Super Awesome: 25 Years of D'ohs! from the Simpsons
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MIKI AQUINO
The Simpsons has been on air for 25 years, making it the longest-running show in TV history. From its humble beginnings as crudely drawn (read: shitty) shorts on the Tracy Ullman Show back in 1987, it instantly became a hit with viewers for poking fun at anything and everything— even at the show itself.
Today, it has evolved into one of the most groundbreaking series ever. It has raked 27 Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award; the show enjoys an average of 150 million viewers every week from fans all over the world. The show and its characters have made a huge mark in pop culture with Time Magazine naming The Simpsons as “The Best Show of the 20th Century.”
Hell, even Homer Simpson’s “D’oh!” made it as an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.
In celebration of their silver anniversary, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best moments in Simpsons history. Enjoy!
Top Five Musical Guests
1. The Ramones
The Ramones plays at Mr. Burns’ 200th birthday to soothe his “jangled” nerves. In typical punk rock swagger, they scream Springfield sucks before belting out their version of happy birthday, quickly followed with Dee Dee Ramone telling Mr. Burns “go to hell, you old bastard.” Frazzled Mr. Burns orders Smithers to have The Rolling Stones killed.
2. The White Stripes
Homer buys Bart a drum set as an outlet to curb his negative behaviour. While playing, the show starts to parody the music video for indie duo White Stripes’ Hardest Button to Button. All of a sudden, The White Stripes pop out of nowhere while singing the song and Bart accidentally bumps into them, earning the ire of the rock duo. What happens next is one of the weirdest drum chases/battles in television. For the video, click here.
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3. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, Brian Setzer, and Tom Petty
Marge and the kids enroll Homer to a rock and roll fantasy camp to fulfill the latter’s dream of being a rock star. In the camp, the rock legends teach them the basics of song-writing, dancing on stage, and stuffing your crotch with socks.
4. The Who
Due to a measly squabble over an area code, Springfield gets split in two and divided by a wall. Luckily, The Who’s there to reunite the townspeople by offering speed dial to resolve their differences. Pete Townshend’s riff from “Won’t Get Fooled Again” absolutely annihilates the dividing wall. Springfield citizens then reunite and dance to some groovy tunes courtesy of The Who. Click here for the video.
5. The Smashing Pumpkins, Cypress Hill, and Sonic Youth
At the Hullabalooza music festival, Homer takes cannon-propelled inflatable pig to the gut and is quickly hired as a member of the festival’s freak show. While at the festival, he gets to hang out with The Smashing Pumpkins (who played Zero on the episode), Sonic Youth, Peter Frampton and Cypress Hill, who must have ordered the London Symphony Orchestra to play with them...possibly while high.
Honourable mentions: Barry White crooning soulful tunes to stop the massacre of snakes, REM playing in Homer’s garage, a chained-up Tom Jones singing “It’s Not Unusual”
NEXT PAGE: The top opening sequences!
