Springfield's state: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:07, 21 February 2009

Revision as of 20:35, 21 February 2009

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==Real-life ___location==

<!--Please do not add speculation about individual states to this section or any other section on the page-->

The uncertain ___location of Springfield is a [[Recurring jokes in The Simpsons|recurring joke]] in the series. Springfield is meant to represent "anytown, USA" and not be a specific real city,<ref>{{cite book| last = Turner| first = Chris| title =[[Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation]]| page =30| isbn = 0-679-31318-4}}</ref> although the producers have admitted to basing the town on various locations.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kval.com/news/8775202.html | title=Groening: Springfield is the real deal! | publisher=[[CBS]] | work=[[KVAL-TV]] | date=[[2007-07-27]] | accessdate=2007-11-19 | author=Kalkstein, Meghan}}</ref> The name was chosen because it is a common town name in the United States;<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6910174.stm| title=Simpsons launch hits Springfield| accessdate=2008-04-28|date=[[2007-07-21]] | publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> there are 35 states in the [[United States]] that have at least one community with that name.<ref name=AboutLocation>{{cite web | url=http://animatedtv.about.com/od/springfield/i/whrsprngfld.htm | title=Where Is Springfield on "The Simpsons?" | author=Basile, Nancy | accessdate=2007-06-13 | format=html | publisher=[[About.com]]}}</ref> Despite this, many fans still believe that Springfield is located in a real state and try to follow the clues. The search for its ___location has been described as a "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's ___location".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/columns/2007/06/11/ddn061207lifedl.html | title=Maybe this Springfield is just a state of mind | author=Stewart, D.L. | accessdate=2008-04-28 |date=[[2007-06-12]]|publisher=''[[Dayton Daily News]]''}}</ref> In one episode the camera zoomed out from the city to clouds then to the edge of the Eastern United States or the Louisana Purchase area. Due to the many contradictory clues, it is impossible for Springfield to exist in any set ___location.

Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state has never been revealed, by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references. In the episode "[[Blame It on Lisa]]", when asked about Springfield's ___location, [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] replies, "it's a bit of a mystery, yes. But if you look at the clues, you can figure it out."<ref>{{cite book | last = McCann | first = Jesse L. |authorlink=Jesse McCann | coauthors =[[Matt Groening]]| title = [[The Simpsons One Step Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued Yet Again]] | publisher = [[HarperCollins]]| date = 2005 | pages=42–43| isbn = 0-06-081754-2}}</ref> [[David Silverman]], a director for the Simpsons, has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Takoma".<ref name="NT">{{cite news|author=Laura Lee Davies |url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/oakley.silverman.html|title=Bill Oakley & David Silverman|publisher=''[[Time Out]]''|date=[[1996-09-25]]|accessdate=2008-04-28}}</ref><ref name="Silverman">{{cite video | people=Silverman, David|year=2003|title=The Simpsons The Complete Third Season DVD commentary for the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"| medium=DVD||publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show.<ref name="Silverman"/><ref>{{cite episode |title=Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington|episodelink=Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington |series=The Simpsons |serieslink=The Simpsons |credits=Meyer, George; Archer, Wes|network=Fox |airdate=1991-09-26 |season=03 |number=02}}</ref> However, this has never been officially confirmed in any [[Canon (fiction)|canonical]] episode of ''The Simpsons'' or by other Simpsons producers. Homer's driver license displays the state as NT and the ZIP code as 49007,<ref>{{cite episode |title=Duffless|episodelink=Duffless |series=The Simpsons |serieslink=The Simpsons |credits= Stern, David M.; Reardon, Jim|network=Fox |airdate=1993-02-18 |season=04 |number=16}}</ref> which is [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]].<ref>[http://www.kalamazoocity.org/portal/government.php?page_id=281 Kalamazoo Zip Code]</ref>, although the area codes for Springfield have also been stated as [[Area code 636|636]] (East-Central [[Missouri]]) and [[Area code 939|939]] ([[Puerto Rico]]).