With Christmas 1989 just around the corner, Fox (now Star) and distributor 20th Television made a decision that would forever change the history of cartoons and world television: for the first time, the first episode of the first season of The Simpsons, the most important yellow family in history, was aired. "The Simpsons Christmas Special" aired on December 17 and has not stopped being broadcast for 35 years, making it the longest-running sitcom on the air.
Before becoming the famous series we all know, "The Simpsons" went through some changes; initially, the adventures of the yellow family were merely animated shorts of about one minute broadcast on "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987. The creator, Matt Groening, was invited to present animated segments to fill the program's time; his family served as inspiration to create "The Simpsons."
The first yellow Christmas.
The inaugural episode lays the groundwork for what would become one of the most influential series in world television. Although it may initially seem like a conventional Christmas special, this episode does much more than tell a year-end story: it presents an imperfect and deeply human family, whose mutual love overcomes adversity, a theme that will resonate throughout the entire series.
The choice to set the episode at Christmas is not accidental. In the collective imagination, this holiday represents family unity, sacrifice for loved ones, and hope. However, The Simpsons twist this tradition by presenting a dysfunctional family and an economically precarious environment, in contrast to the traditional Christmas ideal. Through this, the episode connects with audiences who may not see themselves reflected in the "perfect" families of other shows of the time, such as Full House. Homer doesn't receive the Christmas bonus from the Nuclear Plant and also fails to succeed as Santa at the shopping mall after the incident with Bart. The eldest son is already seen as a rebel after he has gotten a tattoo, and Marge, frustrated, has to spend all the savings on gifts for surgery to remove it.
At the end of the episode, Bart and Homer feel defeated for not being able to bring home money for gifts on Christmas Eve since the dog they bet on during the greyhound race came in last. However, they decide to adopt him and take him home after seeing the owner mistreat him at the exit for losing. Santa's Little Helper (as they named him) ended up being the best gift they could have received.
Christmas, in this case, is not just a holiday but a reminder of what really matters: human connections over commercialism. The Simpsons accept their economic reality, but they care little for material wealth as they are happy to have a new family member, a message that has been reinforced for thirty-five years.
Argentina and Springfield, one heart.
Although Latin America welcomed the family with open arms due to its successful dubbing, it was in Argentina where the largest community of fans of the series was created. Telefé, which at the time was called channel 11, was the Argentine channel that bought the broadcast rights in the country, but its airing was quite different from that of Fox.
It was the year 2001 and Claudio Villarruel, former artistic director and producer of Telefé, noticed that the country's crisis was not helping the channel's budget and ratings were plummeting. In response, Villarruel replaced the afternoon movie slot (which he deemed filler) with two hours of The Simpsons, and the ratings increased significantly. In response to the boom generated by the residents of Springfield, the production began to conduct a marathon that covered the entire Saturday afternoon and later, the entire Sunday afternoon. This decision was a revolution and key to developing a “Simpsonian” community that remains strong to this day.
According to Trends data, Google reported that Argentina is the country in the world with the highest search interest in The Simpsons, and this love is mutual. In addition to the fact that since 2011 Matt Groening has been married to an Argentine and has twins with her, the country has made its presence felt on various occasions that have been a source of pride (or not) for the country.
Different personalities such as Che Guevara and Susana Giménez (the latter only in the Latin dubbing) have been mentioned, but the mention of Juan Domingo Perón has stirred the most controversy. While Springfield was voting for a new mayor, the inhabitants gathered in Moe's tavern to express their disagreement about the election, and Carl suggested "a dictator like Perón. When he made you disappear, you stayed disappeared," and his friend Lenny supported his statement by adding that "his wife was Madonna," referring to the musical "Evita" starring the Queen of Pop. The episode was censored in several Latin American countries due to this line, and in Argentina, both Fox and Telefé chose not to enter into conflict and censored it due to the strong backlash from Peronism which was in power at that time.
On the other hand, the series also dealt strongly with the political views regarding the country's economic and political situation. Among many jobs that Homer has held over 35 years, having his own talk show with his friends was one of them. The most remembered phrase from the episode is when the protagonist criticizes the IMF and the US saying that “they use 90% of the world's resources, while Argentina has to devalue its currency to pay its debts.” Every time the country enters negotiations with the Fund or the dollar price skyrockets, social media is flooded with Homer's comments.
Another of the remembered references is to the Malvinas. The first is also the first reference to the country. In Treehouse of Horror II, Lisa wishes for world peace and in the next scene, we see the Argentine and British representatives embraced, where the latter apologizes for the treaty. However, the original dialogue was more controversial as the Argentine said “we knew they were yours,” referencing that Argentina stopped claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands occupied by England in exchange for peace. The second mention came a couple of years later when Bart discovers that Krusty's show has already aired because the television clown interrupts the broadcast saying that they have taken the Malvinas (Falklands in the original), a fact that happened in 1982 while the episode takes place in 1994.
What “The Simpsons” left us.
Over the years, The Simpsons have transcended their origin as a simple animated series to become a global cultural phenomenon. From the first Christmas special, it can be seen how they established the foundations of their unique style, combining irreverent humor, social criticism, and a portrayal of the everyday.
In Argentina, the connection with The Simpsons is particularly notable. Their cultural references, the impact of the Latin dubbing, and the way characters and situations adapt to the collective imagination with famous quotes and memes that spread with the rise of social networks, have solidified the series as a point of reference for generations. This relationship demonstrates how a production originally from the United States can be reconfigured in the local context, generating its own meanings that enrich its reception.
Thus, the most famous American family not only tells the story of a yellow family made up of a bumbling father, a housewife, a rebellious son, a gifted daughter, and a baby but also the story of its millions of viewers around the world, for whom the series continues to be a lens through which to interpret reality, especially in our country.
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