The Simpsons (franchise)

The Simpsons
Created byMatt Groening
Original workThe Simpsons shorts from The Tracey Ullman Show
Owner20th Century Studios
YearsApril 19, 1987 – present (37 years)
Print publications
Book(s)List of books
ComicsList of comics
Magazine(s)Simpsons Illustrated
Films and television
Film(s)The Simpsons Movie
Short film(s)
Animated series
Television short(s)The Simpsons shorts (1987–1989)
Games
TraditionalSimpsons Jeopardy!
Video game(s)List of video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)Discography
Original musicThe Simpsons Theme
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)World of Springfield
Lego The Simpsons
Theme park attraction(s)The Simpsons Ride
Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl
Official website
www.thesimpsons.com

The Simpsons is an American animated comedy franchise whose eponymous family consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The Simpsons were created by cartoonist Matt Groening for a series of animated shorts that debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into The Simpsons, a half-hour prime time show that was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Alongside the television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including books, comic books, a magazine, musical releases, and video games.

The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in 2007 and was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. A variety of merchandise, including T-shirts, DVDs, board games, and action figures have been released. The Simpsons merchandise has sold well, generating $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. In 2003, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to use The Simpsons characters in their advertising. In 2008, $750 million worth of The Simpsons merchandise was purchased worldwide. Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice-president of licensing and merchandising, called The Simpsons "without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film."[1]

In 2002, the property was valued at $5 billion to $6 billion according to Fox.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference industry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Apar, Bruce (June 1, 2002). "Studio Tours". License Global. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 29, 2002. Retrieved May 23, 2024.