Difference between revisions of "Waylon Smithers, Jr."
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| − | {{ | + | {{Noticeline|Waylon Smithers redirects here. For his father, see [[Waylon Smithers, Sr.]]}} |
| − | {{Character| | + | {{Quote|That's Homer Simpson, one of your (nickname) from sector 7G.|Smithers' catchphrase}} |
| − | image= [[ | + | {{Character |
| − | + | |name = Waylon J. Smithers, Jr. | |
| − | + | |image = [[File:Waylon Smithers, Jr..png|200px]] | |
| − | hair= | + | |caption = Artwork of Waylon Smithers, Jr. by [[Matt Groening]] |
| − | + | |gender = {{Male}} | |
| − | job=Assistant to [[Charles Montgomery Burns]]| | + | |status = Alive |
| − | relatives=Father: Waylon J. Smithers, Sr. (deceased) | + | |age = Early 40s<ref name="138th">"[[The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular]]"</ref> |
| − | appearance=[[Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire]] (voice) [[Homer's Odyssey]] (in person)| | + | |hair = Brown |
| − | voiced by= [[Harry Shearer]] | + | |job = Assistant to [[Charles Montgomery Burns]], Supervisor of the sector 7-G |
| + | |relatives = '''Father:''' [[Waylon J. Smithers, Sr.]] (deceased)<br>'''Mother:''' [[Mrs. Smithers|Unnamed]]<br>'''Stepfather:''' Unnamed <br>'''Grandmother:''' Unnamed (deceased)<ref>"[[The Last Traction Hero]]"</ref><br>'''Ex-wife:''' Unnamed | ||
| + | |appearance = "[[Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire]]" (voice only)<br>"[[Homer's Odyssey]]" (in person) | ||
| + | |voiced by = [[Harry Shearer]]<br>[[Tress MacNeille]]<ref>"[[The Blunder Years]]" (as a baby)</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
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| − | + | '''Waylon J. Smithers, Jr.''' (better known as "'''Mr. Smithers'''" or simply as "'''Smithers'''") is [[Mr. Burns]] personal assistant, executive, and self-proclaimed best friend. He is openly gay as he came out, but due to how poorly he hid his sexuality most people knew that beforehand.<ref name="The Burns Cage">"[[The Burns Cage]]"</ref> | |
| − | Waylon Smithers | ||
| + | == Biography == | ||
| + | [[File:Smithers Every Simpsons Ever.jpg|thumb|left|250px]] | ||
| + | Smithers' father, [[Waylon Smithers, Sr.]], worked for Burns until he died of radiation poisoning after saving Springfield from a potential nuclear meltdown.<ref>"[[The Blunder Years]]"</ref> In grade school, he was beaten up by bullies (including [[Homer Simpson]]).<ref>"[[Bye, Bye, Nerdie]]"</ref> He was later the announcer for the high school gymnastics competition. Eventually he became Mr. Burns' personal assistant. | ||
| − | Burns | + | As a (not very well) closeted gay man, he has had a crush on Mr. Burns for as long as he as worked for him, to which Burns is oblivious. He was previously married to a woman (a southern belle, given her accent and personality), but it fell apart when, shortly after an injury with his leg, and his then-wife wanted to have sex with him, his then-wife referred to his true love, Mr. Burns, as "awful". At one point it was implied that he was linked romantically to {{ap|John|Cockamamie's}}, the owner of Cockamamie's thrift shop. This is all a comedic takeoff of Tennessee Williams's play, ''Cat On a Hot Tin Roof''.<ref>"[[Homer's Phobia]]"</ref> |
| − | + | He collects [[Malibu Stacy]] dolls, writes a newsletter about the doll,<ref name="Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy">"[[Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy]]"</ref> and was the author of a Malibu Stacy stage musical that played in Arizona; he played Stacy's boyfriend.<ref>"[[Homer vs. Dignity]]"</ref> Smithers has the largest collection of Malibu Stacy dolls in the World and is the president of the Malibu Stacy fan club.<ref name="Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy"/> He once also owned a Yorkshire Terrier named [[Hercules]]. When Mr. Burns convinced [[Sideshow Bob]] to run for mayor, it was Smithers who revealed to [[Bart]] and [[Lisa]] a clue that would lead them to the truth about Bob's not-so-honest victory in the mayoral election, hinting that his reasons were due to Sideshow Bob planning on enacting policies that were oppressive to his orientation.<ref>"[[Sideshow Bob Roberts]]"</ref> | |
| − | + | In 1995, when Mr. Burns attempted to block the sun from [[Springfield]] after stealing oil from the [[Springfield Elementary School|elementary school]], Smithers objected and was fired. This drove him into a nightmare of alcohol abuse and Comedy Central viewing. He was the main suspect in the subsequent shooting of Mr. Burns, but he was cleared and it was learned that [[Maggie]] was responsible. However, he did, in a drunken stupor, shoot [[Jasper]] in his wooden leg while trying to rush home to watch his favorite TV show. No charges were pressed in this case. Initially he believes Jasper was actually Mr. Burns so he goes inside a {{W|confessional}} to unburden himself. He first admits he is not a Catholic although he did try to march in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade and then sobbingly confesses, but it is not to a priest, but Chief Wiggum who arrests him. .<ref name="Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two">"[[Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)]]"</ref> | |
| − | + | [[File:SmithersFolder.PNG|thumbnail|left|Mr. Smithers' character folder seen in the Hall of Records.]] | |
| − | + | Smithers' official job at the power plant appears to be that of executive assistant, which he says is "actually about 2,800 smaller jobs",<ref name="Homer the Smithers">"[[Homer the Smithers]]"</ref> responsible for monitoring employee attendance and is often a disciplinarian and has won dozens of "Employee of the Month" awards.<ref>"[[Homer Defined]]"</ref> He has often hinted at wanting to be promoted to the position of executive vice president, but Burns has repeatedly squashed this dream, while whimsically bestowing the vice presidency on Homer<ref>"[[Simpson and Delilah]]"</ref> and a dog.<ref>"[[Homer's Enemy]]"</ref> | |
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| − | + | He was once, however, made the CEO of the Nuclear Power Plant in Burns' stead when Mr. Burns was arrested for stealing paintings from a museum, a position that is arguably better than vice president, although he hints that he didn't want the job. He initially tried to be an employee-friendly boss, but after overhearing a conversation between [[Lenny]], [[Carl]] and Homer while meeting at [[Moe's Tavern]] that revealed that they were abusing his employee-friendly nature to in essence goof off, he became a worse CEO than Mr. Burns (even going as far as to release wolverines in the house instead of hounds). He eventually gave up on the position willingly after Mr. Burns was released by Lenny, Carl and Homer.<ref>"[[American History X-cellent]]"</ref> | |
| − | === | + | === Personality === |
| − | + | Smithers has been implied to be gay several times despite not declaring it himself. He has several gay friends and frequents Springfield's [[gay village]]. When he was arrested for trying to get opium for [[Mr. Burns]], he is implied to be gay when Mr. Burns says to [[Homer]] "I've never seen someone taken to a Turkish prison so quickly."<ref>"[[Three Gays of the Condo]]"</ref> and goes on a vacation to a male-only resort.<ref name="Homer the Smithers">"[[Homer the Smithers]]"</ref> Smithers is shown to be quite passionate for Mr. Burns. Smithers has occasional fantasies about Burns, like dreaming he is on his bed and suddenly Mr. Burns appears flying through the window.<ref>"[[Marge Gets a Job]]"</ref> | |
