History Creator / MattGroening

* ReciprocalFictionParadox: In "The Simpsons" Matt Groening once voiced himself as "the creator of "Futurama"". In the world of "Futurama" he solely exists as the creator of "The Simpsons".

* OneOfUs: Where to start? He may be the ultimate geek, enjoying underground comics, underground music, animated cartoons, comic strips, B-movies, exotica, cult novels, as well as 20th century classical music, jazz, blues, reggae, arthouse stuff,... As a child he watched awful TV shows and got in trouble often for doodling during lessons. His tutors and parents often told him he was wasting his time, but as he puts it: "All this stuff was preliminary research for the TV shows I would later make." Among the many things he absolutely adores are FrankZappa, CaptainBeefheart, TheFugs, TheBeatles, LooneyTunes, LaurelAndHardy, MontyPython, TheGoons, ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', RobertCrumb, ''{{Peanuts}}'', LeeScratchPerry, AugustusPablo, BobMarley, IgorStravinsky, LyndaBarry, DanielClowes, WaltDisney, CarlBarks, BettyBoop and ''{{Popeye}}, ''Olivier Messiaen, JDSalinger, PhilipKDick, IsaacAsimov, Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000, RenAndStimpy, StanleyKubrick, QuentinTarantino, YmaSumac, JuanGarciaEsquivel, JoelAndEthanCoen, FWMurnau, DianeArbus, JackieChan, FelaKuti, PereUbu, TheResidents....

* HotMom: Marge Simpson and Maude Flanders being good examples of this in "The Simpsons".
** Leela could be considered a [[HotMom Hot]] TeamMom in "Futurama".

* OneOfUs: Where to start? He may be the ultimate geek, enjoying underground comics, underground music, animated cartoons, comic strips, B-movies, exotica, cult novels, as well as 20th century classical music, jazz, blues, reggae, arthouse stuff,... As a child he watched awful TV shows and got in trouble often for doodling during lessons. His tutors and parents often told him he was wasting his time, but as he puts it: "All this stuff was preliminary research for the TV shows I would later make." Among the many things he absolutely adores are FrankZappa, CaptainBeefheart, TheFugs, TheBeatles, LooneyTunes, LaurelAndHardy, MontyPython, TheGoons, ''{{Godzilla}}'', RobertCrumb, ''{{Peanuts}}'', LeeScratchPerry, AugustusPablo, BobMarley, IgorStravinsky, LyndaBarry, DanielClowes, WaltDisney, CarlBarks, BettyBoop and ''{{Popeye}}, ''Olivier Messiaen, JDSalinger, PhilipKDick, IsaacAsimov, MysteryScienceTheater3000, RenAndStimpy, StanleyKubrick, QuentinTarantino, YmaSumac, JuanGarciaEsquivel, JoelAndEthanCoen, FWMurnau, DianeArbus, JackieChan, FelaKuti, PereUbu, TheResidents,...

* LongRunner: All of his three best known series are still in syndication, whether this is good or not.

* ReferenceOverdosed

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Groening once said in a Rolling Stone interview that he wanted to become a composer like Frank Zappa, but lacked enough musical talent.

** A lot of jokes and scenes are winks to Groening's own childhood. The theory that RichieRich and CasperTheFriendlyGhost are the same character in TheSimpsons episode "Three Men And A Comic Book" was something Matt and his school friends used to wonder about.

** And he especially hated HannaAndBarbera animation when he first got started as a cartoonist.

* PoliceAreUseless: Chief Wiggum in "The Simpsons", the two cops in "Futurama"

* MyCountryRightOrWrong: In his entire work Groening shows the darker side of The AmericanDream.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: Partly subverted.

* AuthorAppeal: A lot of the stuff referenced in his shows is semi-autobiographical. Little winks to his childhood friends can be found, as well as references to his own personal favorite artists. His recurrent mocking of RichardNixon is an enjoyment that stems from a personal dislike.

* TheSouthpaw: Bart Simpson is actually left-handed just like Matt Groening is. [[WordOfGod Marge Simpson started out as this, but she trained herself to use her right hand also because she was being insulted for being a lefty, which means that she's now ambidextrous.]]

** Other names were burrowed from family members (Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, Patty), friends (Dolph) or characters from TV shows he used to watch (Krusty was based on TV clown Rusty Nails, for instance)

** Groening is also not very fond of AdolfHitler jokes or otherwise racist jokes. Despite sometimes allowing a few of them in his work he mostly discourages his writers to make jokes about this topic.

