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Patty Bouvier

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Patty Bouvier
The Simpsons characters
Patty Bouvier
Information
Voiced byJulie Kavner
GenderFemale
OccupationCivil servant, DMV
RelativesParents: Jackie, Clancy
Sisters: Marge, Selma
Nephew: Bart
Nieces: Lisa, Maggie
Daughter (Selma): Ling
Brother-in-law: Homer
Cousins: Dot
Aunts: Gladys Gurney
Uncles: Lou
(See also Bouvier family)
First appearance
The Simpsons"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"

Patty /ˈbuːvi.eɪ/) is a fictional charactersin the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, voiced by Julie Kavner.[1] She is Marge Simpson's older sister and the younger twin of Selma Bouvier, who works at the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles, and possesses a strong dislike for ger brother-in-law, Homer. Kavner voices her as a character who "sucks the life out of everything".[2]

Distinguishing features[]

Although the two have a similar look, there are several easy ways to distinguish them. Notable differences include:

  • Hairstyle: Patty has a puffy perm, while Selma's similarly textured hair is parted in the middle to form an "M".
  • Outfit: Patty wears a short-sleeved pink dress and pink shoes while Selma wears a hemmed sleeveless blue dress and blue shoes.
  • Earrings: Patty wears orange or blue triangular earrings while Selma wears purple or orange circular earrings (and, in earlier episodes, earrings shaped in an "S").
  • Necklace: Patty wears orange or blue spherical necklace pearls while Selma wears purple or orange spheroid-shaped necklace pearls.

In the episode "The Blue and the Gray", it is revealed that Selma is actually a blonde, while Patty is a redhead. Their blue-grey tinged hair is due to cigarette smoke and ash.

Biography[]

Rarely seen apart from her sister Selma, Patty is known for her distinctive gravelly voices, cynical outlook on life, andlove of cigarettes. They share an apartment at the Spinster City apartment complex and both work at the DMV. The two are avid, sometimes maniacal fans of the TV series, MacGyver. When Jay Sherman, on advice from Homer, told them MacGyver was gay, they stripped him to his boxers and hung him from the gutters.[3] Prior to Selma's marriage with Sideshow Bob, he insulted MacGyver and the wedding was almost cancelled as a result.[4] They once got to meet Richard Dean Anderson (the actor who played the title character) and wound up kidnapping him.[5] The two seem to be aroused by the character, taking cigarettes after every viewing of the show. Patty and Selma often bring back long dull slide shows from their vacations and other activities, including a visit to Czechoslovakia [6] and a pillowcase full of seashells from their trip to Sulfur Bay for them and the family to clean and organize;[7] They drove away Richard Dean Anderson by showing him slides of their trip to the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston, Alberta.[5]

Patty and Selma have a strong, mutually reciprocated dislike for their brother-in-law Homer. They regret that Marge chose Homer over her former boyfriend Artie Ziff,[8] and have unsuccessfully tried to help Artie win her back.[9][10] However, Marge made it clear to her sisters that she loves Homer and there's nothing they can do to change her mind. Homer usually tries to be polite to them out of respect for Marge, but Patty and Selma do not hide their contempt for him. They showed little concern when Homer suffered a heart attack and while he was undergoing surgery they tried to set Marge up with a sleazy man named Andre.[11] They own a tombstone inscribed with the epitaph "Homer J. Simpson. We are richer for having lost him" and use it as a coffee table,[12] stick pins in a voodoo doll which looks like Homer[13] and even commissioned a billboard urging voters to evict Homer from Springfield.[14] Patty and Selma once kidnapped Homer and imprisoned him in a cellar in the hope that Marge would find someone else. Moved to tears by his obvious devotion to Marge, they let him go.[15] When Homer contemplated suicide, they encouraged him to go through with it and then pushed him off the bridge.[16] They have also given stoner Otto Mann a driver's license due to their mutual dislike for Homer,[17] and deliberately failed Homer on his limousine driver's test.[18] For his part, Homer regards them as the "Gruesome Twosome"[19] and was delighted when he (mistakenly) heard they had died.[20]

