of a
track from that album ("Cletus Awreetus Awrightus"). In
the liner notes, Cletus has a fantastic army of unemployed
musicians, he wages war on his rival Mediocrates etc. {ae}
- Delroy Wilson of the reggae group Wailing Souls.
-
Disco Stu:
- John Travolta??!!
- sounds like the Fonz (Henry Winkler) "Happy Days".
- amalgam of the slogan "Disco Sucks" and
Rick Dee's hit song "Disco Duck".
- looks like Arnold Horshak from "Welcome Back Kotter".
- looks more like Disco Bean from the movie comedy
"The Search for One-eye Jimmy" (1996). {cs}
- Doris, Lunchlady:
- Fat Tony:
- Joe Mantegna's reprised role from "The Godfather: Part III".
- Don Corelone (Marlon Brando) "The Godfather".
- James Conway (Robert De Niro) "Goodfellas".
- partner Louie sounds like Joe Pesci.
- Fat Tony (Vinny Pastore) in 1990 movie "Backstreet Dreams".
- there is a real-life gangster named Fat Tony. {mm}
- Flanders, Maude:
- Bea Arthur from "Maude"??!!
- Moll Flanders (Kim Novak)
"The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders".
- Maude, Rod & Todd rhymes with "God". {ljg}
- resembles Miss Maudie from "To Kill A Mockingbird" (1962)-
neighbor of the Finches. {am2}
- Flanders, Ned:
- Walter Finlay from "Maude".
- the religious and pious Pat Boone.
- character "Neddie Flanders" mentioned in Truman Capote story who
was this 80 or 90 year old guy in New Orleans, who up until the
mid-seventies appeared in Jackson square, dressed in a tux and
top hat, who would sing and tap dance and play his harmonica. {bg}
- actor Ed Flanders (1934-1995) as possessed priest Father Dyer
in 1990 movie "Exorcist III".
- father Commander Flanders in Hellfish episode similar to
Colonel Flanders (Don Ameche) "Suppose They Gave A War And
Nobody Came".
- father could also be modeled after Donald Sutherland's role of the
beatnik tank commander Oddball in the 1970 movie "Kelly's Heroes".
- folksinger Harold Offenheim who with his his wife and kids
produced a record called "Are we There Yet?". It went under
the name of Sandy Offenheim & Family. Harold had glasses
and a moustache, two kids and some kind of 'earthy'
conviction. On the record he sings things like,
"You won'tilly-won'tilly-won'tilly won't..." {tf}
- Mike Wilson of the KCPQ-TV (in Washington State) Kids Club looks
and sounds exactly like Flanders. {mm}
- looks like Los Angelas KIEV radio talk-show host Michael Medved
who actually claims to be the person Ned Flanders was based upon.
He also holds very conservative religious views. {gr}
- Jerry Landers (John Denver) in "Oh God". Both wore round spectacles
and played folksy guitar. {mr}
-
Frink, Prof. John:
- Jerry Lewis from "The Nutty Professor". {ig}
- lemurs are supposed to say "frink". {ho}
- Joe Frink (Edward Horton) 1941 movie "You're The One"
(Horton was also in Rocky & Bullwinkle).
- name of Simpsons producer.
- the jacker Jargon Book entry is:
frink: /frink/ /v./ The unknown ur-verb, fill in your own
meaning. Found esp. on the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.lemurs,
where it is said that the lemurs know what `frink' means, but they aren't telling.
- Gil:
- Jack Lemmon as burned out real-estate salesman in "Glengarry Glen Ross".
- Jack Lemmon as alcoholic businessman in "Day of Wine and Roses". {ca}
- lead character Willie Lowman from the play "Death of a Salesman".
They are both struggling salesman who can never "bring home the
bacon." Just like Willie Lowman, Gil has a hard time making
sales, and when he DOES have money, he blows it all away. {jc}
- Gumbel, Barney:
- Norm (George Wendt) "Cheers". {tc}
- journalist Bryant Gumbel??!!
(former host of the "Today" show on NBC who has since
moved on to CBS) {jh}
- Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd) "Taxi". {kab}
- Barney Rubble from "The Flintstones". {mb}
- the winter 1993 issue of Simpsons Illustrated stated that
Barney got his name because he was born in a barn. {jh}
(but lives in a bar)
- Harm, Judge Constance:
- Jane Kaczmarek's rendition of Lois from the tv series
"Malcolm in the Middle".
- Cmdr. Harmon 'Harm' Rabb, Jr. from "JAG" tv series.
- "Judge Dredd" movie.
- looks like Judge Judy (and she's mean too).
- Happy Little Elves:
- Smurfs™, Seven Dwarves.
{krusty}
- Herman:
-
German Luftwaffe Chief Hermann Göring??!!
- sounds like ex-President George Bush.
- ... or Jack Nicholson. {jma}
- David Silverman said Herman was based on the guy who actually
wrote the script for the episode "Bart The General".