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| − | + | When he turns his computer on, it shows a nude Burns saying "Hello Smithers. You're quite good at turning me on"<ref name="Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy"/> Smithers has declared his love for Burns on some occasions, such as kissing Mr. Burns on the lips after saying "Oh, what the hell!", believing the world was ending, later explaining it to him as "merely a sign of my respect".<ref>"[[Lisa the Skeptic]]"</ref> Another hint of Smithers' sexuality is when he seems to have been dating John, a gay man. Burns appears oblivious to all this. Burns himself has been involved with several women, much to Smithers' frustration. Once, Burns fell in love with Marge, and later, with a woman called {{ap|Gloria|Snake's wife}}. Smithers was noticeably disgusted when Burns started looking for a female companion.<ref>"[[A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love]]"</ref> Burns, for his part, views (and refers to) Smithers as a lackey, albeit a highly valued one for his competence and toadying. He has "rewarded" Smithers' devotion with the future "honor" of being buried alive with him after he dies.<ref>"[[Burns' Heir]]"</ref> | |
| − | + | Smithers has been shown to be somewhat dependant on his relationship with Burns, like the occasion when Burns orders Smithers to take a vacation and Homer is hired as a temporary replacement. When Homer loses his temper and punches Burns in the face, Mr. Burns learns to become self-reliant and this results in Smithers being fired. Smithers decides that he needs to be Burns' assistant and eventually gets his job back.<ref name="Homer the Smithers"/> For all his sycophantic devotion to Mr. Burns, Smithers has been willing to challenge him on some occasions. He opposed his employer's various evil schemes and Burns fired him. As a result of his firing, Smithers became a "hideous drunken wreck"<ref>"[[Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)]]"</ref> and when Mr. Burns was shot later, Smithers thought he might have done it while he was drunk. When it was proven that he had not, Smithers forgave Burns and demanded that the culprit be brought to justice, offering a reward for the capture of the perpetrator.<ref name="Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two"/> | |
| − | == | + | == Relationships == |
| − | + | Smithers' romantic interest has largely been aimed at Mr. Burns who appears oblivious to Smithers' affections. Smithers entered a relationship with [[Julio Franco]] after quitting from his job, however it was apparent that Smithers was not over Burns so Julio ended it.<ref name="The Burns Cage"/> It's been implied that Smithers had a thing with [[Mr. Largo]].<ref>"[[See Homer Run]]"</ref><ref>"[[What to Expect When Bart's Expecting]]"</ref> | |
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| − | + | == Non-canon == | |
| + | {{Noncanon}} | ||
| + | === Future === | ||
| + | [[File:Doggy Smithers.png|thumb|Smithers as a robotic dog]] | ||
| + | At age 50, Smithers jumps into the cooling towers and a broken heart appears above them.<ref>"[[Flanders' Ladder]]"</ref> | ||
| + | As seen on [[Professor Frink]]'s future machine, eight years from the present, Smithers is straight, provided he injects himself with medicine every 10 minutes; upon taking the injection he waves his arms in the air and shouts "I loves boobies!".<ref>"[[Future-Drama]]"</ref> In [[2010]], he thawed out Mr. Burns and had his 17 stab wounds to the back cured. He and Burns attended [[Lisa Simpson]]'s wedding.<ref>"[[Lisa's Wedding]]"</ref> in 1,000,000 AD, his head is on a robotic dog body and follows Burns' head everywhere.<ref>"[[Rosebud]]"</ref> | ||
| − | + | === The Simpsons: The Arcade Game === | |
| + | Smithers appears in this game as the first boss of the final level, as well as one of the main antagonists. Smithers, presumably under Mr. Burns' command, broke into a jewelry store to steal a diamond. As he and his fellow henchmen were making their escape, he (quite literally) bumped into the Simpson's family, causing him to lose the diamond, and for Maggie to catch it. Because of this setback, Smithers ends up kidnapping Maggie and, after a few misadventures, Smithers makes it back to the Nuclear Power Plant, although not without the Simpsons family following him. He then fights the Simpsons family, remarking "Welcome to my world!" He lobbed several explosives at the family. When sensing that he would soon lose, he opened his cape, revealed to be filled with explosives, cackling maniacally only to react in shock as he discovers that the explosives had activated. | ||
| − | == | + | === The Simpsons Wrestling === |
| − | + | In ''[[The Simpsons Wrestling]]'', Mr. Burns is one of the game's bosses, although Smithers does most of the fighting for him. As well as physical attacks, Smithers throws a three-eyed fish at his opponent, while Burns throws exploding nuclear rods. The Smithers/Burns duo are playable in the Bonus Match Up. | |
| − | == | + | === The Simpsons: Road Rage === |
| − | + | In ''[[The Simpsons: Road Rage]]'', Smithers drives Mr. Burns around Springfield in his [[Burns' limo|limo]] and on Burns' orders, will ram into the player character's car in an attempt to thwart them on their mission to raise money and buy back the bus transit service from Burns. It is possible to play as Smithers in the limo with the use of an in-game cheat, although Burns will not travel with him. It is also revealed that Smithers lives in an [[Smithers' apartment|apartment]] near [[Principal Skinner]]'s [[Skinner's house|house]]. Noticeably, Smithers does not have any dialogue in this game. | |
| − | == | + | === The Simpsons: Hit & Run === |
| − | + | In {{ap|Level 1|The Simpsons: Hit & Run}}, Homer destroys the [[Mr. Burns' Limo|limo]] which Smithers is driving using the {{ap|Plow King|Hit and Run}}, as he is late for an inspection. Homer later races Smithers to [[Burns' manor]], so that he can accuse Burns of operating [[Surveillance Van]]s. In a bonus mission in {{ap|Level 7|The Simpsons: Hit & Run}}, Smithers asks Homer to find and collect a number of Burns' missing items. As a reward, Smithers gives Homer access to Burns' limo. | |
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| − | == | + | === The Simpsons Game === |
| − | + | In ''[[The Simpsons Game]]'', level "{{ap|Lisa the Tree Hugger|The Simpsons Game}}", Smithers was involved in Mr. Burns' plan of trying to cut down the entirety of Springfield Forest, and is comforting him about doing better next time when the plan fails due to Lisa and Bart's interference, as well as phoning some goons to beat up Al Gore. In [[Mob Rules]], he appears as one of the people Marge can use to protest the sales of the ''Grand Theft Scratchy'' videogame to minors. | |
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| − | + | In [[Medal of Homer]], a squad of sailors resembling Smithers protects Private Burns on board his personal naval carrier where he protects the stolen paintings from the village of St. Capitulons. According to Abraham Simpson during the briefing for the level, the sailors in question fight neither for country nor for God, solely for love. Ironically the sailor Smitherses are among the enemies sent by [[God]] in "[[Game Over]]". | |
| − | |||
| + | === The Simpsons: Tapped Out === | ||
| + | ==== Smithers ==== | ||
| + | {{TranscludeSection|The Simpsons: Tapped Out characters/Plant Workers|Smithers}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Costumes ==== | ||
| + | <gallery> | ||
| + | File:Number 59.png|[[The Simpsons: Tapped Out characters/More Stonecutters#Number 59|Number 59]] | ||
| + | File:Rollerskate Smithers.png|[[Rollerskate Smithers]] | ||
| + | File:The Mysterious Waylon.png|[[Mysterious Waylon]] | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Standalone ==== | ||
| + | <gallery> | ||
| + | File:Doggy Smithers.png|[[Doggy Smithers]] | ||
| + | File:Teenage Smithers.png|[[Teenage Smithers]] | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Coca Cola Advert === | ||
| + | He is briefly seen being bought by [[Patty]] and [[Selma]], then in the park butlering them. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Behind the Laughter == | ||
| + | === Character === | ||
| + | ==== Creation ==== | ||
