Who is your favorite character in Springfield? Trade is offering my viewers a free bag of coffee with any subscription at www.drinktrade.com/captainmidnight
Here's my anecdote about Bart mania: When I was in primary school (around six or so), I got into an argument with a friend of mine, because he was adamant that the show was actually titled "The Bart Simpsons"
I was Bart's age when the show debuted, and I can absolutely confirm: However big you may think Bartmania was, it was bigger. He was absolutely inescapable whether you watched the show or not. And yeah, I also remember how genuinely shocking it was at the time that he actually said "hell" on the show. It seems quaint and ridiculous now, in a world where Family Guy and South Park and BoJack Horseman have happened, but to the sort of person who is prone to pearl-clutching, a cartoon character openly cursing on network television may as well have been proof of the imminent collapse of civilization itself back in 1990.
I think the reason for marketing push towards Bart was quite simple, the marketing department didn't know how to sell an animated show to anyone other than kids and Bart was seen as the "relatable" character
You nailed it. Plus, it was really common in the 80s and early 90s for kids to be the stars or breakout supporting characters on live action sitcoms. The Wonder Years had debuted in 1988, TGIF debuted in 1989. That can seem odd to people who were born after 1990, who grew up in a TV landscape where child-centric sitcoms were mostly on cable channels like Nickelodeon and Disney.
@@daviddalrymple2284 Dennis the Menace, Home Alone... "Trouble" kids were the stars at those times. Bartmania was just the Simpsons following the spirit of the times.
I LOVE the episodes that highlight that Bart has a genuinely good heart. He's impulsive, immature, and acts out, but he's not a bad egg. I have a 7 year old son now that I see some of those same tendencies, and while he certainly challenges me, I see his heart more and more and make sure he knows I see it.
@@arthurfisher1857 Good heart? There is nothing "good" about Bart. Bart is an evil hellspawn who makes Eric Cartman look like a saint by comparison. Yes, Cartman fed a kid his own parents, but that kid was just as much of a bully as Cartman. Whereas Bart literally tortured Principal Skinner for his own amusement when he discovered his peanut allergy, he tried to kill Martin for his own amusement, he tried to kill Jimbo by proxy by framing him for a prank call to Moe, he tried to ruin Lisa's babysitting business by deliberately injuring himself, he broke every glass in Springfield for his amusement, he has destroyed the school on at least three different occasions, he tormented Lisa to the point where she had to get a restraining order on him, he insulted the entire nation of Australia and ruined their ecological system for his amusement and then he refused to accept punishment for it even though all he had to do was receive a kick in the butt, he tormented George Bush and destroyed his memoirs that he had been working very hard on, he infested Springfield with bird-killing lizards, he burned his family's Christmas presents and then conned the town to give him money out of sympathy and he ruined Springfield's tourism industry. Bart Simpson does not have a "good heart." He should be executed in the name of humanity.
Not only did Bartmania die down, Bart as a character is basically limited to the school, his friends, and home stuff. Switching the focus to Homer really expanded what situations the writers could create, and even as early as Season 2, the writers started focusing on people outside of the family (the first once IIRC being Mr. Burns)
It does remind of modern South Park. Much as the show revolves around the boys, once Randy became a major focus, South Park really started to integrate it’s adult characters into the storylines more.
Yes, I remember an interview in TV Guide before Season 2 was released where one of the writers said they were going to give Homer more to do and not focus as much on Bart.
@@benwasserman8223isn’t part of the increased focus on Randy because Matt and Trey admitted that as they grew up, they were less able to relate to the kids (as in, the main kids, not young audience viewers) and found themselves relating more to Randy
When I was a small child in Ireland, I was in a toy store where there was this plush Homer doll. The guy who worked there was in his 50s, and he referred to the doll as "Bart". Which was an interesting insight into Bartmania and the afterlife of Bartmania. This guy had not seen the show, but knew Bart's name, and just assumed Homer was Bart.
When you think about the 90s especially the early 90s, not only we had different variety shows that kids and adults can enjoy but I remember it being the time animated shows and cartoons were becoming edgy and inserting adult humor that was considered new and brash for its time. Shows like The Ren & Stimpy show that was on a kids network at that was able to get away with some of its grotesque subtle adult humor that wouldn't fly by today and you had Beavis & Butthead, Duckman and the list goes on and on. But The Simpsons was the catalyst to start that trend.
@@SmokeyChipOatley Did people really think those were cool, or were they just part of the cynical cash grab by WB to market that way? I mean we're talking about what they were throwing at the wall before Space Jam.
@@AmariMarvelous Ren & Stimpy were also on cable, so it probably had more relaxed standards even if you compare to evening sitcoms on network TV. Rocko's Modern Life was also rife with the adult humor
I remember Bart being an icon already when I was 7 in 1992. He seemed like a larger than life character that casted an enormous shadow on every other character (especially Homer), and even the show as a whole.
I remember at one point The Simpsons became more popular than The Cosby Show at that time which is ironic because that was the same year The Cosby Show came to a end if i remember correctly. I think the only animated show that was giving the Simpsons some competition was Rugrats on Nickelodeon.
Yeah. For most of the first season, Homer was just another part of the late 80s wave of schlubby dads that included Dan Conner and Al Bundy. He only stood out in those moments where the show allowed itself to be extra cartoony, like in "Call of the Simpsons". Meanwhile, Bart really was like no other character on television. Bart was a creature of pure id, but with the vulnerability of a child.
I’m the same age as the show and I saw it at my dad’s house when I visited him every Sunday up until age 5-6 when I moved to Hawaii. I liked Bart but when I got older I related more to Lisa.
I haven't watched The Simpsons in a while but I loved that show in my teens. I find South Park and Family Guy to rely on shock factor and being gross or crude for laughs, but The Simpsons (at least in the beginning) was a genuinely funny show that could also make me cry sometimes.
@@LaurenTheorist I'm surprised "Bart Gets an "F" is not mentioned anywhere in the video. It's one of the most emotional episodes of the show, it's a fan favorite, and it a notable part of Bartmania for several reasons. Early Bart merchandise may of had him claiming to be a proud underachiever, but the episode "Bart Gets an "F" has him failing a test and not being proud of it at all.
The Simpsons used to be my favorite animated sitcom back in the day especially the earlier seasons and as a kid growing up during those times was the funniest thing to watch. I think I stopped watching the show once we approached the 2000s although I watched some episodes here or there. But as of now I can't tell you when was the last time I watched a new episode of the show. It's been that long.
Fantastic episode. I even love the touch at the end after Bart gets his soul back that Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II sleep with him when before they were mad at him because he didn't have one.
So weird to think there was a time when Bart was considered the ultimate dangerous role model for kids. The 90s certainly had a weird interpretation of controversial material.
It's so quaint seeing how people felt about this character in the 90's, they'd be mortified by the fictional (and non-fictional) controversies that have happened since.
@@colbystearns5238Half of those controversies, The Simpsons predicted years/decades in advance. The others are too bizarre/stupid/out of touch with reality that even The Simpsons couldn’t take it seriously at the peak of its comedic heights.
@@colbystearns5238 It gives me Rock Against Bush vibes where all these edgy rock bands from the mid 2000s staged a protest concert against this peanut-eared dipshit who fumbled his way into office twice yet the way the bands advertised it at first glance you'd expect him to be on the level of dangerously malicious stupidity Vivek Ramaswamy and the later Republican Party are, instead of a doddering old guy who just wants to paint, dammit. Seriously, back in the day we had some skewed, strange priorities.
Yeah... it's so bizarre seeing these kids analyze, make videos, & theories about the world back then. 😂 Other generations had wars to bring them together. We had Bart Simpson. It really was a more simple time. 😂
Thankfully, The Simpsons is so iconic that people have been trying to archive it, even back then and have left behind golden nuggets of information behind for the newest generation.
