Difference between revisions of "Principal Skinner"

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Principal Skinner From Wikisimpsons Home | Characters | Episodes | Cast and Crew Principal Skinner / Armin Tamzarian

Character Information Gender Male Hair Graying, neat Age 52 Occupation Principal of Springfield Elementary Relatives Agnes Skinner, adoptive mother

Voiced By Harry Shearer

Principal W. Seymour Skinner is the principal of "Springfield Elementary School" and Bart's arch-enemy. He is of Armenian descent. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, and a stereotypical educational bureaucrat. He struggles to control the crumbling school and is constantly engaged in a battle against its inadequate resources, apathetic and bitter teachers, and often rowdy and unenthusiastic students, Bart Simpson being a standout example. A strict disciplinarian, Skinner has an uptight, militaristic attitude that stems from his years in the army, service in the Vietnam War, and experiences as a POW in Vietnam. He is voiced by Harry Shearer.

Principal Skinner with Groundskeeper Willy and Children Contents [show] 1 Role in The Simpsons 2 Character 2.1 Creation2.2 Development 3 Tree House of Horror Death 4 Episode Appearances 5 External links

edit Role in The Simpsons Skinner lives in fear of the wrath of his boss, Superintendent Chalmers, a martinet who makes no effort to hide his disapproval of him or give him a fair chance to prove himself.

At one point, Skinner was fired and replaced by Ned Flanders, despite Flanders' thorough lack of administrative skill and experience. During this period Bart actually befriends the unemployed Skinner, telling him about Flanders' lax approach (using the honor system and no formal punishments) and the chaos that ensues. Skinner eventually decides to rejoin the military as a drill sergeant, feeling that he would never be happy doing anything unrelated to administration, and Bart finds that he misses Skinner on two levels: as a friend, but even more as an enemy. While Bart initially enjoys pulling pranks during Flanders' period as principal, he ultimately finds it unfulfilling because the laid-back Flanders lacks Skinner's uptight personality for Bart to play off and ultimately, Bart conspires to return Skinner to his post by having Superintendent Chalmers find out Flanders prays over the loudspeaker to the school, at which point Flanders gets tossed out for violating the separation of church and state.

In the season 2 episode "Principal Charming," Skinner dates Patty Bouvier, who refuses to marry him at the end of the episode, claiming she was too devoted to leave her sister Selma alone, ending the relationship.

In later seasons, Skinner and Edna Krabappel start dating, and they later get engaged. They subsequently break up, although it has been hinted that he still wants her and that they may reunite in the future. He remained a virgin until he started dating Edna Krabappel. He still lives at home with his mother though apparently not by choice, and frequently has flashbacks to the Vietnam War where he spent a grueling eighteen months in a POW camp. On one occasion, while announcing Bart's vulgar Valentine candies, he lapsed into a flashback in which his best friend was killed while writing a Valentine and then cried his friend's name over the school's still-active PA system.

Outside school, Skinner often seems weak-willed and easily suppressed—perhaps because he wants to avoid confrontation—but on one occasion he uses his Vietnam training to beat up (with disturbing efficiency) a lawyer and his two enormous bodyguards who were accusing him of copyright infringement because the school's fair unintentionally ripped off a tagline similar to the Disneyland theme park. He also reveals here that he was apparently a green beret. There are other moments where Skinner uses his military training, which shows that while he may tend to be a pushover, he is quite deadly when angered or cornered, although many never see him this way. He also stands up to Montgomery Burns when Burns tries to get him to cede control of the school's newly discovered oil deposit, but Skinner refused to buckle, only to have Burns steal the oil from under him. Although Skinner was more than happy to let the Army have pre-recruitment activities at SES, he told them "bite me" when they asked if he wanted to re-enlist.

Skinner is sometimes depicted as intelligent as an element of a geek stereotype. He is one of the members of Springfield's branch of Mensa. Skinner was also the only person to ever successfully beat the Blue-Haired Lawyer. He is also a member of Springfield's Cultural Advisory Board. However, when Lisa steals the teacher's editions, he is just as helpless as the teachers, which means that he heavily relied on the books. He is also clueless when it comes to bullies. In "New Kid on the Block", Bart remembers a time when Jimbo was giving him a swirly while Skinner was waiting outside the stall and questioned Jimbo if there was a problem (thinking that Jimbo was just going to the bathroom), since Jimbo had been flushing for twenty minutes. When Jimbo replies "No, Principal Skinner (stupid laugh)", Skinner says, "Alright, I'll continue to wait" and cluelessly begins whistling while the toilet continues to flush. In Bart the General, he also didn't seem to understand that Nelson's line of "I'll meet you on the playground after school" was actually meant to be a threat/fight initiation than an actual meeting.

