Whois your favourite *minor* Simpsons character?

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There was big support from Mark and Jess for Mr Moleman over on ILM a couple of weeks ago. But does anyone else comprehend the understated genius of Lenny?

(minor = Smithers, Apu and below)

― Graham, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is Apu a minor character, tho? He's on the front of my official Simpsons episode guide bk, along with Monty Burns, Flanders, and Willie (prob. my least fave regular character.)

I like Snake. And Krusty. And Moe. And Chief Wiggum. And Ralph.

― Andrew L, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Arrrr, mine be Cap'n McAllister. Arrrr.

― DV, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i like Moe, the Bee Man and Ralph Wiggum. probably Ralph best though - "my cat's breath smells of cat food" = classic!!

― katie, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Barney. Because he belches. Runners up: Wiggums Sr and Jr.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That Pirate. And that spotty boy with a squeaky voice.

― Kodanshi, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't know, there are just way too many if characters like Smithers & Apu (who often have a big role in the plot) are considered minor characters. Too tough a call.

For minor minor characters (ie, characters that usually don't say more than a sentence or so any given time they are on), Disco Stu.

― Nicole, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ralph definitely, he should be a major character in that he has provided some of the funniest moments on the show.

I loved Senor Ding-Dong

Lenny is indeed a genius especially when he got plastic surgery

but my favourite of the most minor characters has to be rubbish salesman Gil, he's my kinda guy.

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dr Nick Riviera: "Hullooa, everybody!" And Lionel Hutz of "I Can't Believe It's a Law Firm!"

The mean purple-haired twins (names forgot), and the fat german foreign exchange student. Mrs Krabappel (pr.KraBOPPle). The Italian waiter who can always be heard insulting the customers in the kitchen. Dr Zweig (?), the analyst who helps Marge get over her fear of flying.

Obviously Hans Moleman of radioshow "Moleman in the Morning". The cowboy salesman who sells the Simpsons their RV. Lunchlady Doris.

― mark s, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

mean twins = Sherri & Terri

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Scrub my previous answer. Dr Nick obviously rules over all others.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Roy.

Or maybe Ralph- "When I grow up I'm going to Bovine University"

― emil.y, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dr. Nick, Moleman or Troy McClure. What a combo.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Troy McClure. Definitely. "You might remember me from such classic movies as "P Is For Psycho" and "Where's The President's Neck?"."

― Sam, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hi Dr NIck

and McBain - "Ice to see you"

― Jonnie, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Or when he courts Marge's sister to circumvent his fish fetish rumours: "You might remember me from such dates as Last Night's Dinner..."

― Kodanshi, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ralph, obviously. Although Nelson runs him close.
As does Lionel Hutz ("Well, your honour, we have a lot of hearsay and conjecture. Those are kinds of evidence")

Nobody's mentioned Android's Dungeon Guy. Too close for comfort, chaps?

― Jeff, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

this is worst. thread. evah.

no, sorry don't know what you mean...

The episode where fat comic book guy has a heart attack is very very good.

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have modelled my legal career on Lionel Hutz. Also, Principal Skinner and his mother, together, crack me up. Like when his mother drew a line down the TV and let him only watch his half:

'Last night I saw Man Without A Face and didn't realise he had a problem!' :)

I guess Ned Flanders isn't minor enough for this, huh?

― Paul Strange, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Isn't that exactly the same gag as a very old episode of Steptoe and Son (well, they're all old but you know what I mean)?

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like the crazy old man who stay in grandpa's nursing home. He has a long beard and is bald. In one episode he does a little dance and sings about a grey old mare.

― Samantha, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Hens love roosters! Geese love ganders! Everyoine else loves Ne-e-ed Flanders!!"

― mark s, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cletus the Slack Jawed Yokel rules! "Most folks'll never lose a toe, and then again some folks'll."

― Samantha, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My vote is for Hutz. Troy McClure isn't even minor enough - Stop The Planet Of The To Get Off!

To mutate slightly, who is the best guest voice? My dibs are for Nimoy in Marge vs The Monorail.

― Pete, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That was obviously Stop The Planet Of The Apes I Want To Get Off. An e-mail notification obviously interrupted me mid-flow. Damn the internal system.

