Duffman or Disco Stu next pleeaaase!! They're my absolute favourites, the writting of their one liners is absolutely genius and for me, they both have the ability to be the highlight of an episode with mere seconds of screen time, which is no mean feat! Oooh yeah!
I would love to see a history of Kent Brockman (Kenny Brockelstein). The cartoonish actions of characters like Burns and Krusty make them bad people, but Brockman might be the worst person living in Springfield. He is responsible for so much of the outrage rampant in town, often ‘picks a side’ on air, and most of his spotlight appearances are negative - yet he remains one of the funniest and charismatic personalities on the show. Thanks for another great video, looking forward to your future content!
Mel is such a quintessentially Matt Groening-looking character. It’s so normal for Simpsons fans now, but an outsider looking in would be immensely confused by a shirtless, bone-wearing man speaking like that. Sure, there’s a bit of an explanation, but it’s way more fun to just go with it.
Yeah, good point about his design, I had forgotten to talk about it. He has such a classic, early season design, with that lanky overbite and his Marge-like hair. It's a really great character design. We're so used to him and his personality that we don't even seem to notice how odd his appearance is compared to others in the crowd. We're just like, oh, it's Sideshow Mel
@@TheRealJims Now that you made that Marge comparison, I'm actually surprised that the Simpsons writers have shown enough restraint, or just not thought of it yet, to write an episode where it's revealed that Sideshow Mel is Marge's (and Patty and Selma) long-lost brother or a half-brother. We've got the episode "The Color Yellow", as well as Groening's extensive Simpson and Bouvier family trees in The Simpsons (Uncensored) Family Album that hints at an overlap (or two) between the families, because the writers are so obsessed with the status quo of "Homer and Marge were always meant to be" so just about every iteration of them has them hooking up, meaning Marge and Homer are related-- no matter how distantly that may be... so the sudden revelation of Marge and Sideshow Mel being related wouldn't be _that_ farfetched. (Plus according to all of the Simpsons fanboys, the writers don't care if they piss off the fans, so if they get the predictable backlash, they can just ignore it and reinstate the status quo in the very next episode and pretend it never happened! -Then we can get -*-more-*- people complaining about how the cartoon they totally stopped watching years ago is going down hill!- )
I always imagined that Flanders' "I wanna hear from Sideshow Mel" was a riff on his Man Of The Crowd persona, had no idea that was the first time he did that
I remember reading a Simpsons comic from like 15 years ago that explained the reason he has the bone in his hair, is because it was the only thing that was able to keep his hair up. When his hair was down, it was long and flowing and absolutely irresistible to the ladies. He suffered from constant chases and harassment by hordes of infatuated women, and tried absolutely everything to keep his hair up, as it removed the attention he would get. The bone was a completely accidental discovery.
gosh i remember that ! i'm glad someone brought it up, i had a vague memory of mel without his bone that i thought would come up here but i think it was from that comic
I remember that one! He got fired by Krusty for taking the attention away from him, the comic was characters at the unemployment office explaining how they lost their jobs.
My memory of that is similar, but I thought he changed the hairstyle so that he would stop getting cast in the vacuous love-interest role. He wanted to play something different.
Would love to see Kent Brockman. He's so interesting in that, he rarely interacts with the actual plot, but he seems to be able to show up regardless of plot because of his role. Kind of like Morbo in Futurama. Not often necessary, but would be missed if not there.
I also think he's interesting because he was the punchline of a lot of the jokes about celebrity and fame in the Simpsons before the show started just featuring actual celebrities. He's in an interesting place as he's one of the recurring characters in the Simpsons who is an in-universe celebrity.
I think one of the main reasons he's so often used for crowd scenes and exposition is because he has such a great voice. It's less about the character and more that he will always have a great, dramatic delivery for that single line.
@@GOLVEL I agree with you but I also agree Mel is underrated. Because at least I basically never think about him as anywhere near my favorite character. This isn't like luigi where most people pick him over mario yet act like he is underrated because he's the second brother and mario gets more attention from nintendo itself.
Also can we talk about how Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Mel both went through the same abuse and humiliation from Krusty?- it drove Sideshow Bob to become a homicidal maniac, while Sideshow Mel has generally remained one of the least problematic people in Springfield. What a king 🙌🏼
To be fair, its implied that Bob went through that abuse for *MUCH* longer than Mel has. Its really ambiguous how long in-universe Mel has been Krusty's sidekick, while Bob was being abused for years.
Glad my fav character finally got an episode, as for who next I vote for “The Blue Haired Lawyer”. I love characters that have been around for so long yet never given a proper name, he just shows up makes a joke and leaves, yet he is a very iconic character in my opinion
Honestly, what a fascinating evolution to have in particular. I mean, he has his origins as a SILENT character, and one only created to replace another. For him to not only then grow to follow in Bob's extravagant footsteps, but to become the voice for a silent crowd of beloved and recognizable characters that have endured for decades is kind of incredible.
It's so ironic but also kind of sweet that Mr. Johansson treats Mel with respect, because typically fast food jobs aren't like that. Especially since Mel being the punching bag of Krusty's show means be typically didn't get any respect! Some Krusty Burger locations even have his face as the trash can.
It was setup that way as a screw the audience joke we all expect mr Johansson to treat mel just as bad as krusty but in stead he kind demenor makes krusty look even worse
Yeah, I think it’s related. Mel has one of the most outrageous character designs, based solely on the bone in his hair, and the distinctive voice he was given means he has a certain gravitas; the conjunction of the two makes him a great character to be the voice of the crowd.