When I was younger, I remember that the biggest controversy with Bart wasn't so much the swearing... but the deliberate undermining of parental authority by intentionally addressing his father by his first name. Seems so quaint now lol
Eh, I was only like 3 years old in 1989, so that didn't hit me as hard. However, I'm only like a year and a month away from being Homer's age (39), so that's sobering, lol
I think why he was so popular at first was because the Simpson really was kind of the first in this new wave/concept of adult animation. Like you said in the video people still thought animation was for kids so who else would they gravitate to? The boy of the show. But as the audience grew up and more shows like this came out IE Family Guy and South Park Bart loss his appeal with the key demographic of the show and people naturally leaned more towards the adult man of the show.
Exactly. I was close to Bart's age when the show started and I felt like it was 100% a kids' show. My parents would watch the show with me and I'm sure that wasn't unique to us. I'm guessing the show runners realized there was adult appeal there so they expanded Homer's presence.
100% true. I was in 5th grade when the Christmas special aired (and watched the shorts on Tracey Ullman before that) and it was massive right off. By the sixth grade, all Simpsons shirts were banned. But yeah, Bart in particular was the face of the show. P.S. one of the voice actors was a family friend when I was a kid. No one at school believed me until I produced pictures haha
I was around when the Simpsons debuted in the late 80s, born in the end of 79. So I can tell you that originally Bart was the main character. Bart mania was everywhere. I can also tell you the show got better when they switched to Homer. I think somewhere along the lines, the writers understood that the longevity of the show is better served through homer, and through the interactions of homer and Lisa . The episodes were homer, and Lisa play off of each other are the best.
This is in contrast to Bob's Burgers where they've shifted most of the focus to the kids and while I love them I just feel that decision has been infatilizing the show over the years and every time I watch a new episode I end up just wishing I could see Bob and Linda get into adult shenanigans and not yet another school episode.
I think the episode where Homer skateboards over Springfield Gorge is a good symbolic moment of Homer starting to take over from Bart as the 'star' of the show.
4:36 I forgot for a moment that there was a different Dennis the Menace in America... cause the one here in the UK would regilarly pull the kind of pranks Bart did and even had his own slingshot
Very true, my dad even picked up on it, and he was a casual watcher of the show. We were all watching in the living room one night and he says something along the lines of, "It looks like they're shifting away from Bart a little and focusing more on Homer now." I don't think he realized how right he was.
I had a Bart Simpson T'shirt when I was 10 which was 1990. As you say Bart mania was huge, on par with Michael Jackson and Batman. Also I grew up in New Zealand and we only had 2 and a half t.v channels at the time.
We had 3 TV channels in Finland at the time, and Bart was huge in late 1991. Our English teacher played a recording of "Do the Bartman" in class, handed out prints of the lyrics, and tried explaining the slang.
I swear Bart was still really big in NZ in the mid 2000s. Probably not as much as the 90s, but he had a big present in this weird "prankster" marketing trend targeted at young boys. I think the main reason was that young kids were obsessed with skateboarding and attached it to this idea of being rebellious. That might've been the previous generation's imprint on them inspired by Bart Simpson. There was still a lot of Bart merch in like 2004-2005 and his own comic series was still being sold then. Maybe I'm biased because I was obsessed with Bart when I was age 7 through till 9 but a lot of my classmates were too.
@backwardsbandit8094 yeah that tracks with when tv3 picked up the Simpsons and started re-running it from the beginning but advertising them as "new" - meaning "new to tv3" and not actual new episodes
@@jasonmetcalfe4695 Yeah, I'm not surprised The Simpsons tried to cash in on skateboarding trends in the early 2000s. I mean just look at The Simpsons Skateboarding video game from 2002 or the 2003 episode "Barting Over" with guest star Tony Hawk.
Born in 88'. I grew up with The Simpsons. I genuinely love the earlier sessions. A heavy lean on pop culture references and other animated series pushing boundaries slowly pushed the show into an area that doesn't represent the original run.
In the beginning Bart was the breakout character and had the most personality out of the family members. He was often the cause of conflict in an episode and drove the plot forward. Combined with having several memorable catch phrases and quotes that could be slapped on merchandise. He even had his own music video that featured Michael Jackson who was at the height of his fame.
I was 16 when the first Simpson xmas special aired and Bart Mania was huge at the time. Fox absolutely did an amazing job hyping up the show. Bart stuff was everywhere. And yeah, it is really quaint to think the Simpsons was considered edgy material at the time. But the reality was that Simpsons humor was pushing the envelope compared to what else was on network TV at the time. I think the legacy of the Simpsons is that Gen-X proved teenagers, and then adults, embraced adult oriented cartoons and I still watch the good ones to this day.
I was 3 going on 4 when The Simpsons first aired in 89. It wasn't till about 91 or 92 I started catching up to all the hype with the show and Bartmania.
Tracy Ulman might have been mildly successful, but the Simpsons shorts were a breakout hit. They went from being aired occasionally to every Tracy Ulman episode. I know my friends and I had a watch party for the first episode and we got together quite a few Sundays (or Thursdays) to watch them together, or rewatch them on tape. It was big enough out of the gate that they moved it to Thursday night to compete with The Cosby Show, which was almost unthinkable. The fact that The Simpsons had brilliant writers back then didn't hurt.
It's funny you mentioned The Cosby show because I was just saying under someone's else reply that The Simpsons became more popular as The Cosby Show was coming to end in '92 when The Simpsons was hitting their peak before they hit their prime a year later or two. I believe Rugrats on Nickelodeon was one of if not The Simpsons only competition at the time.
@@AmariMarvelous animation wise, yeah I think so until Ren and Stimpy, but that show really fizzled quick. But it probably paved the way for everything from South Park to Rick and Morty.
If *The Simpsons* could put up a fight against Cosby and stick a fork in *A Different World,* it could have easily beaten a garbage show like *F(r)iends* but Fox didn’t have the nerve to leave it on Thursdays up against it. Instead, they put it up against another aging show whose audience skewered older, *Murder She Wrote,* and forced CBS’s hand to move that show to Thursday nights instead!
That background might explain why the writing was on the level it was in those early seasons. They HAD to make it a success. Only 8 years later they had all moved on to greener pastures and The Simpsons could enjoy success with mediocre writing.
@@capitalcitygoofball1987 I'm so shocked that this Bart themed video doesn't mention The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets an "F" which is a very influential episodes for Bart Simpson and the show for many reasons. One of them being "Bart Gets an "F" premiered when the show was moved to Thursday nights in hopes of competing with The Cosby Show.
I was 16 when the show started and i'm 51 now, which blows my mind that it's still on. Stopped watching 10 years ago because of quality drop, but one of my favorite shows.
Bart was that dude when I was a kid. He was everything a kid in the 90s wanted to be. Once everyone got older and the people started realizing animation wasn’t just for kids tho, Homer just naturally became the focal point.
I think the switchover from Bart to Homer as most people's favorite character was also largely a consequence of the fanbase getting older and finding Homer more relatable. A lot of us were about Bart's age when the show premiered, but you can see by the ratings that the show hasn't really been bringing in new young viewers (or basically any new viewers) in a long time.
Back when Bart had a large range of emotions too. Was not just mean or just dumb. I will never forget "Bart gets an F", such a beautifuly written episode for an animated show.
THRILLHO SO glad you mentioned the Mr Bergstrom episode. Its a beautiful ending that really is timeless. A nice video. you do your homework as usual - coz i nearly spit out my drink at the start when you stated you werent even yet born when the show came out. Im not old. please.. . i promise.
I think the reason Bart became such a huge deal was in due part to his personality. The Butterfinger ads and the early seasons proved that he was different than anything anyone had seen at that time, even from his own family. Ask yourself this: is there anything quotable/notable done by Lisa in the first 2 seasons (barring Lisa's Substitute since that one is well-known)? What about Marge, or the Homar? Most of the family was still a little one-note, so Bart's stand-out persona made him compelling. Plus, FOX themselves were totally in on it too, going back to promos they made in 1990 where they show off all their current programs, and who do they get to represent The Simpsons? Bart and Homer (and even then, this is still angry Homer). here's a promo from 1990 that proves my point: th-cam.com/video/s4pE_THlSaQ/w-d-xo.html
I remember Bart Simpson being heavily associated with the color hot pink. The very second hot pink was considered "not cool", so was everything that donned the color.