| + | [[File:Waylon Smithers, Jr. (Homer's Odyssey).png|left|thumb|Smithers with black skin and blue hair, as seen in "[[Homer's Odyssey]]"]] | ||
| + | Waylon Smithers was partly based on how numerous [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] executives and staff members acted towards Barry Diller.<ref name=tvguide>[http://simpsonsarchive.com/other/articles/flash.html TV Guide - "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves"] (archived on [[The Simpsons Archive]])</ref> The idea for Smithers's orientation came from [[Sam Simon]], who proposed that Smithers should be gay, but the writers should never draw too much attention to it and should try to keep it in the back of their heads.<ref name="ReissTTH">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al|year=2001|title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "The Telltale Head"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The script for "[[Blood Feud]]" originally featured Smithers saying "Just leave me enough to get home to my wife and kids," but the line had to be cut for time.<ref name=tvguide/> Smithers is voiced by [[Harry Shearer]], who is also the voice of Mr. Burns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z175z13z4&bioid=1675|title=Harry Shearer|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]}}</ref> Shearer is often able to perform dialogue between the two characters in one take.<ref name="JeanBF"/> [[Dan Castellaneta]] occasionally fills in for Shearer at table reads and voices Smithers.<ref name="JeanBF"/> | ||
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| + | Smithers made his first appearance in "[[Homer's Odyssey]]", which was the third episode of the [[Season 1|first season]], although he can be heard over a speaker in ''The Simpsons'' series premiere "[[Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire]]".<ref name="bbc">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season1/page1.shtml Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire] ''BBC.co.uk''. Retrieved on March 2, 2007</ref> In his first visual appearance in "Homer's Odyssey", Smithers was mistakenly animated with the wrong color and was made African American by Gyorgi Peluce, the color stylist. [[David Silverman]] has claimed that Smithers was always intended to be "Mr Burns' white sycophant,"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050927231018/www.hurtwoodmedia.com/mckenzie/pdf/simpsons.pdf|title=Background Guide to The Simpsons|accessdate=2007-10-25|date=September 2002|publisher=Hurtwood Media}}</ref> and the staff thought it "would be a bad idea to have a black sub-servient character" and so switched him to his intended color for his next episode.<ref name=tvguide/> The first appearance of yellow Smithers was "[[There's No Disgrace Like Home]]", the fourth episode of the first season. | ||
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| + | ==== Development ==== | ||
| + | [[File:SmithersDream.png|right|200px|thumb|Smithers dreams about Mr. Burns in "[[Marge Gets a Job]]". The censors had issues with the "lump in his bed."<ref name="Weinstein"/>]] | ||
| + | Smithers's relationship with Mr. Burns has long been a running joke on ''The Simpsons''. Smithers is an obedient and sycophant assistant to Mr. Burns. There have often been strong hints about Smithers's true feelings for his boss, with one of the earliest references being in the season one episode "[[The Telltale Head]]".<ref name="ReissTTH"/> Smithers's sexual orientation has often come into question, with some fans claiming he is a "Burns-sexual" and only attracted to his boss, while others maintain that he is, without a doubt, gay. During the [[Bill Oakley]]/[[Josh Weinstein]] era, they still tried to keep his sexuality mysterious and there was debate among the writers about his orientation. [[Al Jean]], who thinks of Smithers as being a "Burns-sexual",<ref name="JeanBF">{{cite video | people=Jean, Al|year=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Blood Feud"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> felt that had Mr. Burns been a woman, then Smithers would not be gay.<ref name="Oakley HTS">{{cite video | people=Oakley, Bill|year=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer the Smithers"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | ||
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| + | [[David Silverman]], a former supervising director has said, "[Smithers] seems to be focused on one particular human, as opposed to anything beyond that. [Rather than being gay], he's sort of 'Burns-sexual.'" "Waylon Smithers" is actually an anagram of "Wants him sorely". In a 2006 study conducted by the "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation", it was determined that nine of the 679 lead and supporting characters on scripted broadcast television were gay or lesbian. Smithers was not included among these nine characters, and it caused a mild online controversy. [[Patty Bouvier]], [[Marge Simpson]]'s lesbian sister, was included on the list.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eonline.com/news//article/index.jsp?uuid=fd0da574-316b-4300-80a7-8662f9a096b2&entry=index|title="Simpsons'" Smithers Part of Shrinking Minority?|author=Finn, Natalie|accessdate=2006-08-22|date=2007-11-07|publisher=E! News}}</ref> The debate is referenced in "[[The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular]]", when the episode host, [[Troy McClure]] is answering viewer questions, and one that is asked is "What is the real deal with Mr. Burns' assistant Smithers? You know what I'm talking about." A montage of various clips that shows Smithers' lust for Mr. Burns follows, and in the end, McClure says "as you can see, the real deal with Waylon Smithers is that he's Mr. Burns' assistant. He's in his early forties, is unmarried, and currently resides in Springfield. Thanks for asking!"<ref name="138th">"[[The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular]]"</ref> | ||
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| + | Several of the allusions to Smithers's sexuality have turned into battles with the censors. For example, in Smithers' fantasy of a naked Mr. Burns popping out of a birthday cake in "[[Rosebud]]", the censors had not wanted Mr. Burns to be naked. Another example is "[[Marge Gets a Job]]", which has a dream sequence where Smithers is sleeping and Burns flies through a window. The sequence shows Burns flying towards him and Smithers looking happy, but originally it went on for a few seconds longer. It had to be trimmed down due to scenes that showed "Mr. Burns land[ing] on a particular position on Smithers's anatomy".<ref name="Oakley 138">{{cite video | people=Oakley, Bill|year=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> There were also issues with "the lump in his bed", which the animators had been drawn as his knee, but the censors had misinterpreted.<ref name="Weinstein">{{cite video | people=Weinstein, Josh|year=2005|title=The Simpsons season 7 DVD commentary for the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | ||
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| + | In the early seasons, Smithers has an occasional catchphrase, which comes from a recurring joke that Mr. Burns never remembers who Homer is. In some scenes, Smithers and Burns would watch Homer over a security camera Burns will ask, "Who is that man?", to which Smithers would reply, "That's Homer Simpson sir, one of your [insert drones, organ banks, carbon blobs, etc.] from sector 7G." | ||
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| + | === Reception === | ||
| + | In the second season, the writers started to enjoy writing about Smithers and Burns's relationship, and the writers often pitched episodes with them as the focus, but many never came to fruition.<ref name="VittiSaD">{{cite video | people=Vitti, Jon|year=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Simpson and Delilah"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | ||
