Barney Gumble is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
on the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animatedAn animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
. The character is
voicedVoice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called voice actors,...
by
Dan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American film, theatre and television actor, comedian, voice artist and television writer...
and first appeared in the series premiere episode "
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
". He is the
town drunkThe town drunk is a stock character, almost always male, who is drunk more often than sober.The town drunk typically dwells in a small enough town that he is the only conspicuous alcoholic...
and
Homer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's best friend. His capacity for alcohol is a frequent butt of jokes on the show. Barney sobered up in the episode "
Days of Wine and D'oh'ses"Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons, which originally aired on April 9, 2000. It is the first of four episodes written by voice actor Dan Castellaneta and his wife Deb Lacusta.-Plot:...
", which was co-written by Castellaneta, and stayed sober for several episodes. Barney was inspired by the cartoon character
Barney RubbleThis article is about the fictional character from The Flintstones. For the song by The Twang, see Barney Rubble Barney Rubble, is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of...
from the
The FlintstonesThe Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The series was the first prime-time animated series aimed at adults. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions , The Flintstones is about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next door...
and by several barflies from other television programs. In 2004, Castellaneta won an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
for voicing various characters, including Barney.
Role in The Simpsons
Barney's father Arnie Gumble was a
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran who died in 1979 in a parade float accident. Barney himself was born on April 20 of an indeterminate year. As a teenager, Barney was considered to have potential. He had his mind set on going to
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
until his best friend
Homer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
introduced him to beer the day before they were to take the
SATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a non-profit organization in the United States, and was once developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service...
s. Barney took to drinking when his high school love interest Chloe Talbot left
SpringfieldSpringfield is the fictional city in which the American animated television series The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized city in an unknown state, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the city and its surroundings...
to pursue a journalism career.
In "
Homer's Barbershop Quartet"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifth season. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland. It features The Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of The Beatles...
", Barney formed a barbershop quartet with Homer,
Apu NahasapeemapetilonApu Nahasapeemapetilon Ph.D. is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head." Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer...
, and
Seymour SkinnerPrincipal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character on the animated sitcom The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, and a stereotypical educational bureaucrat...
called the Be Sharps. Barney was asked to join when the other members heard him singing in a beautiful tenor voice in the restroom of Moe's Tavern, replacing the group's original fourth member
Clancy WiggumChief Clancy Wiggum is a fictional character from the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Hank Azaria.- Profile :Wiggum is in his late 30s to early 40s and the chief of police of the Springfield police department...
, who was kicked out. Homer wrote a song inspired by the "
Baby on BoardBaby On Board refers to a five-inch sign intended to be placed in the back window of an automobile to deter tailgating. First marketed in September 1984 by Safety 1st Corporation, the sign became a ubiquitous fad, flourishing in 1985...
" signs. The song, "Baby on Board", appeared on the group's first album,
Meet the Be Sharps, and became a hit. In 1986, the Be Sharps won a
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
for Outstanding Soul, Spoken Word, or Barbershop Album of the Year. Soon, creative disputes arose, and Barney left the group in all but name when
he began dating a Japanese conceptual artist, , is a Japanese-American artist and musician. She is known for her marriage to John Lennon and for her work as an avant-garde artist and musician.-Early life:...
. The group realized that they were no longer popular and split up.
Barney started a snowplowing business rival Homer's in "
Mr. Plow"Mr. Plow" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons' fourth season, which originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 19, 1992. In the episode, Homer buys a snow plow and starts a business plowing driveways. It is a huge success, and inspired by Homer's...
". Barney's commercial defamed Homer, causing Homer to lose all his customers. To get revenge, Homer fooled Barney into plowing a driveway on Widow's Peak, a treacherous mountain outside of Springfield. When Homer saw a news report showing that Barney had been trapped in an avalanche, he immediately drove to the mountain and rescued Barney. The friends resolved their differences and agreed to work together. However, a heat wave hit Springfield, putting them both out of business.
A gag in "
Selma's Choice"Selma's Choice" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons
' fourth season and originally aired on the Fox network on January 21, 1993. Selma decides she wants to have a baby, so she does not spend her life alone. Yet after taking Bart and Lisa to Duff Gardens, she decides she is...
" suggests that Barney is the father of many local babies born through donation of
semenSemen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
and
artificial inseminationArtificial insemination is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse...
.
Barney made a documentary about his life as an alcoholic, titled
Pukahontas, which won the top prize at the Springfield Film Festival. In "
Deep Space Homer"Deep Space Homer" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' fifth season and first aired on February 24, 1994. The episode was directed by Carlos Baeza and was the only episode of The Simpsons written by David Mirkin, who was also the executive producer at the time...
", Barney trained to become an astronaut for
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
. Under their alcohol-ban, he quickly developed superior skills and was selected to fly with
Buzz AldrinBuzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing...
. However, he reverted to his old ways when he was presented with a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne. Barney served in the
United States Navy ReserveThe United States Navy Reserve , until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are enrolled in the Selected Reserve , the the Full Time Support , or Retired Reserve program...
as a submariner on the USS Jebediah, alongside his mother, in "
Simpson Tide"Simpson Tide" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons
' ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on March 29, 1998. After being fired from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Homer decides to join the United States Navy Reserve...
".
In "
Days of Wine and D'oh'ses"Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons, which originally aired on April 9, 2000. It is the first of four episodes written by voice actor Dan Castellaneta and his wife Deb Lacusta.-Plot:...
", after watching a video of his drunken antics at his birthday party, Barney resolved to get sober. He attended
Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop drinking alcohol, and subsequently maintain their sobriety...
meetings, cleaned up, and took helicopter-flying lessons.
Creation
Barney was inspired by
Barney RubbleThis article is about the fictional character from The Flintstones. For the song by The Twang, see Barney Rubble Barney Rubble, is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of...
,
Fred FlintstoneFrederick Joseph "Fred" Flintstone is a fictional character who originated in the animated sitcom The Flintstones on ABC. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintstone...
's best friend and next-door neighbor from the animated series
The FlintstonesThe Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The series was the first prime-time animated series aimed at adults. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions , The Flintstones is about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next door...
. The writers originally wanted the character to be
Homer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's sidekick and next-door neighbor, but instead, they decided to make him a drunkard. "Barney was taking the standard sitcom sidekick and just making him as pathetic as possible," said
Matt GroeningMatthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and the television series The Simpsons and Futurama....
, the creator of
The Simpsons. The writers drew further inspiration from Crazy Guggenheim, a character played by comedian
Frank FontaineFrank Fontaine was an American comedian and singer.Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is best known for his appearances on television shows of the 1950s and 1960s, including The Jackie Gleason Show, The Jack Benny Show, and The Tonight Show.One of his earliest appearances was on the radio show,...
on
The Jackie Gleason ShowThe Jackie Gleason Show was the name of a series of popular television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
. Part of the reason the writers went in that direction, according to Groening, was because of "a sort of unspoken rule about not having drinking on television as a source of comedy. So, of course, we went right for it." The writers also patterned the character after
Norm PetersonHillary Norman "Norm" Peterson is a character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by George Wendt. Norm's real first name was revealed to be Hillary, named after his grandfather....
(
George WendtGeorge Robert Wendt is an American actor, best known for the role of Norm Peterson on the television show Cheers.-Early life:...
), a character from the sitcom
CheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television for NBC, having been created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
.
In some early
first seasonThe Simpsons' first season originally aired between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L...
episodes, Barney had yellow hair. Later in the production of that season, the producers had it changed to brown, because they thought that his hair looked like his skin; as well, during an artistic convention of the show, Groening stated that he wanted only the
SimpsonsThe Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
to have yellow hair. Animation director
Rich MooreRich Moore is an animation director and a business partner in Rough Draft Studios, Inc., where he serves as Sr. Vice President of creative affairs. He is one of a handful of artists who in the early 90's redefined prime time television animation with his work on The Simpsons...
modeled Barney's apartment on one he and several other animators who worked on the show shared, particularly the
Farrah FawcettFarrah Fawcett was an American actress. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the TV series Charlie's Angels in 1976...
poster and the cable spool table. The writers originally intended for the character to be the owner of Barney's Bowl-A-Rama. However, after making him "pathetic", they could not regard him as a business owner any longer, and it was explained, several seasons later, in "
And Maggie Makes Three"And Maggie Makes Three" is the thirteenth television episode of The Simpsons
' sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 22, 1995. In the episode, Lisa notices that there are no photos of Maggie in the family photo albums. This leads to a...
", that his Uncle Al owns the alley and named it after him.
Voice
Barney Gumble is voiced by
Dan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American film, theatre and television actor, comedian, voice artist and television writer...
. Early on the show, Castellaneta discovered that it was not easy for him to do Barney's trademark belch every time a script called for it, so he identified his best belch and told the producers to make that the standard. Castellaneta has voiced Barney every time he has appeared in the series, with the exception of the episode "
Homer's Barbershop Quartet"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifth season. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland. It features The Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of The Beatles...
", in which some of Barney's singing is provided by a member of
The Dapper DansThe Dapper Dans are a barbershop quartet that performs at Disneyland in Anaheim, California , at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort , and at Hong Kong Disneyland in Lantau Island, Hong Kong...
, who recorded lines for all four members of the Be Sharps. Their recordings were intermixed with the cast's, often with a cast member singing the melody and the Dapper Dans providing back up.
Sobriety
Dan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American film, theatre and television actor, comedian, voice artist and television writer...
thought of the idea of Barney sobering up early in the series. He wrote a script together with his wife
Deb LacustaDeb Lacusta is an American television writer and the wife of The Simpsons star Dan Castellaneta...
. They offered their script to
show runnerShow runner is a term used in the Canadian and United States television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television series. The term is also occasionally applied to people in the television industries of other countries...
Al JeanAl Jean is an American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons.-Biography:...
. Jean liked the story, but felt that it was too similar to a script the writers were already working on, "
Duffless"Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons
' fourth season and originally aired on the Fox network on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer tries to remain sober, at Marge's request. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to prove that Bart is dumber than a...
", so he turned it down. Castellaneta and Lacusta waited several years and offered their script, which they updated, to then-show runner
Mike ScullyMike Scully is an American television writer best known for his work as executive producer and show runner of the Fox series The Simpsons from 1997 - 2001 .-Career:He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts...
, who liked it and had them make a few changes. Their script became the
eleventh seasonThe Simpsons
' eleventh season originally aired between September 1999 and May 2000, beginning on Sunday, September 26, 1999 with "Beyond Blunderdome". The show runner for the eleventh production season was Mike Scully...
episode "
Days of Wine and D'oh'ses"Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons, which originally aired on April 9, 2000. It is the first of four episodes written by voice actor Dan Castellaneta and his wife Deb Lacusta.-Plot:...
", which first aired April 9, 2000. The episode was directed by
Neil AffleckNeil Affleck is an actor, animator and director. Currently directing the children's cartoon, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends on Nick Jr., he has worked on The Simpsons and Family Guy in the past....
, who said that he had "a vested interest in getting Barney sober." However, some of the writing staff was opposed to the episode as they felt Barney sober would not be funny.
After a long discussion about how the episode should end, the writers decided that they did not want Barney to return to being drunk at the end of the episode. They felt that that would be sad. Barney stayed sober for several seasons. It was revealed in the
fourteenth seasonThe fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
episode "
I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can"I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons
' fourteenth season. The episode aired on February 16, 2003. Twenty-two million people watched this episode, making it the second-most watched episode since 2002...
" that he had relapsed. The animators modified the appearance of the character, straightening his hair, among other things, to indicate his sobriety. Castellaneta altered his voice for the character by no longer slurring. Barney was still seen at Moe's Tavern, but only drinking
latteA latte is a type of coffee drink made with hot milk. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as chai, mate or matcha...
s. The character's new addiction to coffee was suggested by producer and writer
David MirkinDavid Mirkin is an American feature film and television director, writer and producer, known for his work on The Simpsons. He is a native of Philadelphia and an alumnus of Loyola Marymount University. He has won several Emmys along with the Peabody Award.His first job writing for television was on...
, who has friends who had stopped drinking and then became addicted to coffee.
Reception
Filmcritic.com ranked Barney 18th on their 2008 list of "The 21 Best Movie Alcoholics of All Time". Recognizing the character for his appearance in
The Simpsons MovieThe Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, Filmcritic called him "the most awesomely funny town drunk in pop culture".
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
ranked Barney fifth on their list of the "Top 25
Simpsons Peripheral Characters" in 2006, stating that, "he's been a dependable source of humor through his many drunken asides, burps included...Occasionally he's sobered up...But let's face it, for comedy's sake,
The Simpsons is better off with a drunken Barney mouthing off at Moe's."
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
placed "Mr. Plow" sixth on their list of the best 25
Simpsons episodes in 2003.
In 2004, Dan Castellaneta won a
Primetime Emmy AwardThe Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for
Outstanding Voice-Over PerformanceThe Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance is a creative arts Emmy Award given out by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It is awarded to a performer for an outstanding "continuing or single voice-over performance in a series or a special." Prior to 1992, voice-actors...
for voicing several characters, including Barney, in the episode "Today I Am A Clown". "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" was nominated for a
PRISM AwardThe Entertainment Industries Council is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books...
in 2001.
Merchandising
Playmates ToysPlaymates Toys is a Costa Mesa, California toy manufacturer and a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Playmates Holdings Ltd , which was founded in 1966.-Proprietary brands:*Amazing Dolls*Amazing Pets*Kinder-Garden Babies*R.E.V.s*Waterbabies*WOW Pals...
created three Barney Gumble action figures as part of the
World of SpringfieldThe World of Springfield is a series of action figures, which ran between December 1999 to December 2004 and was released by Playmates Toys.The toy action figure series was called World of Springfield, because the goal of the line was to build a miniature Springfield through a series of interactive...
toy line. The first one, released in August 2000, depicts Barney in his usual appearance. The second, Barney in his Plow King jacket from "Mr. Plow", was released in January 2003. The third, a Toys "R" Us retail exclusive, was released in July 2003 as part of a Be Sharps play set. Barney plays a role in
The Simpsons RideThe Simpsons Ride is a simulator ride featured at the Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood theme parks. The ride is based on the animated television series The Simpsons. It was first announced in 2007 and replaced the Back to the Future: The Ride at both locations...
, launched in 2008 at
Universal Studios FloridaUniversal Studios Florida is an American amusement park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions...
and
HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio in the Universal City community of unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is the original Universal Studios theme park. Woody Woodpecker is the mascot for Universal Studios Hollywood and the rest of the Universal Studios Theme...
.
External links