Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Van Houten
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Character Information
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Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is Bart Simpson's best friend. As the only child of Kirk and Luann Van Houten, Milhouse's most distinctive physical traits are his extreme nearsightedness (depicted by very small eyes), requiring thick glasses to correct, and a huge nose about the size of a softball.
Despite being considered a nerd, Milhouse is of average intelligence but has poor social skills. He is also very gullible, thus he is constantly led into trouble by the mischievous Bart, who is not shy about taking advantage of his naive and trusting friend. Milhouse is one of the few residents in Springfield with eyebrows, a trait he shares with his parents.
Contents
Biography
Milhouse is constantly victimized in some form or another such as being the target of the bullies Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney. They often inflict extreme acts of physical violence upon him. One instance had the bullies wrapping Milhouse in bumper stickers and placing him in a shopping cart, the bullies then pushed the cart with Milhouse inside down a very steep hill.[1] He frequently visited a female psychiatrist called Dr. Waxler until she got fed up by his frequent callings. Milhouse is also the subject of Nelson's cruelty: "stop (hitting, zapping, etc.) yourself." He still uses a child-size car seat and is a bed wetter. He was also born on November 27 1996.
On one occasion, Bart got Milhouse placed on the America's Most Wanted list, even though they are friends, and he once tried to lure Milhouse into a cactus. This kind of torture is often used by Bart, who tries either to get Milhouse in trouble or to hurt him for no reason, making Milhouse's and Bart's relationship even more questionable. Bart once introduced Milhouse and attempted to explain why they are friends. He cannot come up with a real answer and admits that it is due to geographical reasons, though Bart has admitted that he really loves Milhouse.[2] Homer also seems to like joining in on his son's torment of Milhouse although to a much lesser extent (constantly referring to him as "that little wiener Milhouse.") However, Bart does genuinely care for Millhouse, despite victimizing him on many occasions.
Perhaps due to his name (he is named after Richard Nixon), people frequently make Milhouse the butt of a variety of jokes, ranging from being beat up by Nelson for delivering a love note from Lisa (that Nelson thought was from Milhouse himself), having the door slammed in his face while playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, making him a wanted fugitive and inadvertently inheriting Bart's dismal permanent record at school through a side deal arranged between Bart and Edna Krabappel and Principal Skinner, which will disqualify Milhouse from "all but the hottest and noisiest jobs".
Milhouse may be of part Italian ancestry, due to the fact that his grandmother lives in Italy. Milhouse is part Dutch and Danish.
Romance and sexuality
Milhouse harbors a hopeless crush on Bart's younger sister, Lisa, and he is usually clumsy around females. However, in a flashback, when Bart and Milhouse were in kindergarten, a school counsellor accidentally revealed that he had assessed Milhouse to be gay,[3] and indeed, it is often implied Milhouse may be homosexual or bisexual. On occasion he has been shown to enjoy cross-dressing.
Milhouse has exhibited a tendency to begin acting rather ridiculously feminine, complete with clichéd catchphrases and mannerisms. This case of social anxiety has lost him Lisa's heart three times, as well as a relationship with Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter Greta. Examples of such behavior are referring to himself as a "big sister" and being caught with a scrunchie in his hair.[4]
Milhouse may have a crush on Marge, implied when Bart asked him if he's in love with her.[5]
Lisa once showed concern for Milhouse when he was beaten by Nelson and left in a heap, and tended to him. This rare moment of affection however was brief, as she became distracted by the arrival of Irish environmentalist Colin, who became her love interest. When the Trappuccino finished, Milhouse lied to Lisa about Colin's fate and that he begged Milhouse to look after her. Colin returned in the midst of Milhouse's story, and he quickly took his leave.[6]
Milhouse's first girlfriend was Samantha Stankey, a new student who had moved to Springfield from Phoenix, Arizona. After her father caught her and Milhouse kissing, he sent her to a French Canadian Catholic girls' school.[7] While Milhouse's official first kiss was with Samantha, it was contradicted when Milhouse claims his first kiss was with Homer during a game of spin the bottle that Homer interrupted by going up the treehouse and accidentally kissing Milhouse (much to Homer's disgust, but to Milhouse' glad for being his first kiss).[8]
Milhouse was seen making out with Paris Texan, who is nearly 20. This may be due to Milhouse wearing cool clothes at the moment.[9]
Skills and talents
Milhouse is fluent in Italian due to visiting his Anglophobic grandmother Nana Sophie in Tuscany for two weeks every year. Because of his grandmother's beatings when he spoke English, Milhouse learned Italian and started to wet his bed.
Milhouse is allergic to honey, wheat, dairy, non-dairy and even his own tears. He also says that real milk can kill him, though he often drinks it.
He has also demonstrated that he is a skilled Vespa rider, although he is obviously not legally entitled to operate a scooter on public roads. Milhouse had come closest to wooing Lisa when he taught Italian to her, as she even kept a picture of Milhouse in her room while practising Italian. It is implied that she was captivated by his impressive command of the language during a rather romantic outing to the local Italian immigrant establishment. However, he once again reached a roadblock due to his ongoing fatal flaw when it came to girls.[10]
Creation
Milhouse was named after US President Richard Nixon, whose middle name was Milhous. The name was the most "unfortunate name Matt Groening could think of for a kid." Milhouse is a favorite among the staff as Al Jean noted "most of the writers are more like Milhouse than Bart."
Appearances
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This article or section is incomplete.
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References
External links
