The Simpsons Celebrate Their 20th Anniversary

The longest running sitcom in television history has turned twenty years old this December. The Simpsons have made people laugh for twenty one seasons with their original brand of comedy. From video games to even toothbrushes, the Simpsons have been extremely popular among people of all ages. Nobody would have expected that a TV show with mediocre animation would go on to win tons of Emmys over a period of two decades. According to www.emmys.tv, the Simpsons have won approximately 25 Primetime Emmy Awards in several different categories. The show is still going strong after two decades while bringing in excellent ratings. The show may go on for another ten years if it remains strong among viewers.

I remember watching the Simpsons when I was barely four years old back in 1987. The show did not have its own animated series until December 1989. Prior to their series debut on the Fox network, the Simpsons first aired on the Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 according to www.imdb.com. The show seemed crudely animated at first during the late 80s and early 90s, but it eventually improved once several international animation studios located in South Korea, were contracted by the Fox Network. By the show's 14^th season, digital ink and paint was used to give the show a more modern look.

The Simpsons were also known for their long line of video games and action figures throughout the 1990s and 2000s. One of their earlier videos games was Bart VS the Space Mutants which was an extremely difficult game with very little mercy on the player. The Simpsons also had a very nice line of action figures that consisted of almost every character from the Simpson's universe. This line of action figures were produced by Playmates Toys and were available in stores from 2000 to 2004. My personal favorite action figure from that line was the Mr. Plow Homer figure that came with accessories that were featured in an episode. There are some figures that glow in the dark and may be very hard to find in stores, but online stores such as www.eBay.com might sell them. Another awesome figure was the Deep Space Homer figure that wore an Astronaut suite. That figure auctions for a lot of money on eBay and is considered as one of the best Homer Simpson figures around.