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| + | In 2004, Simpsons producers announced that one of the characters was going to come out of the closet.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,673179,00.html|title=I D'oh|author=Susman, Gary|accessdate=2007-10-25|date=[[2004-07-28]]|publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Speculation on who it would be was printed in newspapers throughout the United States and Canada (even claiming Smithers's "sexual orientation was about the worst-kept secret in Springfield,")<ref>Rayner, Ben. "We'll have a gay old time." The Toronto Star: February 20, 2005 Sunday, P. CO3. Retrieved October 26, 2007.</ref> as well as in [[Australia]],<ref>"Queer eye for yellow guys." The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia): February 22, 2005 LOCAL; pg. 17. Retrieved October 26, 2007.</ref> New Zealand,<ref>"Simpsons in gay outing." ''The Press'' (Christchurch, New Zealand), February 15, 2005.</ref> [[Ireland]], (the ''Irish Independent'' called Smithers "too obvious" a choice)<ref>"Waylon Smithers." ''Irish Independent'': August 7, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2007.</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>Ayres, Chris. "Homer sexual mystery as Simpsons character outed."'' The Times'' (London), July 29, 2004, p. 9. Retrieved October 26, 2007.</ref> Despite Matt Groening joking that it would be Homer, ''The Boston Herald'' calculated the odds of several characters being gay with Smithers at a million to one.<ref>Perigard, Mark. "Scandal in Springfield; For a gay old time, Bedrock has nothing on `The Simpsons' hometown." Boston Herald; July 27, 2004. P. 2. Retrieved October 26, 2007.</ref> PlanetOut hosted an online poll in the weeks prior to the episode to determine based on "cartoon gaydar" who was gay on the Simpsons, with 97% of the respondents choosing Smithers. Jenny Stewart, the entertainment editor at the site said of the poll, "We've never had such an avalanche of people voting in any of our polls as we did on The Simpsons."<ref>Harris, Misty. "Is Smithers coming out of the closet?: Simpsons fans hitting the polls. Cartoon series promises answer in January, but what's the buzz on Batman and Robin?" ''The Gazette'' (Montreal): August 10, 2004 p. D1.</ref> After the guessing, it was [[Patty Bouvier]] who came out.<ref>"[[There's Something About Marrying]]"</ref> | ||
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| + | In a 2007 article, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named Smithers the sixteenth greatest sidekick of all time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20041669_20041686_20041659_9,00.html|title=We're No. 2!|author=Gunatilaka, Timothy|accessdate=2007-10-25|date=[[2004-07-28]]|publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> They have also described Smithers and Mr. Burns as being "TV's most functional dysfunctional couple".<ref name="EW">{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,417748~3~0~25bestand1,00.html|title=The Family Dynamic|accessdate=2007-10-25|date=2003-01-29|publisher=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Star News Online named "Smithers' fey way" as one of the four hundred reasons why they loved ''The Simpsons''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070520/NEWS/70518023/0/news36|title=400 reasons we love 'The Simpsons'|accessdate=2007-10-25|author=Jeff Hidek|publisher=Star News Online}}</ref> In a 2003 article, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named the [[Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)|Who Shot Mr. Burns?]] [[Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)|duo of episodes]], in which Smithers was prominently featured, 25th best episode.<ref name="EW"/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Cultural influence === | ||
| + | Smithers was made into an action figure, and four different versions were included as part of the ''[[World of Springfield]]'' toy line. The first shows Smithers in his normal attire with a picture of Mr. Burns at his feet and was released in 2000 as part of "wave two".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=F0010|title=Waylon Smithers|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> The second, released in 2002 as part of "wave ten", is called "resort Smithers" and shows him dressed as he was at the resort in the episode "Homer the Smithers".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=F0116|title=Resort Smithers|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> In 2003, a series of figures exclusive to ''Electronics Boutique'' was released, and a set of one Mr. Burns figure and two different Smithers toys based on the episode "[[Rosebud]]" were included. One, called "Bobo Smithers" shows Smithers dressed as Mr. Burns' teddy bear Bobo;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=F0185|title=Bobo Smithers|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> and the other, known as "future Smithers", shows him as a robotic dog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=F0184|title=Future Smithers|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> A "future Burns" was included in the set as a companion to "future Smithers" and depicts Burns as how he appeared as a robot at the end of the episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonscollectors.com/wospdb/figure.asp?fig=F0183|title=Future Burns|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=Simpsons Collectors}}</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Foreign dubs === | ||
| + | {{Dub voices | ||
| + | |nlVoice={{W2|nl:Fred Meijer|acteur}} (movie) | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Appearances == | ||
| + | {{Scroll| | ||
| + | {{TO}} | ||
| + | *[[Opening sequence]] | ||
| + | '''Episodes:''' | ||
| + | {{Season1A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E1n=voice only | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season2A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season3A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E7n=Homer's nightmare | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E12n=flashback | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E24=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season4A | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season5A | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E5n=The Devil and Homer Simpson; Bart Simpson's Dracula | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season6A | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E6n=The Shinning | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E13n=flashback | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | |E25=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season7A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E10n=archive footage | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | |E24=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season8A | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14cg=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E23=yes | ||
| + | |E24=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season9A | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E6n=flashback | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E11n=archive footage | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E14n=mentioned | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E23=yes | ||
| + | |E25=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season10A | ||
