Products produced from The Simpsons

In the long running television animation The Simpsons, numerous fictional products or brands have featured, often reoccurring. These are sometimes spoofs of real life products and, as in the case of Duff Beer, have sometimes been subsequently recreated by real world companies attempting to exploit the popularity of The Simpsons. In 2007, as part of a "reverse product placement" marketing campaign for The Simpsons Movie, real life versions of a number of Simpsons products were sold in 7-Eleven stores. Real cans of Buzz Cola, boxes of KrustyO's cereal, Squishees -- Slurpees in collectors cups, with optional collectors straws, and a special edition (#711) of the Radioactive Man Comic were all sold in stores alongside other The Simpsons merchandise.

There are a plethora of products invented by the Simpsons, both as major plot elements, and as briefly appearing jokes. The following is a list of products that are fixtures in Simpsons universe and recur in several episodes.

Buzz Cola

A real can of Buzz Cola

Buzz Cola is a brand of cola drunk by characters in The Simpsons, and an officially licensed product of Twentieth Century Fox. Its slogan is "twice the sugar, twice the caffeine". The slogan is a parody of the former Jolt Cola slogan "all the sugar and twice the caffeine". A prior slogan used was "There's a little boogie in every bottle (can)".

Although a general parody of popular cola drinks, parallels can be observed between Buzz Cola and Pepsi. For example, many of the mock television commercials that appear for Buzz Cola on The Simpsons follow the same youth-oriented approach of real Pepsi commercials. In another example, Homer gets his arm stuck in a vending machine selling "Crystal Buzz Cola", a parody of Crystal Pepsi. In yet another episode, Maggie Simpson dances in her crib with her midriff exposed while a Britney Spears tune plays in the background and produces a can of Buzz Cola at the end of her small dance, parodying the Pepsi advertising done by Spears in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There is also a "Buzz Cola with Lemon" version of the product, with the slogan "damn, that's a lemony cola", an apparent parody of Pepsi with Lemon.

Apart from being the cola of choice for the citizens of Springfield, Homer also made a makeshift hand grenade by mixing a can of Buzz Cola with Pop Rocks, while Lisa inadvertently started a miniature civilization when trying to see if the cola could dissolve a tooth. These examples spoof two enduring urban legends concerning cola drinks. Also, a hermit crab uses a can discarded by Homer as a new shell.

In the video game The Simpsons: Hit and Run, aliens Kang and Kodos use a "new and improved" Buzz Cola formula to brainwash the citizens of Springfield into performing stupid stunts for their reality TV show, Foolish Earthlings. They also dump it into the town's water supply, which reanimates the dead and creates zombies.

Buzz Cola was also the name of the fictional cola featured in the cult classic movie Surf II (starring Eric Stoltz) from 1984. The plot of the movie centers around a cola that makes the town "punks" crazy.

In July 2007, 7-Eleven redesigned some stores to look like a Kwik-E-Marts in select cities to promote The Simpsons Movie. Real cans of Buzz Cola were available at those locations, as well as most other 7-Elevens throughout the United States and Canada. The faux brand contains a new formula made for the promotion with twice the caffeine as a generic brand.

Canyonero

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Krusty's Canyonero

The Canyonero is a parody of typical American SUVs, featured along with the Canyonero theme tune in the episodes "The Last Temptation of Krust" and "Marge Simpson in: Screaming Yellow Honkers". The Canyonero is also available in the F-Series, for the ladies, with a lipstick holder instead of a cigarette lighter. It is endorsed by Krusty the Klown. The commercial (with a jingle sung by Hank Williams, Jr.) boasts, among other things, that it is "12 yards long and two lanes wide, 65 tons of American pride."

Chippos

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Chippos

Chippos potato chips with their hippopotamus mascot appear in several episodes.

Pork Rinds Lite

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Homer eats Pork Rinds

Homer is seen eating these in "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," "Moaning Lisa," and "The Otto Show." A "lite" pork rind is an impossibility, as pork rinds are made of lard.

Duff Beer

Main article: Duff Beer (The Simpsons)

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Homer Simpson and some Duff Beer

With its loud-mouthed corporate spokesperson Duffman, Duff Beer is a parody of stereotypical American beer: cheap, mass-produced, poor-quality and heavily advertised. It is Homer's favorite beer and sold in all the bars of Springfield. Its slogan is 'Can't get enough of that wonderful Duff'.

The chief competitor of Duff Beer is Fudd Beer, which is intentionally spelled with a parallel swapping of the consonants. Homer became aware of Fudd Beer while patronizing a "redneck bar" in nearby Spittle County. It was later revealed to be considered very popular in Springfield's rival town of Shelbyville. Moe said he thought it had been banned "after all those hillbillies went blind".

