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Matt Groening Reveals Springfield Is In His Home State of Oregon

Posted by samzenpus on from the where's-Shelbyville? dept.

First time accepted submitter TheSeventh writes "Simpsons creator Matt Groening has revealed the location of the real Springfield: It's in Oregon. In an interview with Smithsonian magazine, Groening credits the name to the hit TV show Father Knows Best. The show 'took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown,' he says. 'When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do.'"

5 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. Wrong by readandburn · · Score: 5, Informative

    From Wikipedia... Due to the many contradictory statements regarding Springfield, it is impossible for the town to exist in any specific U.S. state. For example, in The Simpsons Movie, Ned Flanders tells Bart that Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky all border Springfield's state. The city's unknown and unknowable geography is a recurring joke in the series; despite the "riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Springfield's location", Lisa Simpson states that "it's a bit of a mystery, yes. But if you look at the clues, you can figure it out." Episodes frequently make fun of the fact that Springfield's state is unidentifiable by adding further conflicting descriptions, obscuring onscreen map representations, and interrupting conversational references. The telephone area codes for Springfield are 636 (St. Charles County - Western St. Louis County, Missouri) and 939 (Puerto Rico). David Silverman has claimed that Springfield is in the fictional state of "North Takoma". This is substantiated by the state abbreviations NT and TA used within the show. However, this has never been officially confirmed in any canonical episode of The Simpsons or by other Simpsons producers.

    1. Re:Wrong by emurphy42 · · Score: 2, Informative
      From TFA:

      Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. ...
      You’ve never said it was named after Springfield, Oregon, before, have you?
      I don’t want to ruin it for people, you know? Whenever people say it’s Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusetts, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, "Yup, that’s right."

    2. Re:Wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, ultimately it seems no one is actually reading the interview. The Springfield where the Simpsons live is not in Oregon, it is not anywhere. It was inspired by and named after Springfield, Oregon, which is entirely different.

      From TFA:

      Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, “This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.” And they do.

      At no point does he claim the show is supposed to take place in Oregon, since it obviously doesn't.

  2. No he doesn't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    From TFA: "Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon"

    That doesn't mean it IS Springfield, Oregon.

  3. Bogus story by 1u3hr · · Score: 3, Informative

    In the interview, Groening says "Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon". He doesn't say that the Simpsons' Springfield is in Oregon.