My family didn't watch The Simpsons during its heyday, and I was very young anyway when it was at its peak. But I definitely remember all the Bart marketing and merch. I remember my uncle having Bart and Homer stickers in his home's bathroom. As a small child, I had no idea what The Simpsons was, but I knew who Bart was.
I was in high school when Simpsons debuted. It was definitely a hit amongst high schoolers. And was so different than anything before it. It was definitely a privilege to experience the Simpsons in their prime.
That other characters attribute "cowabunga" as one of Bart's catchphrases even though he practically never says it is one of my favorite obscure running gags of the show
There was a commentary track on the one of the DVDs where a writer insisted that Bart NEVER said "Cowabunga" and didn't know why it was on the merchandise. But in that same DVD set is an episode where he does actually say it.
@@KasumiKenshirou I remember that episode, "Bart gets an F" where his is running out his room a sledge. I love that there is a myth that Bart saying cowabunga on the show is a myth.
@@CornishCreamtea07 I remember in the DVD commentary for that episode, at that scene one of the crew members even says something like "oh wow, he actually does say "cowbunga'."
I was 7 when The Simpsons came out in '89. Bart felt like the cutting edge of attitude. He was the perfect blend of adult humor and young kid antics. He did whatever he wanted, broke the rules without ever thinking about the consequences. Bart said curse words (at least the ones you could say but shouldn't say on TV in the 80s), he spoke back to his parents and other authority figures, the way he spoke his mind. He was the epitome of the problem child with a heart of gold.
Great little retrospective about Bart Mania! BTW-I’ve noticed something in your videos that I been wanting to mention for a couple of years. I really respect that you put your sponsorship ad at the end. No tricks, no deception, just here’s the quick mention at the beginning, here’s the video you clicked on and then finally, the sponsored ad. For that reason I actually WANT to sit through it due to the elegance of its placement.
The '80s were full of sitcoms that were _meant_ to be about the whole family but ended up being more about the oldest son than anyone else, because those were the characters whose popularity took off. Alex P. Keaton drew the majority of the focus on Family Ties when it was originally meant to be about his former hippie parents juxtaposed against the backdrop of the Reagan '80s. Mike Seaver drew focus on Growing Pains when it was really meant to be about everybody in the family. Jason Bateman's character (whatever the hell his name was) completely took over on Valerie when... well, guess who that show was supposed to be about. Of course, Bill Cosby had the sort of control to make damn sure that he'd never be upstaged by Theo, so it didn't apply to every top-rated sitcom. But it happened a lot, and usually inadvertently. By the early '90s, I think network execs had just grown to expect that the oldest son character would inevitably end up being the more popular focus of the show, so why not just skip to the chase?
I was at primary school in the UK when the Simpsons came out. I was aware of Bart from the song and saw him on lunch boxes, but I didn't see the Simpsons until a few years later. I assumed it was American rubbish, but when we saw it at a friend's house, it was amazing. I think the first episode I ever saw was Who shot Mr Burns? I grew up with the show through the rest of school, and loved it. It was genius
My guess is that the blue/green shirt was used when the butterfingers wrapper would overlap with Bart's torso in the animation. Especially given the picture quality on old tube tvs.
Fun fact: prior to the meteoric crash of Bartmania, Do The Bartman was slated to have a sequel rap song by Mike Love of the Beach Boys. The Bart duet was canned but the song itself was retooled into “Summer of Love” which appeared on Baywatch. It was one of the few original songs on the band’s catastrophic 1992 flop album, Summer in Paradise.
The millennial viewers who were enamored with Bart’s snarkiness grew up to relate more with Homer. Bart and the show became less edgy by the mid 90s. Those who sought for childish shenanigans, went over to watch South Park, which aired in 97.
I was born right as the show started so by the time I was really conscious Bartmania was over but I was still aware that Bart was a big deal. We had a bunch of Bart stuff around the house and Simpsons Sing the Blues on cassette. I watched a lot of reruns of the show on our local Fox affiliate and those earlier Bart centric stories were played a lot still. I'd still say he's the number 2 character of the show behind Homer. The show's commentary on episodes like Bart Gets Famous is pretty great. Behind the Laughter also does a good job lamp shading the show as a whole.
I was 8 when the show premiered, and it's really crazy looking back now at the hype and "controversy." People like my grandparents seriously saw this as real moral decay of society, especially with Bart.
I think they were right about the moral decay, but how much the Simpsons contributed to that is debatable. It is basically depicting the white nuclear family in a pretty dysfunctional light.
The bizarre thing is that in the UK in the early 90s there was also a massive craze for kid-focused Bart Simpson merchandise (T-shirts, lunch boxes, and games - I remember playing "Bart vs The Space Mutants" on the Amiga 500). Yet the oddity comes from the fact that the Simpsons were only available on Sky in the UK at the time, so few people had actually ever seen an episode broadcast. It was a big thing when the Simpsons was finally broadcast on terrestrial UK TV (I forget the year, but remember Radio Times magazine making collectable TV covers for the occasion). The show, especially the first season, felt a bit underwhelming given the immense scale of hype that had surrounded it.
I remember this very well. I was 9 years old and every kid was nuts about Bart. The 'Underachiever and proud of it ' line seemed to be particularly offensive to parents. And it was all just a few years removed from the satanic panic so it was one more talking point the fear mongering enthusiasts could chew on while they talk at the same time. How rude. There were lots of knockoff shirts that were everywhere. There weren't many officially licensed designs back then. That vibe was strong enough that when Beavis and Butthead came out they seemed like stoner Bart Simpsons to me, before I actually watched Beavis and Butthead anyway.
I'm surprised that the episode "Bart Gets an "F" is not mentioned anywhere in this video. Several critics thought the episode "Bart Gets an "F" was a response to these controversies you mentioned by how despite his marketing claims, Bart Simpson is not proud to be an underachiver when it comes to failing a test.
I feel like maybe the shows shift from Bart to Homer being the lead protagonist is that the demographic of Simpsons fans in the 90's was closer to Bart in age, and those people be closer to Homer by now.
The reason barts shirt was blue in early Simpsons merchandising and commercials is because that was the original design they sent to the advertisement companies. His shirt was changed to red at some point before the first episode aired.
And now, ironically, Bart and Marge are lucky enough to get at least one episode each focussed on them. Because, the writers now only ever write two thirds of each seasons episodes centred either on Homer or for some reason, Lisa. The spare third seems reserved for flavour of the month side characters from the town
Doing the Bartman may be fun but it's the whole family that drew me towards the early Simpsons seasons. Bartmania was set up to fail intentionally or not.
@@aidanmallon9879 That goes without saying. But to me it was the whole cast that made The Simpsons stand out from every other animated comedy out there. All the eccentrics and weirdos.
I was 22 when the Simpsons initially aired, and for those first 3 or 4 seasons it was all about Bart...."Do the Bart Man", Cowabunga, Better not lay a finger on my butterfinger, Aye Caromba....I even bought my youngest brother a "Don't have a cow man" t-shirt for Christmas in 91. Bartmania dominated the early 90's
In my secondary school, there was a cutout of Bart in our Modern Languages room saying "Guten Tag.... nicht!" which is perhaps the most early 90s thing I can think of.
I wasn't born until 1990 and I can still remember Bart being huge on merchandising here in Europe! Blue shirt and Orange shirt phases! "Don't have a cow man" and "ay caramba" were his most popular phrases here, and then, when Bartmania faded away, toward the tail end of the 90's in came South Park with "Oh my god, they killed Kenny, the bastards" And that really sent parents over the edge! haha. Bart was one of the handful of iconic characters that embodied that quintessential 90's "attitude" that just couldn't work in a post 9/11 world.
@@thekrakensdaughter Culture changed, attitudes changed, it didn't happen overnight, but pretty quickly after 9/11, the world seemed to mature slightly, this is just my opinion though.