I vote for Sanjay, I've watched this show for years and honestly, I couldn't tell you how him and Apu are related. I'm sure they're like cousins or something and they probably mentioned it many times, but I don't know, maybe they're brothers? Maybe an episode on all of Apu's extended family would be good, since there's a chance that none of them will be back on the show.
Having grown up with the Simpsons, Sideshow Mel's appearance has never struck me as odd, even when explicitly called out in the show. It's only now, seeing dozens of stills of the guy flash across the screen, that I really clue into this on an aesthetic level. Thank you, TheRealJims. I did not realize I could feel something new about the Simpsons.
Mel has probably my favorite character design amongst the dozens and dozens of side-characters. So instantly recognizable while still feeling distinctly "Groening"-esque
I want to see a Simpson's Histories on the town itself. I know they've moved it at least once or perhaps even twice but the history with its founding is also really deep and layered
I'll throw some support behind Manjula for an episode. She's a rare example of a character who allowed for multiple status quo changes, which is always interesting to hear you discuss in the context of the show. Plus, she's also one of those characters that pretty much has a definitive stopping point as of now. Plus, she doesn't get nearly as much coverage as her husband as is.
There’s also this vague feeling of the writers turning against her for no reason at some point. Early on, there’s more focus on Apu’s failings in their marriage, such as his overworking and his affair, but slowly she just started to become a more vindictive, negative character; this development isn’t unrealistic, seeing as her husband cheated on her and she has to raise octuplets, but it’s a bit jarring when they introduced her as this very sweet natured and pleasant character.
Burns, Flanders, and Skinner are all voiced by Shearer and are some of the characters who have appeared the most in the show, after the [immediate] Simpsons family and Moe. It would be great to see a video highlighting their interactions with each other.
Maybe it will be hard since you've already done a showbiz character but I'd love to see how Kent Brockman satirizes the news. And I wonder if they ever explained what the heck did he cover that was better than the berlin wall falling
Sideshow Mel is perhaps one of the most three dimensional characters on The Simpsons and I hope he gets a spotlight episode. I'd like to nominate either/or Miss Hoover and Mr. Largo. Unlike Edna who actually wants to help her students, both of them seem to hate their job and both serve as an antagonistic role for Lisa.
He did kind of get a spotlight episode in an episode from about 10-15 years ago where Lisa became famous; he served as the narrator and we got to see a bit more about his life even though the plot of the episode was ultimately about Lisa
If his ethnicity we anything other than "yellow" he would have been canceled by now regardless of his three dimensional character. In 2022 we judge everything by the color of its skin and not the content of its character.
I'm tempted to say Apu before Sanjai, there's more meat to his history, especially given the infamy of his 'retirement'. Marvin Monroe might also be interesting to look at though, given he actually got 'unretired' after a while (though never returned to the status of regular like before). He's an interesting case of a character the show acknowledges didn't quite take on but still show a little endearment for.
I’d love Histories on Kent Brockman, the Springfield Elementary bullies (Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph), Agnes Skinner, the town of Shelbyville, and especially Maggie Simpson. She’s one of the main characters, but how much of a character is she, really?
I think Maggie would make great histories to release around "April's Fools". She is a real member of the family but there are a lot of real jokey plot point surrounding her, in a good way. She is an infant who may or may not be half alien, who is proficient in firearms.
@@thegeecyproject most definitely! It's like in one episode, he has a father that's like a full-grown version of him, in another, he's shown to own a car (specifically a Hyundai. "Hey, get away from my car!"), and another, he's a divorced father with a son who looks like a younger version of him.
mel is one of my favorite characters in the whole show, i’m really glad you covered him! i always thought that him being as versatile and ascended as he is there should at least be an episode centric to him and bob- tons of room for potential there imo! great video!
Still waiting on a double histories on Eddie and Lou! I know Lou has gotten a random array of flashback episodes over the years, but I'm curious to see what you can dig up on Eddie since he seems to be the lesser developed of the duo.
I have to admit, this video made me appreciate Mel a little more. I thought of him mainly as "that guy who points at things and yells." But, yeah, there's more to Mel than that. I guess my favorite Mel moment was when he figured out that Smithers was innocent. "At the town meeting, he mentioned that he watched Comedy Central. I made sure to note that, as it seemed quite unusual." I was crushed to learn that Pardon My Zinger was not a real show.
It may be a deeply awkward moment for Mel as a character, but I still think his follow up slow clap at Moe's deduction might be the most I've ever laughed at a Mel scene. Also how about Mayor Quimby? Shows up a ton in the classic era, faded out of favour after that, but his actor is still alive and well.
Quimby kind of dried up because he evolved into a Bill Clinton parody (the womanising obviously, but also the "say whatever is popular" attitude) and then Clinton stopped being president so it became less relevant.
Quimby was a mockery of the kenndy esque politican the last being bill clinton. He was used a lot in the early years when the show was much more aggressive and willing to do social commentary and quimby was the tool used to highlight political corruption, along with wiggam to show police incompentence and the recipracal nature between them
Great video as always! I also wonder if the killer voice that Dan Castellaneta provides is a reason why we got so much development for Mel. Like you mentioned, the writers had to give Sideshow Mel a lot of interests to justify him being the "Man in the Crowd" so many times. I wonder if some of that inspiration came from the fact that Mel just has a really funny voice that the writers wanted to use more? Also, continuing the campaign for a Simpsons Histories on Lindsey Naegle. I think it would be interesting to see how a character who we hardly see until season 9 but becomes part of the regular cast evolves.
