| Allison Taylor
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| Character Information
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Allison Taylor Lisa's new classmate, introduced in the episode "Lisa's Rival". Allison is as smart as (or smarter than) Lisa, younger (having skipped a grade), and, like Lisa, a young master of the saxophone.
Appearance
At first, Lisa is happy to have a friend as brilliant as she, but eventually Lisa becomes jealous of having a true rival in school. Regardless, Lisa tries to be her friend. To Lisa's chagrin, Allison wins first chair saxophone in the school band, Ralph starts asking her for answers, and Allison's father thinks Lisa is juvenile in comparison.Tensions climax during Springfield Elementary's annual "Diorama-rama" competition. Allison makes a diorama of The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, showing the protagonist going insane while a section of the floor "beats" mechanically. With Bart's help and prodding, Lisa sabotages Allison's entry by switching Allison's diorama with one containing a cow's bloody heart. When Principal Skinner sees the result, he criticizes the diorama and questions Allison's overall qualifications. Lisa, overcome with guilt, confesses to the switch. Lisa and Allison lose the competition to Ralph Wiggum, whose diorama consists of a box of Star Wars action figures still in their packaging, objects of sentimental value to Principal Skinner. In the end, Lisa and Allison put aside their differences and become friends.
Other Appearances
In later episodes, Allison appears as a background character. Originally voiced by Winona Ryder, she has subsequently had a few small speaking parts, with her voice provided by Pamela Hayden. She appears to be on good terms with Lisa.
