The Simpsons cartoon series featured many Beatles references and several references on Paul.

In Season 2 an opening sequence to one of the episodes featured a Paul McCartney gravestone, a parody of the 1960s ‘Paul Is Dead’ rumours. In another episode, at Stanley and Martha Peterson’s wedding, their vows include two lines from ‘Martha My Dear.’ In one of the episodes of Season 7 ‘Golden Slumbers’ is featured in Homer’s dream sequence. In an episode of Season Five first screened on Thursday April 14 1994 Marge and Homer engage a deprogrammer to deprogramme Bart out of believing he is Mr Burn’s son. When Marge and Bart ask the deprogrammer how effective he is, he replies, “I got Paul McCartney out of Wings, didn’t I?” A furious Homer says, “You idiot! He was the most talented one!”

Paul and Linda agreed to appear in animated form in the American cartoon and to provide their own voices in the episode ‘Lisa The Vegetarian’, first screened in the U.S. on October 15 1995. It was the first episode of Season Seven and the two introduce Lisa to vegetarianism after a meeting at Apu’s roof garden. When Lisa meets them she exclaims, “Wow! Paul McCartney! I read about you in history class.”

Ringo was featured in ‘Brush With Greatness’, the second season episode of the popular animated series, numbered 7F18 and first screened in America on April 11 1991.

Homer’s wife Marge is rooting around the attic when she comes across some old paintings of hers. This inspires her interest in art once again and she enrols in a painting class with Professor Lombardo at Springfield Community College. She gains in confidence and enters her work in the Springfield Arts Fair and wins first prize, which results in multi-millionaire Mr Burns commissioning her to paint a portrait of him. She finds Mr Burns to be an ugly man and paints him with all his flaws. As a result, this humanises him in the eyes of the local population and he regards the portrait as a success.

Ringo appears as himself in the sub-plot. In 1966 Marge, a Beatles fan, had sent Ringo a fan letter. We now see Ringo settled in his castle in England, determined to answer every letter sent to him, with the help of his butler Weatherby. He has reached the year 1966 and sends an answer to Marge, saying that they do have French fries in England, only they call them chips. Marge has asked Ringo what he thinks of her portrait of him and he says it’s ‘gear.’

When Homer hears that Marge had a schoolgirl crush on Ringo he is jealous. He makes the comment, “Who’s the mop top with the big Schnozz?”

The Ringo portrait turns up in other episodes. In episode 9F21 Marge has Ringo’s portrait in her swapmeet stall. The Ringo portrait is seen again in Season 8 episode 4F02. There is also a portrait on Ringo seen on the wall at Pimento Grove when Tony McClure takes Selma there for dinner.

In episode 9F11 of Season Four, Homer is seen eating a cookie in the shape of Ringo’s head and in episode 2F02 of Season 6, Lisa describes Sideshow Bob as “Ringo to his rest of the Beatles.”

George provided the voice-over for his own appearance in the series.’ His brief appearance took place in episode 9F21 which was premiered in America on the Fox TV network on Thursday September 30 1993.

Episode 9F21 was entitled ‘Homer’s Barbershop Quartet.’

It was scripted by Jeff Martin who said, “It was an easy episode to write. We essentially presented a compressed history of the Beatles.”

The Simpsons are at a ‘swap meet’ and among the items on Marge’s booth is her painting of Ringo (from the episode where Ringo had a cameo). Bart and Lisa rummage through a batch of old records and come across ‘Meet The Be Sharps’ which has a picture of their dad on the cover.

Homer recalls his youthful days in the Be Sharps, a barbershop vocal group with himself, Principal Skinner, Apo and Chief Wiggum.

The quartet are discovered by a British agent Nigel, who takes them over and decides Chief Wiggum can’t really sing too well and replaces him with Barney, Homer’s drinking buddy. He also decides that Apu’s last Indian name Nahasapemapetalon is too long.

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