| + | |E2cg=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | |E23=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season11A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season12A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E16n=flashback | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season13A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E1n=opening sequence | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season14A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E6n=flashback | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season15A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E1n=Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E11n=Mozart and Salieri | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season16A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E1n=Four Beheadings and a Funeral | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season17A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E9n=The First D'oh-El | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E18n=Mayflower Madman; The Neptune Upending | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season18A | ||
| + | |E3cg=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E11n=The Count of Monte Fatso; Bartman Begins | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | *{{mov}} | ||
| + | {{Season19A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E12n=wraparounds | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season20A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E1n=mentioned | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season21A | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E4n=Dial "M" for Murder or Press # To Return To Main Menu; Don't Have a Cow, Mankind | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E23=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season22A | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season23A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13cg=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season24A | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E2n=The Greatest Story Ever Holed; Bart & Homer's Excellent Adventure | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season25A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E19n=picture | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season26A | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season27A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season28A | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20cg=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season29A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E21=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season30A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E4n=Intrusion of the Pod-Y Switchers; Geriatric Park | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | |E23=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season31A | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E4n=When Hairy Met Slimy | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E8n=A-Gobble-Ypto | ||
| + | |E9=yes | ||
| + | |E10=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E13=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | |E22n=Christmas Card | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season32A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E3n=Lisanardo da Vinci; Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E4n=Into the Homer-verse | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E17=yes | ||
| + | |E18=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season33A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E3=yes | ||
| + | |E3n=Bong Joon Ho's This Side of Parasite | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E20=yes | ||
| + | |E22=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season34A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E2=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E5n=ghost | ||
| + | |E8=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E12=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E14n=mentioned | ||
| + | |E15=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | |E19=yes | ||
| + | |E22OS=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{Season35A | ||
| + | |E1=yes | ||
| + | |E4=yes | ||
| + | |E5=yes | ||
| + | |E5n=Lout Break | ||
| + | |E6=yes | ||
| + | |E7=yes | ||
| + | |E11=yes | ||
| + | |E14=yes | ||
| + | |E16=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Specials:''' | ||
| + | {{SpecialsA | ||
| + | |Bartman=yes | ||
| + | |Ride=yes | ||
| + | |Fox25=yes | ||
| + | |AMFSRPH=yes | ||
| + | |MBER=yes | ||
| + | |Fiscal=yes | ||
| + | |TSG=yes | ||
| + | |Bowl=yes | ||
| + | |HV2016=yes | ||
| + | |SoD=yes | ||
| + | |SoDn=archive footage | ||
| + | |Balenciaga=yes | ||
| + | |Plus=yes | ||
| + | |TDLM=yes | ||
| + | |Feliz=yes | ||
| + | |Felizn=picture | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Adverts:''' | ||
| + | {{AdvertsA | ||
| + | |Coke=yes | ||
| + | |TSTO2=yes | ||
| + | |TSTO3=yes | ||
| + | |TSTO5=yes | ||
| + | |KFC2=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Butterfinger Adverts:''' | ||
| + | {{ButterfingerA | ||
| + | |BF20=yes | ||
| + | |BF21=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Simpsons Illustrated:''' | ||
| + | {{SimpsonsIllustratedA | ||
| + | |I1S3=yes | ||
| + | |I5S2=yes | ||
| + | |I5S4=yes | ||
| + | |I6S6=yes | ||
| + | |I8S6=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Simpsons Comics:''' | ||
| + | {{SimpsonsComicsA | ||
| + | |I1S1=yes | ||
| + | |I4S1=yes | ||
| + | |I4S2=yes | ||
| + | |I5S1=yes | ||
| + | |I6S2=yes | ||
| + | |I7S1=yes | ||
| + | |I8S1=yes | ||
| + | |I10S1=yes | ||
| + | |I11S2=yes | ||
| + | |I12S1=yes | ||
| + | |I13S1=yes | ||
| + | |I14S1=yes | ||
| + | |I14S3=yes | ||
| + | |I16S1=yes | ||
| + | |I17S1=yes | ||
| + | |I18S1=yes | ||
| + | |I22S1=yes | ||
| + | |I24S1=yes | ||
| + | |I27S1=yes | ||
| + | |I28S1=yes | ||
| + | |I29S1=yes | ||
| + | |I30S1=yes | ||
| + | |I31S1=yes | ||
| + | |I32S1=yes | ||
| + | |I33S1=yes | ||
| + | |I34S1=yes | ||
| + | |I35S1=yes | ||
| + | |I35S1n=dialogue only | ||
| + | |I36S1=yes | ||
| + | |I37S1=yes | ||
| + | |I38S1=yes | ||
| + | |I39S1=yes | ||
| + | |I41S2=yes | ||
| + | |I42S1=yes | ||
| + | |I46S1=yes | ||
| + | |I46S2=yes | ||
| + | |I48S1=yes | ||
| + | |I48S2=yes | ||
| + | |I49S1=yes | ||
| + | |I50S2=yes | ||
| + | |I51S1=yes | ||
| + | |I52S1=yes | ||
| + | |I53S1=yes | ||
| + | |I54S1=yes | ||
| + | |I55S1=yes | ||
| + | |I56S1=yes | ||
| + | |I57S2=yes | ||
| + | |I58S1=yes | ||
| + | |I59S1=yes | ||
| + | |I60S1=yes | ||
| + | |I61S1=yes | ||
| + | |I62S1=yes | ||
| + | |I63S1=yes | ||
| + | |I63S2=yes | ||
| + | |I63S3=yes | ||
| + | |I64S2=yes | ||
| + | |I65S2=yes | ||
| + | |I66S1=yes | ||
| + | |I69S1=yes | ||
| + | |I72S1=yes | ||
| + | |I74S1=yes | ||
| + | |I78S1=yes | ||
| + | |I79S1=yes | ||
| + | |I80S1=yes | ||
| + | |I82S1=yes | ||
| + | |I83S1=yes | ||
| + | |I83S3=yes | ||
| + | |I85S1=yes | ||
| + | |I85S2=yes | ||
| + | |I85S2n=picture | ||
| + | |I86S1=yes | ||
| + | |I87S1=yes | ||
| + | |I88S1=yes | ||
| + | |I90S2=yes | ||
| + | |I91S1=yes | ||
| + | |I94S1=yes | ||
| + | |I98S1=yes | ||
| + | |I99S1=yes | ||
| + | |I100S1=yes | ||
| + | |I101S1=yes | ||
| + | |I102S1=yes | ||
| + | |I104S1=yes | ||
| + | |I108S1=yes | ||
| + | |I109S1=yes | ||
| + | |I115S1=yes | ||
| + | |I118S1=yes | ||
| + | |I119S1=yes | ||
| + | |I120S1=yes | ||
| + | |I121S1=yes | ||
| + | |I122S1=yes | ||
| + | |I128S1=yes | ||
| + | |I129S1=yes | ||
| + | |I132S1=yes | ||
| + | |I133S1=yes | ||
| + | |I134S1=yes | ||
| + | |I136S1=yes | ||
| + | |I137S1=yes | ||
| + | |I138S1=yes | ||
| + | |I141S1=yes | ||
| + | |I148S1=yes | ||
| + | |I150S1=yes | ||
| + | |I150S1n=mentioned | ||
| + | |I151S1=yes | ||
| + | |I152S1=yes | ||
| + | |I153S2=yes | ||
| + | |I154S1=yes | ||
| + | |I156S1=yes | ||
| + | |I159S1=yes | ||
| + | |I162S1=yes | ||
| + | |I163S1=yes | ||
| + | |I167S1=yes | ||
| + | |I170S1=yes | ||
| + | |I174S1=yes | ||
| + | |I175S1=yes | ||
| + | |I176S1=yes | ||
| + | |I177S1=yes | ||
| + | |I180S1=yes | ||
| + | |I185S1=yes | ||
| + | |I185S2=yes | ||
| + | |I186S1=yes | ||
| + | |I187S1=yes | ||
| + | |I188S1=yes | ||
| + | |I189S1=yes | ||
| + | |I193S1=yes | ||
| + | |I194S1=yes | ||
| + | |I196S1=yes | ||
| + | |I197S1=yes | ||
| + | |I198S1=yes | ||
| + | |I199S1=yes | ||
| + | |I200S1=yes | ||
