Perhaps you knew that Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, based his characters on his own family members: Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie Groening. Perhaps you even knew that his father, Homer, flew a B-17 bomber over Europe, worked as an advertising executive, and made many of his own films. What you probably didn’t know is that Matt would cite one such early work as the inspiration for parodying his own relatives: a made-up story about Matt and Lisa having a bizarre animal adventure, which his father Homer turned into a movie.
Watch the real-life ‘Simpsons’ children embrace nature in this 1964 home video
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
This is that film. Produced in 1964 — when Matt was 10 years old — “The Story” follows Matt and Lisa strolling around Portland, Oregon’s Washington Park and Zoo, set to an audio recording of Lisa telling Maggie the story. According to The Oregonian, the film actually premiered in a Portland theatre, to the delight of young Matt Groening.
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