--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'The Simpsons' from the very beginning…" description: "\"'The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our memories of brash '60s sitcoms - you had a main title theme that was bombastic and grabbed your..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg" --- # 'The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our… ![“'The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our memories of brash '60s sitcoms - you had a main title theme that was bombastic and grabbed your attention - and when you look at TV shows of the 1970s and '80s, things got very mild and toned down and... obsequious.” quote by Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg) > “'The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our memories of brash '60s sitcoms - you had a main title theme that was bombastic and grabbed your attention - and when you look at TV shows of the 1970s and '80s, things got very mild and toned down and... obsequious.” [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The early Simpsons deliberately mimicked the bold, attention‑grabbing style of 1960s sitcoms, contrasting with the later, more subdued TV trends. **In simple terms:** Early Simpsons copied loud 60s sitcoms, unlike later milder shows. Key Takeaway Recognize and value bold creativity over conformity. Themes creativity media history nostalgia culture shift Mood reflective critical analytical Type observational critical commentary When to use this quote - TV production - writing - branding - marketing - viewer expectations Key Concepts broadcast trends audience attention stylistic contrast Questions to Reflect On - How does boldness affect audience engagement? - When should creators resist mainstream dilution? A Different Perspective Later TV often sacrifices distinctiveness for safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Bombastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombastic/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Simpsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simpsons/) [Sitcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitcom/) [Tv shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-shows/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose I hit my lowest point in the early to mid-80s, which is when things really spun out of control for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcdonald/i-suppose-i-hit-my-lowest-point-in-the-early-to-mid-80s-which-is-when/) [Michael McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcdonald/) > [Hopefully I don't come across bombastic. That's the one thing I don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/hopefully-i-don-t-come-across-bombastic-that-s-the-one-thing-i-don-t/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [“Adults who use big words in order to seem intelligent are annoying, especially those who are not intelligent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/adults-who-use-big-words-in-order-to-seem-intelligent-are-annoying/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Like all of you I'm angry. I'm angry at what's happening to our nation. Citizens, it's time to take our country back. Bombastic insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/like-all-of-you-i-m-angry-i-m-angry-at-what-s-happening-to-our-nation-2/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [Donald Trump has gone from making absurd comments to being downright dangerous with his bombastic rhetoric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/donald-trump-has-gone-from-making-absurd-comments-to-being-downright/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [I'm too drunk to recall much of what I've said. Which, come to think of it, is probably just as well, judging by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-too-drunk-to-recall-much-of-what-i-ve-said-which-come-to-think-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like the big bombastic singers, but I'm also very drawn to what I call character singers. They're people who obviously aren't very huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-like-the-big-bombastic-singers-but-i-m-also-very-drawn-to-what-i/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > ['what.' is bombastic introspection. It's large, colourful, and loud but hopefully intimate at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/what-is-bombastic-introspection-it-s-large-colourful-and-loud-but/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I want her to be powerful on these covers, and sometimes that's a quiet power and other times it's a more bombastic power. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-chiang/i-want-her-to-be-powerful-on-these-covers-and-sometimes-that-s-a/) [Cliff Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-chiang/) > [I'm trying to be less bombastic. I love my books. I think I've done things nobody else has done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-m-trying-to-be-less-bombastic-i-love-my-books-i-think-i-ve-done/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [ I always thought that Seth \[Rogen\] was a fun, caustic, bombastic, sweet, underdog-type of person that I would root for the way you used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/i-always-thought-that-seth-rogen-was-a-fun-caustic-bombastic-sweet/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [I feel that a lot of British comedy is often too bombastic, too obvious, dressing up and shouting and pulling funny faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-feel-that-a-lot-of-british-comedy-is-often-too-bombastic-too/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Being bombastic for the sake of being bombastic has just never been my take on the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-bombastic-for-the-sake-of-being-bombastic-has-just-never-been/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The natural world is full of females falling hard for stupid male display behavior, including bright feathers, big antlers, and bombastic courtship rituals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-conniff/the-natural-world-is-full-of-females-falling-hard-for-stupid-male/) [Richard Conniff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-conniff/) > [I did not care for Wagner. My tastes are more classical. Der Fuhrer had no musical taste and liked Wagner because of the bombastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-frank/i-did-not-care-for-wagner-my-tastes-are-more-classical-der-fuhrer-had/) [Hans Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-frank/) ## More by Matt Groening > [You just have to keep in mind that the important relationship is the relationship with the audience. That's what I try to do. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/you-just-have-to-keep-in-mind-that-the-important-relationship-is-the/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [Do my worst, eh? Smithers, release the robotic Richard Simmons." --Mr. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/do-my-worst-eh-smithers-release-the-robotic-richard-simmons-mr-burns/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I draw a weekly comic strip called Life in Hell, which is syndicated in about 250 newspapers. That's what I did before The Simpsons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/i-draw-a-weekly-comic-strip-called-life-in-hell-which-is-syndicated/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [We've got a bunch of new writers now who tell me they grew up watching The Simpsons. It's bizarre, and they're writing some very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/we-ve-got-a-bunch-of-new-writers-now-who-tell-me-they-grew-up/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [When authorities warn you of the sinfulness of sex, there is an important lesson to be learned. Do not have sex with the authorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/when-authorities-warn-you-of-the-sinfulness-of-sex-there-is-an/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I was always frightened by taverns. They just seemed like very unpleasant places to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/i-was-always-frightened-by-taverns-they-just-seemed-like-very/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [There's always room out there for the hand-drawn image. I personally like the imperfection of hand drawing as opposed to the slick look of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/there-s-always-room-out-there-for-the-hand-drawn-image-i-personally/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [People go into cartooning because they're shy and they're angry. That's when you're sitting in the back of a classroom drawing the teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/people-go-into-cartooning-because-they-re-shy-and-they-re-angry-that/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [Keep your expectations tiny you'll go through life not so whiney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/keep-your-expectations-tiny-you-ll-go-through-life-not-so-whiney/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [Cartooning is for people who can't quite draw and can't quite write. You combine the two half-talents and come up with a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/cartooning-is-for-people-who-can-t-quite-draw-and-can-t-quite-write/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [On 'The Simpsons,' I will say that we definitely like to comment on what's going on in the world, and we try to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/on-the-simpsons-i-will-say-that-we-definitely-like-to-comment-on-what/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/first-you-get-the-sugar-then-you-get-the-power-then-you-get-the-women/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [The tendency in comedy is to have a character who's stupid get more stupid, because you're trying to top yourself and not just repeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-tendency-in-comedy-is-to-have-a-character-who-s-stupid-get-more/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [The conundrum that I face on a daily basis is that I have two sons who have grown up watching 'The Simpsons,' so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-conundrum-that-i-face-on-a-daily-basis-is-that-i-have-two-sons/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I can't believe it! Reading and writing actually paid off!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/i-can-t-believe-it-reading-and-writing-actually-paid-off/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) [Explore all 195 Matt Groening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) Justus Kohncke > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) Lou Lumenick > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) Browse all 488 80s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our memories of brash '60s sitcoms - you had a main title theme that was bombastic and grabbed your attention - and when you look at TV shows of the 1970s and '80s, things got very mild and toned down and... obsequious.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Groening" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was-based-on-our-memories-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "80s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was-based-on-our-memories-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/matt-groening-1946_80s_the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was_188586.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our memories of brash '60s sitcoms - you had a main…” — Matt Groening", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Matt Groening", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "'The Simpsons' from the very beginning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was-based-on-our-memories-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-from-the-very-beginning-was-based-on-our-memories-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```