- Hibbert, Dr. Julias:
- Dr. Huxtable (Bill Cosby).
- reggae singer Frederick "Toots" Hibbert
(also the music store next to Moe's is called King Toots).
(MG loves reggae)
- voice sounds like James Earl Jones. {hl}
- Dr. Hibbert (Robert Horton) 1933 movie "One Precious Year"??!!
- Julias is Harry Shearer's middle name.
- Hoover, Liz:
- "Miss Hoover" was the name of one of
MG's grade school teachers. {mk}
-
Hutz, Lionel:
- Sir Lionel Luckhoo, Q.C., the senior
partner of Luckhoo & Luckhoo, in Georgetown, Guyana, who succeeded
in getting 245 successive murder charge acquittals between 1940
and 1985 (which contrasts with Hutz's career who "has never won a case").
The Guinness Book of Records lists Luckhoo under the category
"most successful lawyer". {hutz}
- Corbin Bernsen from "L.A. Law".
- looks and sounds like the late Phil Hartman (who does his voice).
- secretary named after Della Street (Perry Mason's Secretary). {kab}
- alias "Dr. Noonian Van Falk" recalls the name of Data's
creator/father, "Dr. Noonian Soong".
{star trek:tng}
-
Itchy & Scratchy:
- amalgam of cartoons "Tom & Jerry",
"Herman the Cat" {seminar}, Krazy Kat {t5},
Squeak the Mouse, "Herman and Katnip" {kurth},
Mickey Mouse {krusty}.
- National Lampoon's "Kit n' Kaboodle".
{krusty}
- Itchy Brother and Biggy Rat from
"The King Leonardo Show". (early 1960s) {krusty}
- Jones, Jimbo:
- suicide cult leader Rev. Jim Jones.
- Crispin Glover in 1986 movie "The River's Edge".
- Corky (John Cusack) 1989 movie "Elvis Stories".
- Kodos, Kang & Sarek the Preparer:
-
Star Trek characters Kodos the executioner, Klingon commander
Kang and Spock's father Sarek.
{star trek:tos}
- invaders from Orson Welle's "War of the Worlds".
- look and act like the aliens in Monty Python's "Life of Brian". {ae}
- Rigelians is the name of an alien race in Marvel Comics. {jm3}
- Krabapple, Edna:
- Miss Crabtree from "The Little Rascals".
-
Krusty the Klown:
- amalgam of celebrities Al Jolson, Johnny
Carson, David Letterman, Jerry Lewis {krusty},
Sid Caesar {t5}.
- amalgam of clowns Rusty Nails (MG
childhood clown) {seminar},
Bozo {krusty},
Ronald McDonald.
- cynical, world-weary, chain-smoking
Flunky, the Late Night Viewer Mail Clown
from Letterman (NBC). {rd}
- Portland, Oregon children show host
Ramblin' Rod. {krusty}.
- National Lampoon's "Evil Clown Comics".
{krusty}.
- tv cable show "Crusty's Coop". {krusty}.
- Krusty's first name, Herschel, is after Herschel Ostropoler, the 18th-century Russian-Jewish folk jester. {ds}
- Washington clown J.P. Patches (where MG
lived a few years) who had similar sideshows (Sideshow Mel, Corporal
Punishment, etc.), smoking problem, etc. {rj}
- comedian George Carlin. {kc}
- had similar tax problems as Willie Nelson.
- old Krusty in "Lisa's Wedding" looks alot like Grouch Marx did
at the end of his life. {mkz}
- Binky the Clown (From the "Garfield and Friends" show. He
was a very annoying clown who liked to scare the heck out of
Garfield. {jma}
- has the same pie throwing antics of Soupy Sales.
- Largo, Dewey:
- a slow musical tempo. {ds} {ct}
- Disney's Hewey, Dewey & Lewey.
- Lenny:
- looks like Lenny (Jeremy Piven) 1989 movie "Elvis Stories".
- Lou the cop:
- Hank Azaria bades his voice on Sylvester Stallone.
- Lovejoy, Rev. Timothy:
- looks like Powers Boothe in the lead role of the movie
"Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones".
- also looks like Lenny (Jeremy Piven) 1989 movie "Elvis Stories".
- Malibu Stacey:
-
Mann, Otto:
-
Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn)
from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
(both like to use the word "gnarly").
- looks like Simpsons producer David Silverman.
- 1970s throwback Howard Stern.
- pun on "auto man". {ds}
- the "ottoman" (or couch) which Dick Van Dyke steps around/trips over
in the beginning of "The Dick Van Dyke Show". {to}
(possibly an inspiration for today's couch scenes on the Simpsons)
- the Ottoman empire??!!
- General Mann from "The War Of The Worlds".
- Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors): long dark curly hair,
gruff voice, sounds out of it, plays music. Also Jim's father was
an Admiral in the Navy and Otto said "Me and the admiral don't get
on" when asked about the relationship between him and his father. {dom}
- animator Otto Messmer.