Seymour Skinner's personal history, like that of many Simpsons characters, is somewhat convoluted. It was long known that he was a Vietnam War veteran: having been a prisoner of war (prisoner #24601, the number given by Victor Hugo to the principal character Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and Sideshow Bob as a prisoner), he often goes into flashbacks of how the guards mistreated him. He lives alone with his domineering elderly mother (his father—who bears a resemblance to fake Seymour Skinner, rather than his actual son—died in a parade float accident in 1979, along with Arnie Gumble, Iggy Wiggum, Etch Westgrin and Griff McDonald, all of the Flying Hellfish).

However, in the episode "The Principal and the Pauper", it was revealed that Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian. Armin was a troubled orphan until he joined the Army and was befriended by Sgt. Skinner, whom he came to idolize. Believing himself responsible for the real Skinner being killed, he returned to Springfield to tell Skinner's mother, but she (deliberately) mistook him for Seymour, and he followed the true Skinner's dream of becoming a school principal. At the end of the episode, Judge Snyder granted Tamzarian Skinner's "name, and his past, present, future, and mother," and decreed that no one will mention his true identity again under penalty of torture (this, after the Springfielders ran the real Seymour, voiced by Martin Sheen—who had been alive after all—out of town by way of railroad). The Simpsons writers have occasionally mocked the inconsistencies in subsequent episodes, it was referenced in "Behind the Laughter" as a 'far-out plot line' to distract from the family's behind-the-cameras turmoil. When Lisa acquires Snowball V and declares, "To save money on a new dish, I'll call you Snowball II." Skinner says, "Isn't that a cheat?" to which Lisa replies, "I guess it is, Principal Tamzarian." Skinner then replies, "I'll just be moving along", nods at Lisa and the new Snowball, and walks off. In the DVD commentary for "The Principal and the Pauper", the producers stated that they intended for the episode's ending to reset the continuity to before Skinner was revealed to be Tamzarian. As such, they said, fans could dismiss the discontinuities created by the notion that Skinner is actually an impostor and consider the episode on its own terms, divorced from the rest of the series. The nerdy Seymour Skinner has a hobby that is only seen rarely on the TV show: amateur radio. His ham radio callsign was given as WA3QIZ once, while communicating on the radio with Homer, who was at sea.

edit Character [edit] Creation Principal Skinner first appeared in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which was also the first Simpsons episode to air.[3] Matt Groening based him on "all the principals of [his] youth, rolled into one bland lump."[4] Writer Jon Vitti named him after behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner.[5] Skinner was originally supposed to wear a toupee, but it was dropped because the writers didn't like "that type of joke".[6]

[edit] Development In the first few seasons, Skinner resembles Norman Bates, the main character from Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho[7]In later episodes, Skinner's behavior was based on teachers that Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein had in high school.[8]

Superintendent Chalmers was introduced in the episode "Whacking Day" as a boss for Skinner and Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria, the voice of Chalmers, fell right into the characters and quite often ad-lib between them.[9]

edit Tree House of Horror Death In Treehouse of Horror XIV Skinners skeletal system is ripped out by the regenerated body of Professor Frink's father.