It's interesting to me to see him compared as an "edgier Dennis the Menace" bc there actually already was one of those - the British Beano comic's Dennis the Menace, which makes me wonder if Bart caused less controversy over here, since to me he feels very much in line with those kinds of characters that had already been running for decades
I recall the old days when new Bart music videos aired on Sunday nights after the show, as well as premiering new Michael Jackson videos after The Simpsons as well. Black or White, Remember the Time and Jam were hits I recall as a kid. Damn the world was so different then. Truly good ol' days.
The ladies of the family didn't have any catchphrases. We were big on catchphrases back then. Bart had the best and most then Homer with the classic Doh
@@captainmidnightI can picture Marge saying it in my head rn 😂. I believe Lisa would do it here and there as a way to show she took some of her mother traits but she was more cheerful and positive.
I was around Lisa's age when The Simpson came to my country (91-92) and boy do I remember Bartmania! I had the Bart vs. the Space Mutants NES game, the T-Shirts, the Pepsi cups, the cassette lol. He was huge in a way I don't remember a single character being huge in recent history. But I think you left oput one of the reasons why Bartmania felt was one of the reasons Homer became huge. While The Simpsons was an adult animation show, at least in my country was mostly watched by kids, who were around Bart and Lisa's age. Now we are Marge and Homers age
When Simpsons came out I was just out of college, the timing was perfect. Not sure folks today understand how fresh this was after the decades of treacle they spooned out every night. The only other things that even came close were SNL and Monty Python. I got the impression at the time that the team writing and producing the show viewed "Bartmania" as a little tongue-in-cheek. It wasn't really a thing they (or the real fans) had sought out, so they didn't go crazy trying to cram it in the show. Love that line from President Bush that people should be less like the Simpsons and more like the Waltons... the Simpsons created an incandescent response. A very brief maybe 10-second clip slipped in pre-credits to one episode. th-cam.com/video/1ZBCynaoY_g/w-d-xo.htmlsi=80h6jSnwT9P8rzd8
My mom and step-dad were going through a divorce in the very early 90s. My step-dad got me a Bart shirt (blue) that said "eat my shorts." My mom promptly banned me from watching the Simpsons ever again.
i had bart shirts back in the day been a fan of the show since i first remember seeing it in the 1990 it was crazy there where so many crazy pop culture things during the 90s anyone alive back then that was old enough will remember how big bart was
The whole 'cartoons are for kids' thing gave me real whiplash growing up. First a show is considered too adult for my poor child eyes in the 90s but then considered too childish for my young adult eyes in the 2010s. Took me too long not to worry about other people's opinions about what I spend my time watching lmao.
There's just something so interesting about how reserved people were back then. The fact that Bart "Eat my shorts" Simpson was seen as such a provocative and vulgar symbol that was sure to destroy the minds of today's youth is insane to me.
When i was growing up, I was bought a bart plushie for christmas from my aunt. This was when season 2 or 3 ( i forgot) was debuting, and it was a blue-shirt Bart. I always thought it was knock-off merch, until I grew a little older and learned that it was how the first bart-merch was sold. I wish I still had it.
Funny how you compared Bart to Dennis the Menace. Matt Groening created Bart as a response to Dennis the Menace. Matt said something along the lines of Dennis wasn’t very menacing and wanted a bad boy kid that actually caused trouble. Bart was even given a slingshot like Dennis the Menace.
you almost nailed what I have been remember first thinking about back in '98 when i was rewatching all the seasons of the Simpsons that had aired up to that point on bootleg self-pirated vhs tapes that i had used previously for recording hilarious low budget local programming. (90's stuff)
GREAT subject for a video. I was in the target age demographic during the height of this. If I had a nickel for every drawing of Bart my 9-10 year old self did, I'd be rich. Lol
I was in college when this show started. I remember Bart Mania. But what I really remember enjoying about the early show was gradually discovering that even though the show was called “The Simpsons” it was really about Springfield. I enjoyed discovering all these characters that everybody knows so well. When I watch the early show now, they look half baked, but in my memory the early shows never feel that way.
Who is your favorite character in Springfield?
Trade is offering my viewers a free bag of coffee with any subscription at www.drinktrade.com/captainmidnight
Probably Moe or Chief Wiggum.
jschlag
Surprisingly Maggie Simpson
Groundskeeper Willie is my all time fave
Marge Simpson is my favorite.
Here's my anecdote about Bart mania: When I was in primary school (around six or so), I got into an argument with a friend of mine, because he was adamant that the show was actually titled "The Bart Simpsons"
And you used to be able to have arguments like that…I remember a middle school argument about the movie ‘Blank Check’ that went on for weeks…
I knew a kid who called him Bark Simpson.
@@glennross85 Kids used to call Darth Vader "Dark Vader".
@@hwelsh201What did they think it was called?
@@glennross85 No, looks more like Brad Storch
I was Bart's age when the show debuted, and I can absolutely confirm: However big you may think Bartmania was, it was bigger. He was absolutely inescapable whether you watched the show or not. And yeah, I also remember how genuinely shocking it was at the time that he actually said "hell" on the show. It seems quaint and ridiculous now, in a world where Family Guy and South Park and BoJack Horseman have happened, but to the sort of person who is prone to pearl-clutching, a cartoon character openly cursing on network television may as well have been proof of the imminent collapse of civilization itself back in 1990.
Well, it did lead to archer and family guy and worst of all the apprentice. So the start of the end isn’t too big a stretch.
(My comment is a joke).
There were so many news stories railing against the Simpsons and in particular Bart being a bad role model and influence on children it was insane.
Ay caramba!
It seems it really was the end 😂
I immediately forgot which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle was which because of Bart Simpson.
I think the reason for marketing push towards Bart was quite simple, the marketing department didn't know how to sell an animated show to anyone other than kids and Bart was seen as the "relatable" character
eat pant
You nailed it.
Plus, it was really common in the 80s and early 90s for kids to be the stars or breakout supporting characters on live action sitcoms. The Wonder Years had debuted in 1988, TGIF debuted in 1989. That can seem odd to people who were born after 1990, who grew up in a TV landscape where child-centric sitcoms were mostly on cable channels like Nickelodeon and Disney.
@@daviddalrymple2284 Dennis the Menace, Home Alone... "Trouble" kids were the stars at those times. Bartmania was just the Simpsons following the spirit of the times.
Bart crying at not being able to pass his test will always stick with me. Perfect job at a relatable kid.
And the episode where Homer forbids Bart from watching the Itchy & Scratchy movie so that he could improve his grades
I LOVE the episodes that highlight that Bart has a genuinely good heart. He's impulsive, immature, and acts out, but he's not a bad egg.
I have a 7 year old son now that I see some of those same tendencies, and while he certainly challenges me, I see his heart more and more and make sure he knows I see it.
@@LuisSierra42 I think that was just to discipline him.
@@arthurfisher1857 Good heart? There is nothing "good" about Bart. Bart is an evil hellspawn who makes Eric Cartman look like a saint by comparison. Yes, Cartman fed a kid his own parents, but that kid was just as much of a bully as Cartman. Whereas Bart literally tortured Principal Skinner for his own amusement when he discovered his peanut allergy, he tried to kill Martin for his own amusement, he tried to kill Jimbo by proxy by framing him for a prank call to Moe, he tried to ruin Lisa's babysitting business by deliberately injuring himself, he broke every glass in Springfield for his amusement, he has destroyed the school on at least three different occasions, he tormented Lisa to the point where she had to get a restraining order on him, he insulted the entire nation of Australia and ruined their ecological system for his amusement and then he refused to accept punishment for it even though all he had to do was receive a kick in the butt, he tormented George Bush and destroyed his memoirs that he had been working very hard on, he infested Springfield with bird-killing lizards, he burned his family's Christmas presents and then conned the town to give him money out of sympathy and he ruined Springfield's tourism industry.
Bart Simpson does not have a "good heart." He should be executed in the name of humanity.
@@vetarlittorf1807 yeah but he also wanted bart to become judge which is how the episode ends
Not only did Bartmania die down, Bart as a character is basically limited to the school, his friends, and home stuff. Switching the focus to Homer really expanded what situations the writers could create, and even as early as Season 2, the writers started focusing on people outside of the family (the first once IIRC being Mr. Burns)
It does remind of modern South Park. Much as the show revolves around the boys, once Randy became a major focus, South Park really started to integrate it’s adult characters into the storylines more.
