It’s been 31 years since the episode of ‘The Simpsons’ that played with the idea that Homer and Krusty were almost the same person
One of the funniest and most memorable episodes of “The Simpsons” is celebrating its 31st anniversary, and it was a knowing nod to one of the original ideas behind the series.
‘The Simpsons’ is one of the longest-running animated series still on the air, and its 37th season, currently airing on Disney+, is proof of that. However, many of its fans today are unaware of key details about its original concept, such as the fact that Krusty the Clown was initially conceived as Homer Simpson’s secret identity. Thirty-one years ago, a well-remembered episode played with this idea, which was ultimately discarded, in which Homer played Krusty’s double.
This legendary episode of ‘The Simpsons’ referred to the relationship that Homer and Krusty originally had
On February 12, 1995, “Homie the Clown,” the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of ‘The Simpsons,’ was originally aired. In this episode, Homer enrolls in a clown academy to impersonate Krusty and earn some extra money to help the family finances. Although he initially finds the work exhausting, he decides to continue because his striking physical resemblance leads people to believe he is the real Krusty, which allows him to enjoy privileges such as gifts from his fans.
However, this notoriety backfires when Fat Tony, the local Italian mob boss, also mistakes him for the real Krusty, who owes him money. Thus, one of the recurring jokes in the episode was the similarity in the design of both characters, something that can be explained by the origins of the legendary series, and which here became a meta joke.
In numerous interviews over the years, Matt Groening, creator of the series, has commented that his intention was to make Krusty the Clown a kind of secret identity for Homer Simpson, or a secret job to earn extra money to help the family. The idea was to reinforce the irony of Bart constantly disrespecting Homer while idolizing Krusty, when in reality they were the same person.
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Although the idea was quickly discarded, the episode “Homie the Clown” partially revived it as a conscious nod to this early stage of the series, when Groening was still developing both his new characters and the role they would play within Springfield, as well as their possible ties to the Simpson family. This meta nod was the perfect example of how its best seasons were not the result of improvisation, but of consciously looking back to draw on—and enrich—its own legacy.
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