David Cooper posts
Posts: 676
Files: 1703
0318 - Ms Norton
To my continued delight, the continuity of sub-minor characters can vary drastically between wildly inconsistent and remarkable attention to detail. Ms Norton falls under the latter.Lisa's familiarity with this librarian is revisited in season 3's "Lisa the Greek" - it seems clear the same shot was even used as reference.She appears to be employed at the Springfield University library too, in season 5's "Homer Goes To College", although her different complexion may indicate that this is a relative.The Springfield lib...
BONUS! Flander's's's Mug, Sleepy Helen and Charlene
I'm not gonna sugar coat it: "Dead Putting Society" is one of the lighter episodes we've had. Not many numbered characters to look forward to, and not many bonuses, we're really scraping the barrel here.HEY, SPEAKING OF BARRELS:I'm guessing this is a mug and not a tiny man trapped in the Flanders rumpus room, but you can never be too sure. I peeked ahead to see if it/he was still visible by season 9's "The Joy of Sect", and as far as I can tell it has disappeared.Perhaps Ned deemed it too saucy to have an alm...
0317 - Maude Flanders
TWO major characters in a row? It almost feels silly establishing Larry as a major character when Maude was just around the corner. This episode features the Flanders family quite heavily - more heavily than any prior episode - so it makes sense that we complete their little quartet.Like many Springfieldian wives, Maude is established mainly by her relationship to her husband, but her basic personality could be described by most casual Simpsons viewers. She's a devout Christian, very loyal to Ned, and willing to speak up about issues that s...
Dancin' Homer - round up!
I've given the most important characters a prime spot at the front here. I don't think we'll see Tony Bennett again, but his milestone of being the first celebrity to voice themselves is huge. I think Larry is the MVP, even if most people couldn't name him.What did we learn from "Dancin' Homer"? Not much about baseball, that's for sure, I feel like less of an expert on sports than ever. Although I did use the term "MVP" in the last paragraph, so maybe I do know some things. We've settled into a good g...
0316 - Larry
We're ending the episode with the most significant character introduced! More people could name the Capital City Goofball than Larry I'd wager, but Larry appears in FAR more episodes. He has even appeared in Moe's Tavern a few times prior to this, including in "Some Enchanted Evening" (the first production episode), where Moe even refers to him by name:But he finally makes his debut in this project due to his interest in Homer's story in "Dancin' Homer":Larry is a character I've covered a couple of times ...
BONUS! Man at Moe's and Richard Sakai
We have one more character to cover before we wrap this episode up, but we're gonna skip ahead briefly to spotlight these two background characters.The guy on the left has no interesting trivia and we will ignore him immediately.The guy on the right is Richard Sakai. Sakai has been a producer on The Simpsons since the very beginning, having worked with James L Brooks since 1977. He's been with Gracie Films since the very start, meaning he also has producer credits on things like "Jerry Maguire" and "As Good As It Gets"*....
0315 - Dave Rosenfield
The last of the fully named characters in this episode is visible only behind frosted glass, so I've had to take some artistic liberty in drawing him here. At least his one shot makes his name nice and clear.He's never seen in the show again after firing Homer, but I discovered he was named after a real baseball manager, a detail added by writer Ken Levine. This episode is even mentioned in real-Dave's wikipedia article.This got me on a little research trip to see if any of the other named characters from this episode have real-life...
0314 - Janitor
We're circling the runway on this episode, but the nature of having two major scenes in two different stadiums means we're meeting a lot of random staff members with no purpose beyond this episode.In a live action sitcom, a character with one line like this would be a lot more work - you'd have to cast a whole different new actor, and pay them accordingly, which would just seem unnecessary for one moment. Either a character from earlier would be used, or more likely Homer would be directed to the manager's office another way. Bu...
0313 - Lady In Crowd
This lady is throwing me off a little!Her design is very familiar and I cannot figure out why. It feels like I've already drawn a white version of her, but I cannot find any evidence of her existing before this in my 2+ year archives. Perhaps I was thinking of this lady, who does get a skin tone change further down the line, but is clearly not the same design as lady in crowd.Maybe somewhere in season 3 or 4 I'll see this woman again and realise that this version is in fact the original. Keep your eyes peeled! Ew. Actually. Don't. T...
0312 - Man In Crowd
Another smartass remark from the crowd:I like to approach these characters with as much information as possible, so here's everything we know about this gentleman:- Dancin' Homer doesn't make him wanna cheer.- That's it.I'm finding it more difficult to identify if some of these obscure characters have further appearances beyond this, but I suppose this scene is not located in Springfield, so it would make sense that we never see him again.This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of m...