Castellaneta confessed at some point that he tries (or tried at first stage) to imitate Grammer delivery in Bob's role, to show how one Sideshow isn't at all different from another (thus hinting at Mel potentially also going Bob's route).
I like to think of Mel's expository outbursts are another offshoot of his desire to show off his dramatic flair and be recognised for it, and that the rest of the town just lets him be the voice of the crowd because they genuinely appreciate his talent. Like Flanders said "I wanna hear from Sideshow Mel." It would be easy to write off such a character trait as just some annoying guy who won't shut up, but there's an unspoken agreement in Springfield that he's just really good at being that voice and I find that kind of refreshing. Also, my favourite has to be "It's like a hootenanny in my mouth!"
Ok hear me out; Santa's Little Helper! A character that depending on the episode is either an essential fixture of the show. nearly on par with the main cast, or is used for one off jokes, OR is totally absent even when it makes little sense. A very bizarre status for sure.
It's been too long since I've seen one of these, but I'm glad I am back and learned so much more about this character. I mean I knew about him being a sidekick the crusty and I knew about him being mistreated and I knew about him being the exposition guy completes things out, but I had no idea there was so much more to him
Hi RealJims, you might know but there is actually a term for that 'dramatic crowd figurehead' concept, a "Greek chorus" or just a "choric figure". The origins are way back in Ancient Greek theatre (often considered the origin of modern drama), where behind the major characters would be a small group of actors who simply reacted dramatically to whatever was happening to help convey the significant plot points to the audience. They often did so with a pair of happy and sad masks, which persist as a symbol of theatre to this day. The mo' ya know.
I would really like to see a Simpsons Histories on Professor Frink. He is such an interesting character in Springfield. As he is an oddball that mainly shows up for jokes, but every here or there we get a little bit more into his background.
Mel's relationship with Krusty is interesting. In Krusty's comeback special, Mel said "I love you, Krusty," and Krusty responded with an angry "Quiet."
I always thought sideshow mel would be a really fun character to voice. Even in a show full of characters with funny voices, his voice in particular always stood out to me as being fun to imitate
Imagine if Sideshow Bob never turned to a life of crime, and he just stayed as Krusty's assistant and we never got Mel, do you think Bob would have had Mel's same character development? ie becoming the guy who yells an exposition in a crowd?
i realized recently how mel was meant to replace another character who had moved beyond the sideshow role, and yet recently i feel like hes almost never seen on the krusty show like 9 times out of 10. very interesting history!
Mel's "I'm no longer an atheist" line is most likely either a one off "continuity be damned" joke or a reference to the the way many people that are raised religious will lose their faith in their late teens or young adulthood but, will keep going through the motions because they don't want to risk severing ties with their family or have to go off and create a completely new group of friends
Moe is the character with the highest number of episode appearances, outside of the Simpsons family, so it would be a monumental task. However is Moe is definitely my vote as well. I think "...Jims" is trying to stick to more niche characters, not only to make it easier on him but to give us insight into the characters we see don't think much about, but I would really enjoy the occasional deep dive into a top tier character history. I'd be thrilled to see someone on the top of the appearance rankings pop up once a year.
I would like to see pretty much any of the minor characters. The Simpsons has so many characters who hardly get much backstory. They should do a backstory episode for each recurring and minor character.
I too agree that Sideshow Mel might at first glance seems uninteresting, but the various things the writers have done with him over the years make him cool. I can definitely see the whole thing about how his random shouting can get repetitive, and I too do not always care for it, but seeing him in various situations and from different angles, makes him very compelling to watch. With one character from my suggestions down, I now go ahead and give you my other common recommendations for the next Simpsons Histories which are Kent Brockman, Duffman, Lindsey Naegle, and Agnus Skinner. It's cool that one of my suggestions got scratched off. Great job as always dude, and Happy New Year.
Lenny and carl makes for a good simpsons history, it's interesting to see how they gradually usurped Barney's position not only as best friends but also Homer's childhood friends
This is my favorite kind of "Simpsons Histories" video. I love when you get to analyze the disparate traits that a character has collected throughout their entire run on the show, and try to make sense of them. It's the most fun when you feel like you are the only person who has ever paid enough attention to the character to realize these things.
Another great Simpsons Histories! I put off watching this one because I kept thinking "meh... Sideshow Mel!?" but honestly you made him super interesting and now I really feel like I appreciate him! It's funny that you joked about a Mr Teeny history ep, because I would love to see a Simpsons Histories on one of the animals! Maybe Santa's Little Helper / Santos L Halper?
I think Marvin Monroe would be cool, he’s such a strange character. He is kind of like Herman with how they used him, they used him a few times in the beginning, and then he disappeared, but then he came back for a few episodes in the later seasons. It has that mysterious aspect to this character (Marvin Monroe) that you wouldn’t expect, and I think he’s kind of underrated in my opinion.
Said it before, I'll say it again. Raphael, the 'hey pally' guy they throw in random customer facing jobs always cracks me up and would be great for one of these
The teenage character has always interested me in the Simpsons. He always seems to be stuck working these dead-end jobs. It seems he's had more careers than Homer himself. Would like to see a video on him.
Honestly, I think Mel took off like he did purely because of that voice. It's just such easy comedy. The juxtaposition of the caveman costume with that rich plummy voice is just automatically funny, and the voice is even funny on its own. Whenever the show needs a Sherlock Holmes moment or a voice of judgement, his voice is just the obvious pick for it.
I feel like we've learned a lot about some real niche characters, but I would love a big history on someone closer the action, like Moe, Mr Burns, or Seymour Skinner. I understand it be a tremendous effort but I think it would be a real cool deep dive.