| + | |I202S1=yes | ||
| + | |I205S1=yes | ||
| + | |I206S1=yes | ||
| + | |I207S1=yes | ||
| + | |I210S1=yes | ||
| + | |I211S7=yes | ||
| + | |I211S9=yes | ||
| + | |I211S11=yes | ||
| + | |I212S1=yes | ||
| + | |I213S1=yes | ||
| + | |I215S1=yes | ||
| + | |I216S1=yes | ||
| + | |I219S1=yes | ||
| + | |I223S1=yes | ||
| + | |I224S1=yes | ||
| + | |I225S3=yes | ||
| + | |I227S1=yes | ||
| + | |I234S3=yes | ||
| + | |I236S1=yes | ||
| + | |I243S1=yes | ||
| + | |I244S1=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Bartman:''' | ||
| + | {{BartmanA | ||
| + | |I2S1=yes | ||
| + | |I6S1=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Krusty Comics:''' | ||
| + | {{KrustyComicsA | ||
| + | |I1S1=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Treehouse of Horror:''' | ||
| + | {{TreehouseA | ||
| + | |I1S1=yes | ||
| + | |I1S3=yes | ||
| + | |I3S1=yes | ||
| + | |I4S3=yes | ||
| + | |I4S3n=picture | ||
| + | |I5S1=yes | ||
| + | |I5S2=yes | ||
| + | |I5S3=yes | ||
| + | |I6S1=yes | ||
| + | |I7S1=yes | ||
| + | |I7S2=yes | ||
| + | |I7S4=yes | ||
| + | |I7S5=yes | ||
| + | |I9S1=yes | ||
| + | |I9S1n=hallucination | ||
| + | |I12S3=yes | ||
| + | |I13S1=yes | ||
| + | |I13S2=yes | ||
| + | |I13S4=yes | ||
| + | |I16S1=yes | ||
| + | |I18S4=yes | ||
| + | |I20S4=yes | ||
| + | |I21S2=yes | ||
| + | |I21S3=yes | ||
| + | |I22S1=yes | ||
| + | |I23S3=yes | ||
| + | |B1S7=yes | ||
| + | |B1S13=yes | ||
| + | |B3S1=yes | ||
| + | |B3S7=yes | ||
| + | |B5S1=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Bart Simpson:''' | ||
| + | {{BartSimpsonA | ||
| + | |I6S1=yes | ||
| + | |I7S1=yes | ||
| + | |I12S2=yes | ||
| + | |I14S1=yes | ||
| + | |I18S1=yes | ||
| + | |I20S1=yes | ||
| + | |I22S4=yes | ||
| + | |I29S4=yes | ||
| + | |I31S1=yes | ||
| + | |I32S3=yes | ||
| + | |I37S1=yes | ||
| + | |I39S1=yes | ||
| + | |I39S5=yes | ||
| + | |I40S1=yes | ||
| + | |I40S3=yes | ||
| + | |I42S1=yes | ||
| + | |I43S2=yes | ||
| + | |I44S1=yes | ||
| + | |I47S1=yes | ||
| + | |I48S1=yes | ||
| + | |I54S1=yes | ||
| + | |I57S1=yes | ||
| + | |I57S4=yes | ||
| + | |I62S3=yes | ||
| + | |I66S2=yes | ||
| + | |I68S2=yes | ||
| + | |I69S1=yes | ||
| + | |I75S3=yes | ||
| + | |I78S1=yes | ||
| + | |I82S2=yes | ||
| + | |I82S2n=picture | ||
| + | |I83S1=yes | ||
| + | |I87S2=yes | ||
| + | |I94S4=yes | ||
| + | |I100S1=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Futurama Crossover:''' | ||
| + | {{FuturamaCrossoverA | ||
| + | |S1=yes | ||
| + | |S2=yes | ||
| + | |S3=yes | ||
| + | |S4=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Comic Strips:''' | ||
| + | {{ComicStripsA | ||
| + | |S20=yes | ||
| + | |S36=yes | ||
| + | |S46=yes | ||
| + | |S65=yes | ||
| + | |S83=yes | ||
| + | |S90=yes | ||
| + | |S91=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Holiday Humdinger:''' | ||
| + | {{HolidayHumdingerA | ||
| + | |S12=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Super Spectacular:''' | ||
| + | {{SuperSpectacularA | ||
| + | |I1S1=yes | ||
| + | |I8S1=yes | ||
| + | |I8S2=yes | ||
| + | |I9S1=yes | ||
| + | |I12S1=yes | ||
| + | |I13S1=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Winter Wingding:''' | ||
| + | {{WinterWingdingA | ||
| + | |I2S1=yes | ||
| + | |I3S4=yes | ||
| + | |I4S1=yes | ||
| + | |I5S1=yes | ||
| + | |I5S2=yes | ||
| + | |I8S1=yes | ||
| + | |I8S2=yes | ||
| + | |I9S3=yes | ||
| + | |I10S1=yes | ||
| + | |I10S2=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Summer Shindig:''' | ||
| + | {{SummerShindigA | ||
| + | |I1S1=yes | ||
| + | |I4S4=yes | ||
| + | |I5S2=yes | ||
| + | |I7S3=yes | ||
| + | |I8S3=yes | ||
| + | |I8S3n=mentioned | ||
| + | |I9S1=yes | ||
| + | |I9S1n=mentioned | ||
| + | |I9S4=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book:''' | ||
| + | {{DOCBGA | ||
| + | |S2=yes | ||
| + | |S4=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Annuals:''' | ||
| + | {{AnnualsA | ||
| + | |I10S2=yes | ||
| + | |I11S7=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Homer for the Holidays:''' | ||
| + | {{HftHA | ||
| + | |S5=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''One-Shot Wonders:''' | ||
| + | {{OneShotsA | ||
| + | |IMBS3=yes | ||
| + | |IMBS4=yes | ||
| + | |IMBS5=yes | ||
| + | |IMSS6=yes | ||
| + | |ILSS2=yes | ||
| + | |ILSS3=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Other Comics:''' | ||
| + | *{{bon|Gumshoe Comics}} | ||
| + | '''Video Games:''' | ||
| + | {{GamesA | ||
| + | |H&R=yes | ||
| + | |Game=yes | ||
| + | |TSTO=yes | ||
| + | |TSRR=yes | ||
| + | |Arcade=yes | ||
| + | |BvtW=yes | ||
| + | |Wrestle=yes | ||
| + | |TSVS=yes | ||
| + | |Cartoon=yes | ||
| + | |Skate=yes | ||
| + | |Virtual=yes | ||
| + | |LEGO=yes | ||
| + | |Arcade2=yes | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Books:''' | ||
| + | {{BooksA | ||
| + | |UEG=yes | ||
| + | |TKB=yes | ||
| + | |TBoM=yes | ||
| + | |CWBoC=yes | ||
| + | |UJRoSFB=yes | ||
| + | |CBG=yes | ||
| + | |MBHoWD=yes | ||
| + | |LSGtGC=yes | ||
| + | |GfTS90=yes | ||
| + | |GfTS07=yes | ||
| + | |TSGtS=yes | ||
| + | |SCRoy=yes | ||
| + | |SCCC6=yes | ||
| + | |SCoP=yes | ||
| + | |SCSp=yes | ||
| + | |FitS=yes | ||
| + | |RDFB=yes | ||
| + | |TSFH=yes | ||
| + | |TSFCC=yes | ||
| + | |THOHO1=yes | ||
| + | |HSLBoL=yes | ||
| + | |BMTSH=yes | ||
| + | |BMTSHn=also as [[The Right Hand Man]] | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | '''Merchandise:''' | ||
| + | *{{merch|Springfield's Festive Friends}} | ||
| + | {{TC}} | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | |||
| + | == References == | ||
| + | {{Scroll| | ||
| + | {{Reflist}} | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | |||
| + | == External links == | ||
| + | {{Images|Waylon Smithers}} | ||
| + | *[http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/guides/smithers.sexuality.html Smithers' Sexuality] at [[The Simpsons Archive]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{MultiNavbox| | ||
| + | {{Springfield Nuclear Power Plant|management=yes}} | ||
| + | {{LGBT|gay=yes|hinted trans=yes}} | ||
| + | {{Bowling Teams|sidekicks=yes|team=no}} | ||
| + | {{LifeBoat}} | ||
| + | {{Stonecutters|others=yes}} | ||
| + | {{Actors|other actors=yes}} | ||
| + | {{Tapped Out characters|plant=yes|morestonecutters=yes}} | ||
| + | {{Springfield High School}} | ||
| + | {{Simpsons World factfiles|7=yes}} | ||
| + | {{Simpsons characters|snpp=yes}} | ||
| + | }} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smithers, Waylon}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Smithers, Waylon}} | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | |
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Adults]] |
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Drag queens]] |
| − | [[Category:Characters voiced by Harry | + | [[Category:Recurring characters]] |
| + | [[Category:Characters voiced by Harry Shearer]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Characters voiced by Tress MacNeille]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Characters introduced in season 1]] | ||
Revision as of 10:23, May 6, 2024
- Waylon Smithers redirects here. For his father, see Waylon Smithers, Sr..
- "That's Homer Simpson, one of your (nickname) from sector 7G."
- ―Smithers' catchphrase
Waylon J. Smithers, Jr.
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Character Information
|
Waylon J. Smithers, Jr. (better known as "Mr. Smithers" or simply as "Smithers") is Mr. Burns personal assistant, executive, and self-proclaimed best friend. He is openly gay as he came out, but due to how poorly he hid his sexuality most people knew that beforehand.[4]
Contents
Biography
Smithers' father, Waylon Smithers, Sr., worked for Burns until he died of radiation poisoning after saving Springfield from a potential nuclear meltdown.[5] In grade school, he was beaten up by bullies (including Homer Simpson).[6] He was later the announcer for the high school gymnastics competition. Eventually he became Mr. Burns' personal assistant.