There is also a "Duff Energy Drink".

When Homer tours the Duff Brewery in the Duffless episode, the tour group leader shows the group three vats containing the three main beers. Duff, Duff Lite, and ("Our newest flavour") Duff Dry. However when the camera zooms out it is revealed that the vats are being filled, not seperatley but with a single large hose, indicating that the three beers are the exact same mixture.

Malibu Stacy

Main article: Malibu Stacy

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Malibu Stacy with a hat

A parody of Barbie; Malibu Stacy is the most popular doll in Springfield. In several episodes, Waylon Smithers is said to own the largest collection of them in Springfield.

Malibu Stacy was the creation of reclusive millionaire Stacy Lovell, and today the dolls are manufactured by the PetroChem Petrochemical Corporation. Different editions of Malibu Stacy include Achy Breaky Stacy, Live at the Improv Stacy the Four-Armed Super Shopping Stacy, as well as an original Malibu Stacy, sporting a new hat.

In Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy, Lisa and Stacy Lovell team up to create a rival "Lisa Lionheart" doll to try to stop the production of Malibu Stacy. The doll, which says several intelligent sayings, is only bought by one girl at the end of the episode.

Krusty products

Krusty Burger

Main article: Krusty Burger

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Krusty Burger.

Krusty Burger is a Krusty the Klown owned and themed fast food restaurant chain. The style of the buildings closely resemble McDonalds buildings. In the video game Simpsons Hit and Run it was said that Krusty Burgers are made from road kill. Another reference to McDonalds, Krusty calls the burgers at his restaurant the whatchMcCarcass sandwich.

Krusty-Brand Cereal

Krusty-Brand Cereal (also known as Krusty-O's and KrustyO's) is a brand of breakfast cereal endorsed by Krusty the Clown which prominently features his likeness on the box. The real KrustyO's, sold by 7 Eleven, were produced by the Malt-O-Meal corporation.

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A real box of KrustyO's.

Krusty-Brand Cereal is the catalyst for the episode "'Round Springfield", when Bart swallows a "jagged metal Krusty-O" included in the box as a premium and is sent to the hospital. Later in the episode when Krusty holds a press conference to show that swallowing the jagged metal Krusty-O isn't dangerous, he immediately begins to gag before he is informed he swallowed a "regular" Krusty-O, which he claims must be "poison". At the end of the episode, another box of Krusty-Brand Cereal is shown with the promotion: "Flesh-Eating Bacteria In Every Box!".

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A Bowl of Krusty O's

Another line of Krusty the Clown-endorsed cereal, Chocolate Frosted Frosty Krusty Flakes, was also featured on the show. The box exclaimed "Only sugar has more sugar!" It first appears in "Bart the Genius" as "Frosted Krusty Flakes", during which Homer remarks that, since it has made Bart so clever, Lisa should try some too. There are also many other Krusty-brand food products, including Krusty Brand Imitation Gruel, which was fed to Bart and Lisa at Kamp Krusty.

Laramie Cigarettes

Laramie Cigarettes is a fictional brand of cigarettes that reoccurs throughout the series and is vigorously marketed to the cartoon's underage characters. Their slogan is "Laramie Cigarettes - high tars".

Laramie users

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Edna Krabappel, smoking.

Several characters smoke Laramie Cigarettes. Edna Krabappel (who also smokes menthol cigarettes) smoked one in Lemon of Troy right before writing on the board with it. In Duffless, Bart tests Laramie Cigarettes on Santa's Little Helper. Patty and Selma Bouvier are both seen consistently smoking Laramies almost every time they appear.

Laramie marketing

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Jack Larson, a spokesman for Laramie Cigarettes

Laramie Cigarettes is constantly trying to market their cigarettes to minors. They sponsored the Radioactive Man television show in the 1950s, and the company's mascot is called Menthol Moose (a takeoff on Joe Camel). They are also the main sponsor of the Little Miss Springfield competition. In "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)", they tried to buy the rights to Homer's new 'Tomacco' fruit (half tomato, half tobacco).

In the 2001 episode "HOMR" it is revealed in an old infomercial that the cigarette of choice of Itchy and Scratchy is "Laramie Extra-Tar," now with more "nico-glycerol." According to fellow celebrity endorser Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, contents of the cigarette are unknown, but he claims "I just know I can't stop smoking them." Itchy, Scratchy and Rochester proceed to laugh, smoke, and cough heavily.

