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Post by spankologicalprofile on Jun 23, 2017 21:54:16 GMT
*I had posted this to Reddit but it seems like they're not too interested on much actual discussion there lately.
On one level I kind of like the mystery and endless possibilities that come along with certain nameless Simpsons characters, but at the same time, before this show is eventually canceled, I'd like to know the names and stories of some of the minor characters. There are characters such as the "YEEEEEEESSSS! Man" who literally exist only to repeat their catchphrase. And then there are characters like "Blue-Haired Lawyer" who do seem to have more of a story to tell, but instead they end up functioning more as stock characters to fill certain profession roles in certain scenes. In one fanfiction thing I read it refers to Blue-Haired Lawyer as "Clarence Lawman", and in one issue of the Simpsons comics by Bongo he refers to himself as "Mr. Lawyerman" but then tells Lisa that he might just be joking with her and that if she wants to know, she'll have to take him to court. I liked how "Crazy Cat Lady" got her own name and a deeper backstory to explain how her life went downhill as a hoarder, and how "Comic Book Guy" developed more as a character than just his usual pretentious self, but in his case it seems like he got married to that Japanese girl just so the creators could have fun continually referencing the anime in Japanese pop culture for one episode, and then she sort of just disappears. She has since only appeared in a couple of scenes where she's used to help fill a crowd of townsfolk.
That being said, part of the charm of these characters sort of is their anonymity, because over so many seasons it's now become a huge part of their identity. Call Comic Book Guy "Jeff Albertson", but I still call him Comic Book Guy. Call Blue-Haired Lawyer "Mr. Lawyerman" but I'll always remember him as "Blue-Haired Lawyer". Even Squeaky-Voiced Teen, who has his own name, I still think of as "Squeaky-Voiced Teen". I'm sort of conflicted in this way, because these are all beloved characters to me and as much as I'd love to hear more about them instead of the usual never-ending sea of guest star cameos, these characters are defined so much by their lack of a proper name and their profession that adding to them might take away from their quality as good characters, or open up a possibility for the creators to create ridiculous backstories for them that don't suit their personality. It seems like every time a minor character gets a backstory, they're either trying to reference pop culture, or trying to shine a light on a controversial issue or hot topic.
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Post by Financial Panther on Jun 23, 2017 22:01:57 GMT
Yes, my Reddit ad worked for somebody!
I actually hate when characters don't have names, and I made a list of first and last names for characters who don't have them, which sounds weird, but it helps me relax. I know their goal when revealing CBG's name was to anger the fans, but I was very happy. I don't feel like simply revealing a name would take away from a character's quality, though; despite my need for them, it's just a name, and I don't think they'd be any less of a character if they were given one. I do get where you're coming from with the backstories, though. Sometimes characters simply don't need backstories because they can hurt the character (see: Armin Tamzarian), and I sometimes like to make up my own backstories for them.
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Post by spankologicalprofile on Jun 23, 2017 22:08:13 GMT
I actually hate when characters don't have names, and I made a list of first and last names for characters who don't have them, which sounds weird, but it helps me relax. I know their goal when revealing CBG's name was to anger the fans, but I was very happy. I see what you mean, and in many ways I think giving these characters names could open up new possibilities for more episodes. It seems like each season they've been bringing on more and more guest stars like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. but the show has several underdeveloped classic characters and seeing as many people are complaining now and saying that The Simpsons should be cancelled (which I really hope doesn't happen!) that they at least find some way to give these characters some more substance. I've always liked them all as characters but many of them rarely get much on-screen time, even. |
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Post by Financial Panther on Jun 23, 2017 22:14:14 GMT
I do agree that there are a lot of classic characters who are one-joke machines now. A lot of them had some more depth in the classic era but have flattened out since. Otto and Cletus are two examples. Otto is only used for drug jokes, and Cletus only for hillbilly jokes. They did recently have Frink star in an episode, so it's possible that they are going to try to flesh out some more secondary characters.