As children, Patty and Selma were apparently domineering towards Marge and ridiculed her ambition of becoming an astronaut. In return for their allowance, Marge used to do chores for them. The free time they now had led to them taking up smoking.[21] As adults, the Bouvier twins have a friendly relationship with their sister and seem very protective of her and thus frequently visit the Simpsons. They seem relatively fond of their nieces and nephew, but seem to like them more when they are young, as one of them remarks "The older they get, the cuter they ain't."[22] On occasions, they babysit Bart, Lisa and Maggie, something not relished by the kids. Bart and Lisa were left traumatized when they had to stay with their aunts for a week while a stressed out Marge left for Rancho Relaxo. Maggie managed to take evasive action and got to stay with Homer instead.[23] Their idea of bonding with Lisa includes tutoring her in the belief that men are pigs, using Homer as the prime example, which disgusts her as he is her father and despite his not paying attention to her, Lisa knows Homer loves her.

Patty is the younger twin of Selma. Despite the similarities between her and Selma, Patty is more jaded than her sister, particularly towards relationships. It was once said by Marge that Patty chose a life of celibacy, and that Selma had it thrust upon her.[24] Her decision to not have relationships has been implied to be due to her then closeted sexuality. Generally, Patty is more hostile to Homer than Selma is. However, when Patty came out as a lesbian, she found a surprising supporter in Homer (in contrast to Marge who was angry about it), and she swallowed her pride and asked him to perform her marriage ceremony.[25] They also teamed up to try to scupper the burgeoning relationship between Selma and Homer's father Abe.[26]

Relationships[]

Patty's only known relationship with a man was Principal Skinner.[24] On a blind date arranged by Homer, Skinner was supposed to fall for Selma, but he noticed Patty first and fell in love with her instead. They dated for a while but she turned down his marriage proposal, telling him she was too devoted to Selma to abandon her. However, she did consider Skinner a gentleman and ended their relationship with the words "Good night, sweet principal."[24] Like Selma, Patty also has a long-running honest fixation on MacGyver, although this aspect of her personality has been played out in later episodes.

After coming out as a lesbian,[25] Patty exclaims "you could see it from space!". There had been many previous hints of her sexuality; she was seen visiting a burlesque house,[27] once remarked "There goes the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality" after a nude Homer ran past her screaming[28] and she was seen hiding in a closet with Smithers on a parade float during a gay pride parade.[29] In another nod to Patty's sexuality being obvious, Homer sarcastically quipped, "Here's another bomb for ya, Marge: I like beer!" when Marge was shocked at the revelation.

After Patty comes out, Homer accepts her sexuality despite his past problems with her. Marge initially feels hurt and betrayed, but ultimately accepts it also.[25] Patty wooed a tenured professor of Yale University away from her husband[30] and has also been attracted to Edna Krabappel.[26] Selma says "I can't face prison" and Patty replies "I can."[5] Patty's only serious relationship with a woman however was with Veronica, a pro-golfer. It was later discovered by Marge and revealed during Patty's wedding that Veronica was actually a man in disguise.

Character[]

Creation[]

Series creator Matt Groening said he suggested that Kavner voice Patty and Selma as characters who "suck the life out of everything...."[2][31] Al Jean said Kavner makes Patty's voice more masculine and a lower register, while Selma's voice is a little sweeter.[32]

Development[]

See also: There's Something About Marrying

In the 2005 episode "There's Something About Marrying" of the sixteenth season, Patty was revealed to be a lesbian and became the first openly gay recurring character in the series.[33] Groening has stated that the staff wanted to out Patty as gay because portraying her as a "love-starved spinster [...] seemed old" on the show.[34] There had previously been hints about Patty's orientation. For example, in the season thirteen episode "Jaws Wired Shut" she is part of the Springfield Gay Pride Parade's "stayin' in the closet" float, though only her voice was heard and she was not seen.[35]