14:10 If I remember correctly, he tells at the end of All About Lisa that his wife is in labor. And this was after the custody battle thing. So it’s possible he has more than one child
Stupid theory, but maybe the reason why Mel “stops being an atheist” despite being seen in church multiple times prior is because before then, he only went because he liked seeing the pastors perform their emotional sermons, given how obsessed he is with performing
Mel doing dragging is such a whiplash, yet in character for him: he is a theater man, someone that loves inpersonation and roleplays, it just, kinda makes sence
Also, in an episode, Krusty is desperate for costumers and its holding a sign saying "lgbt+ inclusive" or whatever, and then tell Mel "You're three of those letters, what should i do?". This implies him being Trans, Bi and Ace or Aro (since he's married to a woman, these are the only 3 letters he can be at the same time)
Dr. Marvin Munroe is one of THOSE characters. The ones I tend to forget about, mostly because their roll isn't really needed anymore. He's like Herman in that regard.
I think the characters that fall into this most are the Winstons, the Simpsons' other neighbours (not the Flanders), who sort of had this Statler and Waldorf vibe where they never really interacted with anyone else, the camera just cut to them and they went on about how the Simpsons sucked.
13:07 Is that not Princess Kashmir, the exotic dancer from waaaay back in "Homer's night out"? I think a Simpsons Histories on her could be kind of interesting, how she went from a bit character to a background character to essentially nonexistsent. Come to think of it, there's not many characters who stopped appearing altogether, much less so so early on, especially if they're not confirmed dead like Dr Marvin Monroe
After watching 200 episode appearances, I can confirm that Sideshow Mel is a national treasure and he must be protected at any cost.
Don’t forget his bone
Mel is one of the most underrated secondary characters there is, his eloquent manner of speech and intriguing family history are all brilliant.
Don't let the flame die out
Duffman or Disco Stu next pleeaaase!! They're my absolute favourites, the writting of their one liners is absolutely genius and for me, they both have the ability to be the highlight of an episode with mere seconds of screen time, which is no mean feat! Oooh yeah!
I would love to see a history of Kent Brockman (Kenny Brockelstein). The cartoonish actions of characters like Burns and Krusty make them bad people, but Brockman might be the worst person living in Springfield. He is responsible for so much of the outrage rampant in town, often ‘picks a side’ on air, and most of his spotlight appearances are negative - yet he remains one of the funniest and charismatic personalities on the show. Thanks for another great video, looking forward to your future content!
Mel is such a quintessentially Matt Groening-looking character. It’s so normal for Simpsons fans now, but an outsider looking in would be immensely confused by a shirtless, bone-wearing man speaking like that. Sure, there’s a bit of an explanation, but it’s way more fun to just go with it.
Yeah, good point about his design, I had forgotten to talk about it. He has such a classic, early season design, with that lanky overbite and his Marge-like hair. It's a really great character design. We're so used to him and his personality that we don't even seem to notice how odd his appearance is compared to others in the crowd. We're just like, oh, it's Sideshow Mel
Yeah, now that you mention it, he does have a real "Life in Hell" vibe to him.
@@TheRealJims Now that you made that Marge comparison, I'm actually surprised that the Simpsons writers have shown enough restraint, or just not thought of it yet, to write an episode where it's revealed that Sideshow Mel is Marge's (and Patty and Selma) long-lost brother or a half-brother. We've got the episode "The Color Yellow", as well as Groening's extensive Simpson and Bouvier family trees in The Simpsons (Uncensored) Family Album that hints at an overlap (or two) between the families, because the writers are so obsessed with the status quo of "Homer and Marge were always meant to be" so just about every iteration of them has them hooking up, meaning Marge and Homer are related-- no matter how distantly that may be... so the sudden revelation of Marge and Sideshow Mel being related wouldn't be _that_ farfetched. (Plus according to all of the Simpsons fanboys, the writers don't care if they piss off the fans, so if they get the predictable backlash, they can just ignore it and reinstate the status quo in the very next episode and pretend it never happened! -Then we can get -*-more-*- people complaining about how the cartoon they totally stopped watching years ago is going down hill!- )
Kinda reminds me of Bongo the rabbit, design-wise.
@@KevlarNinja Speaking of which, I'd love to see TheRealJims do a video about Life in Hell. No one seems to know it exists.
"Big Lenny Energy" is a funnier term than it has any right to be.
Not Big Lenny Energy
@@claymathewselevator8121How did this not get more likes???
"I wanna know what sideshow Mel thinks" might be the greatest Flanders line of all time. I fucking love that beat.
I always imagined that Flanders' "I wanna hear from Sideshow Mel" was a riff on his Man Of The Crowd persona, had no idea that was the first time he did that
I remember reading a Simpsons comic from like 15 years ago that explained the reason he has the bone in his hair, is because it was the only thing that was able to keep his hair up. When his hair was down, it was long and flowing and absolutely irresistible to the ladies. He suffered from constant chases and harassment by hordes of infatuated women, and tried absolutely everything to keep his hair up, as it removed the attention he would get. The bone was a completely accidental discovery.
gosh i remember that ! i'm glad someone brought it up, i had a vague memory of mel without his bone that i thought would come up here but i think it was from that comic
I remember that one! He got fired by Krusty for taking the attention away from him, the comic was characters at the unemployment office explaining how they lost their jobs.
@@humanperson6372 I read that one too! All the side stories where hilarious, especially the one where Patty couldn't drive anymore
Weirdly Dial N for Nerdur confirmed the long flowing hair thing.
