'Simpsons' in Springfield, Oregon: Matt Groening Reveals 22-Year-Old Secret
Matt Groening revealed that the location of the fictional Springfield town for his show, "The Simpsons," was inspired by the actual Springfield, Ore., 100 miles south of his hometown of Portland.
Matt Groening, creator of the longest-running sitcom in the U.S., finally revealed the inspiration for Springfield after 23 seasons keeping it a secret. The cartoonist also revealed that 1950s radio and television show "Father Knows Best" also helped him create the Simpsons universe.
"Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show 'Father Knows Best' took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown," Groening told The Smithsonian.
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That was where he coined the idea to name his iconic show's town- it would be much easier to guess that way.
"I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do," the cartoonist added.
Springfield, Ore. Was already aware of the inspiration their town gave to the "Simpsons" creator. In 2007, Groening signed a commemorative plaque with the quote "Yo to Springfield Oregon, the real Springfield!"
That's why when the community relations manager of Springfield, Ore., Niel Laudati, was told about the announcement, his words were "oh OK, we knew that."
Although there are similarities between the fictional Springfield and the actual one, the town representative said there are definitely stark contrasts- the "Simpsons" features a corrupt Mayor Quimby and hilariously inept nuclear power plant staff.
"We kind of got past it. … We don't dwell on the bad stuff. Obviously we don't have a nuclear power plant. We don't have a lot of stuff in the Simpsons," Laudati told the Associated Press. "What we do have are a lot of blue-collar working families that go to church every week and eat dinner together. That is accurate."