Patreon Print - March 2024
As decided by last month's poll, the Patreon Print for this month will be "742 Evergreen Terrace"! I've done a few of my watercolours as prints before, but never for the Patreon Print, I hope people like it! I think they look pretty good, if I do say so myself! I miss doing these watercolours!If you'd like this A5 print delivered directly to you, please be a £10 or higher member for this month! Make sure your address is available there and it'll be sent out once you're charged at the end of the month. Thank you for ...
0311 - Man In Crowd
We come to a point in the episode where a bunch of people in a crowd get to have odd little remarks that qualify them for this project. Cherish these moments while you can, because eventually these crowds will be populated by familiar characters such as Comic Book Guy or Sideshow Mel, and there will be no room for these strangers to shine any more.This guy yawns, in a shot that looks like it's out of a Sunday newspaper strip:and a few seconds later comments on Homer's "cornball antics":It's difficult to say for certain, but ...
BONUS! Woman in Crowd and Man in Crowd
I know I said I wasn't going to cover every character in the baseball crowd, but let's look at a couple of them, why not?That lady does not look happy to be there. I feel bad for her, she got all dressed up! And blocked the guy behind her's view! These Capital City slickers, they're a bunch of goofballs, I tell you.This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of my rules in this project, click here.
0310 - Hot Dog Vendor
Ooh I love these ones, the ones where I have to make up a bunch of their details. Here's all you see of this fella:It's entirely possible he has stolen Homer's outfit from the locker room, but Homer does not seem to notice. I do not know if he is selling buns or condiments - his box seems to only contain the actual sausages, and Homer doesn't seem to have anything more in the next shot.Is this common at baseball games? Just...have a sausage?Anyway I have nowhere else to put this but I also encountered a fun frame in my microscop...
0309 - Ex-Wife
I regret to inform you that it is another ex-wife.The funny thing about this lady is that she is voiced by Nancy Cartwright - they tend to avoid using Nancy for incidental side-women as the show goes on, but occasionally you'll catch a fully-grown woman like this who sounds suspiciously like Bart. We have certainly encountered this Bart-esque phenomenon before, and I think I'll notice it every time. It's almost as rare as a Yeardley Smith voice.The shot that follows the ex-wives exchange is one that made my blood run cold:Listen, I ...
0308 - Ex-Wife
One of two ex-wives that Marge gets to meet. I hate to define these women exclusively by the status of their previous marriage, but that's all the show really gives us to go on here.These are characters so obscure that they don't even get a mention on the Simpsons Wiki as far as I can see, so make the most of them while we have them here.This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of my rules in this project, click here.
0307 - Dave Glass
Another baseball announcer, this time for the big city team.He's framed very similarly to our old friend Dan Horde from earlier in the episode (remember him?), perhaps the director (Mark Kirkland) is making some comment about how as much as Homer has advanced through the ranks to the big time job, everything is still essentially the same.Dave Glass is voiced by Harry Shearer, who is very good at these kind of media-savvy personalities, I feel like I can hear variations of his radio-friendly voice throughout the show's history. It is lik...
0306 - Baseball Player
Oh boy! A WEIRD post!Listen, sometimes you may hear me complain about having to draw seven characters for a single day's worth of post, but let's be clear about this: weird posts like this are great and are my favourite. Let's break this down:As part of Homer's conversation with the Capital City Goofball before his big debut at the Capital City Game, we have a brief pan across the locker room, in which we see several players.As the camera settles on Homer and the Goofball at the right of the frame - crucially, once all these pla...
0305 - Capital City Goofball
The Goofball is an A-lister of D-listers, mainly due to his memorable design.He shows up periodically throughout the show, and is instantly recognisable - there are too many appearances to list them all, but we'll look at some of the more memorable ones. He would next appear in the "Do The Bartman" music video a few weeks after this episode. He is somehow much shorter than Krusty.When the show revisits Capital City as a concept in season 14's "Bart vs Lisa vs The Third Grade" (remember this is when we next see Mary Baile...
Patreon Print - February 2024
The people have spoken! It was a close vote (the frontrunner for the first few days didn't even make the top three!) but this month's print will be "Delightfully Devilish", one of my more popular recent pieces! I like this one, it's silly, and served as a good ease back into more comic work.If you'd like this A5 print delivered directly to you, please be a £10 or higher member for this month! Make sure your address is available there and it'll be sent out once you're charged at the end of the month. Thank you fo...
