- 8 months ago
From bartenders to billionaires, Springfield's most memorable residents weren't created in a vacuum! Join us as we explore the fascinating real-life inspirations behind your favorite yellow-skinned characters. From Hollywood legends to local personalities, these origin stories will change how you watch the show forever!
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00:00Hey Nutnik, your shoe's untied.
00:02From here they appear to be tied, but I will go in for a closer look.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for the most notable instances where Springfield
00:14residents were inspired by real life individuals.
00:17As an actor, I depend on my remarkable looks.
00:22Number 10.
00:23Edna Krabappel, June Marlow Bart's surly teacher is more than
00:28an ever-present thorn in his side.
00:33She's also a walking tribute to June Marlow's work in the Our Gang shorts of the 1930s.
00:40If you don't recognize those short films, you might know them better by their revived
00:44title, The Little Rascals.
00:47As you can imagine, Marlow's charming work as Miss Crabtree left a major impression, especially
00:53on Simpsons writers Wallace Wolodarski and Jake Hogan.
00:57When they needed a teacher character to inject some tension into Bart's school life, their
01:01imaginations wandered back to Marlow.
01:04What are you looking at, Bart?
01:05Are those naughty dogs back again?
01:07And thus, Edna Krabappel was born.
01:10You could say, in this case, the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.
01:15Well, Bart, it's a 59, that's another F.
01:18Number 9.
01:20Pedro Chespirito, aka Bumblebee Man.
01:23Roberto Gomez Bolaños, aka Chespirito.
01:28In the early 90s, producers of The Simpsons took one look at Roberto Gomez Bolaños' hilarious
01:34comedic timing and went, we want one of those.
01:37Gomez Bolaños, better known by his stage name Chespirito, dazzled audiences as the incompetent
01:47superhero, the red grasshopper.
01:49In the Spanish language, El Chapulín Colorado.
01:52Since he always gave 100%, The Simpsons created a character who would also never waver.
01:58In the case of Bumblebee Man, though, it's because he's never seen without his costume.
02:08As a wink to the character's origins, Bumblebee Man shares a first name with Gomez Bolaños,
02:14his stage name Chespirito.
02:20Number 8.
02:21Dr. Nick, Dr. George Nishapoulos.
02:24If there's one thing you can always count on from The Simpsons, besides a never-ending
02:29episode count, it's not-so-subtle commentary on pop culture.
02:33For proof, you need look no further than Dr. Nick, a very pointed parody of Elvis Presley's
02:39personal physician, George Nishapoulos.
02:42Hi, everybody.
02:43Are you looking for a way to slash the cost of your medical expenses?
02:48His real-life nickname was, you guessed it, Dr. Nick.
02:52He was heavily criticized for over-prescribing, and while he was acquitted of the charges in
02:56Presley's death, he eventually lost his medical license all the same.
03:00I think I'll go out the window.
03:02Huh?
03:03What that translates to in The Simpsons is a doctor who's comically inept, borderline evil,
03:10and all kinds of wackadoo.
03:12It's not exactly a friendly portrayal, that's for sure.
03:15Help me.
03:16Hmm.
03:17Holy smokes!
03:18You need booze!
03:20No.
03:217.
03:22Troy McClure.
03:23Troy Donahue and Doug McClure.
03:25Hello, I'm Troy McClure.
03:28You may remember me from such Fox Network specials as Alien Nosejob, and Five Fabulous Weeks
03:34of the Chevy Chase Show.
03:35Now, to be fair, a down-on-their-luck actor could be inspired by any number of wannabe artists.
03:42But the name Troy McClure makes the origin pretty obvious.
03:45It's a composite of Troy Donahue and Doug McClure,
03:48both actors who flirted with mainstream success before seeing their Hollywood star fade into obscurity.
03:54They were both forced into low-budget genre fare or schmaltzy endorsements to make ends meet.
04:00And, surprise, surprise, that's exactly where audiences find Troy McClure in The Simpsons.
04:06What are you working on now?
04:08I've been reading a lot of scripts lately.
04:10You know, it's a lot cheaper than going to the movies.
04:13Although, something tells us the real actors didn't embrace the cheese quite as much as their animated counterpart.
04:19Thankfully, Doug McClure's daughter reported he took the homage in stride.
04:23Looking good. That wholesome stuff really helps when I'm trying to find your work.
04:28You haven't found me work in 12 years.
04:30Number 6.
04:32Rainier Wolfcastle.
04:33Arnold Schwarzenegger.
04:35Is there any action hero in cinematic history more meme-worthy than Arnie himself?
04:41The accent, the testosterone, the ludicrously over-the-top action.
04:45It's all utterly rife with potential, and The Simpsons uses every bit of it with Rainier Wolfcastle.
04:52Let me get into character.
04:56Okay. I'm McBain.
04:58You probably don't need us to tell you that, though.
05:01From the moment Rainier opens his mouth, it's extremely obvious who he's based on.
05:06That doesn't make his hilarious in-universe movies any less entertaining, though.
05:10In this department, we go by the book.
05:14By book.
05:15On the contrary, the most important thing Rainier and Schwarzenegger have in common is they both know how to pull off explosive bits of violence with just the right amount of knowing irony.
05:26That's the joke.
05:27You suck, McBain!
05:28Number 5. Chief Wiggum.
05:33Edward G. Robinson.