- acts and looks exactly like Slash the lead Guiatarist of Guns 'N' Roses. {tdf}
-
McAllister, Captain Horatio:
- British Admiral Horatio Nelson.
- naval literary character Horatio
Hornblower. {ct}
- Fort McAllister is a fort that resisted
naval bombardments by the first monitor-type vessels.
- Long John Silver (Robert Newton) "Treasure Island". {kab}
- disgraced Exon Valdez Captain John Hazelwood.
- Captain McAllister (Carleton Young) "Flying Leathernecks".
- looks like novelist Ernest Hemingway.
- McClure, Troy:
- amalgam of actors Troy Donohue & Doug McClure.
- but looks like Doug McClure "The Land That Time Forgot".
-
Meyers, Roger Jr.:
- Disney CEO Mike Eisner.
- amalgam of B-movie directors/producers Roger Corman
and Russ Meyer. {am}
- Richard Goldwater, president of Archie Comics Publications, Inc.
and son of creator John Goldwater. {js}
- Miss Springfield:
- Marion Davies, longtime mistress of William Randolph Hearst and portrayed as the mistress in "Citizen Kane".
- looks like Pamela Anderson.
-
Meyers, Roger Sr.:
-
Moleman, Hans:
- 1956 sci-fi movie "The Mole People".
- the myoptic Mr. Magoo cartoon (voiced by Jim Backus).
- looks like Arte Johnson from Laugh-In.
- Hal Moldman (David Pasquesi) 1989 movie "Elvis Stories".
- same basic character premise as the Mole-Man from Marvel Comics. {mm}
- looks and sounds like Schleprock `wousy wousy woo woo' in
"The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show".
- Monroe, Dr. Marvin:
- Dr. Sigmund Freud.
- there was a LA TV/Radio personality named Dr. David Viscott
(he died recently). People would call into his show sharing
with him their psychological problems, which he attempted to
diagnose (with lots of unintentional humor). {dh2}
- Nahasapeemapetilon, Apu:
- main character from Satyajit Ray's "Apu Trilogy"
(both are Bengali) (a favorite MG movie) (mentioned in DVD).
- Apu is also the name of an Aztec god as well as
the Finnish word for "help".
- Hank Azarua based Apu from during his times when Azaria did
not have a car while in Los Angeles and the only place in walking
distance was the 7-11 shop. Apu was also based on Peter Sellers
character Hrundi Bakshi in "The Party" (1968).
- at the end of "The Party", Peter Sellers is flirting with the
French girl, and mentions he has to go home and take care of
his pet monkey Apu. {jv}
- Powell, Herbert:
- Danny DeVito's reprised role from "Twins".
- Jeff Bridges from "Tucker".
- Powers, Ruth:
- Louise (Susan Sarandon) "Thelma & Louise". {kab}
- named after Conan O'Brien's grandmother Ruth Powers. {ak}
-
Prince, Martin:
- the artist formerly known as Prince??!!
- Richie Rich.
- Quimby, Mayor Diamond Joe:
- Ted/John/Robert Kennedy.
- Diamond Jim Brady, mayor of New York before WWI. {kab}
- wife looks like Jackie Kennedy.
- nephew Freddie Quimby is
similar to William Kennedy Smith (acquitted). {kab}
- Fred Quimby is also the name of a Tom & Jerry producer. {je}
- looks and talks like the semi-scandalous
Providence, Rhode Island mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci. {jg}
-
Radioactive Man:
- amalgam of Batman, Superman, Spiderman, etc.
- Fallout Boy similar to Robin.
- Scoutmaster "the worst villain of them all" sounds and
looks like the late Paul Lynde from Laugh-In. {tb}
- little known 1960 movie "Radioactive Man".
-
Ralfael the sarcastic clerk:
- sounds like Charles Bronson from "Death Wish".
-
Riviera, Dr. Nick:
- voice was intended to sound like Ricky Ricardo
(Desi Arnaz), but the animators thought he
sounded like head Simpsons animator Gabor Csupo, so he was drawn to
look like Gabor. {kurth}
- talkshow host Geraldo Rivera??!!
- Elvis's personal physician George Constantine Nichopoulos who was
affectionately referred to by The King as "Dr. Nick". Dr. Nick's
main purpose during his tenure when Elvis was fat (a la "King Size
Homer") was to provide as many shots of powerful prescription drugs
as often as his boss wanted, and possibly to provide the
occasional twinkie. {pm}
- Sherri & Terri:
- Grady twins in "The Shining".
-
Skinner, Agnes:
-
Skinner, Principal Seymour:
- educator B.F. Skinner.
- nickname "Spanky" is from "The Little Rascals".
- was like James Dean during his youth in "Saving Private Armin" episode.
- Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) "Apocalypse Now".
- Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) "Psycho".
- Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) "The Manchurian Candidate".
Both have a fixation on their mothers,
both have a dubious military past,
both were prisoners of war,
both sound and look similar, and
both have similar personalities (anal retentiveness). {rk}
- principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".
Both share the same face, the same voice, the same hair,
and the same inflated sense of purpose. {wr}
- looks very much like Paul Gleason as the principal (teacher?)
Richard Vernon in the 1985 cult movie "The Breakfast Club". {mn}
-
Smithers, Waylon:
- Leonard Smithers, publisher and
printer of gay books during Victorian era, including
some by Oscar Wilde.
- Waylon and Madame puppet show. {ct}
- c&w singer Waylon Jennings??!!
- character named Smithers from the movie "Desk Set" (with Catherine Hepburn &
Spencer Tracey). There is a character in it that looks just
like Smithers who is always listening at key holes and passing on
rumors. He wears similar glasses and, although not the right hand
man to the companies president, he has that snivelling characteristic
that Simpsons' Smithers has. {pb}
- Smithers is the name of Veronica's butler in Archie Comics. {vm}
- looks like Simpsons writer Al Jean.
-
Snake:
- Charles Manson (both have an X tattoo on their
forehead). {hm}
- Mick Jagger??!! {jma}
-
Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) "Escape from New York". {bk}
- Mel "Mad Max" Gibson.
-
Springfield, Jebediah:
- Oregon trailblazer Samuel Barlow.
- Northern Californian frontiersman Jebediah Smith.
- Oregon Pioneer Eugene Skinner.
- American frontiersman Daniel Boone.
- Texas hero Davy Crockett (the coonskin hat is from the Disney
television show).
- statue looks like "The Pioneer" at the University of Oregon,
Eugene, OR.
- Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn) "Santa Fe Trail".
- Jedediah Leland/Newsreel reporter (Joseph Cotten) "Citizen Kane".
- Jedebiah 'Jed' Clampett (Buddy Ebsen) "The Beverly Hillbillies".
- Squeaky-Voiced Teen:
- sounds and looks like Shaggy (voiced by Casey Kasem) in
the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons.
- Szyslak, Moe:
- Moe from "The Three Stooges".
- late actor Burgess Meredith. [?]
(see "The Homer They Fall")
- last names sounds Polish.
- waitress looks like Diane Chambers (Shelly Long) "Cheers".
- girlfriend Renee is Hank Azaria's real-life
fiancée "Mad About You" Helen Hunt.
- Hank Azaria says he sounds like a bad Al Pacino.
- Archie Bunker (who also had a bar) in "All in the Family". {js2}
- Bart's anonymous prank calls to Moe the bartender were inspired by
tapes of real-life prank calls made to New Jersey bartender
Louis "Red" Deutsch (the tapes were widely circulated during the
1980s). Deutsch constantly received calls requesting for names of
fictitious bar patrons (Al Coholic, Stu Pitt, etc.), and always
responded in a hostile manner every time he realized he'd been duped.
- Terwilliger, Sideshow Bob:
- ex-con (Robert Michum/Robert De Niro) "Cape Fear".
- brother Cecil is Kelsey Grammar's television brother
Niles as played by David Hyde Pierce in "Frasier".
- possibly related to Dr. Terwilliker in "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T", a
1953 movie about a man who controls 500 small boys by teaching them
to play the piano. {ho}
- episode title "Side Show Bob Roberts" is from the 1992
movie "Bob Roberts" directed by
and starring Tim Robbins.
The movie is pointed political satire about
an unethical Republican politician. {kab}
- uniquely dignified comic style similar to Buster Keaton's. {cg}
-
Üter:
- Augustus Gloop from "Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory". {ry}
Van Houten, Kirk:
- Van Houten, Milhouse:
- President Richard Milhous Nixon. {ds}
- Leslie Van Houten (convicted Mansonite). {tm}
- dorky kid (Paul Pfeiffer) from "The Wonder Years". {jh}
- it's not just Milhouse that's quite like Paul Pfeiffer from the
Wonder Years - the entire family is so resemblant of the
Pfeiffers. The whole joke about Paul's family probably revolved
around the glasses, as everyone in the family wore them. {jch}
- Wiggum, Chief Clancy:
- actor Edward G. Robinson. {t5} (see "Bart Gets an Elephant")
- EGR played Lancy Howard in "The Cincinatti Kid". {jm2}
- Wiggum, Ralph:
- Charlie Brown. {my}
- first name as animator Ralph Bakshi.
- with a few exceptions (such as "I Love Lisa"), speaks as though autistic. {js2}
- Ralph Wiggum was named after Ralph Kramden on "The Honeymooners"
because the character was intended to be a loudmouthed smaller
version of Homer. He wasn't established as Chief Wiggum's son
until the episode "I Love Lisa" in the third season.