My memory of that is similar, but I thought he changed the hairstyle so that he would stop getting cast in the vacuous love-interest role. He wanted to play something different.
Would love to see Kent Brockman. He's so interesting in that, he rarely interacts with the actual plot, but he seems to be able to show up regardless of plot because of his role. Kind of like Morbo in Futurama. Not often necessary, but would be missed if not there.
He also has some of the best one liners.
Remember back when he was Kenny Brockelstein?
I for one support our alien overlords
I also think he's interesting because he was the punchline of a lot of the jokes about celebrity and fame in the Simpsons before the show started just featuring actual celebrities. He's in an interesting place as he's one of the recurring characters in the Simpsons who is an in-universe celebrity.
Yes I too would like to throw my support behind a video about beloved local news reporter -Kenny Brockelstein- Kent Brockman
I think one of the main reasons he's so often used for crowd scenes and exposition is because he has such a great voice. It's less about the character and more that he will always have a great, dramatic delivery for that single line.
Sideshow Mel might be Dan’s most underrated voice. His over the top, thespian delivery reminds me a lot of Calculon from Futurama.
I was thinking the same thing.
apparently Dan was told to do an imitation of Kelsey Grammer's Sideshow Bob voice for Mel.
Every second player, character, band, cartoon, food... is "underrated" nowadays.
@@GOLVEL ok
@@GOLVEL I agree with you but I also agree Mel is underrated. Because at least I basically never think about him as anywhere near my favorite character.
This isn't like luigi where most people pick him over mario yet act like he is underrated because he's the second brother and mario gets more attention from nintendo itself.
Also can we talk about how Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Mel both went through the same abuse and humiliation from Krusty?- it drove Sideshow Bob to become a homicidal maniac, while Sideshow Mel has generally remained one of the least problematic people in Springfield. What a king 🙌🏼
To be fair, its implied that Bob went through that abuse for *MUCH* longer than Mel has. Its really ambiguous how long in-universe Mel has been Krusty's sidekick, while Bob was being abused for years.
"LOOK AT THAT BLIMP!!!......HE'S HANGING FROM A BALLOON!!"
Definitely Mel's best theatrical exposition gag.
Glad my fav character finally got an episode, as for who next I vote for “The Blue Haired Lawyer”. I love characters that have been around for so long yet never given a proper name, he just shows up makes a joke and leaves, yet he is a very iconic character in my opinion
Personally, I think he more-than deserves his own name. It's interesting how he aligns with the rich "villains" of the show.
Its like "just stamp the ticket" man but in a more legitimate manner
That lawyer with no name would be great to analyze
Honestly, what a fascinating evolution to have in particular. I mean, he has his origins as a SILENT character, and one only created to replace another.
For him to not only then grow to follow in Bob's extravagant footsteps, but to become the voice for a silent crowd of beloved and recognizable characters that have endured for decades is kind of incredible.
He's no stamp the ticket man, but he's getting there.
It's so ironic but also kind of sweet that Mr. Johansson treats Mel with respect, because typically fast food jobs aren't like that. Especially since Mel being the punching bag of Krusty's show means be typically didn't get any respect! Some Krusty Burger locations even have his face as the trash can.
It was setup that way as a screw the audience joke we all expect mr Johansson to treat mel just as bad as krusty but in stead he kind demenor makes krusty look even worse
Don't fall for Mr Johansson's act. No good employer would have a spare taco come out of a worker's salary!
Sideshow Mel doesn't deserve respect, he's meant to be funny not treated right
I wonder if his design has to do with him being the voice of the crowd. He's so easily identifiable you can't help but know who he is immediately
Yeah, I think it’s related. Mel has one of the most outrageous character designs, based solely on the bone in his hair, and the distinctive voice he was given means he has a certain gravitas; the conjunction of the two makes him a great character to be the voice of the crowd.
I vote for Sanjay, I've watched this show for years and honestly, I couldn't tell you how him and Apu are related. I'm sure they're like cousins or something and they probably mentioned it many times, but I don't know, maybe they're brothers?
Maybe an episode on all of Apu's extended family would be good, since there's a chance that none of them will be back on the show.
Pretty sure they're brothers, I swear I've heard "uncle" come up a few times with Sanjay's kids in the early seasons
I thought Sanjay was Apu’s nephew?
@@cjgray8825 Jamshed is Apu's nephew, though he goes by "Jay" in a later season.
Sanjay is his brother
Apu refers to Sanjay as his brother in the episode where Homer is stealing cable. Apparently, he deplores violence of all kinds.
Jims, it's now 2023. Where's that Mr Teeny video?
well, it’s here now
Having grown up with the Simpsons, Sideshow Mel's appearance has never struck me as odd, even when explicitly called out in the show. It's only now, seeing dozens of stills of the guy flash across the screen, that I really clue into this on an aesthetic level. Thank you, TheRealJims. I did not realize I could feel something new about the Simpsons.
We need the history of Luigi already, he’s too important a character to keep ignoring
"Here comes a giant greaseball!"
"Hey, Luigi bring you kids'a free pizza, why you have ta make'a the fun, uh?"
I second the Luigi Vote 😉
Thats easy. His marios brother and lives in the mushroom kingdom
@@jordon8658 don’t forget, owning a haunted mansion
Nice homestar runner pfp
Mel has probably my favorite character design amongst the dozens and dozens of side-characters. So instantly recognizable while still feeling distinctly "Groening"-esque
I want to see a Histories about Lunchlady Doris, she was a great character for the purposes they used her for thanks to Doris Grau's perfect delivery
I want to see a Simpson's Histories on the town itself. I know they've moved it at least once or perhaps even twice but the history with its founding is also really deep and layered
He did one on the State
I'll throw some support behind Manjula for an episode. She's a rare example of a character who allowed for multiple status quo changes, which is always interesting to hear you discuss in the context of the show. Plus, she's also one of those characters that pretty much has a definitive stopping point as of now. Plus, she doesn't get nearly as much coverage as her husband as is.
