Matt+Groening

Edited by Kevin G.




 * ~ Events from the Life of Matt Groening ||
 * < 1954 ||< Born in Beaverton, Oregon, on February 15 ||
 * 1977 || Graduates from Evergreen State College ||
 * 1977 || Creates his satirical comic strip //Life in Hell// ||
 * 1978 || Groening's //Life in Hell// is published for the first time in //Wet Magazine// ||
 * 1980 || //Life in Hell// is now published in the newspaper //Los Angeles Reader//, bringing his work to a large audience for the first time ||
 * 1987 || Creates characters //The Simpsons,// for use in //The Tracy Ulman Show// ||
 * 1989 || //The Simpsons// becomes its own show ||
 * 1993 || Creates his own company, //Bongo Comics Group// ||
 * 1999 || Creates the show //Futurama// ||
 * 2004 || //The Simpsons// becomes the longest running American sitcom ||
 * 2007 || //Simpsons Movie// released ||
 * 2009-10 || //The Simpsons// 21st season marks status as the longest running prime-time TV show ||


 * Background of Matt Groening**
 * **Social** || **Economic** || **Political** ||
 * Grew up with old fashioned teachers, who favored conservatism over creativity || Grew up in typical middle-class Portland || High school was rattled by anti Vietnam-War protests ||
 * Went to easygoing Evergreen St. College; based on seminars rather than rigid grading and testing || Father created advertisements; helped stimulate Matt's creativity || Formed Teens For Decency group ||
 * Lived in LA during 70's punk movement || Suffered through failed careers before cartooning || Evergreen St. College was considered a "hippie school" ||
 * Has friends who are gay; cartoons often feature homosexual characters || Worked as paperboy/clerk for Los Angeles Reader; this eventually led to his first major publication || His cartoons often have a conservative-mocking or liberal view ||
 * Springfield, the setting of //The Simpsons//, serves as a microcosm of the complexities of average America || Feared losing ownership rights of //Life In Hell// to Fox; influenced creation of //The Simpsons// || His works sometimes view politics in general as a method to take advantage of common people ||

media type="file" key="Matt Groening Movie.mp4" width="300" height="300"

1. Where did Matt Groening grow up? a. Portland b. Los Angeles c. San Francisco
 * Quiz

2. What special feature did Groening's alma mater, Evergreen State College, have? a. It was rated a top 10 school in America b. It boasted a college of animation program c. It didn't use a traditional system of grading and testing

3. What is the name of the comic strip Matt Groening created? a. Peanuts b. Futurama c. Life in Hell

4. Who was the first to publish Groening's work to a large audience? a. Los Angeles Reader b. USA Today c. The Oregonian

5. In what form did The Simpsons first start their existence? a. comic strip b. animated shorts c. movie

6. When did the Simpsons first appear in The Tracy Ulman Show? a. 1987 b. 1977 c. 1989

7. Which character of the Simpsons isn't named after one of Groening's family members? a. Bart b. Lisa c. Marge

8. Groening's view on authority is that: a. It is necessary for controlling people b. It is an unnecessary hindrance for people c. Everyone should aspire to become an authority figure

9. What is the name of Groening's comic company? a. DC b. Bongo Comics Group c. Dark Horse

10. What magazine chose the Simpsons as the best TV show of the century? a. Entertainment Weekly b. Rolling Stone c. Time **

Answers: 1. a-Portland 2. c-no traditional system 3. c-Life in Hell 4. a-Los Angeles Reader 5. b-animated shorts 6. a-1987 7. a-Bart 8. b-authority is unnecessary 9. b-Bongo Comics 10. c-Time

BrainyMedia, comp. Matt Groening Quotes. Brainy Quote. Brainy Media, 2010. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. .
 * Works Cited

Groening, Matt. "Groening Against the Grain; Maverick Cartoonist Matt Groening Draws in Readers With Gay Characters Akbar and Jeff." Interview by Doug Sadownick. Advocate 26 Feb. 1991: n. pag. The Simpsons Archive. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

Miller, Raymond H. Matt Groening. Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale, 2006. Print. Inventors and Creators.

Sharp, Michael D. "Matt Groening." Popular Contemporary Writers. N.p.: Marshall Cavendish, 2005. 691-697. Google Book Search. Web. 9 Mar. 2010.

"Double, Double, Boy in Trouble." The Simpsons. FOX. 19 Oct. 2008. Television.

"Like Father, Like Clown." The Simpsons. FOX. 24 Oct. 1991. Television.

"Much Apu About Nothing." The Simpsons. FOX. 5 May 1996. Television.

"The Simpsons Shorts-Dinnertime." The Tracy Ulman Show. FOX. 12 July 1987. Television. **