Cartoonist Matt Groening (1954–) created the Simpsons family in 1986, during which they appeared in short segments of the FOX television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) network's The Tracy Ullman Show (1987–90). The characters' popularity quickly grew. In 1989, they got their own half-hour weekly TV series, The Simpsons. In addition to being the longest running animated TV show in history, The Simpsons is notable for providing some of the funniest criticism of American life and culture ever made.

The show's title family is a traditional situation comedy, or sitcom (see entry under 1950s—TV and Radio in volume 3) family. Homer, the oafish dad, works at a nuclear power plant. Marge is a doting housewife. Bart is a devilish third grader; Lisa, the second-grade middle child, favors reading and vegetarianism over television and bacon; and Maggie, the speechless infant, constantly sucks on her "Neglecto"-brand pacifier...