Yes, I remember an interview in TV Guide before Season 2 was released where one of the writers said they were going to give Homer more to do and not focus as much on Bart.
@@benwasserman8223isn’t part of the increased focus on Randy because Matt and Trey admitted that as they grew up, they were less able to relate to the kids (as in, the main kids, not young audience viewers) and found themselves relating more to Randy
And it still wasn’t and isn’t funny.
None of their characters are relatable. They’re all one dimensional straw-men.
When I was a small child in Ireland, I was in a toy store where there was this plush Homer doll. The guy who worked there was in his 50s, and he referred to the doll as "Bart". Which was an interesting insight into Bartmania and the afterlife of Bartmania. This guy had not seen the show, but knew Bart's name, and just assumed Homer was Bart.
I have an irl friend that thought the same thing.
You're Irish? I'm sorry😢
Just like for old people every pokemon is a pikachu
My mom thought Homer was Bart too. I think I also did for some time. And this was in the 2000’s
you should have bought the doll, he's trying to provide for his little ones.
My mom used to call the show "Bart Simpson" instead of "The Simpsons" when it first started airing. Bartmania was real.
My mom did too!
Mine too
My grandma called it The Flintstones.
What did your mom say? "Before watching "bart simpson" you do your homework!"😊
Same. When my mom reminded me that the show was on, she referred to it as "Bart Simpson is on".
Bart Simpson and Sonic the Hedgehog are the definition of 90s cool
When you think about the 90s especially the early 90s, not only we had different variety shows that kids and adults can enjoy but I remember it being the time animated shows and cartoons were becoming edgy and inserting adult humor that was considered new and brash for its time. Shows like The Ren & Stimpy show that was on a kids network at that was able to get away with some of its grotesque subtle adult humor that wouldn't fly by today and you had Beavis & Butthead, Duckman and the list goes on and on. But The Simpsons was the catalyst to start that trend.
@@AmariMarvelous Duckman was such an underrated show.
Don't forget those weird oversized "90s gangsta" Loony Tunes character t-shirts.
@@SmokeyChipOatley Did people really think those were cool, or were they just part of the cynical cash grab by WB to market that way? I mean we're talking about what they were throwing at the wall before Space Jam.
@@AmariMarvelous Ren & Stimpy were also on cable, so it probably had more relaxed standards even if you compare to evening sitcoms on network TV. Rocko's Modern Life was also rife with the adult humor
As a person named Bartholomew in elementary school in the 90s, Bart Simpson was literally my nemesis
I'd rather be named BORTholomew
“My son is also named Bortholomew.”
"We ran out of Bortholomew license plates in the gift shop."
I remember Bart being an icon already when I was 7 in 1992. He seemed like a larger than life character that casted an enormous shadow on every other character (especially Homer), and even the show as a whole.
I remember at one point The Simpsons became more popular than The Cosby Show at that time which is ironic because that was the same year The Cosby Show came to a end if i remember correctly. I think the only animated show that was giving the Simpsons some competition was Rugrats on Nickelodeon.
Yeah. For most of the first season, Homer was just another part of the late 80s wave of schlubby dads that included Dan Conner and Al Bundy. He only stood out in those moments where the show allowed itself to be extra cartoony, like in "Call of the Simpsons".
Meanwhile, Bart really was like no other character on television. Bart was a creature of pure id, but with the vulnerability of a child.
I’m the same age as the show and I saw it at my dad’s house when I visited him every Sunday up until age 5-6 when I moved to Hawaii. I liked Bart but when I got older I related more to Lisa.
I was a baby during Bartmania, but I definitely saw the after effect. The houses of my relatives and friends were full of Bart merchandise.
I haven't watched The Simpsons in a while but I loved that show in my teens. I find South Park and Family Guy to rely on shock factor and being gross or crude for laughs, but The Simpsons (at least in the beginning) was a genuinely funny show that could also make me cry sometimes.
I just got to 11:20 and this is why this guy is the expert and I don't make videos like this. 😂
King of the Hill was like the Simpsons because it also had heart to go along with its sometimes crass nature.
@@LaurenTheorist I'm surprised "Bart Gets an "F" is not mentioned anywhere in the video. It's one of the most emotional episodes of the show, it's a fan favorite, and it a notable part of Bartmania for several reasons. Early Bart merchandise may of had him claiming to be a proud underachiever, but the episode "Bart Gets an "F" has him failing a test and not being proud of it at all.
It sucks these days, in my opinion. It's nothing like it used to be.
@@andykishorewhy are you everywhere? Fuck off.
“Bart Sells His Soul” is my favorite Bart episode. Such a character driven story that still contains tons of great jokes.
The Simpsons used to be my favorite animated sitcom back in the day especially the earlier seasons and as a kid growing up during those times was the funniest thing to watch. I think I stopped watching the show once we approached the 2000s although I watched some episodes here or there. But as of now I can't tell you when was the last time I watched a new episode of the show. It's been that long.
If the Ayatollah can't have it, no one can!
Fantastic episode. I even love the touch at the end after Bart gets his soul back that Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II sleep with him when before they were mad at him because he didn't have one.
Bart’s dream sequence is the creepiest scene in the series.
"Remember The Simpsons? They're back... in pog form!"
So weird to think there was a time when Bart was considered the ultimate dangerous role model for kids. The 90s certainly had a weird interpretation of controversial material.
It's so quaint seeing how people felt about this character in the 90's, they'd be mortified by the fictional (and non-fictional) controversies that have happened since.
@@colbystearns5238Its all relative. Likewise what you consider edgy today will also be cringe tomorrow.
@@colbystearns5238Half of those controversies, The Simpsons predicted years/decades in advance. The others are too bizarre/stupid/out of touch with reality that even The Simpsons couldn’t take it seriously at the peak of its comedic heights.
Being the first major cartoon for adults to enjoy in the west was very shocking to people back then as cartoons were still seen as being for children.
@@colbystearns5238 It gives me Rock Against Bush vibes where all these edgy rock bands from the mid 2000s staged a protest concert against this peanut-eared dipshit who fumbled his way into office twice yet the way the bands advertised it at first glance you'd expect him to be on the level of dangerously malicious stupidity Vivek Ramaswamy and the later Republican Party are, instead of a doddering old guy who just wants to paint, dammit.
Seriously, back in the day we had some skewed, strange priorities.
As a child of Bartmania myself, when this dude said he “wasn’t alive when The Simpsons debuted” I spit out my coffee. Time is a wild thing, man.
I know what you mean. Hearing stuff like that makes me feel old.
word
Yeah... it's so bizarre seeing these kids analyze, make videos, & theories about the world back then. 😂 Other generations had wars to bring them together. We had Bart Simpson. It really was a more simple time. 😂
@@kaitlyngault3987 You say "these kids", but I wasn't alive when the show debuted either, and I've just turned 33! 😂
Thankfully, The Simpsons is so iconic that people have been trying to archive it, even back then and have left behind golden nuggets of information behind for the newest generation.
I didn't expect a video on the Simpsons today. What a welcome surprise.
When I was younger, I remember that the biggest controversy with Bart wasn't so much the swearing... but the deliberate undermining of parental authority by intentionally addressing his father by his first name. Seems so quaint now lol
That must have been James L. Brooks’ idea. Bess addressed Phyllis similarly on *The Mary Tyler Moore Show.*
4:19 to which Bart famously replied: "Hey, we're just like the Waltons! We're praying for an end to the depression too!"
"I wasn't alive when the show debuted."
Way to make a guy feel old. 😭😂
That's how I felt when talking to someone and realized they were an adult, old enough to drink, who was born after 9/11.
People born in 2010 are now teenagers, if that makes things any worse.
Ha! I remember (barely) a world _before Star Wars!_
Eh, I was only like 3 years old in 1989, so that didn't hit me as hard.
However, I'm only like a year and a month away from being Homer's age (39), so that's sobering, lol
Please don't EVER change the intro on your videos. I absolutely love it.