- Willie, Groundskeeper:
- looks and sounds like cook "Mad Jack" Duggan
(Ray Walston) from "Paint Your Wagon".
- another character from that movie is "Rotten Luck" Willie.
- similar to Scot in Bugs Bunny cartoon.
- engineer Scotty. {star trek:tos}. {bt}
- acts and looks like Axl Rose (actual name William) of
Guns 'N' Roses who also wears a kilt and starts fights. {tdf}
- Wolfecastle, Rainier:
- Arnold Schwartzenegger. (well, d'uh!)
- McBain: 1991 action movie of the same name.
- wife Maria looks like Maria Shriver.
- Wolfecastle's arch-nemesis Senator Mendoza is like El Presidenté
from McBain movie.
- John MacLean (Bruce Willis) "Die Hard".
Other Characters (seasons 1 to 9 only)
- Akira:
- Japanese "Akira" anime cartoon.
- famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
- Sulu as played by George Takei. {star trek:tos}
- Amodopoulos, Aristotle:
- Aristotle "The Greek Tycoon" Onassis.
- Bailey, Mary:
- Donna Reed's character from "It's A Wonderful Life".
- Banner, Rex:
- Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) "The Untouchables".
- pun on "ban" (prohibit, geddit?). {bt}
- Race Bannon, Dr. Quest's right-hand-man on "Johnny Quest". {bt} {nt}
- there was actually a action/detective radio show in the 1940s
called "Rex Banner". {dh2}
- Dick Tracy. {js}
- Barlow, Birch:
- Rush Limbaugh, William F. Buckley. {kab}
- conservative John Birch Society. {bt}
- Oregon trailblazer Samuel Barlow.
-
Bellamy, June:
- June Foray, voice of Rocket J. Squirrel
and many other cartoon characters.
- Bergstrom, Mr.:
- Dustin Hoffman's reprised roles from "The Graduate" et al.
- Bobbins, Shari:
- Bobo:
- Spanish word for "clown".
- looks like Radar's teddy bear from M*A*S*H.
- Peter Sellers movie "The Bobo".
- mistress in "Citizen Kane".
- Bont, James:
- Brodka, Don:
-
Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) "Reservoir Dogs".
-
Brunswick, Jacques:
- manufacturer of bowling equipment
(not Canadian province). {nt}
- Burns, Larry:
- Rodney "no respect" Dangerfield as himself.
- Groucho Marx's character, Rufus T. Firefly in the 1933
Marx Brothers movie "Duck Soup". Rodney makes the same
type of insulting jokes, including many that are almost
word for word what appeared in the episode Burns, Baby Burns. {bb}
- Capital City Goofball:
- amalgam of San Diego Chicken, Expo Mascot,
Phillie Phanatic. {kab}{ch}
- Carvello, Lee:
- golfer Lee Trevino.
- video "Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf".
- Cesar & Ugolio:
- evil pheasants from "Jean de
Florette" and "Manon des Sources".
- Christian, Scott:
- Ted "Nightline" Koppel. {ol}
- Cobb, Sebastian:
- Commandant:
- Willem Dafoe's reprised role from "Platoon".
- Cowboy Bob:
- favorite cowboy from the comic strip "Dennis the Menace".
- Davies, Larry:
- looks like "Seinfeld" creator and producer Larry David.
- DiMaggio, Don Vittorio:
- Don Corrado Prizzi (William Hickey) "Prizzi's Honor".
- baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.
- Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) "The Godfather". {to}
- Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra) "From Here To Eternity".
-
Ernst & Gunter:
- Eugene & Rusty (town perverts):
- Rusty-N-Edie's BBS which specialized in adult material
but was busted by the FBI in 1993 for illegally
distributing copyrighted software.
- Fortune, Arthur:
- Virgin Airways founder and ballooning
enthusiast Richard Branson, whom Hank Scorpio looks like.
- Fortune magazine
- Freshemeyer, Pops:
-
Gabbo:
- wooden dummy from 1929 movie "The Great Gabbo".
- Howdy Doody (from who's show the term "kowabunga" was popularized).
- nameless Fox TV programming executive. :-)
- Gannon, Bill:
- Harry Morgan's reprised role from "Dragnet".
- Garabedian, Chuck:
- Don Lapre, shifty make-money-fast wealth peddler who has been
running infomercials since the late 1980s. {ol}
- name is Armenian.
- there is a real-life TV executive named Dergarabedian. {mm}
- Gary, Doug, Benjamin, & Database:
- Glumplich, Homer:
- Goodman, Brad:
- bestselling pop-psychology author John Bradshaw.
-
Grimes, Frank:
- While on a train ride in 1926, Chicago accountant Frank Grimes
conceives the idea of an alliance of independent grocers and
IGA is born.
- a reporter in Strange Universe. {k107}
- an actor in the movie "Waiting to Exhale".
- Felix Unger (Tony Randall/Jack Lemmon) "The Odd Couple".