― Pete, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pete, don't you mean stop the planet of the Barnet Apes I want to get off? featuring their grate version of Dr Zaius to the tune of Rock me Amadeus?

James Woods was a great guest, as was Christopher Walken when reading to the kids and scaring the bejeezus out of them.

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think that Christopher Walken appearance wasn't reallly by him. But it was still hilarious. Lately though, the guest appearance Simpsons episodes have become a real drag. Venus and Serena Williams? The Who? Make it stop, please.

― Samantha, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

God yeah, the Who one was terrible, but I have a soft spot for the Moody blues' appearance.

"I want fatty"

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Someone may already have mentioned him cause I'm not too good on names, but that loser salesman guy modelled on Jack Lemmon in 'Glengarry Glen Ross'.

― Nick, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lenny, it has to be Lenny. and Carl I guess aswell. That episode where Homer bowls the perfect 300 and Lenny is in the background shouting "miss, miss", at the waitress and making all these accidental puns like "spare me your guttermouth, I paid 7 10 for this split". You have to have seen it really but its among the funniest parts of any episode.

― Ronan, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

N'Sync were pretty cool.

― Jonnie, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nick, that salesman is Gil, Gil who can't sell doorbells, who bets the company payroll, who gets ripped off by the same auto repairmen as Homer, who appears at a lot of job interviews.

Yes, I watch a hella lot of dem Simpsoids.

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Martin Prince is usually great.

Arnie Pie, the helicopter newsman, just for the 'Arnie in the sky' joke.

And mad sea-farer Captain McCallister has provided some classic lines along the way - "A beast more stomach than man".

― Ally C, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like the mad scientisct nerd guy.

― Mike Hanle y, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

anybody voiced by phil hartman. milhouse's dad. ('can i borrow a feeling? / can you lend me a cup of love? / hurtin' hearts need some healing! / take my hand with your glove of love!'). professor frink ('the secret ingredient is...love?!'). as a guest voice, dave thomas was perfect as rex banner ('listen rummy, i'm going to say it plain and simple: where'd you pinch the hooch? is some blind tiger jerkin' suds on the side?'). albert brooks as the sensitive nineties bond villian was funny. kang and kodos are fun to impersonate, especially from the '96 election one. ('i am clin- TONN'). artie ziff, marge's prom date from high school. and gil, definitely gil.

― ethan, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

there's a really good child character who appears very rarely, once in the Springfield vs Shelbyville tree snatching episode. Who speaks with the dorkiest voice ever, as far as I know he's never been named.

For terribly over serious analysis of all things simpson go here:

http://www.snpp.com/lists.html

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Professor Frink had that cool part where he gives Lisa the shoes and says "with the moving and the dancing and the Kung Fu fiiiighting". I laughed anyway.

― Ronan, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sideshow Mel!

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Gil, for sure. And Lenny, esp. with Carl, and esp when they are at their most banal. "You sending some outgoing mail?"

I also quite like the recurring sarcastic everyman "voice", for lack of a better term, used, in part, as such:

"Yup, here's your problem. Someone set this thing set to 'Evil'." "Whoa, whoa, fat, sarcastic Star Trek fan, you must be a devil with the ladies." "He [Milhouse] went to his grandma's place while we're spraying for potato bugs."

I need a life.

― scott p., Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

after searching on the above website it would appear that mecha dork is actually called Database.

that fat star trek fan quote is one of my all time favourites, that and the one in Lisa learns to tap where the Milhouse-a-like gets rejected in the film Tango del Muerte and walks off muttering "ai, off home to sugar my own churro again"

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's all so lovely, this. And I just got the Simpsons DVD set last week, so I am in heaven.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

One of my favourite guest appearances was by Bachman Turner Overdrive, when they valiantly try to play new material but Homer only wants to hear a certain bit from 'Taking Care of Business' and nothing else.

― Ally C, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I remember that one, every time they play something different: "TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS!!!"

I like talking about the Simpsons more than I like talking about anything else, as you can probably tell.

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Chris, I was looking at that website too. It's crazy. There is a page longer than any IL* thread for EVERY EPISODE. I thought we were freaks.

However, it has reminded me of the wonderful and tragic one-off appearance of Homer's lookalike Guy Incognito, which was hilarious.

― Ally C, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that site is the favourite place of the real life fat comic book guys, really very sad, especially the insanely geeky continuity blunders sections.

― chris, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

my name is otto and i like to get blotto

― Geoff, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

hank scorpio ("i don't know, i've never needed to call my own company.")
lester & eliza
baby gerald
sanjay (particularly when he and apu do the weird slapping dance)
and most importantly, JASPER!!! (dr nick: "nose jobs for everybody - yikes, you first." jasper: "gimme a van heflin.") and also for the episode where he and grandpa are stoned and giggling quietly to themselves. and where he takes the wrong medicine and turns into a goat-creature.

― your null fame, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

mark s - "Not me"

Re guest voices: Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde-Pierce in "Brother From Another Series" were brilliant.

― Jeff, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

who is resposible for this:

http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/9140/cletus.htm

― Geoff, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Good god. I didn't think they made them like that anymore.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Skipping 100 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

after watching Itchy & Scratchy:
Daddy, should I take a broken bottle and jab it into Todd's neck?

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 18:58 (twenty-one years ago)

YAY! THE RAPTURE!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

im down with artie pie, if only for his verbal sparring with kent brockman.

I DONT KNOW KENT. I DONT KNOW.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes Artie, but what about the skiing conditions?

― Vitamin Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Krusty alot, is he too big to be minor?

He always seems so weary and clapped out, and his voice is just perfect. His sigh is the sound of having to do things.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

ha ha totally

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

it's like "wooyyyyyyyeurrrrrrrrrrgh"!

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Professor Frink has been and always will be my favorite, no matter how much the newer episodes try to ruin him.
that said the sarcasm joke that lynskey quoted has to be one of my favorite TV moments EVER (and one of the most dead on).

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

One of my favorite Simpsons moments ever is the little interchange between Frink & his sarcasm detector ("this thing's off the charts!") and Comic Book Guy ("Sarcasm detector, oh that's a REAL useful invention" BOOOM).

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I still, as I said above, love Lenny and Carl. It's as much an animation/voice thing as anything else with them, their total ordinariness makes them classic.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

fave frink line:

Well, sure, the Frinkiac-7 looks impressive, don't touch
it, but I predict that within 100 years, computers will
be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and so expensive
that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Brockman is good, as is his analyst guy who casually advocates mass hysteria.

KB: Without knowing exactly what the situation is, would you say it's time for people to crack open each other's skulls and feast on the goo that flows forth?

AGWCAMH: Yes I would, Kent.

― ferg (Ferg), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

one of the best ever minor characters only appeared like twice - MCGONIGLE! as in:

"oooh, it's that new show about the policeman who solves crimes in his spare time!"

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 06:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Admiral Baby

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah McGarnacle...eases the pain...

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I can no longer decide between Professor Frink and Gill the salesman.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Gill unfortunately symbolises too much of the show's decline, in that he didn't turn up until the general shark-jumping began in earnest, and all the humour around him revolves around humiliation and degradation and that's it

so Frinky wins that battle - the colours, children!

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh and I think I vote Lenny. He is the show's true Everyman

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Why have we never seen Carl or Lenny's wives? actually I'm not sure Carl has one but Lenny did (he was shaving her legs that time when Homer was ringing round his buddies in 'Marge On The Lam').

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 11:17 (twenty-one years ago)

As the relationship between the two has, ah, developed, I think for the geek faction it would be akin to hearing Maggie speak, or seeing Niles' ex-wife on Frasier

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Plus it would ruin the Lenny/Carl-as-gay-couple sneaky jokelets.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

o mem sahib, Bart. Rabbi has memo.

(no other place to post it & it was bouncing around in my skull today.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

ralph is great "lisa, i heard your dad once went to a restaurant. and he ate all the food in the restaurant. and they had to close the restaurant."

and nelson, i remember when he saw himself in mirror "ha ha!" "awww, that really hurt, no wonder nobody's going to my birthday party"

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

you're learnding, two-feet

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

"My cat's breath smells like cat food!"

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

nelson, i remember when he saw himself in mirror "ha ha!" "awww, that really hurt, no wonder nobody's going to my birthday party"

That was the same one as "Oh my eyes! The goggles do nothing."

