Bart Simpson

Bart Simpson

Bartholomew J. "Bart" Simpson is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Bart Simpson was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Although the rest of the characters were named after Groening's family members, Bart's name was an anagram of the word brat. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family got their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989. Bart Simpson is one of the main characters on The Simpsons, appearing in every episode to date.

At ten years of age, Bart Simpson is the eldest child and only son of Homer and Marge, and the elder brother of Lisa and Maggie. Bart's most prominent character traits are his mischievousness, rebelliousness, disrespect for authority and sharp wit. He has appeared in other media relating to The Simpsons—including video games, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Ride, commercials and comic books—and inspired an entire line of merchandise.

During the first two seasons of The Simpsons, Bart Simpson was the show's main character; while later episodes started to focus more on Homer, Bart Simpson remains one of the most enduring characters on the series. Time magazine named Bart one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century; TV Guide ranked him eleventh (tied with Lisa) on their list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time"; and Entertainment Weekly named Bart the "entertainer of the year" in 1990. Nancy Cartwright has won several awards for voicing Bart, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992 and an Annie Award for "Voice Acting in the Field of Animation" in 1995.