I distinctly remember an early Simpsons’ episode opening sequence where Bart passes a bus stop sign and steals it, resulting in the bus passing by and not stopping, forcing everyone to race after it. At some point that was replaced with him passing a window front of TVs showing Krusty the clown.
Anyone know why this was changed?
There was an episode where Bart stole a street sign, with this result. Let me see if I can dig up a reference.
ETA: I’m back. Did you miss me? See here.
No, wasn’t an episode. It was in the title sequence.
It was part of season 1 but not the later seasons. I don’t know why. (Cite)
I completely missed that last time I checked Wikipedia. I guess the changed it from the Tracy Ulman show?
More than you would ever want to know about the Simipsons opening sequence.
That part of the sequence, and many other details, were changed between the first and second seasons.
In the original bus stop sequence, the people waiting for the bus were generic and did not correspond to characters in the show. In the replacement, the segment featured characters who had been introduced in the first season. So I would guess that the replacement was made to make the sequence more specific to the show.
Practically the entire opening sequence was reanimated after the first season- the scenes are the same, but the background colors, etc. are different. Besides the bus-stop scene, a close-up of Lisa on her bicycle (which led into Lisa on her bike and Bart on his skateboard passing by Homer’s car, and then Marge nearly running him over) was replaced with a quick pan across the street which features a number of minor characters. The reanimated sequence first used in Season Two is still being used today, nearly 20 years later.
Not to mention that the music for the title sequence was recorded THREE times. The first season (which had the crappy animation and the bus stop stealing) had a more casual and jazzy tone to it, while the music for season 2 (the first to feature the current opening animation) had a very fast-paced and rushy feel to it (and a waaah waaah trombone during the scene with Maggie “driving”)…this version was continued to be used in the closing credits for many years to come. And then for season 3, it was recorded again and is still used to this day (or at least until season 15…I haven’t seen the show at all since then).
Keep in mind that the opening sequence contains no credits aside from the title card, and the Created/Executive Producer credit after the couch gag, so it really exists solely to waste time if an episode runs short. Frankly, I wish they only used the 15 second version (title, blackboard, couch, credits) more often, since who HASN’T seen that same animation thousands of times now?
Isn’t Bleeding Gums still in the opening?
Yes he is, and so is Maude Flanders.