Caaptaaiiinn midddnight! Berzeop!
mf it’s the whole reason for the channel name why would he change it
@@iGaveLiaHIV you're right
Agreed 💯
I think why he was so popular at first was because the Simpson really was kind of the first in this new wave/concept of adult animation. Like you said in the video people still thought animation was for kids so who else would they gravitate to? The boy of the show. But as the audience grew up and more shows like this came out IE Family Guy and South Park Bart loss his appeal with the key demographic of the show and people naturally leaned more towards the adult man of the show.
I couldn't have said it any better.💯
Exactly. I was close to Bart's age when the show started and I felt like it was 100% a kids' show. My parents would watch the show with me and I'm sure that wasn't unique to us. I'm guessing the show runners realized there was adult appeal there so they expanded Homer's presence.
100% true. I was in 5th grade when the Christmas special aired (and watched the shorts on Tracey Ullman before that) and it was massive right off. By the sixth grade, all Simpsons shirts were banned. But yeah, Bart in particular was the face of the show.
P.S. one of the voice actors was a family friend when I was a kid. No one at school believed me until I produced pictures haha
Which one?
@@Papacannolipizzaman Yardley Smith
@@muggsyaxton8085 That's awesome, dude!
I was around when the Simpsons debuted in the late 80s, born in the end of 79. So I can tell you that originally Bart was the main character. Bart mania was everywhere. I can also tell you the show got better when they switched to Homer.
I think somewhere along the lines, the writers understood that the longevity of the show is better served through homer, and through the interactions of homer and Lisa . The episodes were homer, and Lisa play off of each other are the best.
This is in contrast to Bob's Burgers where they've shifted most of the focus to the kids and while I love them I just feel that decision has been infatilizing the show over the years and every time I watch a new episode I end up just wishing I could see Bob and Linda get into adult shenanigans and not yet another school episode.
Lisa I’m the beginning was a misunderstood social intervert, the smartest one in the family. Now she’s an obnoxious social justice warrior.
I think the episode where Homer skateboards over Springfield Gorge is a good symbolic moment of Homer starting to take over from Bart as the 'star' of the show.
4:36 I forgot for a moment that there was a different Dennis the Menace in America... cause the one here in the UK would regilarly pull the kind of pranks Bart did and even had his own slingshot
Very true, my dad even picked up on it, and he was a casual watcher of the show. We were all watching in the living room one night and he says something along the lines of, "It looks like they're shifting away from Bart a little and focusing more on Homer now." I don't think he realized how right he was.
I had a Bart Simpson T'shirt when I was 10 which was 1990. As you say Bart mania was huge, on par with Michael Jackson and Batman. Also I grew up in New Zealand and we only had 2 and a half t.v channels at the time.
We had 3 TV channels in Finland at the time, and Bart was huge in late 1991. Our English teacher played a recording of "Do the Bartman" in class, handed out prints of the lyrics, and tried explaining the slang.
accurate, I also grew up in New Zealand I was 8 at that time I also remember it was on at 9pm and I was allowed to stay up and watch it
I swear Bart was still really big in NZ in the mid 2000s. Probably not as much as the 90s, but he had a big present in this weird "prankster" marketing trend targeted at young boys. I think the main reason was that young kids were obsessed with skateboarding and attached it to this idea of being rebellious. That might've been the previous generation's imprint on them inspired by Bart Simpson. There was still a lot of Bart merch in like 2004-2005 and his own comic series was still being sold then. Maybe I'm biased because I was obsessed with Bart when I was age 7 through till 9 but a lot of my classmates were too.
@backwardsbandit8094 yeah that tracks with when tv3 picked up the Simpsons and started re-running it from the beginning but advertising them as "new" - meaning "new to tv3" and not actual new episodes
@@jasonmetcalfe4695 Yeah, I'm not surprised The Simpsons tried to cash in on skateboarding trends in the early 2000s. I mean just look at The Simpsons Skateboarding video game from 2002 or the 2003 episode "Barting Over" with guest star Tony Hawk.
Born in 88'. I grew up with The Simpsons. I genuinely love the earlier sessions. A heavy lean on pop culture references and other animated series pushing boundaries slowly pushed the show into an area that doesn't represent the original run.
Early season episodes felt like if Bart _wasn't_ the subject of the A Plot, then he was _required_ to be the subject of the B Plot.
I was so excited to turn 10 years old because it would mean I was the same age as Bart Simpson, he really did resonate with troubled kids.
I remember watching a buncha Bart Simpson butterfinger ads the other day! So fun and creative and do a good job promoting the show and the candy!
In the beginning Bart was the breakout character and had the most personality out of the family members. He was often the cause of conflict in an episode and drove the plot forward. Combined with having several memorable catch phrases and quotes that could be slapped on merchandise. He even had his own music video that featured Michael Jackson who was at the height of his fame.
And now they are trying to distance themselves from him to make him the scapegoat for Matt Groening getting caught on one of Jeffrey Epstein‘s planes.
I was 16 when the first Simpson xmas special aired and Bart Mania was huge at the time. Fox absolutely did an amazing job hyping up the show. Bart stuff was everywhere. And yeah, it is really quaint to think the Simpsons was considered edgy material at the time. But the reality was that Simpsons humor was pushing the envelope compared to what else was on network TV at the time.
I think the legacy of the Simpsons is that Gen-X proved teenagers, and then adults, embraced adult oriented cartoons and I still watch the good ones to this day.
"I wasn't alive when the show debuted." Well I feel old now........ I think I was 3 when it debuted 🤣
I was 3 going on 4 when The Simpsons first aired in 89. It wasn't till about 91 or 92 I started catching up to all the hype with the show and Bartmania.
Tracy Ulman might have been mildly successful, but the Simpsons shorts were a breakout hit. They went from being aired occasionally to every Tracy Ulman episode. I know my friends and I had a watch party for the first episode and we got together quite a few Sundays (or Thursdays) to watch them together, or rewatch them on tape. It was big enough out of the gate that they moved it to Thursday night to compete with The Cosby Show, which was almost unthinkable. The fact that The Simpsons had brilliant writers back then didn't hurt.
It's funny you mentioned The Cosby show because I was just saying under someone's else reply that The Simpsons became more popular as The Cosby Show was coming to end in '92 when The Simpsons was hitting their peak before they hit their prime a year later or two. I believe Rugrats on Nickelodeon was one of if not The Simpsons only competition at the time.
@@AmariMarvelous animation wise, yeah I think so until Ren and Stimpy, but that show really fizzled quick. But it probably paved the way for everything from South Park to Rick and Morty.
If *The Simpsons* could put up a fight against Cosby and stick a fork in *A Different World,* it could have easily beaten a garbage show like *F(r)iends* but Fox didn’t have the nerve to leave it on Thursdays up against it. Instead, they put it up against another aging show whose audience skewered older, *Murder She Wrote,* and forced CBS’s hand to move that show to Thursday nights instead!
That background might explain why the writing was on the level it was in those early seasons. They HAD to make it a success. Only 8 years later they had all moved on to greener pastures and The Simpsons could enjoy success with mediocre writing.
@@capitalcitygoofball1987 I'm so shocked that this Bart themed video doesn't mention The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets an "F" which is a very influential episodes for Bart Simpson and the show for many reasons. One of them being "Bart Gets an "F" premiered when the show was moved to Thursday nights in hopes of competing with The Cosby Show.
I was 16 when the show started and i'm 51 now, which blows my mind that it's still on. Stopped watching 10 years ago because of quality drop, but one of my favorite shows.
Wow. I stopped watching 20 years ago after 2003 lol
Bart was that dude when I was a kid. He was everything a kid in the 90s wanted to be. Once everyone got older and the people started realizing animation wasn’t just for kids tho, Homer just naturally became the focal point.
I think the switchover from Bart to Homer as most people's favorite character was also largely a consequence of the fanbase getting older and finding Homer more relatable. A lot of us were about Bart's age when the show premiered, but you can see by the ratings that the show hasn't really been bringing in new young viewers (or basically any new viewers) in a long time.
Okay sure, but switching Homer to the bigger focus character arguably happened by season 4 or so.