According to the publications Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture and Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights, it was the controversial lesbian outing of the main character (played by Ellen DeGeneres) in the sitcom Ellen in 1997 that paved the way for Patty's coming-out in "There's Something About Marrying", as well as for many other gay characters on other television shows.[36][37] In his book Queers in American Popular Culture, Jim Elledge noted that it is possible the Simpsons staff chose Patty to come out as gay instead of a male character because lesbians were "traditionally considered more acceptable" on television. She did, however, not "adhere to the eroticized male lesbian fantasy or fit into the loveable, asexual guise of the comedy lesbian" that had previously been seen on shows such as Ellen. Instead, Patty is "rude, crude, and not ashamed of declaring her sexual preferences", and this could make her unpalatable to some viewers according to Elledge.[38]

It was reported a long time in advance of the episode's airing in 2005 that a major character would come out as gay during the episode.[39] There was a widespread debate among fans of the series as to who the character would be.[40] Patty was suspected by many fans and the press because she had not often been seen dating men on the show.[41][42] The tabloid newspaper The Sun revealed already in September 2004 that character who would come out was Patty,[43] though this was regarded as a rumor and The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean would not confirm it.[41][44] Bookmakers in the United States and the United Kingdom took bets on which character would be uncovered as homosexual—BetUS laid odds at four to five that it was Patty, while Smithers had four to one odds and Ned Flanders fifteen to one odds.[45][46] BetUS said gamblers made more than 900 bets on the coming-out on their website.[46] According to The Baltimore Sun, another bookmaker Paddy Power "stopped taking wagers because so much money was being placed on [Patty]."[41]

See also[]

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References[]