05:35The epitome of a donut-obsessed, lazy police officer, it's both funny and a little disheartening to know Chief Wiggum is inspired by a real person, but not in the way you'd expect.
05:47Gee, I'd hate to close you down. Maybe we can reach a little, uh, understanding here.
05:52While Wiggum's appearance is heavily based on a pig, the jokes there write themselves. The officer's voice is an impression of Edward G. Robinson.
06:01If he was gonna commit a crime, would he have invited the number one cop in town?
06:06Now, where did I put my gun?
06:08Oh, yeah. I set it down when I got a piece of cake.
06:10Considered one of the greatest performers to never receive an Oscar, Robinson is a far cry from Wiggum, but clearly his embodiment of various gangster characters made him perfect for impressions.
06:23As they said, imitation is the highest form of flattery.
06:27Well, I know what I'm getting. Some donuts.
06:30Uh, help me out of the boot, boys.
06:33Number 4. Mayor Joe Quimby.
06:35The Kennedys.
06:36Joseph Fitzgerald, O'Malley, Fitzpatrick, Culverstone, O'Donnell, The Edge, Diamond Joe, Quimby Jr. is a handful, but that's kind of the point.
06:46Just remember, you represent the office of the mayor, so always comport yourself in a manner befitting.
06:52Quick! Honk at that broad!
06:54Based on the Boston accent, political leanings, and a million other Easter eggs, it's all too clear the Quimby's are the Springfield version of the Kennedys.
07:03Or are we just supposed to believe it's a coincidence that Quimby's wife wears all pink?
07:08How could you?
07:09I, uh, didn't do it.
07:13Or that they vacation in the beachside Quimby compound?
07:16The signs are all there if you look for them.
07:19Actor Dan Castellaneta even voices Quimby with a distinct JFK-like cadence.
07:24If you like this on-the-nose brand of political comedy, then remember, vote Quimby.
07:29Thank you, Fat Tony.
07:31However, in the future, I would prefer a nondescript briefcase to the sack with a dollar sign on it.
07:37Number three.
07:38Krusty the Clown.
07:39Rusty Nails the Clown.
07:41Love him or hate him, you have to admit, Rusty Nails is quite an off-putting name for a clown, especially one hosting several children's programs.
07:49It struck a nerve with series creator Matt Groening, who repurposed his memories of Rusty Nails into a character for The Simpsons.
07:58Enter Krusty the Clown.
08:00Sorry, Sideshow Bob, but it's her special birthday wish.
08:03Groening marveled at the irony of a children's performer being named after such a dangerous item, and that joke ended up defining Krusty's edgy persona.
08:12Eww, that thing was funny for about three seconds.
08:16But the important thing is, we're like a family.
08:19Krusty.
08:20Alright.
08:21Shut your hole!
08:21Don't worry, though.
08:23Rusty himself is a good clown, and by Groening's own admittance, the actor behind the makeup is a stand-up guy, too.
08:29Krusty really is a breed all to himself.
08:32That's it!
08:33No more autographs, I gotta go!
08:35They're naming a new sandwich after me at my restaurant.
08:37Number two.
08:39Mr. Burns.
08:40John D. Rockefeller, Barry Diller, and many others.
08:44No need to release the hounds.
08:45Sniffing out how Mr. Burns came to be is actually pretty easy.
08:49Good research shows people see you as something of an ogre.
08:51Yeah, you oughta club them and eat their bones.
08:54He's walking, talking, corporate greed personified.
08:57So it makes sense why series creator Matt Groening wrote him with oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller in mind.
09:04Oil hole!
09:05The animators had their own inspirations, though, with frequent director David Silverman facing Burns' design on Fox founder Barry Diller.
09:17We could go on.
09:18Over the years, Burns' behavior has been reminiscent of dozens of greedy corporate figures, and even a few fictional characters, too.
09:25As cool as it would be to exist in The Simpsons, something tells us Mr. Burns isn't supposed to be a compliment.
09:32Take that convenience smart, take that nuclear power pla-
09:36Do fiddlesticks.
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09:54Number one.
09:55Moe Sislap, Louis Red Deutsch, and Rich Hall.
09:59Maybe we'd tip you if you'd smile once in a while.
10:01What do you call this?
10:05In 1975, two boys made frequent prank calls to a Jersey Tube bar, asking for absurdly named patrons.
10:14Soon enough, the owner, Louis Red Deutsch, began telling them off.
10:18Recordings of the calls went as viral as things could back in the day, and eventually led all the way to The Simpsons.
10:25Not only did it lead to the creation of Moe Sislap, but it also gave us his iconic fury towards Bart's prank calls.
10:32Last name Jazz, first name Hugh.
10:34Ah, hold on, I'll check.
10:35Uh, Hugh Jazz!
10:37No, somebody check the men's room for a Hugh Jazz!
10:40However, that's not all Moe's based on.
10:43Writer George Meyer also took a lot from the comedic work of Rich Hall, who could bring the house down in a creatively vulgar fashion.
10:50We have both Deutsch and Hall to thank for the Moe we have today.
10:54Uh, hey everybody.
10:55I'm a stupid moron with an ugly face and a big butt, and my butt smells, and I like to kiss my own butt.
11:04What would a Simpsons character inspired by you look like?
11:08Let us know in the comments below.
11:11On closer inspection, these are loafers.
11:14We'll see you next time.
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