# Please Explain this Simpsons Character Reference/Joke **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099 "2004-03-13T18:57:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LSD-25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@LSD-25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSD-25)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/1 "2004-03-13T18:57:48Z")
In Screaming Yellow Honkers (the episode where Marge gets a Canyonero) Homer causes the rhinos to stampede and when the family are chased out of the Wild Animal Kingdom they are followed by a guy with black hair, glasses and a goatee beard. Who is that guy meant to be? He’s distinctively drawn and looks like he’s intended to be a caricature of someone, rather than the usual background characters, and it’s the only time he’s appeared. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/2 "2004-03-13T19:35:50Z")
My guess is that it was one of the animators inserting himself into the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/3 "2004-03-13T19:37:35Z")
On a WAG: He represents Jim Fowler from the old show _Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom_. It’s been years and years since I’ve seen MoOWK, though, I’m probably wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/4 "2004-03-13T19:41:37Z")
Another WAG: Matt Groening, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/5 "2004-03-13T19:49:42Z")
Didn’t he say something about warning them the fence was inadequate? Or mearning to warn them? When I heard that, I thought he might have been a caricature of the guy in the 1st Jurassic Park movie who was worried about the velociraptor paddock. ---
**Author:** ![LSD-25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@LSD-25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSD-25)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/6 "2004-03-13T20:16:07Z")
No, you guys are thinking of the “zookeeper” character with the tranquilizer gun. The character I’m trying to identify only appears in one shot and has no dialogue, but his appearance is significant enough to make me sure it’s some kind of reference, it seems to be the “punchline” for that sequence. I suppose it could be an animator on the show, or a writer. If it is then I guess it’s hard to know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/7 "2004-03-13T20:36:09Z")
The SNPP seems to speculate that it’s Groening. ---
**Author:** ![LSD-25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@LSD-25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSD-25)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/8 "2004-03-13T23:32:04Z")
It’s not Matt Groening unfortunately, he’s “appeared” on The Simpsons before and looks quite different to this mystery character. This is [Matt Groening’s Simpsons character](http://www.luds.net/images/matt_2.gif). I wish I could find an image of the guy I’m talking about so I could put it up here. ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/9 "2004-03-13T23:43:32Z")
It is Matt Groening, even if it looks different than the other caricature. I remembered exactly the scene you are talking about and knew it was Groening from the caricature. [http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-146/epid-1503/](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-146/epid-1503/) (see Notes) [http://www.snpp.com/episodes/AABF10](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/AABF10) (search the page for “Groening”) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/10 "2004-03-13T23:48:59Z")
There’s another Groening depiction, in the “Behind the Scenes” episode, which shows him as a snarly wizzened freak locked in a room drawing cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![DevilDan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@DevilDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DevilDan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/11 "2004-03-13T23:55:26Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > There’s another Groening depiction, in the “Behind the Scenes” episode, which shows him as a snarly wizzened freak locked in a room drawing cartoons. Bald, with a eye-patch, drinking shots of something evil-looking, and shooting at you… god, that’s half the males in my family tree. ---
**Author:** ![LSD-25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@LSD-25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSD-25)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/12 "2004-03-14T00:22:02Z")
Trust me, it can’t be Groening - the character I’m referring to has a dark “mullet” hairstyle and a small goatee beard and is slim-faced. Matt Groening has brown hair and a full beard and is round-faced. The Simpsons artists are experts at caricaturing famous people with fairly basic character drawings so it doesn’t make sense that they couldn’t draw Groening’s face properly, of all people! I realise some people would think it’s meant to be Groening, but only because he’s the most famous bearded spectacle-wearer involved with the show. If they inserted a character based on an anonymous Simpsons artist with a goatee and glasses as an in-joke no one would get it (hence this thread). Here’s [Futurama’s Matt Groening character](http://www.futurama.firstream.net/images/matt_groening.jpg), it’s slightly different from The Simpsons version but still instantly recognisable as Groening’s face and nothing like the “mystery guy”. ---
**Author:** ![HumanStromboli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@HumanStromboli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumanStromboli)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/13 "2004-03-14T00:54:33Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > There’s another Groening depiction, in the “Behind the Scenes” episode, which shows him as a snarly wizzened freak locked in a room drawing cartoons. Sorry for the nitpick… …I believe the episode you’re referring to is the [138th Episode Spectacular](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/3F31.html) . ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/14 "2004-03-14T01:21:02Z")
LSD-25, perhaps you have to open yourself to the possibility it really is supposed to be Matt Groening. I took it to be so, and so do others according to the links I posted. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/15 "2004-03-14T01:52:01Z")
Wasn’t there also a Treehouse of Horrors depiction of Matt? I have no idea how that helps… ---
**Author:** ![LSD-25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@LSD-25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSD-25)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/16 "2004-03-14T01:58:15Z")
Sorry, but I just know it’s not Matt Groening, I’d be willing to stake money on that. Like I said, I can quite understand why you and others would think that, but the only thing this guy has in common with Groening is a beard and glasses. While we’re getting into Matt’s appearances though, I saw one recently where he appeared during the opening couch gag and drew the Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Scoo8b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scoo8b](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoo8b)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/17 "2004-03-14T03:05:38Z")
> [@LSD-25](#): > > Sorry, but I just know it’s not Matt Groening, I’d be willing to stake money on that. > > Like I said, I can quite understand why you and others would think that, but the only thing this guy has in common with Groening is a beard and glasses. > While we’re getting into Matt’s appearances though, I saw one recently where he appeared during the opening couch gag and drew the Simpsons. If the guy in the show is thin faced with a goatee, he obviously isn’t supposed to be Matt Groaning. I don’t remember the character, so I can’t say for sure, but I’d have to agree with LSD-25 on this one. I wish we could find a picture… ---
**Author:** ![LSD-25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@LSD-25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSD-25)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/18 "2004-03-14T03:06:09Z")
Got It! I didn’t think I would find the answer, but I tried doing Google-image-searches for various staff on the show (if only to back up my own assertion that it’s not Matt Groening). It took a while but when I got to [Mike Scully’s photo](http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/electric_journeys/images/mike_scully.jpg) he’s got the dark mullet and goatee I was talking about. Here’s [Mike Scully’s Simpsons character](http://www.newspringfield.com/info/credits/scullysimpsonized-firedversion.gif), this is exactly the same character as the “mystery guy” I was trying to identify, the only difference is that his hair was darker in the show. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/19 "2004-03-14T18:40:44Z")
> [@DevilDan](#): > > Bald, with a eye-patch, drinking shots of something evil-looking, and shooting at you… god, that’s half the males in my family tree. Q. “How does Matt Groening find the time to write and draw a new _Simpsons_ episode every week?” A. “Get outta my office! (BLAM)” ---
**Author:** ![DevilDan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@DevilDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DevilDan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-simpsons-character-reference-joke/234099/20 "2004-03-14T20:14:24Z")
> [@DevilDan](#): > > Bald, with a eye-patch, drinking shots of something evil-looking, and shooting at you… god, that’s half the males in my family tree. And quite a few of the females, come to think of it.