When
contextualising the Simpsons Universe, it is clear that producers have used
certain methods to blur the boundaries between reality and fictional. The Simpsons are living during no
particular time, representing no specific American family. I think that The Simpsons has transitioned well throughout time and have kept up to date with popular culture in order to keep their material new and upcoming. In the the futuristic ‘couch gag’ of 1st episode in the 26th series we can see how The Simpsons will always be with us and will always be mocking present society. The ‘couch gag’ is the term used to explain the pre title couch
sequence that runs at the beginning of every Simpsons episode. This specific couch
gag indicated that The Simpsons will
be a long lived animation as Homer is seen travelling through time. His
character begins to rewind to reflect the process Homer has gone through in
terms of the animation characteristics until the date stops at 1987 – when the
show was first aired on the Tracey Ullman
Show. Homer then skips forward in time and changes form to reflect how his
character will be altered in the future until the series hits the 101st
century. This odd yet surrealistic view of the future reflects how embedded The Simpsons are in our society. They will never leave us - never stop mocking us. The Simpsons Universe will forever be expanding.
Saying this, it is without a doubt that The Simpsons is actually set in present time. For example, only in the past years have The Simpsons family owned digital technologies such as mobile phones and ‘MyPad’ - The Simpsons version of iPad. This suggests that The Simpsons evolve with modern day society. Another example of this is through comparing the 1991 opening sequence of The Simpsons with the current opening sequence. In the old sequence, a ‘yellow’ simpson swipes Maggie through the checkout register, whereas since 2009, the cashier has noticeability changed skin tone to ‘black’. This suggests that producers are trying to represent a more multicultural society since a ‘yellow’ simpson is thought to represent the white American citizen.
On the contrary, it could be argued that producers are mocking black citizens as they are degrading them to a low paid job in a supermarket. Whilst arguing this point, it is worth noting that Dr. Hibbert is a black male in The Simpsons and is the towns Doctor. These juxtaposed representations of black citizens support the idea that The Simpsons portray all representations of the perceived American society in order to target a large audience.
Overall, I feel as if The Simpsons is a extremely good example of how new technologies have enabled producers to interact with fans across many different mediums. The Simpsons has developed overtime along with its audience therefore there is a strong bond between The Simpsons and its audience. The Simpsons Universe could not have expanded without cross platform media and the relationship it holds with its viewers. The Simpsons is a good example of a postmodern text as it uses bricolage, parody and covers topics of popular culture. I think all these combinations result in how and why The Simpsons is so popular over the globe. The Simpsons are acutely self conscious and this is put forth throughout the Simpsons Universe - The Simpsons are able to mock themselves reflecting how their parody isn't to be taken seriously. This self recognition ties in well with how The Simpsons explore realism since producers are able to make references to The Simpsons outside the animated world. As Wells (1998, pg. 25) states, animation “prioritises its capacity to resist ‘realism’ as a mode of representation and uses various techniques to create numerous styles which are fundamentally about realism”. To conclude, transmedia story telling across different mediums endeavors audiences to become part of a virtual world. Further more through animation, bricolage, participatory culture and intertextual references to past and present all add a sense of realism to the fictional Springfield, resulting in a blurred line between realism and the fictional world of the Simpsons Universe.
The Simpsons futuristic couch gag (Animation Domination, 2014)
Saying this, it is without a doubt that The Simpsons is actually set in present time. For example, only in the past years have The Simpsons family owned digital technologies such as mobile phones and ‘MyPad’ - The Simpsons version of iPad. This suggests that The Simpsons evolve with modern day society. Another example of this is through comparing the 1991 opening sequence of The Simpsons with the current opening sequence. In the old sequence, a ‘yellow’ simpson swipes Maggie through the checkout register, whereas since 2009, the cashier has noticeability changed skin tone to ‘black’. This suggests that producers are trying to represent a more multicultural society since a ‘yellow’ simpson is thought to represent the white American citizen.
On the contrary, it could be argued that producers are mocking black citizens as they are degrading them to a low paid job in a supermarket. Whilst arguing this point, it is worth noting that Dr. Hibbert is a black male in The Simpsons and is the towns Doctor. These juxtaposed representations of black citizens support the idea that The Simpsons portray all representations of the perceived American society in order to target a large audience.
The Simpsons opening sequence 1991-2009. Video created by OverTonesOfLevi (OverTonesOfLevi, 2014)
Overall, I feel as if The Simpsons is a extremely good example of how new technologies have enabled producers to interact with fans across many different mediums. The Simpsons has developed overtime along with its audience therefore there is a strong bond between The Simpsons and its audience. The Simpsons Universe could not have expanded without cross platform media and the relationship it holds with its viewers. The Simpsons is a good example of a postmodern text as it uses bricolage, parody and covers topics of popular culture. I think all these combinations result in how and why The Simpsons is so popular over the globe. The Simpsons are acutely self conscious and this is put forth throughout the Simpsons Universe - The Simpsons are able to mock themselves reflecting how their parody isn't to be taken seriously. This self recognition ties in well with how The Simpsons explore realism since producers are able to make references to The Simpsons outside the animated world. As Wells (1998, pg. 25) states, animation “prioritises its capacity to resist ‘realism’ as a mode of representation and uses various techniques to create numerous styles which are fundamentally about realism”. To conclude, transmedia story telling across different mediums endeavors audiences to become part of a virtual world. Further more through animation, bricolage, participatory culture and intertextual references to past and present all add a sense of realism to the fictional Springfield, resulting in a blurred line between realism and the fictional world of the Simpsons Universe.
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