The Simpsons Premiered 20 Years Ago Today!

Happy Anniversary!

One of America’s favorite — if not entirely functional — families first appeared on its own half-hour television show on this day 20 years ago — “The Simpsons.” Cartoonist Matt Groening’s characters Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie soon had popularity unusual for an animated feature, and created a legion of loyal fans who wouldn’t miss one of the shows. Aside from the wide range of souvenir items generated by the program, some of the character’s sayings — especially Bart’s — have become part of the language, such as “Don’t have a cow.” When “The Simpsons” first went on the air, there were 193 million television sets in U.S. homes — today, the number is more than 300 million.

The Simpsons has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Here are some gifs I’ve collected over the years, enjoy!

For the full scoop, check out TV By The Numbers.