edit Episode Appearances Episode – "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" Bart the Genius Bart the General The Call of the Simpsons The Telltale Head Life on the Fast Lane The Crepes of Wrath Bart Gets an F Simpson and Delilah Dead Putting Society Bart the Daredevil Principal Charming Old Money War of the Simpsons Lisa's Substitute Bart the Murderer Homer Defined Treehouse of Horror II Lisa's Pony I Married Marge Radio Bart Lisa the Greek Homer Alone Homer at the Bat Separate Vocations Kamp Krusty A Streetcar Named Marge Homer the Heretic Lisa the Beauty Queen Treehouse of Horror III Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie Marge Gets a Job New Kid on the Block Mr. Plow Homer's Triple Bypass Marge vs. the Monorail Selma's Choice Brother from the Same Planet I Love Lisa Duffless Last Exit to Springfield So it's Come to This: a Simpson Clipshow the Front Whacking Day Marge in Chains Krusty Gets Kancelled Homer's Barbershop quartet Cape Feare Rosebud Treehouse of Horror IV Marge on the Lam Bart's Inner Child Boy Scoutz N' the hood The Last Temptation of Homer $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling Homer the Vigilante Bart Gets Famous Homer and Apu Homer Loves Flanders Bart Gets an Elephant Burns Heir Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song The Boy Who Knew Too Much Lady Bouvier's Lover Secrets of a Successful Marriage Bart of Darkness Lisa's Rival Another Simpsons Clip Show Sideshow Bob Roberts Treehouse of Horror V Lisa on Ice Grandpa Vs. Sexual Inadequacy Homer the Great Bart's Comet Homer vs. Patty and Selma A Star is Burns Lisa's Wedding Two Dozen and One Greyhounds The PTA Disbands Round Springfield Who Shot Mr. Burns Part 1 Who Shot Mr. Burns Part 2 Radioactive Man Home Sweet Home-Diddily-Dum-Doodily Mother Simpson Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming Marge Be Not Proud Team Homer Scenes from a Class Struggle in Springfield Bart the Fink Lisa the Iconoclast The Day the Violence Died A Fish Called Selma Bart on the Road 22 Short Films About Springfield Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in the Curse of the Flying Hellfish Much Apu About Nothing Summer of 4 Ft. 2 Treehouse of Horror VII You Only Move Twice Bart After Dark A Milhouse Divided Lisa's Date With Destiny The Twisted World of Marge Simpson Homer's Phobia Brother From Another Series My Sister, My Sitter Homer vs. the 18th Amendment Grade School Confidential The Old Man and Lisa In Marge We Trust Homer's Enemy The Simpsons Spin Off Showcase The Principal and the Pauper Lisa's Sax Treehouse of Horror VIII The Cartridge Family Lisa the Skeptic Realty Bites Miracle on Evergreen Terrace All Singing, All Dancing Bart Carny The Joy of Sect Das Bus The Last Temptation of Krust Lisa the Simpson This Little Wiggy Simpson Tide The Trouble With Trillions Girly Edition Natural Born Kissers Lard of the Dance Bart the Mother D'oh' in the Wind Lisa Gets an A Mayored to the Mob Wild Barts Can't Be Broken Sundau, Cruddy Monday I'm with Cupid Marge Simpson in Screaming Yellow Honkers Make Room for Lisa Simpsons Bible Stories Mom and Pop Art The Old Man and the 'C' Student They Saved Lisa's Brain Brother's Little Helper Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner Treehouse of Horror X E-I-E-I- (Annoyed Grunt) Take my Wife Sleaze Grift of the Magi Alone Again, Natura-Diddly Last Tap Dance in Springfield It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Marge Behind the Laughter A Tale of Two Springfields Homer vs. Dignity The Computer whore Menace Shoes The Great Money Caper Skinner's Sense of Snow HOM'R Pokey Mom Worst Episode Ever Day of the Jackanapes New Kids on the Bleech Hungry Hungry Homer Bye Bye Nerdie I'm Goin to Praiseland Children of a Lesser Clod Simpson Tall Tales Treehouse of Horror XII The Parent Rap Brawil in the Family Sweets and Sour Marge The Bart Wants What It Wants The Lastest Gun in the West Tales From the Public Domain I am Furious Yellow The Sweetest Apu Little Big Girl in the Big Ten The Frying Game Treehouse of Horror XIII The Simpsons Movie Lost Verizon Gone Maggie Gone

edit External links Principal Seymour Skinner at TheSimpsons.com 1.↑ "The Simpsons" The Principal and the Pauper (1997) at IMDB. 2.↑ "The Principal and the Pauper". The Simpsons Episode Guide. Retrieved on 2007-08-04. ) 3.↑ Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on March 2,2007 4.↑ Joe Rhodes. "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves", TV Guide, 2000-10-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-15. 5.↑ Reiss, Mike. (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Principal Charming" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 6.↑ Groening, Matt. (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Principal Charming" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 7.↑ Simpsonsfolder.com: Continuity 8.↑ Weinstein, Josh. (2005). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badaaasssss Song" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 9.↑ Jean, Al. (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Whacking Day" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

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