Simpsons fans discover that Matt Groening named the characters after his own family

Fans of The Simpsons have been left baffled by the revelation that the creator Matt Groening named the characters after his real-life relatives.

Groening is an American cartoonist who famously created the iconic TV series in 1989, which follows the antics of the Simpson family – husband and wife, Homer and Marge, and their three children, Bart, Lisa and Maggie – and other residents of Springfield.

The long-running show is much-loved by a loyal fanbase, but it appears some have only just realised Groening’s inspiration for the famous yellow characters came from very close to home.

On X/Twitter, one fan seemed to stumble upon the revelation when having a browse on Groening’s Wikipedia page.

The page revealed that Groening’s younger sisters are named Lisa and Maggie, his mother is named Margaret (aka Marge) and his father’s name is Homer. Groening also has an older sister named Patty – the same name as one of Marge’s twin sisters in the show.

They wrote: “Can't believe I never knew the names of Matt Groening's family members.”

One fan commented on the fact Groening appears to have another older brother named Mark, writing: “Looking this over again, Mark got kind of screwed on the deal.”

Another asked: “Matt Groening's self-insert was Bart???”

Season 35 of The Simpsons is expected to air on 1 October 2023.

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