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Post by Steamed Hams on Jun 23, 2017 22:20:51 GMT
I don't mind it cause I think it leaves characters open to future stories and intrigues us at times. There is that really tall guy too that comes to mind and the ticket man too where there may come a point we learn something more about them. I don't often really notice them too much in regards to how I don't think they're overdone so I kinda like it, it's funny how the guy is just called the 'Yes' man. I mean it's as though people around Springfield don't even know who he is and that's kinda funny  Imagine having a guy in your local town that just said 'YEEEEESSSSSSSS' and no one ever knew what his name was Welcome by the way and thank you for joining  |
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Post by spankologicalprofile on Jun 23, 2017 22:22:40 GMT
Chief Wiggum sort of went the same way as Otto and Cletus unfortunately. He's the butt of every "dumb cop" joke, and it feels like over each season he's been getting stupider, but I'm glad that the show has given him a couple of episodes where he gets his moment in the spotlight and gets to solve crimes. I've noticed that Apu has been getting more developed as a character, and Kent Brockman. I'm glad to see Professor Frink making more appearances, too.
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Post by spankologicalprofile on Jun 23, 2017 22:25:07 GMT
Imagine having a guy in your local town that just said 'YEEEEESSSSSSSS' and no one ever knew what his name was In "Blame it on Lisa" there was a Brazilian version of the "Yes Man" who kept saying "SIIIII!" to Homer in response to every question. I guess with him, there aren't too many directions that his character could go, but he's a fun character who pops up when nobody expects it. |
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Post by Steamed Hams on Jun 26, 2017 9:43:12 GMT
Yeah, it's just one of them random moments that make you laugh ain't it lol
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huejass
New to Springfield
Posts: 13 
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Post by huejass on Jul 9, 2017 20:38:21 GMT
There are some minor characters who only appear in the background and have almost never spoken.
The best examples are the two barflies, Sam and Larry, who surprisingly have names as well as all those recurring Springfield Elementary students. There is a load of them whose design remains consistent across episodes but nearly all of them aren't named and most havent even spoken.
I cant actually recall when they named those two barflies whether it was actually on the show or not. They are so minor, but they've actually been in the show since season 1.
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Post by spankologicalprofile on Jul 10, 2017 5:17:20 GMT
There are some minor characters who only appear in the background and have almost never spoken. The best examples are the two barflies, Sam and Larry, who surprisingly have names as well as all those recurring Springfield Elementary students. There is a load of them whose design remains consistent across episodes but nearly all of them aren't named and most havent even spoken. I cant actually recall when they named those two barflies whether it was actually on the show or not. They are so minor, but they've actually been in the show since season 1. You're right; there was at the Springfield Elementary School a "Lewis Clark" who rarely speaks, that odd pale kid with the curly hair called "Wendell", among others. I think these are just filler characters used in crowd scenes to fill the segment without making them actually speak, but I believe they may have had a few lines throughout the series.  |
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Post by Financial Panther on Jul 10, 2017 9:56:10 GMT
I don't recall Lewis ever being given a last name. I believe Wendell's last name was once written down as Borton, though. They have indeed had a few lines throughout the series.
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Post by Steamed Hams on Jul 10, 2017 12:14:12 GMT
I hope Wendell is feeling better lol
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huejass
New to Springfield
Posts: 13
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Post by huejass on Jul 10, 2017 18:51:57 GMT
I was thinking of the really obscure characters like this:  The Simpsons Wiki has a whole page devoted to them. simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Edna_Krabappel%27s_StudentsBecause they've never been named or even sort of named like Comic Book Guy they tried to make up names for them like Smug Girl, or Lewis' Lookalike The Simpsons Wiki also has a category for no lifers....? simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Category:No-lifersObscurer wikis can be full of brilliantly weird and specific stuff. Some people just love to categorise. |
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Post by spankologicalprofile on Jul 11, 2017 6:25:59 GMT
I hope Wendell is feeling better lol Yup, Wendell always seems to be a sickly kid. He's kinda funny, though. He's sort of just popped up at random in different episodes. |
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Post by Steamed Hams on Jul 11, 2017 11:30:25 GMT
I honestly never really notice the characters without names as such simply because Springfield do tend to give everyone a character more times than not which is something that I think is great with The Simpsons. Obviously, like huejass has kindly shown above there are the odd characters which do but it seems so rare. I mean, when you think about other shows, say Family Guy for example, there are only a few characters really we know and the rest are just background characters but with The Simpsons even the background characters are usually someone we know from somewhere be it the 'Yes' guy or someone like Jacques they tend to be recognisable in some way or another, even if they don't have a name as such such as the Yes guy and the really tall guy haha. But like huejass has shown above with the picture there is obviously the odd one's but I just tend to barely notice them as I always notice the characters I know if you get what I mean, or they're very brief lol I'm going to look out for these characters the next time too, what a really great topic! Does anyone know what episode that picture is from above? |
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