As a (not very well) closeted gay man, he has had a crush on Mr. Burns for as long as he as worked for him, to which Burns is oblivious. He was previously married to a woman (a southern belle, given her accent and personality), but it fell apart when, shortly after an injury with his leg, and his then-wife wanted to have sex with him, his then-wife referred to his true love, Mr. Burns, as "awful". At one point it was implied that he was linked romantically to John, the owner of Cockamamie's thrift shop. This is all a comedic takeoff of Tennessee Williams's play, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.[7]
He collects Malibu Stacy dolls, writes a newsletter about the doll,[8] and was the author of a Malibu Stacy stage musical that played in Arizona; he played Stacy's boyfriend.[9] Smithers has the largest collection of Malibu Stacy dolls in the World and is the president of the Malibu Stacy fan club.[8] He once also owned a Yorkshire Terrier named Hercules. When Mr. Burns convinced Sideshow Bob to run for mayor, it was Smithers who revealed to Bart and Lisa a clue that would lead them to the truth about Bob's not-so-honest victory in the mayoral election, hinting that his reasons were due to Sideshow Bob planning on enacting policies that were oppressive to his orientation.[10]
In 1995, when Mr. Burns attempted to block the sun from Springfield after stealing oil from the elementary school, Smithers objected and was fired. This drove him into a nightmare of alcohol abuse and Comedy Central viewing. He was the main suspect in the subsequent shooting of Mr. Burns, but he was cleared and it was learned that Maggie was responsible. However, he did, in a drunken stupor, shoot Jasper in his wooden leg while trying to rush home to watch his favorite TV show. No charges were pressed in this case. Initially he believes Jasper was actually Mr. Burns so he goes inside a confessional to unburden himself. He first admits he is not a Catholic although he did try to march in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade and then sobbingly confesses, but it is not to a priest, but Chief Wiggum who arrests him. .[11]
Smithers' official job at the power plant appears to be that of executive assistant, which he says is "actually about 2,800 smaller jobs",[12] responsible for monitoring employee attendance and is often a disciplinarian and has won dozens of "Employee of the Month" awards.[13] He has often hinted at wanting to be promoted to the position of executive vice president, but Burns has repeatedly squashed this dream, while whimsically bestowing the vice presidency on Homer[14] and a dog.[15]
He was once, however, made the CEO of the Nuclear Power Plant in Burns' stead when Mr. Burns was arrested for stealing paintings from a museum, a position that is arguably better than vice president, although he hints that he didn't want the job. He initially tried to be an employee-friendly boss, but after overhearing a conversation between Lenny, Carl and Homer while meeting at Moe's Tavern that revealed that they were abusing his employee-friendly nature to in essence goof off, he became a worse CEO than Mr. Burns (even going as far as to release wolverines in the house instead of hounds). He eventually gave up on the position willingly after Mr. Burns was released by Lenny, Carl and Homer.[16]
Personality
Smithers has been implied to be gay several times despite not declaring it himself. He has several gay friends and frequents Springfield's gay village. When he was arrested for trying to get opium for Mr. Burns, he is implied to be gay when Mr. Burns says to Homer "I've never seen someone taken to a Turkish prison so quickly."[17] and goes on a vacation to a male-only resort.[12] Smithers is shown to be quite passionate for Mr. Burns. Smithers has occasional fantasies about Burns, like dreaming he is on his bed and suddenly Mr. Burns appears flying through the window.[18]
When he turns his computer on, it shows a nude Burns saying "Hello Smithers. You're quite good at turning me on"[8] Smithers has declared his love for Burns on some occasions, such as kissing Mr. Burns on the lips after saying "Oh, what the hell!", believing the world was ending, later explaining it to him as "merely a sign of my respect".[19] Another hint of Smithers' sexuality is when he seems to have been dating John, a gay man. Burns appears oblivious to all this. Burns himself has been involved with several women, much to Smithers' frustration. Once, Burns fell in love with Marge, and later, with a woman called Gloria. Smithers was noticeably disgusted when Burns started looking for a female companion.[20] Burns, for his part, views (and refers to) Smithers as a lackey, albeit a highly valued one for his competence and toadying. He has "rewarded" Smithers' devotion with the future "honor" of being buried alive with him after he dies.[21]
Smithers has been shown to be somewhat dependant on his relationship with Burns, like the occasion when Burns orders Smithers to take a vacation and Homer is hired as a temporary replacement. When Homer loses his temper and punches Burns in the face, Mr. Burns learns to become self-reliant and this results in Smithers being fired. Smithers decides that he needs to be Burns' assistant and eventually gets his job back.[12] For all his sycophantic devotion to Mr. Burns, Smithers has been willing to challenge him on some occasions. He opposed his employer's various evil schemes and Burns fired him. As a result of his firing, Smithers became a "hideous drunken wreck"[22] and when Mr. Burns was shot later, Smithers thought he might have done it while he was drunk. When it was proven that he had not, Smithers forgave Burns and demanded that the culprit be brought to justice, offering a reward for the capture of the perpetrator.[11]
Relationships
Smithers' romantic interest has largely been aimed at Mr. Burns who appears oblivious to Smithers' affections. Smithers entered a relationship with Julio Franco after quitting from his job, however it was apparent that Smithers was not over Burns so Julio ended it.[4] It's been implied that Smithers had a thing with Mr. Largo.[23][24]
Non-canon
|
The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened or existed. |
Future
At age 50, Smithers jumps into the cooling towers and a broken heart appears above them.[25] As seen on Professor Frink's future machine, eight years from the present, Smithers is straight, provided he injects himself with medicine every 10 minutes; upon taking the injection he waves his arms in the air and shouts "I loves boobies!".[26] In 2010, he thawed out Mr. Burns and had his 17 stab wounds to the back cured. He and Burns attended Lisa Simpson's wedding.[27] in 1,000,000 AD, his head is on a robotic dog body and follows Burns' head everywhere.[28]
The Simpsons: The Arcade Game
Smithers appears in this game as the first boss of the final level, as well as one of the main antagonists. Smithers, presumably under Mr. Burns' command, broke into a jewelry store to steal a diamond. As he and his fellow henchmen were making their escape, he (quite literally) bumped into the Simpson's family, causing him to lose the diamond, and for Maggie to catch it. Because of this setback, Smithers ends up kidnapping Maggie and, after a few misadventures, Smithers makes it back to the Nuclear Power Plant, although not without the Simpsons family following him. He then fights the Simpsons family, remarking "Welcome to my world!" He lobbed several explosives at the family. When sensing that he would soon lose, he opened his cape, revealed to be filled with explosives, cackling maniacally only to react in shock as he discovers that the explosives had activated.
The Simpsons Wrestling
In The Simpsons Wrestling, Mr. Burns is one of the game's bosses, although Smithers does most of the fighting for him. As well as physical attacks, Smithers throws a three-eyed fish at his opponent, while Burns throws exploding nuclear rods. The Smithers/Burns duo are playable in the Bonus Match Up.
The Simpsons: Road Rage
In The Simpsons: Road Rage, Smithers drives Mr. Burns around Springfield in his limo and on Burns' orders, will ram into the player character's car in an attempt to thwart them on their mission to raise money and buy back the bus transit service from Burns. It is possible to play as Smithers in the limo with the use of an in-game cheat, although Burns will not travel with him. It is also revealed that Smithers lives in an apartment near Principal Skinner's house. Noticeably, Smithers does not have any dialogue in this game.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run
In Level 1, Homer destroys the limo which Smithers is driving using the Plow King, as he is late for an inspection. Homer later races Smithers to Burns' manor, so that he can accuse Burns of operating Surveillance Vans. In a bonus mission in Level 7, Smithers asks Homer to find and collect a number of Burns' missing items. As a reward, Smithers gives Homer access to Burns' limo.
