Every Simpsons Ever: “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”

Where It All Began (Sort of)

Here it is. The humble beginnings of the longest-running American scripted prime-time television series. The Simpsons, Season 1, Episode 1.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time viewers met the Simpsons clan. In 1987, the characters were presented in animated shorts on Fox’s “The Tracey Ullman Show.” These shorts established the family structure of the Simpsons that we love.

Our Very Own Spin-Off

And so, with the shorts’ popularity rising, Fox began developing The Simpsons as a half-hour series. The first episode of the show that was produced, “Some Enchanted Evening” was scrapped after screenings revealed animation problems. Eventually, The Simpsons premiered on December 17th, 1989, with the Christmas-themed “Simpsons Roasting on An Open Fire.”

Episode 1 (Sort of)

Although it was the first to air, this was the eighth episode produced. It features animation that looks noticeably more sophisticated than the episodes aired after it. Also of note, the episode aired without the iconic Simpsons opening sequence. So that means that the Simpsons premiered with no couch gag and no chalkboard gag.

What this episode does have is a focus on decidedly middle-class themes, like money struggles and the importance of family. Marge spends a majority of the family’s Christmas money on a tattoo-removal procedure after Bart wriggles his way into a tattoo parlor. Homer takes a job as a mall Santa Claus. The job is thankless and ends up paying him less than he expects. Homer spends the rest of his family’s money at the race track, where he bets and loses on a 99:1 long shot named Santa’s Little Helper. When the dog loses, Homer and Bart see its owner mistreating Santa’s Little Helper, and they adopt the dog, bringing it home as the Simpson family Christmas present.

This episode establishes the core attributes inherent to the Simpsons. But there are some key differences. Take Homer’s voice. Dan Castellaneta still hadn’t settled in to the trademark vocal tics that make Homer such an iconic character. This early in the character’s evolution, Castellaneta was basing Homer’s voice around a loose impression of Walter Mathau. Later, Castellaneta would find what best suited the character, and ditched the lower-pitched Mathau impression.