** A lot of jokes and scenes are winks to Groening's own childhood. The theory that RichieRich and CasparTheFriendlyGhost are the same character in TheSimpsons episode "Three Men And A Comic Book" was something Matt and his school friends used to wonder about.

TheSimpsons continued its succesful run and is still on television to this day, despite claims that the show isn't as good as it used to be. In 1999 Groening launched another animated series , {{Futurama}}, around a totally different concept. Set in the far future, "Futurama", mostly spoofs every science fiction or future dystopia concept in a similar satirical way like TheSimpsons. The program never reached the same amount of immediate popularity that TheSimpsons did and was thus cancelled by FOX until ComedyCentral revived the series a few years later. Still, its audience keeps growing and will probably be VindicatedByHistory later.

* ButtMonkey

* DerangedAnimation: Not as much in style, but certain plots and scenes are really off the wall.

** The early "Life in Hell" cartoons had a different tone. It features the rabbit Binky bickering about all of his life's problems. Only when Groening changed him into a victim of society the cartoon became succesful.

** Other names were burrowed from family members (Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, Patty), friends (Dolph) or characters from TV shows he used to watch (Krusty was based on TV clown Rusty Nails, for instance)

* CreatorBacklash: Groening was so against the Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns" that he took his name off the episode. He felt that producer James L. Brooks simply wanted to make a commercial for his other animated series ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' by letting Jay Sherman and Homer Simpson meet.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Groening's artistic vision often clashes with the executives of Fox. Still, there aren't that many scenes in both TheSimpsons or LifeInHell that have been censored. Most of Fox's complaints are ignored. Groening has always been lucky that TheSimpsons was so succesful, so the show was never ScrewedByTheNetwork, a fate that the less popular {{Futurama}} did have to cope with.
* EverythingsBetterWithBunnies: The main characters in LifeInHell are rabbits because Groening claims they are the only animals he can draw recognizably well.

* ArtEvolution: Groening has never been a great artist from a technical point of view. He can only draw people with bug-like eyeballs and huge overbites. The early Simpsons cartoons look very ugly because his agnimators used to trace his own drawings instead of modefying them. In time the Simpsons' art became impressively better, though "Life in Hell" hasn't evolved that much.

* AuthorAppeal: A lot of the stuff referenced in his shows is semi-autobiographical. Little winks to his childhood friends can be found, as well as references to his own personal favorite artists and his mocking of RichardNixon.

* ArtEvolution: Groening has never been a great artist from a technical point of view. He can only draw people with bug-like eyeballs and huge overbites. The early Simpsons cartoons look very ugly because his animators used to trace his own drawings instead of modefying them. In time the Simpsons' art became impressively better, though "Life in Hell" hasn't evolved that much.

* AuthorAppeal: A lot of the stuff referenced in his shows is semi-autobiographical. Little winks to his childhood friends can be found, as well as references to his own personal favorite artists.

* BitingTheHandHumor: Especially the FOX Company.

* DeadBabyComedy

* AuthorAppeal: A lot of the stuff referenced in his shows is semi-autobiographical. Little winks to his childhood friends and his own personal favorite artists from all kinds of culture.

* PoliceAreUseless

* QuestForIdentity
* ReciprocalFictionParadox

* CreatorBacklash: Groening was so against the Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns" that he took his name off the episode. He felt that producer James L. Brooks simply wanted to make a commercial for his other animated series TheCritic by letting Jay Sherman and Homer Simpson meet.

TheSimpsons started off in 1987 as extremely short cartoons used as bumpers before and after commercials during the TraceyUllman Show. Despite being crudely animated and a lot of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness the segments caught on with the American public. By 1989 Groening got the chance to turn the series into a full length prime time animated series, something that hadn't been done since TheFlintstones in the 1960s. The show quickly became a critically lauded mainstream success, especially thanks to BreakoutCharacter Bart Simpson. It became the first prime time cartoon series since TheFlintstones to become popular both with children and adults. Its clever satire, edgy subversiveness, hilarious gags and beyond all that recognizable emotional depth were praised. Its cult success paved the way for other adult cartoon series such as BeavisAndButthead, SouthPark and FamilyGuy. Yet, the show wasn't without its critics. Especially in the early years many parents and educators complained about certain scenes they deemed to be offensive or unsuitable for children. Even president GeorgeHWBush attacked the series during the 1992 Republican National Convention by claiming that "the American family should be a lot more like TheWaltons and a lot less like TheSimpsons." Only a week later TheSimpsons reacted by letting Bart say: "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're all praying for an end to the depression too." Coincidence or not, but Bush lost the elections later that year.