There’s also this vague feeling of the writers turning against her for no reason at some point. Early on, there’s more focus on Apu’s failings in their marriage, such as his overworking and his affair, but slowly she just started to become a more vindictive, negative character; this development isn’t unrealistic, seeing as her husband cheated on her and she has to raise octuplets, but it’s a bit jarring when they introduced her as this very sweet natured and pleasant character.
Manjula is some kind of space ship
An idea I'd love to see for Simpsons Mysteries: the most popular, well known characters that have never interacted
Burns, Flanders, and Skinner are all voiced by Shearer and are some of the characters who have appeared the most in the show, after the [immediate] Simpsons family and Moe. It would be great to see a video highlighting their interactions with each other.
I still say the world needs a Homers Brain Simpsons Histories video!
Maybe it will be hard since you've already done a showbiz character but I'd love to see how Kent Brockman satirizes the news.
And I wonder if they ever explained what the heck did he cover that was better than the berlin wall falling
They also reported about a new doll sooner than the news about the president murdering someone
Good news everyone. Mr. Teeny made it in time
Sideshow Mel is perhaps one of the most three dimensional characters on The Simpsons and I hope he gets a spotlight episode.
I'd like to nominate either/or Miss Hoover and Mr. Largo. Unlike Edna who actually wants to help her students, both of them seem to hate their job and both serve as an antagonistic role for Lisa.
He did kind of get a spotlight episode in an episode from about 10-15 years ago where Lisa became famous; he served as the narrator and we got to see a bit more about his life even though the plot of the episode was ultimately about Lisa
i like the idea of doing mr.largo too. he isn't in too many episodes but he has a prominent role in the intro so he always stands out.
If his ethnicity we anything other than "yellow" he would have been canceled by now regardless of his three dimensional character. In 2022 we judge everything by the color of its skin and not the content of its character.
Is there something funny about the word thomboner?
Something is either three-dimensional or not. It's not possible to be more three-dimensional than another thing.
Do a Simpsons Histories on Luigi Risotto, he'd be a fun to do.
I'm tempted to say Apu before Sanjai, there's more meat to his history, especially given the infamy of his 'retirement'.
Marvin Monroe might also be interesting to look at though, given he actually got 'unretired' after a while (though never returned to the status of regular like before). He's an interesting case of a character the show acknowledges didn't quite take on but still show a little endearment for.
I’d love Histories on Kent Brockman, the Springfield Elementary bullies (Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph), Agnes Skinner, the town of Shelbyville, and especially Maggie Simpson. She’s one of the main characters, but how much of a character is she, really?
That would be interesting because she is in almost every episode as part of Marge's outfit but she probably only has like 40 plot points
Maggie would make a great episode
Simpsons Mysteries: How Old Is Kearney?
I think Maggie would make great histories to release around "April's Fools". She is a real member of the family but there are a lot of real jokey plot point surrounding her, in a good way. She is an infant who may or may not be half alien, who is proficient in firearms.
@@thegeecyproject most definitely! It's like in one episode, he has a father that's like a full-grown version of him, in another, he's shown to own a car (specifically a Hyundai. "Hey, get away from my car!"), and another, he's a divorced father with a son who looks like a younger version of him.
Congrats on finding Sideshow Mel in a random scene with Fruit-bat man for the closing credits image.
If I am going to have to find him in that episode, I am gonna use that screencap, dang it 😛
Amazing video. I nominate Crazy Old Man "old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be"
mel is one of my favorite characters in the whole show, i’m really glad you covered him! i always thought that him being as versatile and ascended as he is there should at least be an episode centric to him and bob- tons of room for potential there imo! great video!
big fan of how mel is drawn in the early seasons. you can tell that there’s nothing going on upstairs lmao
Mel always crushed it with the ladies. Makes sense. Semi-famous actor, never wears a shirt & we all know ladies love a guy with a giant hairy bone.
2023 is ending soon…where’s our Mr. Teeny history lesson????
Still waiting on a double histories on Eddie and Lou! I know Lou has gotten a random array of flashback episodes over the years, but I'm curious to see what you can dig up on Eddie since he seems to be the lesser developed of the duo.
There’s a theory that Eddie is Ralph’s real father
I have to admit, this video made me appreciate Mel a little more. I thought of him mainly as "that guy who points at things and yells." But, yeah, there's more to Mel than that. I guess my favorite Mel moment was when he figured out that Smithers was innocent. "At the town meeting, he mentioned that he watched Comedy Central. I made sure to note that, as it seemed quite unusual." I was crushed to learn that Pardon My Zinger was not a real show.
It may be a deeply awkward moment for Mel as a character, but I still think his follow up slow clap at Moe's deduction might be the most I've ever laughed at a Mel scene.
Also how about Mayor Quimby? Shows up a ton in the classic era, faded out of favour after that, but his actor is still alive and well.
Quimby kind of dried up because he evolved into a Bill Clinton parody (the womanising obviously, but also the "say whatever is popular" attitude) and then Clinton stopped being president so it became less relevant.
