apasciuto, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On December 17, 1989, The Simpsons debuted. When creator Matt Groening decided to make humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts, he never could have imagined its embiggened impact. 38 seasons in, Springfield’s most famous family occupies a more than cromulent space in not just US popular culture, but also in history, as America’s longest-running sitcom and primetime scripted series.
After more than 800 episodes, viewers know a great deal about Springfield and its relationship to and representation of history. From the town’s celebration of Whacking Day, to its 200-year-old unenforced Prohibition law, to the true history of Jebediah Springfield (aka Hans Sprunfeld). The Simpsons’ repeated engagement with history, whether the fake history of Springfield or the real history of the United States, has often caught the attention of historians, filling their brains with memorable lines and pushing out details like dates of battles or children’s names. For a show nearly forty years old, it has every type of fan. Some remember watching episodes during their first run, others found the show in syndication or on DVD, and now it can exist forever through streaming (or until the show becomes unprofitable). For every type of Simpsons fan, this is the Contingent December series for you.
Contingent is interested in essays that explore the intersection of history and The Simpsons. Possible essays can focus on:
- specific episodes and characters;
- the show’s constantly shifting timeline and flashbacks;
- the writers and animators behind the show;
- the history internal to the world of The Simpsons;
- the series as a primary source for political, cultural, and media history.
We welcome pitches from anyone, but prioritize contributions from people who have completed postgraduate work in history and are working outside the tenure-track professoriate, including (but not limited to) contingent faculty, K-12 teachers, graduate students, and public historians.
For consideration, please use the form on our Pitch Us page and select “Simpsons” from the drop-down menu. The submission window opens Wednesday, October 28 and closes on Monday, November 9, end of day. Within a week, you’ll know if we choo-choo-choose your pitch. Essays will be due November 23 for publication in December. Please note the quick turnaround time for first drafts and revisions. Compensation will be $150 for mini-essays (500-1,000 words) and $300 for shorts (1,000-2,000 words).
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