Groening, << GRAY nihng >> Matt (1954-…), an American cartoonist, is the creator of the popular animated television series “The Simpsons” . The series portrays a blue-collar family that consists of the married couple Homer and Marge Simpson and their three children—10-year-old Bart, 8-year-old Lisa, and 1-year-old Maggie. The underachiever Bart Simpson, in particular, has become a cult favorite.
“The Simpsons” originated in 1987 as a short feature on the weekly Tracey Ullman television show. The Simpson family appeared in a Christmas special in 1989 and premiered in a continuing series in 1990. The show rapidly became a national hit in the United States, and its success resulted in a flood of Simpsons family merchandise, especially Bart Simpson T-shirts.
Groening also created “Futurama,” a satirical science-fiction series for television. The animated series had its premiere in 1999.
Matthew Groening was born in Portland, Oregon. His father, Homer, worked as a cartoonist in the 1950’s. As a child Matt Groening showed an interest in writing and drawing cartoons. He was editor of the school newspaper while attending the Evergreen State College in Washington. After graduating in 1977 with a B.A. degree, Groening moved to Los Angeles to become a writer. In 1980, the weekly Los Angeles Reader newspaper, where Groening held various positions, began publishing his comic strip “Life in Hell.”