Quimby was a mockery of the kenndy esque politican the last being bill clinton. He was used a lot in the early years when the show was much more aggressive and willing to do social commentary and quimby was the tool used to highlight political corruption, along with wiggam to show police incompentence and the recipracal nature between them
For me, I started wheezing at “Yes, yes. But the house. I-iawa..a.. WHAT?!”
Great video as always! I also wonder if the killer voice that Dan Castellaneta provides is a reason why we got so much development for Mel. Like you mentioned, the writers had to give Sideshow Mel a lot of interests to justify him being the "Man in the Crowd" so many times. I wonder if some of that inspiration came from the fact that Mel just has a really funny voice that the writers wanted to use more?
Also, continuing the campaign for a Simpsons Histories on Lindsey Naegle. I think it would be interesting to see how a character who we hardly see until season 9 but becomes part of the regular cast evolves.
Castellaneta confessed at some point that he tries (or tried at first stage) to imitate Grammer delivery in Bob's role, to show how one Sideshow isn't at all different from another (thus hinting at Mel potentially also going Bob's route).
I like to think of Mel's expository outbursts are another offshoot of his desire to show off his dramatic flair and be recognised for it, and that the rest of the town just lets him be the voice of the crowd because they genuinely appreciate his talent. Like Flanders said "I wanna hear from Sideshow Mel."
It would be easy to write off such a character trait as just some annoying guy who won't shut up, but there's an unspoken agreement in Springfield that he's just really good at being that voice and I find that kind of refreshing.
Also, my favourite has to be "It's like a hootenanny in my mouth!"
Ok hear me out; Santa's Little Helper!
A character that depending on the episode is either an essential fixture of the show. nearly on par with the main cast, or is used for one off jokes, OR is totally absent even when it makes little sense. A very bizarre status for sure.
Patiently waiting for the Mr. Teeny video this year
Despite his marital trouble, Mel comes off as one of the few eccentric Springfielders to have their life together.
It's been too long since I've seen one of these, but I'm glad I am back and learned so much more about this character. I mean I knew about him being a sidekick the crusty and I knew about him being mistreated and I knew about him being the exposition guy completes things out, but I had no idea there was so much more to him
I always loved Sideshow Mel when I was a kid just giggling at the concept of him; because I knew that Bob was arrested it’s such a good visual joke.
0:50 me in 2023 still waiting for that Mr Teeny video...
It's December
I don't think the Mr. Teeny video is happening
Hi RealJims, you might know but there is actually a term for that 'dramatic crowd figurehead' concept, a "Greek chorus" or just a "choric figure". The origins are way back in Ancient Greek theatre (often considered the origin of modern drama), where behind the major characters would be a small group of actors who simply reacted dramatically to whatever was happening to help convey the significant plot points to the audience. They often did so with a pair of happy and sad masks, which persist as a symbol of theatre to this day. The mo' ya know.
Okay. I have to admit... Sideshow Mel is a character of all traits, even if he is a Sideshow Bob inspired character. Thanks for this, Jim. 🙂👍
I would really like to see a Simpsons Histories on Professor Frink. He is such an interesting character in Springfield. As he is an oddball that mainly shows up for jokes, but every here or there we get a little bit more into his background.
Mel's relationship with Krusty is interesting. In Krusty's comeback special, Mel said "I love you, Krusty," and Krusty responded with an angry "Quiet."
Its nearly 5 months into 2023 and waiting for that Mr Teeny video.
I always thought sideshow mel would be a really fun character to voice. Even in a show full of characters with funny voices, his voice in particular always stood out to me as being fun to imitate
I just want to say thank you for the subtitles. I often dont pay much mind, but with an ear infection being able to read it is so nice.
Nice to see Mel finally get some love. Hope he gets a spotlight episode at some point in the future.
2023 is almost over and Mr. Teeny remains unvideoed.
Imagine if Sideshow Bob never turned to a life of crime, and he just stayed as Krusty's assistant and we never got Mel, do you think Bob would have had Mel's same character development? ie becoming the guy who yells an exposition in a crowd?
Where is my Mr. teeny video?
i realized recently how mel was meant to replace another character who had moved beyond the sideshow role, and yet recently i feel like hes almost never seen on the krusty show like 9 times out of 10. very interesting history!
Mel's "I'm no longer an atheist" line is most likely either a one off "continuity be damned" joke or a reference to the the way many people that are raised religious will lose their faith in their late teens or young adulthood but, will keep going through the motions because they don't want to risk severing ties with their family or have to go off and create a completely new group of friends
I have to once again vouch for a Moe-focused Simpsons Histories, though Kent Brockman could also be interesting.
Moe is the character with the highest number of episode appearances, outside of the Simpsons family, so it would be a monumental task. However is Moe is definitely my vote as well. I think "...Jims" is trying to stick to more niche characters, not only to make it easier on him but to give us insight into the characters we see don't think much about, but I would really enjoy the occasional deep dive into a top tier character history. I'd be thrilled to see someone on the top of the appearance rankings pop up once a year.
Now all he needs is a video on Sideshow Raheem and the holy Sideshow Trinity of videos is complete.
What about Sideshow Luke Perry and Sideshow Ralph Wiggum
Looking forward to that Mr Teeny video! Hope you keep your word!
He keeped the word, even if it was at the last minute
Anytime i see Mel i always think of his line "that blimp! He's hanging from a balloon"
I would like to see pretty much any of the minor characters. The Simpsons has so many characters who hardly get much backstory. They should do a backstory episode for each recurring and minor character.