Despite the Joe Camel references, the logo and package design of Laramie cigarettes look almost identical to that of Marlboro Cigarettes, and the name of the cartoon smokes is apparently in reference to the town of Laramie, Wyoming which, like Marlboro, is known for having a cowboy and wild west image. (Laramie banned smoking in enclosed workplaces, including bars and restaurants in 2004.)

The company uses a combination of sexy and American imagery to sell cigarettes, such as scantly clad models smoking 'Laramie Slims' cigarettes.

In the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book," a commercial is shown of Radioactive Man pitching Laramies; Fallout Boy asks when he can smoke, just like his hero (he is told, "Not until you're 16."). This was a spoof of 1960s-era Winston commercials where cartoon characters — most notably, The Flintstones — starred in the commercials and were seen smoking.

The company also sponsors motor-sports such as drag racing and NASCAR, another send-up of Winston cigarettes.

Laramie Cigarettes also use their large budget to sponsor voter-initiatives such as Marge Simpson's "Families Come First", before claiming "Now we own you!," though in that case, they said it prematurely, as Marge points out: "I haven't even signed it yet."

Other appearances

Laramie Cigarettes were featured in an episode of The Practice ("Part IV", season one, episode four) in a tobacco lawsuit case.

Laramie Cigarettes are also found in the PC game System Shock 2

Squishee

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A real-life Squishee machine.

Squishee is a fictional frozen drink from The Simpsons TV series, usually purchased at the fictional Kwik-E-Mart which is managed by Apu. It is an apparent reference to 7-Eleven's Slurpee. In the fifth season episode of The Simpsons, Boy-Scoutz N the Hood, Bart and Milhouse go on a "Squishee bender". In the thirteenth season episode The Sweetest Apu, Apu has the Squishee machine replaced with one of a similar drink called the "Smooshie," whose flavors reportedly include shopping bag and dog fur.

The fictional version of Squishees are reputed for being dangerous to health - Squishee flavorings have, if ingested in sufficient quantities, hallucinatory properties. According to the Simpsons comic, the Squishees allegedly contain no natural ingredients (not even pure water), create dangerous cases of brain freeze (Homer Simpson is apparently immune to this effect), and are even described as "a thick, gloopy, tooth-rotting mixture of crushed ice and syrup". Flavors include: blue, red, lime green, Chutney, Wheatgrass, Champagne, and the Twenty-One Syrup Salute.

"Li'l Bastard" products

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The mischief kit

Products, notably tool kits, apparently designed to aid in mischief. Bart Simpson has several of these kits, including Li'l Bastard Clock-Tampering Kit, Li'l Bastard Catapult, Li'l Bastard General Mischief Kit, and Li'l Bastard Travel Kit. The Li'l Bastard products are possibly a spoof on the pseudo-brand made popular by Warner Brothers, ACME.

In the episode "The Joy of Sect" one of the members of the sect uses a Li'l Bastard Brainwashing Kit.

Playdude

An erotic magazine that is a parody of Playboy.

Radioactive Man Comics

Main article: Radioactive Man (The Simpsons character)

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A real-life Radioactive Man comic book, available at a dozen 7-Eleven stores disguised as Kwik-E-Marts through July 27 in the United States and Canada.

A long-running superhero comic book series featuring Radioactive Man and his sidekick, Fallout Boy. According to one episode, there are 1000 issues of the comic book. A special Radioactive Man comic book was available for purchase at a dozen real-life Kwik-E-Marts through July 27 in promotion of The Simpsons Movie. The issue is #711, which corresponds with the store that the Kwik-E-Marts were disguised by, 7-Eleven.

The Springfield Shopper

Main article: Media in The Simpsons

This is seemingly the only newspaper in Springfield. Its main reporter is Dave Shutton, who was accused of doing no research by Kent Brockman in "Who Shot Mr Burns?". The paper was also featured numerous times in episode "Radio Bart", but eventually Shutton abandoned the story of Timmy O'Toole/Bart Simpson down the well in favor of covering the discovery of a squirrel that resembled Abe Lincoln. The paper was supposedly founded in 1883 by Johnny Newspaperseed, "a 14 year-old boy who roamed America founding newspapers." Over the years the Shopper merged with The Springfield Times, Post, Globe, Herald, Jewish News, and Hot Sex Weekly to become Springfield's number one newspaper. The Shopper keeps advice columnists Ann Landers and Dear Abby in hyperbaric chambers for their required 23 hours of sleep.

The Shopper appears in a recurring sight gag whenever a huge news story is seen in Springfield, where a newspaper with a big headline and a humorous sub-headline spins into view.

"Gee, Your Lip Looks Hairless"

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Gee, Your Lips Look Hairless

Used by Marge's sister Patty in the Episode "Principal Charming", this is a parody of "Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific", a popular shampoo from the 1970s.