'The Simpsons' Might Be Dead, But Its Legacy Lives On Through Memes

The Simpsons is a TV legend that needs no introduction, though it’s getting one anyway. What began as a simple animated television sitcom – intended to parody and push the boundaries of American sitcoms of that era – became a comedy hallmark and cultural cornerstone which, in many ways, defined the humor of the '90s.

Why Was The Simpsons So Popular?

The Simpsons didn’t become one of the most popular, longest-running TV shows of all time on accident. The show struck a chord because it filled a cultural gap which, at the time, was largely missing. While its mainstream appeal came from its overt parody of sitcoms and its unflinching honesty of the American family, it achieved cultural depth due to its referential humor and its idiosyncratic approach to comedy. You could tell who watched The Simpsons and who didn’t, as it introduced enough new slang to the English language to fill its own dictionary (such as “Meh” and “Yoink”), and references to the show were a sort of “secret handshake” that immediately identified Simpsons fans to one another.

Interestingly enough, memes occupy the same cultural space that The Simpsons did during its peak, an idea which is made apparent through some of the most iconic memes derived from the show’s early run.

Steamed Hams

"Steamed Hams," is an iconic short that became a meme staple in many online communities, where it has been parodied in pretty much every way imaginable. While it provides few, if any, references on its own, the skit has been recontextualized to become a truly modern meme.

There is no shortage of references to Steamed Hams, with “No, mother, it’s just the Northern Lights” and “May I see it? No.” being the more notable quotes. While the intent among memes may be to quote the skit as a meme in its own right, they are, in essence, just quoting the TV show. This is made possible simply because the show itself lends incredibly well to referential humor and punchlines, two of the strongest qualities of any recognizable meme.

Simpsonwave

Simpsonwave may be notably less “ironic” than other examples of memes from the show, but it’s a relevant meme nonetheless. The lovechild of The Simpsons and the vaporwave aesthetic, Simpsonwave’s appeal largely stems from the nostalgic nature of the show, coupled with a more harshly “real” view of the show’s characters. In many Simpsonwave examples, the characters are grounded from their parodical representations in the show into a more “real” view of the character and their situations, often being “de-parodified” to match real, relatable situations in a more tangible way.

For similar but staunchly exaggerated reasons, Bart has become something of a “sad boy” icon. By all accounts and measures, Bart lived a rough childhood when you peel back the layers of comedy and parody – he’s failing school, has ADHD, lives in a largely dysfunctional household with a drunk father that chokes him – that appeals to the melancholy of the “sad boy” aesthetic.

Say the Line, Bart!

An excellent example of a meme being used as a tool for social commentary, "Say the Line, Bart!" sees a lot of use in meta-discussion on various platforms, such as pointing out how repetitive memes or sayings may become in certain groups, or how predictable certain communities, figures and subjects can become.

Ironically, this is the exact same point that was made in the original episode the meme was derived from: entertainment media is often highly predictable and repetitive. In that episode, Bart becomes a local star over a single phrase, “I didn’t do it,” and comes to terms with his newfound fame, acknowledging with the phrase, “It’s my job to be repetitive! My job! My job! Repetitiveness is my job!”

Homer Simpson in a Lesbian Bar

The original clip showed Homer feeling out of place in a lesbian bar, as the audience saw his “realization” unfold. While this scene showed Homer discarding the issue – the “realization” was, instead, that the lesbian bar had no fire exit – the “out-of-place” feeling hinted at during the lead-up of the joke became the foundation of its own meme — Homer Simpson in a Lesbian Bar.

Much like Say the Line, Bart!, this meme’s primary purpose is a format to provide commentary. The “out-of-place” feeling implied in the original scenario is a common one, so its translation into meme format is natural and seamless, providing much of the same pretext in meme form as the original clip.

The Show's Legacy

The show translates to the meme world so easily – at least, of the first 12-ish seasons – because, for the most part, memes play a nearly identical role in web culture as The Simpsons did for '90s culture. Much like The Simpsons, memes have also introduced a litany of new vocabulary, are based heavily on referential humor and cultivate a unique culture with identifiable traits. Memes also tend to be based on a parody of personal experience, cultivating a similar cultural niche as The Simpsons did during its heyday.

The Simpsons in the modern era still lives on through its numerous memes and meme formats, despite the show being long beyond its glory days, failing to provide the same level of humor and cultural influence it did during its early run.

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