As a very young boy in the early 90s of course I loved Barts rebelious attitude.
Now I mostly love Jasper lol
Oh you better believe that's a paddlin 😂😂
Marge Be Not Proud is my favorite episode because of how it balances humor and heart
Back when Bart had a large range of emotions too. Was not just mean or just dumb. I will never forget "Bart gets an F", such a beautifuly written episode for an animated show.
"Say the line, Captain Midnight?!"
“Do the roar”
Captain midnight!
I think a lot of Bart’s charm obviously came from his personality but also Nancy Cartwright’s incredible voice acting and delivery.
THRILLHO
SO glad you mentioned the Mr Bergstrom episode. Its a beautiful ending that really is timeless. A nice video. you do your homework as usual - coz i nearly spit out my drink at the start when you stated you werent even yet born when the show came out. Im not old. please.. . i promise.
I think the reason Bart became such a huge deal was in due part to his personality. The Butterfinger ads and the early seasons proved that he was different than anything anyone had seen at that time, even from his own family. Ask yourself this: is there anything quotable/notable done by Lisa in the first 2 seasons (barring Lisa's Substitute since that one is well-known)? What about Marge, or the Homar? Most of the family was still a little one-note, so Bart's stand-out persona made him compelling. Plus, FOX themselves were totally in on it too, going back to promos they made in 1990 where they show off all their current programs, and who do they get to represent The Simpsons? Bart and Homer (and even then, this is still angry Homer).
here's a promo from 1990 that proves my point:
th-cam.com/video/s4pE_THlSaQ/w-d-xo.html
& you were how old? Sounds like you weren't there.
I remember Bart Simpson being heavily associated with the color hot pink. The very second hot pink was considered "not cool", so was everything that donned the color.
My family didn't watch The Simpsons during its heyday, and I was very young anyway when it was at its peak. But I definitely remember all the Bart marketing and merch. I remember my uncle having Bart and Homer stickers in his home's bathroom. As a small child, I had no idea what The Simpsons was, but I knew who Bart was.
I was in high school when Simpsons debuted. It was definitely a hit amongst high schoolers. And was so different than anything before it. It was definitely a privilege to experience the Simpsons in their prime.
That other characters attribute "cowabunga" as one of Bart's catchphrases even though he practically never says it is one of my favorite obscure running gags of the show
There was a commentary track on the one of the DVDs where a writer insisted that Bart NEVER said "Cowabunga" and didn't know why it was on the merchandise. But in that same DVD set is an episode where he does actually say it.
@@KasumiKenshirou I remember that episode, "Bart gets an F" where his is running out his room a sledge. I love that there is a myth that Bart saying cowabunga on the show is a myth.
people probably just remembered it had something to do with 'cow' (don't have a cow man) and got confused with the ninja turtles' catchphrase
@@KasumiKenshirouI think he says it for like a split second while he was on a skateboard
@@CornishCreamtea07 I remember in the DVD commentary for that episode, at that scene one of the crew members even says something like "oh wow, he actually does say "cowbunga'."
I was 7 when The Simpsons came out in '89. Bart felt like the cutting edge of attitude. He was the perfect blend of adult humor and young kid antics. He did whatever he wanted, broke the rules without ever thinking about the consequences. Bart said curse words (at least the ones you could say but shouldn't say on TV in the 80s), he spoke back to his parents and other authority figures, the way he spoke his mind. He was the epitome of the problem child with a heart of gold.
I was 7 too in '89. I don't really remember watching the show though until the 90s. Then I couldn't get enough of it 😂
Great little retrospective about Bart Mania! BTW-I’ve noticed something in your videos that I been wanting to mention for a couple of years. I really respect that you put your sponsorship ad at the end. No tricks, no deception, just here’s the quick mention at the beginning, here’s the video you clicked on and then finally, the sponsored ad. For that reason I actually WANT to sit through it due to the elegance of its placement.
He also briefly said that sponsorship at the beginning.
The “and now I wanna talk about coffee” transition was so unintentionally HILARIOUS 😂
The '80s were full of sitcoms that were _meant_ to be about the whole family but ended up being more about the oldest son than anyone else, because those were the characters whose popularity took off.
Alex P. Keaton drew the majority of the focus on Family Ties when it was originally meant to be about his former hippie parents juxtaposed against the backdrop of the Reagan '80s. Mike Seaver drew focus on Growing Pains when it was really meant to be about everybody in the family. Jason Bateman's character (whatever the hell his name was) completely took over on Valerie when... well, guess who that show was supposed to be about. Of course, Bill Cosby had the sort of control to make damn sure that he'd never be upstaged by Theo, so it didn't apply to every top-rated sitcom. But it happened a lot, and usually inadvertently.
By the early '90s, I think network execs had just grown to expect that the oldest son character would inevitably end up being the more popular focus of the show, so why not just skip to the chase?
I played so much Virtual Bart on the Sega Genesis back in the day, it’s a pillar of my childhood nostalgia. Bart Mania will be alive to me at least.
I was at primary school in the UK when the Simpsons came out. I was aware of Bart from the song and saw him on lunch boxes, but I didn't see the Simpsons until a few years later. I assumed it was American rubbish, but when we saw it at a friend's house, it was amazing. I think the first episode I ever saw was Who shot Mr Burns? I grew up with the show through the rest of school, and loved it. It was genius
I like these types of videos they feel like a side quest or venture in a video game
I like how you just casually murdered that salt dork in a single second without even mentioning him by name lol
My guess is that the blue/green shirt was used when the butterfingers wrapper would overlap with Bart's torso in the animation. Especially given the picture quality on old tube tvs.
Fun fact: prior to the meteoric crash of Bartmania, Do The Bartman was slated to have a sequel rap song
by Mike Love of the Beach Boys. The Bart duet was canned but the song itself was retooled into “Summer of Love” which appeared on Baywatch.
It was one of the few original songs on the band’s catastrophic 1992 flop album, Summer in Paradise.
The millennial viewers who were enamored with Bart’s snarkiness grew up to relate more with Homer. Bart and the show became less edgy by the mid 90s. Those who sought for childish shenanigans, went over to watch South Park, which aired in 97.
I was born right as the show started so by the time I was really conscious Bartmania was over but I was still aware that Bart was a big deal. We had a bunch of Bart stuff around the house and Simpsons Sing the Blues on cassette. I watched a lot of reruns of the show on our local Fox affiliate and those earlier Bart centric stories were played a lot still. I'd still say he's the number 2 character of the show behind Homer. The show's commentary on episodes like Bart Gets Famous is pretty great. Behind the Laughter also does a good job lamp shading the show as a whole.
I was 8 when the show premiered, and it's really crazy looking back now at the hype and "controversy." People like my grandparents seriously saw this as real moral decay of society, especially with Bart.
I think they were right about the moral decay, but how much the Simpsons contributed to that is debatable.
It is basically depicting the white nuclear family in a pretty dysfunctional light.
@@android584 They're not too disfunctional. They care about rach other. Better than not having a father at all.
The bizarre thing is that in the UK in the early 90s there was also a massive craze for kid-focused Bart Simpson merchandise (T-shirts, lunch boxes, and games - I remember playing "Bart vs The Space Mutants" on the Amiga 500). Yet the oddity comes from the fact that the Simpsons were only available on Sky in the UK at the time, so few people had actually ever seen an episode broadcast. It was a big thing when the Simpsons was finally broadcast on terrestrial UK TV (I forget the year, but remember Radio Times magazine making collectable TV covers for the occasion). The show, especially the first season, felt a bit underwhelming given the immense scale of hype that had surrounded it.
I remember this very well. I was 9 years old and every kid was nuts about Bart. The 'Underachiever and proud of it ' line seemed to be particularly offensive to parents. And it was all just a few years removed from the satanic panic so it was one more talking point the fear mongering enthusiasts could chew on while they talk at the same time. How rude. There were lots of knockoff shirts that were everywhere. There weren't many officially licensed designs back then. That vibe was strong enough that when Beavis and Butthead came out they seemed like stoner Bart Simpsons to me, before I actually watched Beavis and Butthead anyway.
