Although many details have changed over 35 seasons, Smithers' skin color change arouses curiosity

This iconic character was not always yellow

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The Simpsons is one of the top animated series of all time. For more than 760 episodes, they have sneaked into the homes of millions of viewers who are waiting attentively not only for the premiere of a new season, but also to discover the curiosities that the program hides, for example, why Homer no longer strangles Bart ? or data related to the most iconic characters. In this sense, there is a peculiarity that few viewers knowWaylon Smithers' appearance in the first season is completely different from what he looks like today.

The character made his debut in the third episode of the first season, titled Homer's Odyssey. In this way, on January 21, 1990 we met Montgomery Burns' homosexual assistant, who was in charge of offering a guided tour to the students of the Springfield school who were on an excursion to the nuclear plant.

What hides Smithers' change in skin color?

The reason we no longer see this color on Smithers' skin is very crazy

Drastic modifications to the characters of a series are not usually carried out at random, and even less so if we were able to find the hidden joke in an episode of The Simpsons from more than 31 years ago. In this way, it is a little intriguing to know the reasons that motivated Smithers's skin to be yellowed, when in principle, he was presented as an African-American man.

Although speculation includes fear of possible accusation of racism Given the approach of a faithful servant through a person of color, the true motive is much more banal than we can create. According to Matt Groening's statements, nothing is further from the truth.

A different origin

Smithers has been one of the most relevant auxiliary characters of The Simpsons. Although during the development of the series it is revealed that the sycophantic assistant of the greedy and bitter Mr. Burns is homosexual, and is attracted to his boss, The original plan for a gay character was defined from the beginningstopping being black is a much more complex issue.

Although Groening assured that everything was a consequence of the mistake of the color stylist Gyorgyi Peluce, the comments of several collaborators raise doubts, since the reason for the error in the animation could be related to the initial approach of the character. Executive producer Jay Kogen indicated that Smithers was gay and black, but they considered the combination counterproductive, and They decided to limit it only to homosexuals.

This version was corroborated by the program's director, David Silverman. At the time, he revealed that the intention was always to make Smithers a sycophant of Mr. Burns, so the production considered an African-American character subordinate to a millionaire white man excessive. It is so skin and hair color was corrected in the second appearanceduring the episode titled There's No Shame Like Home.

From black to yellow, by accident!

Was it all a simple accident?

During an interview with TMZ, the creator of The Simpsons stated that It was just an animation error.. Like the rest of the characters, Smithers was created to be yellow, the lack of budget simply prevented the correction.

At that time, reversing a mistake during the coloring process meant an expense they could not bearin this way, given the impossibility of repeating the scene, the episode remained that way.

In short, taking into account the rejection of the original idea of ​​​​presenting a black and gay character because it was considered too shocking, it is likely that many people will speculate about the decision. However, it is clear that Smithers skin color change responds to animation error in the first season, and not to any topic related to racism or homophobia.

It is not the first time that a relevant character undergoes radical changes in its appearance, we have seen it in the South Park gang and even in Mickey Mouse himself. Likewise, the success of The Simpsons has allowed us to improve the crude animations of the first episodes and make changes that shape the general appearance of the characters.

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