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Lenny & Carl are your perfectly straight homosocial couple! Can't a man love another man??

― Vitamin Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

"I've said jiminy-jillickers so many times the words have lost all meaning!"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

white people have names like lenny, whereas black people have names like carl.

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

ally c likes gill. I will mention this.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i like barney. hes a classic. actually i saw an episode ysterday bout him where he became a helicopter pilot. a bit off topic, they used homer to replace him at moe's, and there was something said along the lines of "dance rummy", does anyone knwo the line?

― sharny, Thursday, 8 April 2004 06:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Homer: Lenny, Carl, I know a lot of people bad-mouth you and
focus on how you suck. [Lenny and Carl look surprised]
But not me -- to me, you're true blue.
Carl: Aw, thanks, big guy.
Lenny: Now dance, rummy.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 8 April 2004 07:31 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

I like the woman in the business suit who always acts as the kind and vacuous face of corporate capitalism. her lines are alwyas well-written. she is the cell phone representative in the episode where Homer destroys priceless artifacts and must put a cell phone tower in Lisa's room, and she is also a market researcher in the episode where a toy company (?) takes over Springfield Elementary.

Is this the woman who appeared in a semi-recent (last 4 years) episode where Marge calls her out on having had several jobs in Springfield, and she says something along the lines of she's an alcoholic and a compulsive liar… soooo good.

― Finefinemusic, Monday, 5 May 2008 19:52 (seventeen years ago)

Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure are sadly missed.

The worst is the "Yessss" guy who's popped up in recent years. What's the point of him?

― chap, Monday, 5 May 2008 19:56 (seventeen years ago)

he's another one like disco stu that had an awesome first appearance w/one great joke and the writers decided to run the joke into the ground over and over again

― omar little, Monday, 5 May 2008 19:58 (seventeen years ago)

The "Yes" guy is based on Frank Nelson, who was a recurring minor character on a few older shows, like The Jack Benny Program.

― Casuistry, Monday, 5 May 2008 20:27 (seventeen years ago)

FRINK FRINK FRINK FRINK

― Abbott, Monday, 5 May 2008 23:10 (seventeen years ago)

(Krusty's) sigh is the sound of having to do things.

Hahah this is so freakin true.

― Trayce, Monday, 5 May 2008 23:17 (seventeen years ago)

And I must give big props to my favourite Simpsons character, Snake. He's the best. What's his odd accent supposed to be?

"oh no! BETA!"

― Trayce, Monday, 5 May 2008 23:18 (seventeen years ago)

Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the answer.

― Noodle Vague, Monday, 5 May 2008 23:20 (seventeen years ago)

Snake went to Middlebury.

― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 00:28 (seventeen years ago)

Mr. Snrub, of course. But he was Mr. Burns in disguise, so he probably doesn't count. So I'll go with boring old Comic Book Guy.

― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 01:20 (seventeen years ago)

No one is gay for Moleman

― Mr Raif, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 11:42 (seventeen years ago)

Apparently I am kind of obsessed with Lindsey Naegle. I found the line I was trying to remember upthread:

“We’ve met you many times, Ms. Naegle; why do you keep switching jobs?” To which Lindsey flatly replies, “I’m a sexual predator.”

― Finefinemusic, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 18:44 (seventeen years ago)

Ralph Wiggum, and his dad

― CaptainLorax, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 06:57 (seventeen years ago)

cookie kwan has her moments. what's with the professional women in this show always being portrayed as desperadoes? (cf lindsey nagle)

― electricsound, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 07:22 (seventeen years ago)

ART IMITATES LIFE

― sunny successor, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 13:41 (seventeen years ago)

Ha, Trayce -- Snake's accent is just a weird combination of 80% surfer dude and 20% something I can't precisely describe beyond "stentorian Brit storyteller"

― nabisco, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 15:10 (seventeen years ago)

i thought it was ivy league clenched-jaw haughtiness + cali surfer.

― GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Thursday, 8 May 2008 03:59 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah thats why I find it odd! I did get the surfer thing, but that overlay of I dunno what.. Harvard fratboy or something? is what had me curious.

― Trayce, Thursday, 8 May 2008 04:11 (seventeen years ago)

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