I'm surprised that the episode "Bart Gets an "F" is not mentioned anywhere in this video. Several critics thought the episode "Bart Gets an "F" was a response to these controversies you mentioned by how despite his marketing claims, Bart Simpson is not proud to be an underachiver when it comes to failing a test.
I remember being 5 or 6 in the early 2000s and associating him with Butterfinger. I dont think I realized how long that campaign ran for.
I got in trouble for wearing the “Who the hell are you?” T-shirt to school. Principal made me turn it inside out. 😂
I feel like maybe the shows shift from Bart to Homer being the lead protagonist is that the demographic of Simpsons fans in the 90's was closer to Bart in age, and those people be closer to Homer by now.
The reason barts shirt was blue in early Simpsons merchandising and commercials is because that was the original design they sent to the advertisement companies. His shirt was changed to red at some point before the first episode aired.
And now, ironically, Bart and Marge are lucky enough to get at least one episode each focussed on them. Because, the writers now only ever write two thirds of each seasons episodes centred either on Homer or for some reason, Lisa. The spare third seems reserved for flavour of the month side characters from the town
Respect you so much for putting advert at the end.
Doing the Bartman may be fun but it's the whole family that drew me towards the early Simpsons seasons. Bartmania was set up to fail intentionally or not.
I’m pretty sure Homer might’ve been the character that ended up most popular
@@aidanmallon9879 That goes without saying. But to me it was the whole cast that made The Simpsons stand out from every other animated comedy out there. All the eccentrics and weirdos.
Thanks for the video Captain ☺️☺️😊😊
I was 22 when the Simpsons initially aired, and for those first 3 or 4 seasons it was all about Bart...."Do the Bart Man", Cowabunga, Better not lay a finger on my butterfinger, Aye Caromba....I even bought my youngest brother a "Don't have a cow man" t-shirt for Christmas in 91. Bartmania dominated the early 90's
"Aye caramba" and "dont have a cow, man" still come out of my head every once and a while : P
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In my secondary school, there was a cutout of Bart in our Modern Languages room saying "Guten Tag.... nicht!" which is perhaps the most early 90s thing I can think of.
It went from Bart to Homer real early on for me.
The one called homer's odyssey?
@@idontdovarioustasks It was the one were he is mistaken as Bigfoot after getting lost in the woods. Could be that name actually 🤣
I wasn't born until 1990 and I can still remember Bart being huge on merchandising here in Europe! Blue shirt and Orange shirt phases! "Don't have a cow man" and "ay caramba" were his most popular phrases here, and then, when Bartmania faded away, toward the tail end of the 90's in came South Park with "Oh my god, they killed Kenny, the bastards" And that really sent parents over the edge! haha. Bart was one of the handful of iconic characters that embodied that quintessential 90's "attitude" that just couldn't work in a post 9/11 world.
what changed after 9/11?
@@thekrakensdaughter Culture changed, attitudes changed, it didn't happen overnight, but pretty quickly after 9/11, the world seemed to mature slightly, this is just my opinion though.
It's interesting to me to see him compared as an "edgier Dennis the Menace" bc there actually already was one of those - the British Beano comic's Dennis the Menace, which makes me wonder if Bart caused less controversy over here, since to me he feels very much in line with those kinds of characters that had already been running for decades
Thank you for giving us something more than another "Why the Simpsons Isn't Good After 50 Seasons" video.
I recall the old days when new Bart music videos aired on Sunday nights after the show, as well as premiering new Michael Jackson videos after The Simpsons as well. Black or White, Remember the Time and Jam were hits I recall as a kid. Damn the world was so different then. Truly good ol' days.
I was a kid when this came out. Bart and the Simpsons was EVERYWHERE. Loony toons also.
Seeing bart outside of the Simpsons always makes me hungry for Butterfinger beebee's
I was in primary school when the Simpsons came out and I am from England. It was exciting and I could relate to Bart. Plus my family loved it
The ladies of the family didn't have any catchphrases. We were big on catchphrases back then. Bart had the best and most then Homer with the classic Doh
Marge had her uncertain and disapproving groan
@@captainmidnighthomer what are you doing hmmmmm
@@captainmidnightI can picture Marge saying it in my head rn 😂. I believe Lisa would do it here and there as a way to show she took some of her mother traits but she was more cheerful and positive.
I was around Lisa's age when The Simpson came to my country (91-92) and boy do I remember Bartmania! I had the Bart vs. the Space Mutants NES game, the T-Shirts, the Pepsi cups, the cassette lol. He was huge in a way I don't remember a single character being huge in recent history. But I think you left oput one of the reasons why Bartmania felt was one of the reasons Homer became huge. While The Simpsons was an adult animation show, at least in my country was mostly watched by kids, who were around Bart and Lisa's age. Now we are Marge and Homers age
When Simpsons came out I was just out of college, the timing was perfect. Not sure folks today understand how fresh this was after the decades of treacle they spooned out every night. The only other things that even came close were SNL and Monty Python.
I got the impression at the time that the team writing and producing the show viewed "Bartmania" as a little tongue-in-cheek. It wasn't really a thing they (or the real fans) had sought out, so they didn't go crazy trying to cram it in the show.
Love that line from President Bush that people should be less like the Simpsons and more like the Waltons... the Simpsons created an incandescent response. A very brief maybe 10-second clip slipped in pre-credits to one episode.
th-cam.com/video/1ZBCynaoY_g/w-d-xo.htmlsi=80h6jSnwT9P8rzd8
SNL doesn’t hold up. *Monty Python’s Flying Circus* does.
@@Attmay I mean late 70s through 80s SNL. It had that contrarian, counterculture vibe that got all the right people upset.
3:57 it was also released on vinyl. There were MULTIPLE Bart vinyls. And comic books
I think it's as Bart was Matt.
But then they realized how Homer is an amazing character
Homer became the GOAT after he said DOUBT!!! at the Towers in New York
My mom and step-dad were going through a divorce in the very early 90s. My step-dad got me a Bart shirt (blue) that said "eat my shorts." My mom promptly banned me from watching the Simpsons ever again.
That’s not much of a punishment anymore. These days, that’s like being told you can’t watch Barney the dinosaur. That’s a fucking reward!
i had bart shirts back in the day been a fan of the show since i first remember seeing it in the 1990 it was crazy there where so many crazy pop culture things during the 90s anyone alive back then that was old enough will remember how big bart was
The whole 'cartoons are for kids' thing gave me real whiplash growing up. First a show is considered too adult for my poor child eyes in the 90s but then considered too childish for my young adult eyes in the 2010s. Took me too long not to worry about other people's opinions about what I spend my time watching lmao.
There's just something so interesting about how reserved people were back then. The fact that Bart "Eat my shorts" Simpson was seen as such a provocative and vulgar symbol that was sure to destroy the minds of today's youth is insane to me.
When i was growing up, I was bought a bart plushie for christmas from my aunt. This was when season 2 or 3 ( i forgot) was debuting, and it was a blue-shirt Bart. I always thought it was knock-off merch, until I grew a little older and learned that it was how the first bart-merch was sold. I wish I still had it.
Funny how you compared Bart to Dennis the Menace. Matt Groening created Bart as a response to Dennis the Menace. Matt said something along the lines of Dennis wasn’t very menacing and wanted a bad boy kid that actually caused trouble. Bart was even given a slingshot like Dennis the Menace.
The real Dennis Ketcham became estranged from his father and basically disappeared off the face of the Earth.
you almost nailed what I have been remember first thinking about back in '98 when i was rewatching all the seasons of the Simpsons that had aired up to that point on bootleg self-pirated vhs tapes that i had used previously for recording hilarious low budget local programming. (90's stuff)
GREAT subject for a video. I was in the target age demographic during the height of this. If I had a nickel for every drawing of Bart my 9-10 year old self did, I'd be rich. Lol
I was in college when this show started. I remember Bart Mania. But what I really remember enjoying about the early show was gradually discovering that even though the show was called “The Simpsons” it was really about Springfield. I enjoyed discovering all these characters that everybody knows so well. When I watch the early show now, they look half baked, but in my memory the early shows never feel that way.