0304 - Tony Bennett
Personally, I find this one to be quite significant! When Tony Bennett passed away last year, one of my first thoughts was about he was the very first celebrity to voice themselves on The Simpsons, a tremendous achievement considering how many others did it after him. What a trendsetter!Yes, prior to this the show has had guest stars (Albert Brooks, Penny Marshall,) and we've had real-life figures appear (Benjamin Franklin certainly counts as a celebrity), but Bennett was the first person to voice himself, which in itself heightens the weir...
BONUS! Girl, Baseball Players, Street Crime Participants and Window Washer
Let's provide pictorial evidence that I did not imagine any of these crazy designs before we proceed.This is a trend I'm noticing a lot more in recent (and upcoming) episodes - a big stretch in the middle with no new speaking characters, but a bunch of kooky characters worth briefly highlighting. I was hoping the Capital City montage might provide some interesting people to meet, perhaps a couple of numbered entries, but no real luck (except for one big one coming on Thursday.)The girl talking to Lisa may show up again - the kids of Spr...
0303 - Nina Skalka
This girl is a fan...well, "favourite" seems a bit strong. But she's a fan acknowledgement at least, I've seen people say they like her design. She's one of two children who does not seem fussed about Lisa leaving Springfield for Capital City, along with Janey.Her most memorable appearance is as a potential sock thief, in season 3's "Lisa the Greek":But the fact that she is very consistently a student Springfield Elementary means she pops up all the time, usually as part of a crowd, and sometimes even with a line...
February 2024 Print - Vote For Your Favourite Design!
Feels like a long time since we had a good ol' fashioned Patreon print vote-o-rama!SO I have selected seven recent potential pieces for the next three Patreon prints (February, March and April), and it's up to YOU, the wonderful smart person reading this, so select your favourite! The winner(s) will be available at the £10 or higher tiers!Here are your candidates:"She Admitted It""742 Evergreen Terrace""Mr Sparkle""Oh Abe, You've Aged Terribly""Delightfully Devilish""In Their Dreams"&...
0302 - Caribbean Man
My main positive takeaway from this week is that I have now learned how to spell "Caribbean", mainly because I have gotten it wrong every single time I've written or typed it until literally just there (look back further in this run-on sentence for proof.)The other noteworthy thing about these guys is the amazing speed at which they are able to switch positions (or outfits) between shots.Normally I would enter some insane screed about how perhaps there was a time jump between these two shots in which their positions were altered, an...
0301 - Caribbean Man
Oof, this week. Can we skip this week? No? This project is the only thing giving you joy in this increasingly broken world? Okay then.These two gentlemen are voiced by Dan and Harry, in a very stereotypical fashion that the show would definitely now steer away from. I don't think they're particularly "offensive" (disclaimer: I'm the whitest of white dudes), but there is something off about this moment which isn't really a joke. Just two dudes enjoying Homer's dancing.Mainly they make me lament the fact that we'll...
0300 - Baseball Player
As with characters 0100 and 0200, we hit a milestone number with a character you barely remember. Statistically I suppose this is always likely, but I love it all the same.Because of the way this montage of Homer's rise to fame is covered, we can probably assume that this guys plays for the Burlington Drifters, as he is shown shortly after this establishing shot.Beyond that, we know nothing about him, except that he does not want to be distracted while he plays.This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a li...
"Legend of the Mole-Man"
Hi! If you follow me on social media (a practice I do NOT recommend) then you may have seen that I stared a new daily comic this week! One panel a day, every day, for the rest of my life, or until the story finishes, or until I slip up.I thought that I'd offer a little preview of what's to come here! Here are the first 18 days worth of panels, in case you wanna read ahead a little! Think of it as a kind of cold open for what I'm hoping will be a larger narrative. I'm figuring out other ways to offer Patrons little exclusives rel...
BONUS! Dancin' Homer and T-shirt Salesman
Another fun opportunity to document one of the main family's alternate outfits! I'm not even gonna provide a screenshot of this one, you know where it comes from. It comes from Dancin' Homer. You know. The episode we're covering.Less obvious, is the t-shirt salesman from the montage of Homer's antics.This is a fun little meta-commentary on the show's meteoric rise in popularity and the merchandising boom of the early 1990s, but mostly I wanted to showcase this guy and his slightly off design. Maybe it's just the stra...
0299 - Antoine Tex O'Hara
This character emerges mysteriously to offer Homer a job.He feels like a sort of prototype Rich Texan, the wealthy southern gentleman who has the money to buy an entire sports team. In later episodes the Springfield Isotopes are owned by the Duff corporation, so this guy is never a relevant factor again. Unlike a few of the other fully named nobodies from this episode, Antoine does make a few other appearances:In season three's "Stark Raving Dad". This crowd scene comes up often in our discussions - I'm starting to think the rea...
