You know you’re a superfan of “The Simpsons” when you can define “kwyjibo.”
Scott Green of Buffalo Grove recalled snickering when he spotted the word on a license plate during a road trip earlier this year. His buddy didn’t understand why Green was laughing.
“Kwyjibo,” Green told him, is a fat and balding North American ape in Simpsons-speak. Bart Simpson created the word in Scrabble and used it to describe his father, Homer, in the first season of the long-running Fox series.
“When you watch ‘The Simpsons’ enough, it just invades your life,” said Green, 23.
The cartoon family has flooded the pop culture landscape in the buildup for the Friday release of “The Simpsons Movie,” the first appearance by Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa and Maggie on the big screen.
Green and other superfans have stayed true to “The Simpsons” through 400 episodes despite critics who say the show has lost steam over 18 seasons on TV. They have not allowed newer animated comedies such as “Family Guy” and “South Park” to lead them astray. And recently, they’ve grown increasingly itchy and scratchy in anticipation of “The Simpsons Movie.”
“This is a movie that I’ve been waiting 18 years to see,” said Green, who changed his vacation plans to catch a 12:01 a.m. Friday showing.
Maria and Jeff Weldy also planned to be in the theater at the stroke of midnight.
Since their wedding six years ago, they’ve amassed a sizable collection of “Simpsons” memorabilia, which they fashioned into a mini-shrine to the show in their Sheridan home, about 75 miles southwest of Chicago.
There’s the Simpsons chess set, a talking Homer doll, a Springfield Elementary School toy bus, Frosted Krusty O’s cereal, a Maggie Simpson Pez dispenser, a Simpsons Etch-a-Sketch, two Homer-shaped Rubik’s puzzles and figurines of some of their favorite characters including Disco Stu, Dr. Hibbert, Groundskeeper Willie, Professor Frink, Snake and Carl Carlson.
One piece missing from their collection: “The Simpsons” pinball machine, which retails for about $4,000.
“It’s one of those things we’d put on our list if we won the lottery,” said Maria Weldy, 27.
The Weldys are such superfans that they dressed as Ned and Maude Flanders one Halloween a few years ago. In fact, the couple might not have married if it wasn’t for “The Simpsons.”
“I knew if I were going to be involved with someone, I knew they were going to have to be a ‘Simpsons’ fan,” Maria Weldy said. “I’ve come to appreciate the story lines and the funny one-liners.”
How do you measure the extremeness of a “Simpsons” fan? If it’s by the amount of memorabilia, then the Weldys and Green lead the pack.
Said Green: “I used to buy the comic books, and I own a lot of the books they’ve put out, including ‘Bart Simpson’s Guide to Life,’ one of the greatest tomes in the history of literature. I also own or have owned all the albums, including the absolutely terrible ‘The Simpsons Sing the Blues’ from a long, long time ago.”
But many former “Simpsons” devotees say that after nearly two decades, the show’s plotlines have lost flavor. Writers such as Conan O’Brien have come and gone, leading some detractors to say the show no longer delivers consistent laughs.
Edgar Del Rivero of Portage Park said he started noticing a decline in the show’s quality around Season 10. Once a religious viewer, Del Rivero, 24, said he stopped watching regularly because there rarely were “brilliant moments” in the last few seasons.
He hopes the movie reinvigorates his “Simpsons” spirit.
“I’d probably start watching them regularly again if the movie hits it off and really impresses me,” said Del Rivero, who added that he plans to call in sick Friday to see the movie.
Though he’s wavered in his devotion to the show, Del Rivero considers himself a “pretty big” fan. He owns posters of the show and character figurines.
Sabrina Huarte, 28, once received a “Simpsons” collectible any fan would want. Huarte, who works for Sweet Thang bakery in Wicker Park, said her co-workers gave her a 3-D Homer cake for her birthday, with a pink doughnut representing Homer’s mouth.
Huarte said she almost didn’t slice the cake, a photo of which she proudly displays on her MySpace pictures page.
“I’ve been watching ‘The Simpsons’ every day for many, many years,” said Huarte, who originally is from France. “I wasn’t a big ‘Simpsons’ fan back home because of the translation. They just couldn’t convey the humor and couldn’t make the point as good as they could [in] America.”
Green said the comedy of “The Simpsons” has shaped his humor and don’t-sweat-the-small-stuff outlook. He continues to hone this attitude by reciting lines from the show with his co-workers and friends, he said.
“Liking ‘The Simpsons’ means more than liking ‘The Simpsons.’ It’s a certain brand of humor,” Green said. “For people who watch it all the time … it’s kind of like a fraternity.”
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Best. Simpsons. Coverage. Ever.
It’s Homer vs. Moe in the final round of RedEye’s best “Simpsons” character tournament. You have until 2 p.m. Friday to vote at redeyechicago.com/simpsons.
For video of RedEye reporter Tracy Swartz talking about “Simpsons” superfans, check out redeyechicago.com.
Matt Pais gives “The Simpsons Movie” three stars. Page 44
The “Last Temptation of Krusty” and other great Simpsons’ moments. Page 45
D’oh! It’s “Simpsons” spoiler time. Ten things that make the movie special, according to creator Matt Groening. In Saturday’s RedEye.
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QUOTABLE HOMER
Scott Green of Buffalo Grove says watching “The Simpsons” has given him a don’t-sweat-the-small-stuff outlook. Here are examples of the wisdom Homer Simpson has spouted over the years.
Homer on …
TV: “Teacher, mother, secret lover.”
CHURCH: “What if we’ve picked the wrong religion? Every week, we’re just making God madder?”
LIFE: “Kids, you tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.”
PRAYER: “I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman.”
BEING A VEGETARIAN: “If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?”
BEING A VEGETARIAN 2: “All normal people love meat. … You don’t win friends with salad.”
DISHONESTY: “It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen.”
FACTS: “Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that’s even remotely true!”
FRUIT: “Purple is a fruit.”
SPORTING EVENTS: “When you participate in sporting events, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how drunk you get.”
[ REDEYE, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, SACRAMENTO BEE, MCT ]—
Mmm … longevity
This year marks the 20th anniversary of “The Simpsons” franchise. Here are a few highlights:
April 1987
“The Simpsons,” based on crude doodles by Matt Groening (right), debuts as a series of shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show.”
December 1989
Groening’s dysfunctional family expands into its own half-hour show on Fox, with bratty Bart (right) as its star.
September 1990
“The Simpsons” wins the first of the show’s 23 Emmy awards — for outstanding animated program.
November 1990
“Do the Bartman,” as recorded by Tramaine Wright, becomes the No. 1 music video on MTV.
January 1992
George H.W. Bush publicly rebukes the show during a speech at the national Religious Broadcasters convention.
December 1999
“The Simpsons” is named by Time magazine as the 20th Century’s best TV series.
January 2000
Homer, Marge and Co. are honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
February 2003
Move aside, Ozzie and Harriet: “The Simpsons” becomes the longest-running comedy in TV history.
May 2007
Ay, caramba! The show reaches its milestone 400th episode.
July 2007
Break out the Duff Beer in celebration: “The Simpsons Movie” is released worldwide.
[ CONTRA COSTA TIMES ]———-
tswartz@tribune.com
