# The enigma of Hans Moleman **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082 "2019-04-26T14:05:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/1 "2019-04-26T14:05:41Z")
A funny article on the much-abused, frequently-killed character from _The Simpsons_: [The Enigma of The Simpsons’ Hans Moleman](https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/hans-moleman-simpsons-character-al-jean.html) My all-time favorite Moleman bit was when Dr. Hibbert left him in the X-ray machine all weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/2 "2019-04-26T14:29:12Z")
Huh. I never noticed he was ever killed, let alone repeatedly. I just assumed he escaped from the exploding truck with EAP’s home. (Maybe I haven’t seen all the others?) But the dime-store philosophizing is a bit much. “…how he sees Moleman in philosophical terms, calling the character “a symbol of the crushing anomie and loneliness of modern existence — but also of man’s indomitable will to confront those horrors. He’s straight out of Samuel Beckett…”. That’s kind of a bit much, wouldn’t you say? One could say the same about Disco Stu, or Skinner, or especially Frank Grimes (or Grimy, as he liked to be called) who had the misfortune to be a real person in a cartoon world. He died and stayed dead, but no one mourned him like Maude. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/3 "2019-04-26T15:18:39Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Huh. I never noticed he was ever killed, let alone repeatedly. I just assumed he escaped from the exploding truck with EAP’s home. (Maybe I haven’t seen all the others?) His deaths are all pretty much like that - the events would clearly kill someone, but you usually don’t see an actual death so you’re free to imagine what you want. And he always comes back and is never fazed by his impending death, so we can enjoy laughing at his fate without guilt. He’s a great character for the “throwaway gags,” as they describe him. > [@](#): > > But the dime-store philosophizing is a bit much. “…how he sees Moleman in philosophical terms, calling the character “a symbol of the crushing anomie and loneliness of modern existence — but also of man’s indomitable will to confront those horrors. He’s straight out of Samuel Beckett…”. That’s kind of a bit much, wouldn’t you say? One could say the same about Disco Stu, or Skinner, or especially Frank Grimes (or Grimy, as he liked to be called) who had the misfortune to be a real person in a cartoon world. He died and stayed dead, but no one mourned him like Maude. Sure, it’s a bit much, but it came across to me as a joke. The character is a running gag, and describing him as a Beckett character is part of that gag. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/4 "2019-04-26T15:33:44Z")
I don’t get why they say his driver license pegs him as a commercial driver. It says Class 4, which, AFAIK means he’s licensed to operate a motorcycle. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/5 "2019-04-26T15:57:15Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I don’t get why they say his driver license pegs him as a commercial driver. It says Class 4, which, AFAIK means he’s licensed to operate a motorcycle. I don’t know any state in the U.S. that uses numbers for classes (I believe it’s all standardized as A-C under 49 CFR, with additional letters in some states). So maybe the writer of the article thought it was an “A”, or maybe they’re from British Columbia, where Class 4 is commercial. I’ll also note that in Oregon (Matt Groening’s home), “4” isn’t a class, but it is a restriction indicating the holder can only drive golf carts. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/6 "2019-04-26T17:02:20Z")
The Simpsons has a character is is frequently killed, but never actually dies? [What a surprise!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yPUbeHr8BQ4/maxresdefault.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/7 "2019-04-26T17:22:41Z")
For elderly minor Springfieldians, I’m a Jasper man. On the other hand, however, it’s like kissing a peanut. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/8 "2019-04-26T17:43:34Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The Simpsons has a character is is frequently killed, but never actually dies? [What a surprise!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yPUbeHr8BQ4/maxresdefault.jpg) Show within a show characters don’t count. I&S aren’t “real”. But Dr. Marvin Monroe was more or less dead, until he wasn’t. Though he only “died” once. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/9 "2019-04-26T17:47:59Z")
This thread needs a link to the [best of Hans Moleman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO2t6LO9oLI). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/10 "2019-04-26T20:29:43Z")
Thanks! Makes me hanker for a big ol’ bowl of Moleman’s Gruel. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/11 "2019-04-26T20:40:51Z")
Is Hans really only 31 or was that a gag? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/12 "2019-04-26T20:44:03Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Is Hans really only 31 or was that a gag? Anyone who’s died as often as he has can be whatever age they want him to be. Continuity is not a virtue when it comes to _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/13 "2019-04-26T22:15:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Show within a show characters don’t count. I&S aren’t “real”. > > But Dr. Marvin Monroe was more or less dead, until he wasn’t. Though he only “died” once. A character in an animated show who dies counts as being dead, but a character in an animated show inside an animated show doesn’t count? Nevertheless, let’s also consider Homer Simpson, who is “the luckiest man in the world. . . now that Lou Gehrig’s dead.” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/14 "2019-04-27T00:25:50Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > For elderly minor Springfieldians, I’m a Jasper man. That’s a paddlin’. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/15 "2019-04-27T00:51:56Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > That’s a paddlin’. Are they talkin’ about the bordello? Help yourself but keep it above the equator. This sidewalk’s for regular walkin’, not your fancy walkin’. You shot who in the whatnow? Is that you, Apu? Time has ravaged your once youthful looks. And one of my favorites: That’s real spruce. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/16 "2019-04-27T00:57:06Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > For elderly minor Springfieldians, I’m a Jasper man. When I read that **Elendil’s Heir** ’s favorite Moleman scene was the x-ray, I immediately thought of the frozen geezer in the Kwik-E-Mart. But no, that was Jasper, so Hans (and Homer) are not the only ones from Springfield with multiple lives. AND he survived a dangerous bullet to his wooden leg. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/17 "2019-04-27T01:09:41Z")
…an interesting aside to this story: a clickbait website essentially plagiarized this story, and when someone dug a bit deeper into the website the story developed into this amazing twitter [thread](https://twitter.com/megh_wright/status/1111661700804198400). (TLDR: the site that plagiarized this story is a serial-plagiarizer, the person who wrote the story doesn’t seem to be a nice guy) ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/18 "2019-04-27T01:51:04Z")
Just like how the [Wilhelm scream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream) and the [Howie scream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_sound_effect#Howie_scream) are sneaked into movies, I’d like the same to happen to the [Hans Moleman scream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO2t6LO9oLI&feature=youtu.be&t=153). ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/19 "2019-04-27T14:36:39Z")
'Member the time Moleman was hit in the groin with football and later robbed of his rightfully earned film award? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WUTVmuqviqE/hqdefault.jpg "Hans Moleman Man Getting Hit By Football") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUTVmuqviqE) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-enigma-of-hans-moleman/833082/20 "2019-04-27T18:56:44Z")
[Boo!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_eeVIpDw8)