The Simpsons Game
In The Simpsons Game, level "Lisa the Tree Hugger", Smithers was involved in Mr. Burns' plan of trying to cut down the entirety of Springfield Forest, and is comforting him about doing better next time when the plan fails due to Lisa and Bart's interference, as well as phoning some goons to beat up Al Gore. In Mob Rules, he appears as one of the people Marge can use to protest the sales of the Grand Theft Scratchy videogame to minors.
In Medal of Homer, a squad of sailors resembling Smithers protects Private Burns on board his personal naval carrier where he protects the stolen paintings from the village of St. Capitulons. According to Abraham Simpson during the briefing for the level, the sailors in question fight neither for country nor for God, solely for love. Ironically the sailor Smitherses are among the enemies sent by God in "Game Over".
The Simpsons: Tapped Out
Smithers
- This section is transcluded from The Simpsons: Tapped Out characters/Plant Workers. To edit it, please edit the transcluded page.
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43,750
5
Costumes
Standalone
Coca Cola Advert
He is briefly seen being bought by Patty and Selma, then in the park butlering them.
Behind the Laughter
Character
Creation
.png)
Smithers with black skin and blue hair, as seen in "Homer's Odyssey"
Waylon Smithers was partly based on how numerous Fox executives and staff members acted towards Barry Diller.[29] The idea for Smithers's orientation came from Sam Simon, who proposed that Smithers should be gay, but the writers should never draw too much attention to it and should try to keep it in the back of their heads.[30] The script for "Blood Feud" originally featured Smithers saying "Just leave me enough to get home to my wife and kids," but the line had to be cut for time.[29] Smithers is voiced by Harry Shearer, who is also the voice of Mr. Burns.[31] Shearer is often able to perform dialogue between the two characters in one take.[32] Dan Castellaneta occasionally fills in for Shearer at table reads and voices Smithers.[32]
Smithers made his first appearance in "Homer's Odyssey", which was the third episode of the first season, although he can be heard over a speaker in The Simpsons series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".[33] In his first visual appearance in "Homer's Odyssey", Smithers was mistakenly animated with the wrong color and was made African American by Gyorgi Peluce, the color stylist. David Silverman has claimed that Smithers was always intended to be "Mr Burns' white sycophant,"[34] and the staff thought it "would be a bad idea to have a black sub-servient character" and so switched him to his intended color for his next episode.[29] The first appearance of yellow Smithers was "There's No Disgrace Like Home", the fourth episode of the first season.
Development
Smithers dreams about Mr. Burns in "Marge Gets a Job". The censors had issues with the "lump in his bed."[35]
Smithers's relationship with Mr. Burns has long been a running joke on The Simpsons. Smithers is an obedient and sycophant assistant to Mr. Burns. There have often been strong hints about Smithers's true feelings for his boss, with one of the earliest references being in the season one episode "The Telltale Head".[30] Smithers's sexual orientation has often come into question, with some fans claiming he is a "Burns-sexual" and only attracted to his boss, while others maintain that he is, without a doubt, gay. During the Bill Oakley/Josh Weinstein era, they still tried to keep his sexuality mysterious and there was debate among the writers about his orientation. Al Jean, who thinks of Smithers as being a "Burns-sexual",[32] felt that had Mr. Burns been a woman, then Smithers would not be gay.[36]
David Silverman, a former supervising director has said, "[Smithers] seems to be focused on one particular human, as opposed to anything beyond that. [Rather than being gay], he's sort of 'Burns-sexual.'" "Waylon Smithers" is actually an anagram of "Wants him sorely". In a 2006 study conducted by the "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation", it was determined that nine of the 679 lead and supporting characters on scripted broadcast television were gay or lesbian. Smithers was not included among these nine characters, and it caused a mild online controversy. Patty Bouvier, Marge Simpson's lesbian sister, was included on the list.[37] The debate is referenced in "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", when the episode host, Troy McClure is answering viewer questions, and one that is asked is "What is the real deal with Mr. Burns' assistant Smithers? You know what I'm talking about." A montage of various clips that shows Smithers' lust for Mr. Burns follows, and in the end, McClure says "as you can see, the real deal with Waylon Smithers is that he's Mr. Burns' assistant. He's in his early forties, is unmarried, and currently resides in Springfield. Thanks for asking!"[1]
Several of the allusions to Smithers's sexuality have turned into battles with the censors. For example, in Smithers' fantasy of a naked Mr. Burns popping out of a birthday cake in "Rosebud", the censors had not wanted Mr. Burns to be naked. Another example is "Marge Gets a Job", which has a dream sequence where Smithers is sleeping and Burns flies through a window. The sequence shows Burns flying towards him and Smithers looking happy, but originally it went on for a few seconds longer. It had to be trimmed down due to scenes that showed "Mr. Burns land[ing] on a particular position on Smithers's anatomy".[38] There were also issues with "the lump in his bed", which the animators had been drawn as his knee, but the censors had misinterpreted.[35]
In the early seasons, Smithers has an occasional catchphrase, which comes from a recurring joke that Mr. Burns never remembers who Homer is. In some scenes, Smithers and Burns would watch Homer over a security camera Burns will ask, "Who is that man?", to which Smithers would reply, "That's Homer Simpson sir, one of your [insert drones, organ banks, carbon blobs, etc.] from sector 7G."
Reception
In the second season, the writers started to enjoy writing about Smithers and Burns's relationship, and the writers often pitched episodes with them as the focus, but many never came to fruition.[39]
In 2004, Simpsons producers announced that one of the characters was going to come out of the closet.[40] Speculation on who it would be was printed in newspapers throughout the United States and Canada (even claiming Smithers's "sexual orientation was about the worst-kept secret in Springfield,")[41] as well as in Australia,[42] New Zealand,[43] Ireland, (the Irish Independent called Smithers "too obvious" a choice)[44] and the United Kingdom.[45] Despite Matt Groening joking that it would be Homer, The Boston Herald calculated the odds of several characters being gay with Smithers at a million to one.[46] PlanetOut hosted an online poll in the weeks prior to the episode to determine based on "cartoon gaydar" who was gay on the Simpsons, with 97% of the respondents choosing Smithers. Jenny Stewart, the entertainment editor at the site said of the poll, "We've never had such an avalanche of people voting in any of our polls as we did on The Simpsons."[47] After the guessing, it was Patty Bouvier who came out.[48]
In a 2007 article, Entertainment Weekly named Smithers the sixteenth greatest sidekick of all time.[49] They have also described Smithers and Mr. Burns as being "TV's most functional dysfunctional couple".[50] Star News Online named "Smithers' fey way" as one of the four hundred reasons why they loved The Simpsons.[51] In a 2003 article, Entertainment Weekly named the Who Shot Mr. Burns? duo of episodes, in which Smithers was prominently featured, 25th best episode.[50]
Cultural influence
Smithers was made into an action figure, and four different versions were included as part of the World of Springfield toy line. The first shows Smithers in his normal attire with a picture of Mr. Burns at his feet and was released in 2000 as part of "wave two".[52] The second, released in 2002 as part of "wave ten", is called "resort Smithers" and shows him dressed as he was at the resort in the episode "Homer the Smithers".[53] In 2003, a series of figures exclusive to Electronics Boutique was released, and a set of one Mr. Burns figure and two different Smithers toys based on the episode "Rosebud" were included. One, called "Bobo Smithers" shows Smithers dressed as Mr. Burns' teddy bear Bobo;[54] and the other, known as "future Smithers", shows him as a robotic dog.[55] A "future Burns" was included in the set as a companion to "future Smithers" and depicts Burns as how he appeared as a robot at the end of the episode.[56]
Foreign dubs
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Appearances
References
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External links
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