Why are The Simpsons yellow and don't age?

Are you a fan of The Simpsons? Have you ever wondered why The Simpsons are yellow? Come and find out all about the color of the characters in this popular series!

But when you hear the word Simpsons, what's the first thing that comes to mind? You probably already think of the yellow family that is so successful on TV, right?

I think it's practically impossible to find someone who doesn't know what The Simpsons is. Throughout its existence, the animated series has won over a legion of fans around the world.

And one of the biggest proofs of all this success is the longevity that the animation has.

And despite having been involved in controversy since its launch – such as conspiracy theories that claim the cartoon is capable of predicting the future – The Simpsons remains strong and steady, always with its acidic and critical humor.

But today we're not just going to talk about the series' success. Today's content focuses on two questions that really intrigue people who are just starting to follow The Simpsons.

After all, why are The Simpsons yellow? And why don't they age? 

These are two of the most researched questions regarding drawing. And with us, you are about to discover the answers to both questions.

So continue reading and discover the reason behind this peculiar skin color that the cartoon characters have.

Who are The Simpsons?

If you're not so in tune and aren't that familiar with animation, we'll give you some context about the series' history.

Launched in 1989, the series revolves around the Simpsons, an American family who lives in Springfield, a city in the United States that no one knows for sure in which state it is located.

The family is led by Homer, the clumsy family man, and Marge, the loving and welcoming mother with her characteristic blue hair.

Together they have three children: the troublemaker son and bad boy Bart, the promising and talented Lisa and baby Maggie.

In the animation, we follow the life of this family and their coexistence with the other residents of the city as they go through the most diverse situations.

Why are The Simpsons yellow?

You may have noticed that any type of production that begins to become relatively successful and attract the attention of fans begins to gain conspiracy theories from those who follow such production.

And of course, a series with more than 30 years of history would not be left unscathed by this tradition.

And a theory created by fans to explain why The Simpsons are yellow has a direct relationship with Springfield, the fictional city where the family lives.

As we've already mentioned here – and if you've watched the cartoon you'll remember it too – Homer works at a nuclear power plant. Run by the greedy and villainous Mr. Burns, this plant is far from being an example of workplace safety.

And it is precisely because of this negligence that there is a radioactive waste dump in the city caused by the plant.

And it was this fact that gave rise to the theory of the characters' skin color.

According to these fans, the cause of this coloration is possible contamination by nuclear waste. 

But of course, these are just fan theories. After all, there is an official explanation for their peculiar skin tone.

When the people behind the series started making the first storyboards for the first few episodes, they adopted the process of painting the characters yellow. This way, the characters would stand out and be different from the 'settings' and items in the background.

But that's when Matt Groening – the creator of the series – realized that the characters in yellow were gaining a lot of prominence. And it was thinking about the impact that yellow characters could have on the TV screen while viewers were flipping through the channels that Matt made the decision and decided that the characters – at least the vast majority of them – would be yellow.

Why don't The Simpsons age?

Now that you've discovered the real explanation for why The Simpsons are yellow, it's time to address another question that also intrigues fans of the animation: why don't The Simpsons age?

With the exception of one or two special episodes of the series that focus on the future of the Simpsons and the residents of Springfield, in 99.9% of the episodes the characters remain the same age, without aging at all.

There is no official explanation for this one, but everything indicates that the animation follows the model of so many other cartoons out there, where the characters remain the same age from beginning to end.

That would be the most plausible answer to this question.

But of course, there are always those fans who love to create theories about simple things. And this issue would be no different.

Not everyone will remember this, but if you are an old-school fan of animation, you may remember that in the episode “So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show” – or “Where We Got to: Another Simpsons Show”, in a free translation – which was shown in 1993, Homer suffers an accident and ends up in a coma.

But just like all the other problems faced throughout the series, everything is resolved over the course of the episode and Homer leaves the hospital.

What some fans defend is the theory that, in fact, Homer never came out of the coma and all the events after this episode are happening only inside his imagination during his coma.

The fact that the characters don't age and the stories take on a more fantastical and unrealistic tone after this episode are the main points defended by fans.

Conclusion

So, what do you think of the theories behind The Simpsons? Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the animation is full of conspiracy theories.

And for those who like the series, the seasons are available on Star+

Did you like today's content? Then take the opportunity to read it too What are the most watched series on Netflix?