For a quarter of a century, the state The Simpsons live in has remained a mystery. It’s only been ambiguously referred to as Springfield, USA.
In a recent interview with the Smithsonian creator Matt Groening revealed:
Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, “This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.” And they do.
“…and that’s the end of that chapter.”
But the story doesn’t end there. Despite what many are reporting, Groening never actually said the Simpsons family resides in Oregon. He only said that the fictitious town was named after Springfield, Oregon.
Even Homer Simpson is playing coy on twitter. “That’s right, the Simpsons live in Oregon — California’s toupée,” Homer tweeted. However, he immediately followed it up by saying, “Do you think if the Simpsons lived in Oregon Grampa wouldn’t have been suicided a long time ago?”
The Simpsons will reportedly reference Springfield’s location on Sunday night’s opening chalkboard gag. Perhaps: “I will not give out my address to strangers.”
UPDATE:
This week’s Simpsons chalkboard gag: “The true location of Springfield is any state but yours.”
(Ha-Ha)
