Anyone that knows me and my family knows that we’re all major Simpsons enthusiasts (bar my mum).. I mean my dad even has a Bart tattoo – which my mum obviously hates. I’ve always grown up with the Simpsons; before I was born my dad bought me a knitted Bart Simpson jumper, that my mum now tells me was so ‘cheap and nasty’ that she refused to let him dress me in it! Damn, I would have been one cool baby. Our love for all things Simpsons has only got stronger over the years, and I tend to use Simpsons references nearly every day, especially in picture form to my brother over text when I’m coming to see him…

As much as we love the Simpsons for entertainment value, it also taught us a lot growing up. My mum was amazed that at age 7 my brother knew who Barbara Bush was, later realising it was because she was depicted on an episode that we had recently watched. My dad painted an amazing Simpsons mural on one of our bedroom walls when we were younger, but for some reason we never took a photo of it – this is a daily regret that there is no lasting evidence of his masterpiece! The Simpsons has become super ‘trendy’ in the last couple of years, something I resent as I feel too many people jump on the bandwagon. I mean they wouldn’t even know who ‘Roy’ is?! Saying that, it has opened the doors on some pretty cool merch and events all based around the iconic TV show, so who am I to complain… I’ve compiled a couple of Simpsons related things I’m currently loving. 

The Simpsons Show – Being an avid Podcast listener, I have been addicted to this Simpsons podcast where super fans Robbie and Matt discuss an episode a week, in order of their release. Integrated with hilarious sound clips and their own Simpsons related anecdotes these are always funny and relatable. There are also weekly segments in every episode such as ‘The No Google Trivia Challenge’, where Robbie and Matt quiz each other with an easy, medium and hard Simpsons question, (which I play along with) and then there’s the listener question of the week (such as ‘What is your favourite Sideshow Bob episode?’) where they reach out to listeners and then read back answers they’ve had submitted the following week. It’s been great starting at series one and reliving all the episode’s I may have forgotten. It’s also interesting to hear how the show has changed over the years, from character design to the personal lives of the voice actors. 

They end the podcast each week with ‘Best Episode Ever’, where Robbie and Matt rate the Simpsons episode they’ve just discussed against all the others so far. Currently on Season Five, the top three episodes so far are ‘Cape Feare’ (rake-fest), ‘Marge vs. the Monorail'(Mono! Doh!) and ‘Lisa’s Substitute'(You are Lisa Simpson). I agree these are all great episodes but would have maybe swapped 3 and 2.. Bringing up the rear at number 80 is ‘Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire'(Where it all began), ‘Some Enchanted Evening'(Ooh pickled beets!) and ‘Homer’s Odyssey'(Homer committing suicide – yikes). The Podcast is free to download and also has a large social media presence. Find the website here, twitter here, and facebook here! 

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Thrillho’s Simpson Trivia – What could be more fun than a pub quiz based purely on Simpsons trivia? Well that’s exactly what the aptly named Thrillho’s Simpson Trivia night is! Except of course set in a trendy bar, full of hipsters. We went to one of the events previously, and I was shocked at how difficult the questions were! There were many rounds which used different medias, which was fun and kept it interesting. The best thing was just being in a room full of people who all share a common interest and pretty much find all the same things funny. There were so many references flying around too, such as when one team was suspected of cheating, the whole room started chanting ‘Boo-urns!’. Hilarious. The winners (not us sadly) won a ‘mystery box’ (“it could be a boat!”) full of Simpsons goodies, which we were highly jealous of. The next Thrillho event is a Halloween Special later this month. I can’t wait, and better get studying!

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The Simpsons x Skinnydip – Usually I hate when fashion companies plaster their stuff with Simpson’s branding (especially Primark!) but Skinnydip London is a brand I’ve always loved, and one I think is fun enough to get away with a Simpsons themed collection. They’ve recently brought out a Krusty themed range of items, from phone cases to rucksacks which is just too cute! I’m desperate for one of the clear phone cases, but sadly need to wait a few months until my phone upgrade. 

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@bartworks – Bartworks is one of the more recent Simpson based instagram pages I’ve been following. They post some pretty weird stuff, but  it’s a page I could scroll for hours on. There are a lot of great Simpson Instagrams out there and another I think its great is @thesimpsonstattoo. I love the more obscure tattoos people have gotten, especially of one-off characters. It’s even inspired a tattoo idea for me (but that’s a secret for now). 

Another Simpsons Instagram you should definitely follow is @sprinklesfield – started by my very own brother, and friend Emily, their feed is a ‘lifestyle dessert blog of all things Simpsons’. It’s super fun and most recently they actually baked the exact cake that Homer frosted for Maggie’s birthday! Talk about commitment!