- William Foster/D-FENS (Michael Douglas) "Falling Down".
- "Groening, Matt":
- complete antithesis of the real Matt Groening.
- dresses like Grampa.
- published crime comics like William Gaines
before they got banned so he went on to do
Mad magazine.
- picture on backdrop of the US flag, like
the movie "Patton". {rl}
- "Felix the Cat" creator Otto Messmer who died at age 101 in 1983.
- the general right-wing political bearing is reminiscent of an
only-slightly-exaggerated Walt Disney. {pl}
- the alcoholism suggests "Felix the Cat" co-creator Pat Sullivan
(Sullivan was also convicted of statutory rape). Alcoholism was
pretty common among old time animators. {pl}
- the eye patch is surely a reference to Tex Avery, who was blind in
one eye (the result of some paper clip/elastic shenanigans among the
animation staff). {pl}
- Hagstrom, Janey:
- brand of electric guitar used by the
likes of Jimi Hendrix.
-
Hans & Fritz, Horst:
- H&F featured in the German
cartoon "Katzenjammer Kids". {paper}
- Sergeant Schultz from "Hogan's Heroes".
- Hapablap, Colonel Leslie "Hap":
- Lee Ermey from "Full Metal Jacket".
- George C. Scott from "Dr. Strangelove".
- Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold, USAF general during WW2. {ag}
- Colonel Edward Lansdale who commanded the CIA opposition
to the Phillipine Communist Hukbalahap revolutionaries in
the 1950s (known short as Huks), which ended with the
installation of a governemnt friendly to the US. {ps}
-
Haas, Milton "Ox":
- Moose Mason (aka Big Moose) from "Archie" comics. {js}
-
Hodges, Buddy:
-
Holloway, Vice Supt.:
-
Sterling Holloway, voice of Winnie the Pooh.
-
"Homer Simpson":
- Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) "Miami Vice".
- partner Lance Coffman looks his partner Ricardo Tubbs.
- dumber Homer acted like the late Joe Farley.
- Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland) in 1975 movie
"The Day of the Locust".
- Max Power similar to how Max Headroom got his name.
-
Hugo:
- Quasimodo from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame",
classic novel by Victor Hugo.
-
Hurlbut, Hollis:
- names of two Harvard Yard dorms.
- Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland) "The Day of the Locust". {lisa}
- Inanimate Carbon Rod:
-
broomstick handle pilot Chuck Yeager used in "The Right Stuff".
- Incognito, Guy:
- famous New Yorker magazine caricature.
- Jackson, Keith:
- is a real person; he's best known for announcing college
football games on ABC. {jh}
- Kashmir, Princess:
- Kogen, Wally:
- resembles Fred Willard.
- name is an amalgamation of Wal(lace) Wolodarsky and Jay
Kogen, a former "Simpsons" writing duo. {bjr}
- Kompowski, Leon:
- Michael Jackson??!!
- fellow patient Chief looks like Will "Chewbecca" Sampson
from "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest".
- Krustofski, Rabbi Hyman:
- Lawrence Olivier "The Jazz Singer".
- Lampwick, Chester:
- Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
- Lampwick is name of Pinochio character.
- "Felix the Cat" creator Otto Messmer. {mk}
- an early Disney artist's name was spelled very close to Lampwick. {dh2}
- Lanley, Lyle:
- con artist Prof. Harold Hill (Robert Preston) "The Music Man".
- Lyle Lanley, who helped build the monorail in the Seattle area. {wn}
- Leader, The:
- Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
- `The Leader' in 1973 Woody Allen movie "Sleeper".
- Leopold:
- famous conductor Leopold Stokowski.
- "Lisa":
- Geri Reischl who stepped Jan Brady on "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour"
when Eve Plumb was a no-show.
- looks like Sarah Chalke who stepped in for Becky Conners on
Roseanne when Alicia Goranson was a no-show.
- Lovejoy, Jessica:
- looks like Uma Thurman from "Pulp Fiction".
- Jessica Hahn??!!
- Lovell, Stacy:
- late reclusive millionaire heiress Barbara Hutton.
- Vietnam activist Jane Fonda.
- Mattel founder/Barbie Doll™ creator Ruth Handler.
- Luigi:
- looks like character from Super Mario Brothers video game.
- Lumpkin, Lurleen:
- amalgam of c&w singers Loretta Lynn
and Tammy Wynette.
- The name "Lurleen" was made famous by Lurleen Wallace, who succeeded
her husband as Governor of Alabama. {ho}
- M!pa:
-
N!xau, name of bushman from South African film "The Gods Must Be
Crazy", where "!" is an untranslatable click (hear how Lisa
(Yeardley Smith) pronounces it
in "Bart The Lover").
-
MacGarnicle:
- Clint "Dirty Harry" Eastwood.
- MacGyver. {vm}
- Marley, Jack:
- reggae singer Bob Marley.
- McFadden, Ranger:
-
McGriff:
- McGruff the crime dog.
