Herman Hermann
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Herman
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Character Information
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Herman Larson, voiced by Harry Shearer, is the owner of Herman's Military Antiques. He dresses in military fatigues.
Contents
Arm
He has only one arm; he told Bart that the other arm was lost by sticking it out of the window of a moving bus (his arm being lost by sticking the hand out of the bus was later implied in Homer's Odyssey, when Mrs. Krabappel warns the kids to keep their hands out of the window of the bus as "a kid once lost an arm due to [sticking his arm out of the window]."). The writers had originally intended for him to give a different reason each time he appeared, but this idea was later dropped.
Role in The Simpsons
Herman is a very minor character on the show, although he does appear in the background crowds once in a while.
He is a brilliant military tactician, though his sanity is somewhat questionable (Bart considered him "a little crazy", while Abraham Simpson actually said he was "out of his mind"). Herman was instrumental in Bart’s victory in water balloon combat against Nelson, and the negotiation of the peace treaty between the two combatants in "Bart the General". Herman was meant to be robbed by Snake in The Simpsons: Hit and Run, but didn't make it into the final version. Snake still robbed Herman's Military Antiques, and Herman was both mentioned by Chief Wiggum and had his picture shown in the mission instructions, but he didn't make a proper appearance.
Friends
He is friends with Abraham Simpson, to whom he sold a fez hat, claiming it was previously owned by Napoleon. He also claimed that he owned "the hat McKinley was shot in". He also has a mysterious friend called Zed. Herman was a member of The Stonecutters, and possibly the "No Homers" club.
Criminal Activities
Herman was the villain in "Springfield Connection", selling counterfeit jeans out of the Simpsons' garage. He was foiled by Marge Simpson, though he was not put in jail because the evidence was stolen by the Springfield PD. In "Treehouse of Horror VIII" he was trying to sell Homer a bomb shelter, and got caught in a nuclear blast while doing so. Herman seems to be very friendly with Abraham Simpson, and is also quite friendly with Homer, despite holding him hostage in "Springfield Connection". He also once made a deal with the Springfield Mafia in an issue of Simpsons Comics.
He once captured Chief Wiggum and Snake and held them hostage (in a homage to a scene from Pulp Fiction), but was thwarted (accidentally) by Milhouse wielding a flail.
Behind the Laughter
Harry Shearer does an impression of George H. W. Bush for Herman's voice. Herman's facial design is modeled after the show's most prolific writer John Swartzwelder, who created the character. The writers had originally planned for Herman to give a new explanation for how he lost his arm every time he appeared. However, the second joke, involving Herman having stuck his arm in a ball return at a bowling alley, got cut, and the writers never pursued the idea thereafter.
Appearances