  1. ↑ The Simpsons "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" - December 17, 1989
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rhodes, Joe. "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves", TV Guide October 21, 2000, via The Simpsons Archive: "[Matt] Groening says: 'My original idea about Marge's family was they were utterly joyless. The original note I gave to Julie was that they suck the life out of everything they see'".
  3. ↑ The Simpsons - "A Star is Burns"
  4. ↑ The Simpsons. "Black Widower"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Simpsons - "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore"
  6. ↑ The Simpsons. "Flaming Moe's"
  7. ↑ The Simpsons. "Treehouse of Horror VI"
  8. ↑ The Simpsons - "The Way We Was"
  9. ↑ The Simpsons - "Half-Decent Proposal"
  10. ↑ The Simpsons - "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner"
  11. ↑ The Simpsons. "Homer's Triple Bypass"
  12. ↑ The Simpsons - "Mother Simpson"
  13. ↑ The Simpsons - "Homer and Apu"
  14. ↑ The Simpsons - "Three Gays of the Condo"
  15. ↑ The Simpsons - "Wedding for Disaster"
  16. ↑ The Simpsons - "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind"
  17. ↑ The Simpsons. "The Otto Show"
  18. ↑ The Simpsons. "Homer vs. Patty and Selma"
  19. ↑ The Simpsons - "Krusty Gets Busted"
  20. ↑ The Simpsons - "American History X-cellent"
  21. ↑ The Simpsons - "Three Men and a Comic Book"
  22. ↑ The Simpsons - "Lisa's First Word"
  23. ↑ The Simpsons - "Homer Alone"
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 The Simpsons. "Principal Charming"
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SomethingAbout
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RomeJuli
  27. ↑ The Simpsons - "Bart After Dark"
  28. ↑ The Simpsons - "Treehouse of Horror III"
  29. ↑ The Simpsons - "Jaws Wired Shut"
  30. ↑ The Simpsons. "Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife"
  31. ↑ Groening, Matt (2001). The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 
  32. ↑ Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Selma's Choice" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 
  33. ↑ Finn, Natalie (2007-11-07). ""Simpsons'" Smithers Part of Shrinking Minority?". E! News. http://www.eonline.com/news//article/index.jsp?uuid=fd0da574-316b-4300-80a7-8662f9a096b2&entry=index. Retrieved 2006-08-22. 
  34. ↑ The Advocate: Issues 985-991. Liberation Publications. 2007. http://books.google.com/books?id=qDIEAQAAIAAJ. 
  35. ↑ McCann, Jesse L.; Matt Groening (2005). The Simpsons One Step Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued Yet Again. HarperCollins. pp. 28–29. ISBN 0-06-081754-2. 
  36. ↑ Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture. Metatronics, Inc.. 2005. p. 78. http://books.google.com/books?id=LKA7AQAAIAAJ&q=patty+gay+ellen+%22the+simpsons%22&dq=patty+gay+ellen+%22the+simpsons%22&hl=en&ei=PzwHTqeDOYSAOoH6odEN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBw. 
  37. ↑ Brewer, Paul Ryan (2008). Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7425-6211-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=U34pJTdF-VcC&pg=PA49&dq=patty+gay+%22the+simpsons%22&hl=en&ei=fzAHTsL9NoGcOpay_b8N&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=patty%20gay%20%22the%20simpsons%22&f=false. 
  38. ↑ Elledge, Jim (2010). Queers in American Popular Culture (Volume 2). ABC-CLIO. pp. 266–269. ISBN 978-0-313-35457-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=qp52mROzDMYC&dq=%22There%27s+Something+About+Marrying%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
  39. ↑ "Simpsons to reveal gay character". BBC News. July 28, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3932369.stm. Retrieved 2011-06-19. 
  40. ↑ "Inventory: 15 Simpsons Moments That Perfectly Captured Their Eras". The A.V. Club. July 23, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2011. Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Kiehl, Stephen (The Baltimore Sun) (February 2, 2005). "'The Simpsons' to 'out' a character". The Gainesville Sun. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TlJWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T-wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5159,279267&dq=patty+gay+the-simpsons&hl=en. Retrieved June 20, 2011. 
  42. ↑ Maurstad, Tom (The Dallas Morning News) (February 19, 2005). "Gay character revealed on 'Simpsons'". The Spokesman-Review. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w9JYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AfMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6952,6039260&dq=patty+gay+the-simpsons&hl=en. Retrieved June 20, 2011. 
  43. ↑ Wilkes, Neil (September 30, 2004). "Gay 'Simpsons' character revealed". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a16039/gay-simpsons-character-revealed.html. Retrieved June 20, 2011. 
  44. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (November 5, 2004). "Springfield Fever". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,735559,00.html. Retrieved June 20, 2011. 
  45. ↑ Waxman, Sharon (February 21, 2005), "'Simpsons' Animates Gay Nuptials, and a Debate", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/21/arts/television/21simpsons.html, retrieved 2011-06-19 
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 "Public Eye". The San Diego Union-Tribune. January 21, 2005. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050121/news_lz1c21pubeye.html. Retrieved June 20, 2011. 

External links[]

The Simpsons characters
The Simpson family and relatives Homer Simpson • Marge Simpson • Bart Simpson • Lisa Simpson • Maggie Simpson • Grampa Simpson • Patty and Selma Bouvier • Mona Simpson • Santa's Little Helper
Around Springfield (The Simpsons) Comic Book Guy • Ned Flanders • Professor Frink • Barney Gumble • Dr. Hibbert • Lionel Hutz • Reverend Lovejoy • Hans Moleman • Apu Nahasapeemapetilon • Mayor Quimby • Dr. Nick • Cletus Spuckler • Moe Szyslak • Chief Wiggum
Media personalities Kent Brockman • Krusty the Clown • Troy McClure
Springfield Elementary School faculty, staff, and students Principal Skinner • Edna Krabappel • Otto Mann • Groundskeeper Willie • Milhouse Van Houten • Nelson Muntz • Ralph Wiggum
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Mr. Burns • Lenny and Carl • Smithers
Villains Sideshow Bob • Snake Jailbird • Kang and Kodos • Fat Tony
Lists Recurring characters • One-time characters • Guest stars


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