- baseball player Fred McGriff, whose nickname is "The
Crime Dog". {jh}
- computer bark similar to one of a dog in early Nintendo duck shooting
game.
- Menthol Moose:
- Joe Camel (from Camel Cigarettes).
- Molloy:
- Raffles Molloy (David Niven) "The Pink Panther".
- Montenegro, Delores:
- Delores Del Rio (actress, mistress
of Orson Welles). {kab}
- Murdoch, Captain Lance:
- daredevil Evel Knievel.
- Fox owner Rupert Murdoch.
- Opal, Princess:
- Solitaire (Jane Seymour) "Live And Let Die".
- alleged tabloid psychic Jean Dixon.
- Ormand, Frank:
- speech similar to Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) "Grapes of Wrath".
-
O'Toole, Timmy:
- character from Irish folktale "Tim
O'Toole and the Wee Folk".
- Jessica McClure (no relation to Troy) who fell down well.
-
Ozmodiar:
- the Great Gazoo™ from "The Flintstones".
- Wizard Of Oz.
-
Parker, MacArthur:
- Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker. {kab}
- MacArthur Park (place in LA, song
performed by Richard Harris). {kab}
- Parker pen company put out a pen called the MacArthur, thus
the Parker MacArthur. {lg}
- Parkfield, Hugh:
- Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O'Neal) "Love Story".
- looks like Hugh Grant "Four Weddings And A Funeral".
-
Patterson, Ray:
- name of still living 1940s Tom & Jerry animator.
-
Pennycandy, Lois:
- Miss Moneypenny from the
James Bond novels/movies. {kab}
- actress Lois Maxwell who played her.
- Poochie:
- 1980s cartoon "Poochie the Dog".
Poochie was a girls' toy that was
made into a cartoon to market it. {dm}
- Mattel made that toy, BTW. {jh}
- Pryor, Dr. J. Loren:
- Dr. Pryor from "The War Of The Worlds".
- Richter, Dirk:
- Roman, Mr.:
- head Simpsons animator Phil Roman.
- Matt Groening in his early days as a ghostwriting biographer
for an unnamed celebrity.
- Roy:
- misheard "We like Roy" slogan.
- Jack Tripper (John Ritter) "Three's Company".
- Fonz (Henry Winkler) "Happy Days" (or son Chuck).
- Mike from "Growing Pains". {jma}
- Rude, Gerry:
- shock jock Howard Stern with his blatant toiler humor and other
unmentionable topics.
- Scorpio, Hank:
- any James Bond villain, specifically Auric Goldfinger. {to}
- Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.
- looks like Virgin Airways founder and
ballooning enthusiast Richard Branson.
- Scumbag, Jimmy the:
- internet make.money.fast huckster Dave Rhodes.
- Homer mmf joke post by Dave Hall a year earlier on July 19, 1995.
- Seven Duffs:
-
Shoshanna:
- Jerry Seinfeld's real-life former girlfriend
Shoshanna Lonstein.
- Simmons, Bea:
- Bea is an anagram of Abe.
- Simmons sounds like Simpsons. (well, d'uh!)
- Aunt Bea from The Andy Griffith Show. {ho}
- Simmons, Mindy:
- Mindy (Pam Dawber) "Mork and Mindy".
- song "Mandy" by Barry Manilow.
-
Simpson, Mona:
- Katherine Ann Power (hippy fugitive). {kab}
- name of wife of Simpsons
writer Richard Appel
(who wrote "Mother Simpson").
- Sinclair, Llewelyn:
- Bob Fosse "All That Jazz".
- Smooth Jimmy Apollo:
- Snyder, Judge:
- looks like Ronald Reagan's unsuccessful Supreme Court nominee
Robert Bork.
- looks like Mormon from "Paint Your Wagon".
-
Sparkle, Mr.:
- Mr. Clean detergent.
- glass cleaner called Sparkle, made in Elgin, Illinois. {mk}
- Spielbergo, Señor:
- director Steven Spielberg. (well, duh!)
-
Sweet, Lucius:
- Don King. {kab}
- pun on "luscious sweet".
- Tamzarian, Armin:
- name sounds Armenian.
- Sergeant Skinner brings to mind the medieval legend and
movie (Gerald Depardieu) "Return of Martin Guerre"
and to a lesser extant (Richard Gere) "Somersby". {kab}
- U.S. industrialist Armand Hammer. {bjr}
- baking soda Arm & Hammer??!!
- Tatum, Drederick:
- Mike Tyson. {dt}
- Frederick Tatum. {ct}
- pro football player Jack Tatum. He played with the Oakland Raiders
in the late '60s/early '70s, and achieved notoriety when his
brutal hit permanently paralyzed Darryl Stingley. {bc}
- first name a tribute to reggae singer Frederick "Toots" Hibbert.d
- Tenille, Captain:
- Darryl Dragon of the 1970s husband and wife singing duo
the Captain and Tenille.
- Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) "Crimson Tide".
- Very Tall Man:
- based on langly Simpsons head writer Ian Maxtone-Graham.
- world's tallest man Robert Wadlow listed in Guinness
(8 feet, 11.1 inches).
- basketball star Michael Jordan who in his early days drove a
Volkswagon by removing the front seat and driving literally
from the back seat.
- Vlaclav, Crazy:
- Russian comedian Yakov Smirnof.
- Vaclav Havel, playwright and President of the Czech Republic. {ho}
-
Wall E. Weasel:
- Chuck E. Cheese. {kab}
- Wile E. Coyote.
- Witherspoon, Blind Willy:
- jazz singer Jimmy Witherspoon (1923-1997).
- blues/gospel guitarist Blind Willie Johnson (1902-1943). {jm}
- Withespon, Miss:
- Barbara Woodhouse in British training program "Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way".
- Margaret Thatcher??!! {mb2}
- Xoxchitla:
-
Brazilian singer Xuxa ("SHOO-sha").
- Ziff, Artie:
- Fred Ziffel (Hank Patterson) "Green Acres"/"Petticoat Junction".
- Zweig:
-
Woody Allen psycho-comedy "Zelig".
Pets/Animals
- Anastasia:
- Siegfred & Roy's white tiger Jaipur.
- Blinky:
- mutated fish reported in the Great Lakes.
- Bobo:
- Spanish word for "clown".
- Bolivian Tree Lizard:
- Godzilla??!!
- cross between a green iguana, a Jackson's chameleon,
and the Flying Dragon. {jo}
- Brown Tree Snake of New Guinea
which has wreaked havoc on bird life upon its introduction
to the Polynesian Islands, having killed 9 species of Guam birds. {jo}
- destroying eggs and parasitizing the nest is the same as that of
many members of the cuckoo family. {jo}
- orphaned birds cared by young Opie
in classic "The Andy Griffith Show" episode.
- Furious D (Duncan):
- looks like an equine version of Dennis Rodman when off-track. {jr}
- acts like Rodman and Bill Laimbeer (teammates for the Detroit
Pistons "Bad Boys" teams of the late 1980's) on-track. {jr}
- "Furious D" is an occasionally-used sports term that describes
physical defensive play (occasionally playing dirty and bending
the rules, usually used to create more offense), the same style
of 'play' that Bart and Furious D use when racing. {jr}
-
General Sherman:
- Civil War general.
- also the name of the largest living organism is the
General Sherman, and it is a giant sequoia. {jo}
- photo looks like that of the Loch Ness monster.
- Gentle Ben:
- bear in "Gentle Ben".
- bear in "Great Ben".
- Ginsberg:
- beatnik poet and LSD guru Alan Ginsberg.
- Jub Jub:
- Jub Jub bird in Lewis Caroll's "Jabberwocky".
- name of one of Dr. Doolittle's pets. {jd}
- Laddie:
- Mojo:
- rabid St. Bernard in Stephen King's "Cujo".
- evil monkey helper in the movie "Monkey Shines".
- a "mojo" is a charm-bag used in voodoo/hoodoo religious rituals
(see mojo) but in the terminology
of popular white music such as the Beatles it has come to mean
"magical" and "powerful".
- Mr Teeny:
- Oinksalot, Sir:
- Sir Lancelot from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". [?]
- famous knight Sir Lancelot from King Arthur legend. {to}
- ill-fated horse in "Animal House".
- Arnold the pig "Green Acres".
- Pinchy:
- Larry the lobster whose fate was voted on "Saturday Night Live"
in 1982 {lm}.
- 100 year old lobster who people wanted released to the wild but
talk show commentator Rush Limbaugh said he wanted to
eat it.
- "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Homer eating Pinchy was
similar to "The Walrus and the Carpenter" story Tweedledee
told Alice. {ds3}
- Princess:
- "National Velvet".
- ill-fated horse in "The Godfather".
- Reticulated Chipmunk:
- Disney's Chip & Dale.
- there is a reticulated giraffe, a reticulated starfish, and
a reticulated python, but there is no
such thing as a reticulated chipmunk.
- Rizzo the Rat:
- Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) "Midnight Cowboy".
- Rover Hendrix:
- Santa's Little Helper:
- She's The Fastest:
- Lady in Disney's "Lady and the Tramp".
- litter similar to Disney's "101 Dalmations".
- Snowball I, II:
- name of cowardly lion in the earlier 1925
"The Wizard of Oz" movie
(with Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodsman).
- Stampy:
-
Superdude (gerbil):
- Warholian underground New York
rocker.
-
Yes Man:
- Frank Nelson from the "The Jack Benny Show" who usually in his
first scene as a guest on a television show, his back would be at
the camera and when asked a question would turn around and say
"yesssssssssssssssssss!!".
- similar character from the "The Flintstones".
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