The archetypal underachiever, Bart Simpson is considered one of the most influential cartoon characters of all time. Essentially a late 20th century update of Dennis the Menace, the spiky-haired, four-fingered Springfield native lives with his dysfunctional family and, despite only ten years of life, has encountered more unique situations than most people do in their lives. In addition to once being accused of murder himself, for instance, Bart also helped free his idol, Krusty the Clown, from a jail sentence in a homicide case. He proved the actual culprit to be Sideshow Bob, who would swear vengeance on the boy forever more and become his arch-nemesis. In his short life, Bart has also managed such feats as selling his soul to his best friend Milhouse (literally), putting The Itchy and Scratchy Show (his favorite cartoon) out of business, and even joining the mob. All the while, he has "successfully" maintained a D-minus/F average at Springfield Elementary School, under the teachings of Edna Krabappel.
Starting with his first endeavor on the NES, when he spray-painted all purple things in Springfield to thwart the plans of the Space Mutants, Bart's videogame history thrived in the early 1990s. From adventuring through his own dreams in Bart's Nightmare to rescuing Maggie by using his skateboard as a weapon in the Arcade's The Simpsons, Bart's roles in games have remained as unique as the character himself. He has even fought alongside Radioactive Man as his superhero alter ego, Bartman. Bart continues to star in The Simpsons videogames, though with much less regularity than when The Simpsons was in its heyday.
EDUCATION: Currently a fourth-grader at Springfield Elementary School
LIKES: Bubble gum, appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Itchy and Scratchy Show
ENEMIES:Sideshow Bob, Lester
PAST LOVES: Laura Powers, Jessica Lovejoy
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES: Swam with sharks ... mobbed by an angry crowd after he cut off the head of the statue of town founder, Jebediah Springfield ... hit by Mr. Burns' limousine ... was almost killed by Sideshow Bob -- more than once ... thrown off a cliff by Sideshow Cecil.
QUOTES: "I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything."
HOW THE CHARACTER GOT HIS NAME: The shortened version of Bartholomew, Bart was chosen because of its resemblance to the word brat.
OTHER MEDIA: Besides television and videogames, Bart Simpson can be seen on just about any merchandising tie-in imaginable. In early 1990, it was nearly impossible to walk down a city street without seeing a Bart T-shirt. Over ten books have been written about the Simpsons, including comic book compendiums and episode guides. CDs based on the show have even been released, such as The Simpsons Sing the Blues, The Yellow Album, Songs in the Key of Springfield and Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons. Other items include action figures, cookie jars, clocks and videos.
