After 429 episodes and 20 years on television, the US TV hit show The Simpsons has revamped its opening sequence for the show’s HD premiere. The last time the opening sequence was changed was more than 18 years ago during the premiere of the show’s second season on TV.
Regular Simpsons viewers will notice that the basic storyline of the show has remained the same – Bart is in trouble and is writing on the blackboard, Homer leaves the nuclear plant with some radioactive material, Lisa plays her saxophone as she leaves music class, Marge goes shopping with Maggie, and the family all comes together on their couch at the end.There are, a number of changes, including the addition of some of the characters since the last time the opening was redone. Apu’s octuplets provide an obstacle Bart has to skateboard around, as does Crazy Cat Lady, The Rich Texan, and Sideshow Bob, who tries to stab him.Maggie meets her arch nemesis, Gerald the unibrow baby while shopping with Marge, and Marge’s grocery items have also been updated. The more observant fans out there will notice that the price Maggie rings up when she is scanned by the grocery clerk has doubled, from $243.26 to $486.52 while the Simpsons family television has also be updated to a flat screen.
Things you didn’t know about the SIMPSONS
The Simpsons’ opening sequence is one of the show’s most memorable hallmarks. Most episodes open with the camera zooming through the show’s title towards the town of Springfield. The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television.
Creator Matt Groening submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming that they would cleaned up in-production. But they only retraced his drawings which led to the crude look in the initial episodes.
The Simpsons was FOX TV’s first series to land in the season’s top 30 highest rated shows.
Several U.S. public schools even banned The Simpsons merchandise and T-shirts, such as one featuring Bart and the caption “Underachiever (‘And proud of it, man!’)”. Despite the ban, The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated US$2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales.