Snowball (The Simpsons)
Encyclopedia
The name Snowball refers to five fictional cats that have been owned by the Simpson family
Simpson family
The 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...

 in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated 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 family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

. The differences between them are:
  • Snowball, a white female cat who died and only briefly appeared in a flashback in the series, but has been mentioned numerous times.
  • Snowball II, a dark grey female cat who was the cat owned from the first 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...

     up until her death in the episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot".
  • Snowball III, a brown male cat who only appears in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" and drowns when it jumps in the fish tank.
  • Coltrane (Snowball IV), a white male cat who only appears in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot". Coltrane commits suicide
    Suicide
    Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

     upon hearing Lisa play the saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

    , as it either frightened him or it wasn't to his liking.
  • Snowball V, a dark grey female cat that first appears in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" and has been the family cat ever since. In order to save money on a new food dish, Snowball V was renamed Snowball II to save confusion about the cats before her. She is the current cat owned by the family and is identical in appearance to Snowball II.


The various Snowballs have mainly been in the background, but have had larger roles in several episodes, including "Old Yeller Belly
Old Yeller Belly
"Old Yeller Belly" is the nineteenth episode of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons. It aired on May 4, 2003.-Plot:Bart and his friends in his treehouse try to eavesdrop on Lisa and her friends having a tea party, and the treehouse gets destroyed in the ensuing fight...

", "The Seven-Beer Snitch
The Seven-Beer Snitch
"The Seven-Beer Snitch" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season, first aired on April 3, 2005 in the United States.-Plot:...

", and the aforementioned "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot".

Snowball

Snowball, also known as Snowball I, was the Simpsons' first cat. Her death is never seen in the actual series, since it occurred "before" the show's continuity began. She was first mentioned in the series premiere
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...

 in a Christmas letter Marge is writing where she explains that Snowball had died that year and went to "kitty heaven." Snowball was named due to her white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...

-color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...

ed fur, though in a few occasions in the series Snowball I is pictured similar to Snowball II.

In "Treehouse of Horror III
Treehouse of Horror III
"Treehouse of Horror III" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 29, 1992. In the third annual Treehouse of Horror episode, Homer buys Bart an evil talking Krusty doll, King Homer is captured by Mr. Burns, and Bart...

", a picture of Snowball I (as a black cat) is shown with the words "1988-90" underneath and Lisa says "she died four years ago tonight ... run over by the Mayor's beer-swilling brother, Clovis" (although that particular episode aired in 1992). In a song Homer wrote for Lisa, he says her cat died on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

. Snowball was, according to Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...

 in a poem, run over by a Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

. At a later point it emerged that Snowball was run over by Mayor Quimby's
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...

 beer swilling brother, Clovis. Although the Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

 teacher, Mrs. Albright, tells Lisa that Snowball cannot go to Heaven, this proves to be wrong as Snowball has been seen in heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...

 by characters who have undergone near-death experiences, including Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

, and sometimes in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...

 sequences. Due to election forgery, Snowball was listed as posthumously voting for Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...

. Snowball also appears in "Bart gets hit by a car
Bart Gets Hit by a Car
"Bart Gets Hit by a Car" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 1991. At the start of the episode, Bart is hit by Mr. Burns' car. Prompted by ambulance chasing lawyer Lionel Hutz and quack doctor Dr. Nick...

" where Snowball is run over by a car.

She is briefly mentioned in "Treehouse of Horror XIV
Treehouse of Horror XIV
"Treehouse of Horror XIV" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season and originally aired on November 2, 2003. In the fourteenth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, Homer takes on the role of the Grim Reaper , Professor Frink creates a Frankenstein-version of his deceased father and...

" when Homer kills Death
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...

 in revenge for her death as well as that of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

. She is also seen in the episodes "Lisa's Sax
Lisa's Sax
"Lisa's Sax" is the third episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on October 19, 1997 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. In the series' sixth flashback episode, it is explained how Lisa got her saxophone...

" and "And Maggie Makes Three
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 recount of...

".

Snowball II

Snowball II was the Simpson family's second cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...

. She was named after Snowball I. Though Snowball I had white fur, which inspired her name, Snowball II had black fur.

She first appears in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
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...

", where it is explained that Snowball I had died the previous year and had been replaced with Snowball II. Neither Snowball I or II were seen or mentioned in the Tracey Ullman Shorts. Snowball II received little attention in the series, although she has appeared in many episodes. Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...

 have always been shown as having a good relationship; usually they are seen sleeping near each other. In the "Fly Vs. Fly" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VIII", Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...

 chases Snowball II into a transport device and their DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

 gets mixed. Two different animals emerge: Santa's Little Helper emerges with both pets' heads, Snowball II with their backsides. Snowball II also found a love interest in Scratchy
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...

 in the "Terror of Tiny Toon" segment of "Treehouse of Horror IX".

Snowball II's largest role is in the fourteenth season
The Simpsons (season 14)
The 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 "Old Yeller Belly
Old Yeller Belly
"Old Yeller Belly" is the nineteenth episode of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons. It aired on May 4, 2003.-Plot:Bart and his friends in his treehouse try to eavesdrop on Lisa and her friends having a tea party, and the treehouse gets destroyed in the ensuing fight...

", in which she saves Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch 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...

 from a burning treehouse built by the Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...

 after Santa's Little Helper runs away. She also has minor roles in "Bart Gets an Elephant
Bart Gets an Elephant
"Bart Gets an Elephant" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 1994. In the episode, Bart wins a radio contest and is awarded an elephant named Stampy. After Stampy wrecks the Simpsons' house and eats all the...

", where she tries to get attention; in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds
Two Dozen and One Greyhounds
"Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" is the 20th episode of The Simpsons sixth season and originally aired on April 9, 1995. The episode was written by Mike Scully and directed by Bob Anderson. Frank Welker guest stars as Santa's Little Helper and various other dogs. In the episode, Santa's Little Helper...

", in which she is scared by the many puppies; and in "Make Room for Lisa
Make Room for Lisa
"Make Room for Lisa" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 28, 1999. In the episode, while visiting the Smithsonian expedition, Homer Simpson meets a businesswoman who convinces him to build a cell phone...

", in which Lisa has a hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...

 where she becomes Snowball II.

In the episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", Snowball II is hit and killed by Dr. Hibbert's
Julius Hibbert
Dr. Julius M. Hibbert, usually referred to as Dr. Hibbert, is a recurring character on the animated series The Simpsons. His speaking voice is provided by Harry Shearer and his singing voice was by Thurl Ravenscroft, and he first appeared in the episode "Bart the Daredevil". Dr...

 Mercedes-Benz G500
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
The original 460-series Geländewagen went on sale for civilian buyers in 1979, after having debuted in February of that year. It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheelbase of 2,400 mm and a long one of 2,850 mm. One could choose between three body styles: A two-door short...

. After numerous fleeting replacements for Snowball II, the fifth (and last surviving) cat is named Snowball II by Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...

, in order to avoid future confusion and having to spend more money on a new bowl.

Snowball III

Snowball III was the third cat owned by The Simpsons. Snowball III was a ginger male cat. In I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot, Lisa adopts him from an animal shelter shortly after the death of Snowball II. She passes over a skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...

, a Siamese cat
Siamese (cat)
The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...

, and a cat with an eye infection before finally deciding upon Snowball III. He drowns trying to catch a goldfish in an aquarium while Lisa is preparing his cat food in the kitchen for the first time. He was voiced by Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...

.

Coltrane (Snowball IV)

Coltrane, also known as Snowball IV, was the Simpsons' fourth cat, adopted from an animal shelter shortly after the death of Snowball III. Originally, Lisa is not certain she wants another cat, but Coltrane's name wins her over due to its resemblance to that of the jazz musician John Coltrane. Upon bringing Coltrane home, Lisa decides to play him some of John Coltrane's music on her saxophone, but the noise frightens him and he commits suicide by jumping out the window. He was voiced by Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...

.

Coltrane was the Simpsons' only cat since Snowball I to have been white; this was ironic, as he was the only one not to be named Snowball. However, Lisa evidently considers him as part of the Snowball lineage, as she names her next cat Snowball V, implying that Coltrane was Snowball IV.

Snowball V

Snowball V, renamed "Snowball II", is the Simpsons' fifth cat and is almost identical in appearance to Snowball II. In "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", the Crazy Cat Lady throws a cat at Lisa while she is mourning the death of her other three cats that are killed in the episode. Lisa then tells the cat to leave, because any cat that she owns is unlucky and is certain to be killed. As the cat starts to cross Evergreen Terrace, a car driven by Gil Gunderson drives past. As Gil swerves to avoid hitting the cat, his car hits a tree and bursts into flames, thereby giving him insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

 compensation for his meals. Since the cat is unhurt, Lisa takes it as a sign of good luck and adopts her.

Lisa renames Snowball V "Snowball II" at the end of the episode, in her words "to save money on a new dish", also vowing to pretend the whole thing never happened. Most viewers recognize this as the writers making a subtle self-jab at The Simpsons often-forced tradition of maintaining a status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...

 continuity in the series. Principal Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...

, who happens to be walking by, asks "That's really a cheat, isn't it?" to which Lisa replies, "I guess you're right, Principal Tamzarian," a reference to "The Principal and the Pauper
The Principal and the Pauper
"The Principal and the Pauper" is the second episode of The Simpsons ninth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 28, 1997. In the episode, Seymour Skinner begins to celebrate his twentieth anniversary as principal of Springfield Elementary School when a man...

", another episode with a similar continuity gag at the end.

Snowball V also is the focus of a subplot in the sixteenth season
The Simpsons (season 16)
The Simpsons 16th season began on Sunday, November 7, 2004 and contained 21 episodes, beginning with Treehouse of Horror XV. The season contains six hold-over episodes from the season 15 production line....

 episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch
The Seven-Beer Snitch
"The Seven-Beer Snitch" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season, first aired on April 3, 2005 in the United States.-Plot:...

", in which she becomes overweight after abandoning the Simpsons for brief periods to visit a different family. Here she is taught tricks and given the name "Smokey" by the new family.

See also

  • Simpson family
    Simpson family
    The 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...

  • List of fictional cats
  • Snowball (cat)
    Snowball (cat)
    Snowball, a domestic cat from Prince Edward Island, Canada, has the unique distinction of being at the centre of a milestone in forensic history.In 1994, Shirley Duguay of Prince Edward Island went missing and was later found in a shallow grave...


External links

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