35 Trivia Tidbits About the First ‘Simpsons’ Episode Ever on Its 35th Anniversary
December 17th is a very important date in the history of The Simpsons. It was on this day in 1989 that the first episode of the show debuted on Fox, telling a Christmas story about how the first family of Springfield came to get their pet dog, Santa’s Little Helper.
The episode was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, and to celebrate its 35th anniversary, here are 35 trivia tidbits all about it…
The Beginning, Sort of
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While “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” was the first half-hour episode of The Simpsons, the family debuted two-and-a-half years prior to it on April 19, 1987 as part of The Tracey Ullman Show.
The First Christmas
“Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” also wasn’t the family’s first Christmas story. The short “Simpson Xmas” aired a year earlier. It was a rewrite of “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Moore, narrated by Bart.
Not-So Enchanted Evening
According to Neil Arsenty, curator of the On This Day in Simpsons History X/Twitter account, “The show was originally intended to debut earlier in 1989 with ‘Some Enchanted Evening,’ but due to animation problems, the show debuted with (‘Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire’) on December 17th instead.”
8-to-1
To that end, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” was actually the eighth episode produced for the show’s first season.
Lisa’s Wardrobe Malfunction
“During Lisa's performance at the Christmas pageant, she appears to be naked from the waist down,” explains Arsenty. “According to David Silverman, this was an animation error and she was intended to be wearing a body stocking, but the Korean animators never colored it in.”
A Future ‘Simpsons’ Legend Came Up with the Episode’s Title
The name “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” came from Al Jean, who would go on to be a major creative force behind the show as a writer and showrunner.
Yet the Woman Who Wrote It Never Returned
“Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” was written by Mimi Pond. It was the only Simpsons episode she ever wrote.
Left in the Cold
In a 2014 interview with Splinter, Pond said, “I wasn’t invited to be on staff at The Simpsons, because they didn’t want any women on staff at the time. Nobody told me that, it was something I found out through the grapevine. I was just sort of dropped like a hot rock, with no explanation from anyone there. It did remain a boy’s club there for quite a few years. And even since then, I think they’ve just had a handful of women writers.”
A Result of the Sam Simon-Jennifer Tilly Divorce?
In a 2017 interview with The Muse, Pond continued, “I was never invited to be on staff, and I never knew why for the longest time. No one ever called me or explained to me or apologized or anything. And it wasn’t until years later that I found out that (producer and co-creator) Sam Simon, who was the showrunner, didn’t want any women around because he was going through a divorce. It had remained a boys’ club for a good long time. I feel like I was just as qualified as anyone else who came along and got hired on the show, and it was just because I was a woman that I was, you know, not allowed entry into that club. I always wind up being the turd in the punch bowl because the show is so beloved and everything, and I’m sorry to burst bubbles but it wasn’t a pleasant experience for me.”
How Pond Got to ‘The Simpsons’ Originally
“My husband and I had been introduced to Matt Groening by Gary Panter,” Pond explained to The Muse. “My husband Wayne and Gary had worked together on PeeWee’s Playhouse. We met Matt before The Simpsons happened, when he was doing his syndicated comic strip, Life in Hell. When the series came along, he was asking his cartoonist friends if they wanted to write episodes, and apparently I was the only one who said yes. When I wrote an episode, I wrote it and it just happened to air as the first one because they were behind schedule.”
Why Pond Wrote It
Per Pond: “I believe Sam Simon was the one who suggested they needed a Christmas episode, and I seized on that because I hated Christmas.”
The First Line
Marge gets the first line in the episode, saying, “Oh, careful Homer” as he’s driving recklessly.
Homer’s First Line
It’s a classic: “There’s no time to be careful, we’re late.”
Bart’s First Line
It’s also a classic: “Jingle Bells, Batman smells.”
About That Batman Stench
Groening explained that the use of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” caused many people to believe The Simpsons originated the song, which it obviously did not.
Lisa’s First Line
A not-so-classic (at least relatively speaking): “But I really want a pony, and I’ve been really, really good this year.”
Pony Problems
Pond has said that the only thing from this episode that came from real life was her desire for a pony.
Pony Prayers Answered
Eventually, Lisa does get a pony in Season Three. She names it Princess.
No Soviet Santa
In the DVD commentary for the episode, Groening explained that the Christmas pageant, where the children present the way Christmas is celebrated in different countries, was inspired by something that happened to him as a kid. “When I was in the second grade, we studied how Christmas was celebrated in many lands, and I had grandparents from Russia and I was told, ‘Because Russia is a communist country, there was no Christmas, please sit down, Matt.’”
It Was a Much Simpler Time
Groening has said that Fox censors flagged the use of the word “groin” in the episode, but that Simpsons producers left it in anyway.
Plenty of D’oh, But Light on Dough
Homer’s struggles with money were part of an effort to “anchor the Simpsons economically and keep them mired in their money problems,” explained Groening. They wanted to “make it real because in most sitcoms, people have no money problems whatsoever, or the money problems aren’t real.”
The ‘Smallness’ of Early ‘Simpsons’
“What I like about some of these early shows is what minor occurrences in daily life we explored,” Groening has observed. “As the show went on, we got much bigger stories, but this is just about shopping for Christmas gifts when you don’t have much money.”
What Christmas Is All About
Groening noted that, while it seems mild nowadays, there were serious doubts back then about having Homer steal a tree for Christmas, as they feared it would make him too unlikable.
‘I’m Bart Simpson, Who the Hell are You?’
This episode was the second time that Bart said, “I’m Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?” The first was in a Tracey Ullman short.
Wrong Ralph
Ralph Wiggum’s voice is different in the episode. He’s played by Pamela Hayden, and he doesn’t seem quite so stupid. Eventually, Nancy Cartwright would voice the Ralph we all know and love.
Snowball, We Hardly Knew Ye
“Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” contains the backstory for the Simpson cats when Marge writes a letter saying, “Our little cat Snowball was unexpectedly run over and went to kitty heaven, but we bought a new little cat, Snowball II.”
Santa’s Little Helper’s Name
Al Jean told TV Guide, “We needed a name that would inspire Homer to bet on him, an omen, a Christmas name since he was betting on Christmas Eve. But, at that point, nobody was thinking long-term. We weren't considering what might happen in 10 years, when we've got to use this name."
Santa’s Little Helper’s Number
Santa’s Little Helper’s racing number is eight.
The Simpsons Were Stuck with the Dog
Groening once told TV Guide, “We painted ourselves into a corner with our Christmas episode. Once we wrote the dog into the show, we were stuck with him.”
When Time Slots Were a Thing…
While The Simpsons would famously air on Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern for most of its run, all of Season One, including “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” aired at 8:30 p.m.
Pin Pals
According to Jean, the premiere was celebrated at a bowling alley.
An Impressive Party Favor
According to Pond, at the party, “everyone got a bowling shirt. I might still have it somewhere. I also got a crew jacket, and when I wore it on the subway back in NYC where I was still living at the time, I was mobbed by people who wanted one. It was then that I knew it was going to be gigantic.”
Real Santa’s Little Helpers Need Help
Groening said that, when the episode was written, the adoption of Santa’s Little Helper was just a good way to wrap up the episode. However, after it aired, they got letters from people thanking them for bringing attention to the issue of abandoned racing dogs.
Bart to the Future
In Season 34’s “Lisa the Boy Scout,” an adult Bart travels back in time to the events of “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.”
A Holiday Tradition
According to The Simpsons writer Carolyn Omine, in the new Disney+ Simpsons Christmas special, “O C’Mon All Ye Faithful,” “there are at least five Easter eggs that are homages to ‘Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire.’”