I too agree that Sideshow Mel might at first glance seems uninteresting, but the various things the writers have done with him over the years make him cool. I can definitely see the whole thing about how his random shouting can get repetitive, and I too do not always care for it, but seeing him in various situations and from different angles, makes him very compelling to watch. With one character from my suggestions down, I now go ahead and give you my other common recommendations for the next Simpsons Histories which are Kent Brockman, Duffman, Lindsey Naegle, and Agnus Skinner. It's cool that one of my suggestions got scratched off. Great job as always dude, and Happy New Year.
Mel's also had many interactions with Moe throughout the years. There's a compilation video showing just how much they've crossed paths
0:49 It's 2023... where's my Mr. Teeny video? 😡
Mel has always been my most favourite Simpsons character, I've wanted this for as long as I've known about this channel!
Lenny and carl makes for a good simpsons history, it's interesting to see how they gradually usurped Barney's position not only as best friends but also Homer's childhood friends
This is my favorite kind of "Simpsons Histories" video. I love when you get to analyze the disparate traits that a character has collected throughout their entire run on the show, and try to make sense of them. It's the most fun when you feel like you are the only person who has ever paid enough attention to the character to realize these things.
Still waiting for Mr.Teeny history :)
Sideshow Mel knows how to draw a crowd with his dramatic voice! That's just what a great thespian does!
'bout time for that Mr. Teeny video
I was always fond of Mel so glad to see him get some love. Anyway I nominate Comic Book Guy for Simpsons Histories.
Great stuff as always, could definitely get behind a video on the many professions of Lindsey Naegle at some point in the future.
Another great Simpsons Histories! I put off watching this one because I kept thinking "meh... Sideshow Mel!?" but honestly you made him super interesting and now I really feel like I appreciate him!
It's funny that you joked about a Mr Teeny history ep, because I would love to see a Simpsons Histories on one of the animals! Maybe Santa's Little Helper / Santos L Halper?
I think Marvin Monroe would be cool, he’s such a strange character. He is kind of like Herman with how they used him, they used him a few times in the beginning, and then he disappeared, but then he came back for a few episodes in the later seasons. It has that mysterious aspect to this character (Marvin Monroe) that you wouldn’t expect, and I think he’s kind of underrated in my opinion.
If we can learn one thing from Sideshow Mel, it's not to try and remove gum from your hair with a bone.
Unironically I would love a Mr Tinie video
Said it before, I'll say it again. Raphael, the 'hey pally' guy they throw in random customer facing jobs always cracks me up and would be great for one of these
The teenage character has always interested me in the Simpsons. He always seems to be stuck working these dead-end jobs. It seems he's had more careers than Homer himself. Would like to see a video on him.
Honestly, I think Mel took off like he did purely because of that voice. It's just such easy comedy. The juxtaposition of the caveman costume with that rich plummy voice is just automatically funny, and the voice is even funny on its own. Whenever the show needs a Sherlock Holmes moment or a voice of judgement, his voice is just the obvious pick for it.
0:49 Can't wait for that Mr. Teeny video
I feel like we've learned a lot about some real niche characters, but I would love a big history on someone closer the action, like Moe, Mr Burns, or Seymour Skinner. I understand it be a tremendous effort but I think it would be a real cool deep dive.
It’s 2023 now Jim, where’s. my. Mr. Teeny. Simpson’s. Mysteries?!
Here it is!
14:10 If I remember correctly, he tells at the end of All About Lisa that his wife is in labor. And this was after the custody battle thing. So it’s possible he has more than one child
Stupid theory, but maybe the reason why Mel “stops being an atheist” despite being seen in church multiple times prior is because before then, he only went because he liked seeing the pastors perform their emotional sermons, given how obsessed he is with performing
Mel doing dragging is such a whiplash, yet in character for him: he is a theater man, someone that loves inpersonation and roleplays, it just, kinda makes sence
not really
"Look forward to the Mr. Teeny video in 2023."
Why don't you keep your promises?
He did it
@@alexlopezvieira7697 Yup. I judged too early.
Also, in an episode, Krusty is desperate for costumers and its holding a sign saying "lgbt+ inclusive" or whatever, and then tell Mel "You're three of those letters, what should i do?". This implies him being Trans, Bi and Ace or Aro (since he's married to a woman, these are the only 3 letters he can be at the same time)
Dr. Marvin Munroe is one of THOSE characters. The ones I tend to forget about, mostly because their roll isn't really needed anymore. He's like Herman in that regard.
I feel like Herman and Munroe are these 80's tropes that spilled over into the early seasons before fading away.
@@KronetHjort yeah, that makes sense. Haha
I think the characters that fall into this most are the Winstons, the Simpsons' other neighbours (not the Flanders), who sort of had this Statler and Waldorf vibe where they never really interacted with anyone else, the camera just cut to them and they went on about how the Simpsons sucked.
I actually think that Drederick Tatum was the first character to be bleeped, during the Eye on Springfield segment in season 3's Flaming Moe's
Still waiting on that Mr. Teeny History…
Edit: I am now complete and can die a happy man
No more waiting
@@alexlopezvieira7697 THANK YOU I ALMOST MISSED IT
Brother I love your channel, I say this quite a bit, but I want you to know it helped me get through the past couple years. Thanks for your work!
One full month into 2023 and no mr teeny vid yet...
13:07 Is that not Princess Kashmir, the exotic dancer from waaaay back in "Homer's night out"? I think a Simpsons Histories on her could be kind of interesting, how she went from a bit character to a background character to essentially nonexistsent. Come to think of it, there's not many characters who stopped appearing altogether, much less so so early on, especially if they're not confirmed dead like Dr Marvin Monroe
It's 2023, Jims- when are we getting that Teeny episode?
Now's the time