Bart Simpson (full name Bartholomew JoJo Simpson) is a cartoon character from the FOX animated television series The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, and part of its titular Simpson family. The ten-year-old son of Homer and Marge and brother of Lisa and Maggie, Bart is the mischievous, rebellious, and disruptive troublemaker of the family, who disrespects the authority of his parents and teacher, pulls pranks at his school, rides his skateboard through town, and watches much television. He speaks various catchphrases, including "Eat my shorts!" and "Don't have a cow, man!", and has his own gag in the show's intro that involves him repeatedly writing random phrases on the school chalkboard.
Whereas the rest of the Simpson family are named for Groening's actual family members, Groening substituted "Bart," an anagram of "brat," for his own name. During the first two seasons of the show, Bart became its breakout character, so much that an entire mania revolved around him.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Bart Simpson made his Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in the 1990 Parade, following in the meteoric rise of The Simpsons series, which premiered on television less than a year prior. Bart was represented in the Parade as a giant helium balloon, which depicted him riding a skateboard through the streets of New York City. The Bart Simpson balloon measures 67 feet high and 34 feet wide, weighs a whopping 750 pounds and requires 12,724 cubic feet to reach its full size.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, former Macy's Special Events Vice President Jean McFaddin, commented on the inclusion of the Bart balloon in the Parade, saying "Basically, the kids pick the new characters. If the kids tell us they want Bart Simpson, then we give them Bart Simpson. That's just what happened this year."
Unlike previous balloons made for the Parade, many of whom were crafted by Raven Aerostar division, the Bart Simpson balloon was instead created by Bigger Than Life, an advertising balloon company that was founded in 1985. Due to the company's inexperience with creating balloons to the scale of the Macy's Parade balloons, the stitching of the Bart Simpson balloon would cause many problems during its appearances in the Parade. In the early morning hours of Thanksgiving 1990, the balloon began leaking a substantial amount of helium as a result of the frayed stitching. The leak was eventually stopped, and the Bart Simpson balloon was able to makes its debut in fine flying form.
It appeared again in the 1991 Parade, but it would have another problem, as the weight by the skateboard would make the legs look partially deflated, but it wasn't damaged that year.
The Bart Simpson balloon would make an appearance outside of the Parade on September 6, 1992. The balloon was part of a miniature parade held outside the Mall of America, which was hosting its grand opening festivities. Other balloons flown alongside Bart include Spider-Man, Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker, and Quik Bunny.
The Bart Simpson balloon would once again face trouble in the 1993 Parade. Gusty winds resulted in stiff cross-winds, causing the Bart Simpson balloon to be blown into a lamppost along the Parade route. The impact created a massive gash on the balloon's back, though the balloon was able to stay afloat for the rest of the Parade, and he managed to get through without any issue.
The balloon would make it's next troubled appearance at the 1995 Parade. During the Parade, the winds pushed it around, nearly crashing the balloon into the crowd and the trees. The balloon would eventually make it to Herald Square undamaged. The Bart Simpson balloon was retired shortly after the 1995 Parade ended, and the balloon hasn't been seen in the Parade since, as a result of the rules and regulations put in place following an incident in 1997 involving the Cat in the Hat balloon. These rules state certain balloons could not be flown due to their size and shape, with Bart being one of them, despite his height and width not exceeding the limit, and him actually being shorter than Quik Bunny. The balloon has since sat dormant at Macy's Float Warehouse, having its existence last confirmed in 2016 as "salvaged".
Trivia[]
- The Bart Simpson balloon has made multiple appearances in media relating to the Simpsons.
- The balloon would be referenced in the Season 2 episode of The Simpsons, "Bart vs. Thanksgiving". In the episode, Bart and Homer watch a parody of the Macy's Parade on television. Then, after Bart mentions why the Parade would use characters who are 50 years old (after discussing Bullwinkle and Underdog), a Bart balloon appears on the television, as an obvious nod to the Bart balloon debuting that year.
- During the Thanksgiving update for the mobile game Tapped Out in 2015, a Bart Simpson parade balloon was added as a virtual decoration. The design is a nod to the real balloon, complete with Bart being in a similar pose on his skateboard.
- In the Season 31 episode "Thanksgiving of Horror", archival video footage of the balloon in the 1991 Parade was shown during the credits with ominous music playing over the footage, referring to the balloon's off-putting appearance.
- The balloon's 1991 NBC appearance was included as a bonus feature on The Complete Third Season boxset in 2003.