Tonight The Simpsons officially kicks off its 25th season on
Fox. Normally on an auspicious occasion like this, you're supposed to raise a
glass. But since we're looking to pay tribute to the longest running prime time
series in US
television history, shouldn't that glass be filled with Duff Beer? Or — at the
very least — Buzz Cola?
Well, if you'd like to toast Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart & Maggie with an
authentic Simpsons-inspired beverage, then there's really only one place on the
planet to go. And that's Universal Studios Florida.
Which recently opened a full-scale, authentic recreation of Moe's Tavern as
part of that theme park's Springfield, U.S.A.
expansion project.
Photo by Jim Hill
"Ever since we first opened 'The Simpsons Ride' back in
May of 2008, visitors to the Universal Orlando have been telling us that they
really wanted to spend more time with these characters, that they wanted to do
a deeper dive into the world of the Simpsons," said Mike West, an
executive producer for Universal Creative (i.e., the arms of NBCUniversal that actually
designs rides, shows and attractions for the Universal theme parks)."So a
year or so back, we reached out to the folks at Fox & Gracie Films and told
them that we were thinking of significantly expanding the Simpsons footprint at
Universal Studios Florida. But the question then became what parts of this
long-running animated series should we be adding to Universal Studios Florida?"
Mind you, there was method to Mike's madness when it came to
getting Gracie Films & Fox involved in the Springfield,
U.S.A. project.
After all, no one knew more about this intellectual property than the actual
creators of "The Simpsons," Matt Groening & James L. Brooks. And West figured that the only
way to make sure that this expansion area would appeal to serious Simpsons fans
was to have Groening & Brooks' input on the project.
Photo by Jim Hill
"We flat-out asked them 'What do you guys feel are the really iconic
locations & elements from the TV show that absolutely need to be part of
this area?'," Mike continued. "And Matt & Jim really stepped up.
They gave us input on everything from the proper colors to use for the exterior
beams on Moe's Tavern to the proper placement & pose of our Chief Wiggums
photo-op."
The "Simpsons" creatives were also very hands-on when it came to
deciding which food & beverage items should be served in Springfield,
U.S.A. Late last year, Groening and the writers of the show actually took part
in a taste test to determine which Simpsons-themed items would exclusively be
served in this theme park's new "Taste of Springfield" food court
area.
Copyright Universal Orlando. All rights reserved
"And each of these food items was directly inspired by something that the
Simpsons had seen or eaten on an episode of this TV show," explained
Steven Jayson, the Executive Chef for the Universal Orlando Resort. "I
think that my favorite moment during this entire taste test was when one of the writers on the
show spied the Clogger Burger, which is this really big, jumbo, double-patty
sandwich with bacon. This writer pointed at that burger and said 'That's
exactly how I envisioned it when I originally wrote that burger."
And that's exactly what West & Jayson were shooting for as they began
working on the Springfield, U.S.A.
project. A previously unobtained level of cartoon authenticity. They wanted to
make the world of the Simpsons as real as possible for the millions of fans
worldwide who have been watching this animated series for over two decades now
and had been dreaming of someday getting the chance to visit their favorite
Simpsons spots.
Photo by Jim Hill
"So we've deliberately put things into this part of Universal Studios
Florida that only the hardcore fans of this animated series will
appreciate," West continued. "Take — for example — those topiary
versions of the Seven Duffs that we've got planted along Fast
Food Boulevard near Duff
Gardens. Casual viewers of the show
probably won't remember these characters, who were introduced in an episode of
the fourth season of The Simpsons where the writers were making fun of theme
parks. But for the diehard Simpsons fans, as soon as they see those topiary
versions of Surly, Tipsy, Queasy, Remorseful and the rest of the Duffs, they immediately pull
out their cell phones and start taking pictures."
But at the same time, Mike wanted to make sure that Springfield,
U.S.A. would
still appeal to those people who just have no idea who the Simpsons are
("You know. Those people who living in a cave on Pluto for the past two
decades," West joked). Which is why Universal Creative made sure that this
new waterfront expansion would provide Guests with primo viewing spots for this theme park's new
night-time lagoon show, Universal's Cinematic Spectacular.
Photo by Jim Hill
"You always have to keep things like that in mind when you're adding new
areas to a theme park. Striking that balance between what will appeal to the
truly hardcore fans of a particular intellectual property to then making sure
that Guests who only have a cursory knowledge of a particular movie or TV show will
still be able to enjoy the ride, show or attraction that you're building around
that IP," Mike said.
Perhaps the best example of how West and his team struck this balance on the Springfield,
U.S.A. project
is the recently opened Kang & Kodos Twirl 'n' Hurl ride. Now for people who
just have no idea who the Simpsons area, this waterfront attraction just
appears to be your standard theme park spinner. But for fans of this long-running
TV show, who know Kang & Kodos from their many appearances on the Simpsons'
annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween shows … To suddenly find themselves trapped
in the tentacles of these two evil aliens who have repeatedly tried to enslave
the citizens of Springfield is fun
beyond imagining.
Copyright Universal Orlando. All rights reserved
"Back when we originally opened The Simpsons Ride back in 2008, I always
hoped that we'd get the chance to revisit this world. Bring a bit more of the fun
of The Simpsons' animated world out into our real world," West enthused.
"But I never actually dreamed that we'd then be able to do something on
this scale. Where our Guests could actually walk into a to Krusty Burger and order
a Clogger. Or plop themselves on a stool at Moe's Tavern and then try &
decide if they want to try a Duff, a Duff Light or a Duff Dry."
And given that Universal Studios Hollywood has its own Simpsons Ride (More
importantly, given that much of the Upper Lot area directly adjacent to this
theme park attraction has recently been torn down to make room for a mystery
project that NBCUniversal isn't quite ready to talk about yet), is it possible
that Universal's West Coast theme park may soon get a Springfield, U.S.A. of
its own?
Construction fences shield Universal Studios Hollywood visitors from the trio of backhoes
that are knocking down a number of the buildings on the Upper Lot. Photo by Jim Hill
"Hey, anything's possible," Mike concluded. "We at Universal
Creative feel that it's incumbent on us to keep things fresh for our Guests,
that our theme parks stay culturally hip. And while the Simpsons aren't exactly
new, they've been around for so long and are so beloved worldwide that we
thought that it would be a natural to expand these characters' footprint in Florida.
But as to whether same sort of thing is someday going to happen out in Hollywood,
who can say?"
So long story short, folks: If you really want to lift a
glass at Moe's Tavern tonight and then pay tribute to the official kick-off of
The Simpsons 25th season on television, there's really only one place to go.
And that's the recently completed Springfield, U.S.A.
area at Universal Studios Florida.