‘The Simpsons’ Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Simpsons celebrated its 25th anniversary on Dec. 17 by taking over Twitter with the hashtag #TheSimpsons.

#TheSimpsons 25th Anniversary

The Simpsons’ very first half-hour episode, titled “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” premiered on Fox on Dec. 17, 1989, though The Simpsons titular family first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show two years prior. In its very first episode, The Simpsons’ Homer dealt with a family crisis during the Holiday Season.

Since its premiere, there have been almost 26 seasons of the animated sitcom, and the show has wracked up 561 episodes and become a cultural phenomenon. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has won 28 Emmys for the show, and been nominated for countless others. The animated sitcom was so successful, that it inspired a hit movie, The Simpsons Movie, and, in 1998, Time magazine named the character Bart Simpson one of the most influential people of the century.

The Simpsons celebrated their 25th anniversary in September with three nights of special live shows at the Hollywood Bowl hosted by Simpsons regular, Hank Azaria.

Azaria voices 16 recurring characters on the show and has been since its inception.