TORONTO - In a world of reality TV and bad plotlines, The Simpsons, even its in 23rd year, has been a breath of fresh air for television.
By now, Bart would be about 32 years old and Homer would likely be plagued with diabetes and high blood pressure based on his love for doughnuts and, well, anything else edible.
“Mmmm, free goo.”
But in Springfield, the family hasn’t aged a day.
The show about the dysfunctional five’s daily musings celebrates a major milestone on Sunday with its 500th episode.
“At Long Last Leave” will include a visit from Julian Assange, the founder of the whistle-blower website Wikileaks, as Springfield residents hold secret meetings to evict the problematic Simpson family.
Based on previews, the family’s definitely in trouble. It sounds like not much has changed, and that’s perfect for Simpsons fans.
To commemorate the show, Global News compiled a numbers list that chronicles the Simpsons’ lengthy history.
The Simpsons By The Numbers
April 19, 1987 – Date that a short animated clip that introduced the Simpsons family first appeared on television
23 – Number of seasons so far
500 – Episodes, making it the Guinness Book of World Records titleholder for the Longest-Running Primetime Animated Television Series. It was also named Best Show of the 20th Century by Time magazine.
More than 300 – Number of guest stars featured in the series. The Simpsons also holds the Guinness record for the highest number of guests featured on a show. Celebrities, such as Glenn Close, Canadian Michael Cera – who Lisa will fall in love with – and Lady Gaga are among the cameos scheduled to make appearances this season.
1 – Hollywood Walk of Fame star and one feature film
5 – U.S. postal stamps designed by Matt Groening
32 – How old Bart would be if he kept aging since the show’s origins
742 – The family’s house number on Evergreen Terrace
70 – Number of times Homer says “D’oh!” in season 2 compared to only eight in season 12
32 – Number of times Homer says “D’oh!” in The Simpsons movie
75 – Number of awards won so far, including 27 Emmys, 26 Annie awards, five Genesis awards and nine International Monitor Awards.
$486.52 – price Maggie costs when she’s scanned at the grocery store in the show’s opening credits. In 2009, after 18 years, the show made subtle changes to the credits including Maggie’s price, which doubled to $486.52 from $243.26. Creator Matt Groening said the number was based on the monthly cost of raising an average American child.
3 – Number of characters who have died
30,720 – Springfield’s population
60 – Number of countries that air The Simpsons
45 – Number of languages the show has been dubbed in
$750 million – Amount consumers worldwide spent on Simpsons merchandise in 2008
104 – Mr. Burns’ age
18 – Number of letters in Apu’s last name, which is Nahasapeemapetilon
939 and 636 – The area codes in Springfield
6 – Number of continents the family has been to – they’ve been to Canada, England, Brazil, China, Cuba, Australia, India and Japan to name a few countries.
More than 300 – number of continuing characters on the show
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