‘The Simpsons’ Marathon: Celebrate The FXX Marathon Of The Past 25 Seasons With 25 Fun Facts

Are you a fan of “The Simpsons”? Then you’re in luck, because on Aug. 21, FXX will be airing the longest marathon in TV history when the network plays all 25 seasons of the beloved Fox comedy (including the movie) 24 hours a day until Sept. 1. Talk about “Simpsons” overload!

That means you can hang out with your favorite Springfield characters for 12 days of yellow fun as all 552 episodes air, according to Variety. To prepare you for this celebration, we’re here to bring you 25 of the wildest facts about the “Simpsons.” It may even give you a new perspective on the series that began in 1989.

1. Ever wonder why the Simpsons are yellow? Well, according to creator Matt Groening, it’s because “when you’re flicking through the channels with your remote control, and a flash of yellow goes by, you’ll know you’re watching ‘The Simpsons,’” he told the BBC.

2. Not only are Springfield residents yellow, but they also have only four fingers! It turns out the only characters with human-like hands are God (and Jesus).

3. Curious as to how old Bart would be today? Turns out Bartholomew JoJo Simpson would be 35 as of April 1, 2014.

4. Lisa reportedly celebrated her eighth birthday during two episodes.

5. Whenever Bart prank-calls Moe’s Tavern, he dials the number 764-84377, which is one digit longer than an American phone number. It also spells out “SMITHERS.”

6. Marge once got into a fight with Barbara Bush. It was quoted that the former first lady once said “The Simpsons” was “the dumbest thing” she’s ever seen. Marge didn’t take too kindly to her criticism and wrote to Mrs. Bush regarding her feelings on the matter. The two exchanged thoughts via letters and eventually ended their “feud.” You can see the exchange here.

7. There is an entire movie hidden within “The Simpsons” storyline. According to reports, if you string together all the clips featuring movie star McBain, you’ll actually be watching a short film. Or you can just check it out here!

8. Fox owns the rights to “The Simpsons” for the next 68 years!

9. Despite owning the rights to the series until 2082, Fox has no control over the episodes whatsoever after the producers negotiated a clause within the creator’s contract. That’s why you can see Homer and the gang mock Fox whenever they like.

10. Homer’s iconic phrase “D’oh” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001 (although it’s spelled out “doh”). It’s defined as an expression of frustration or foolishness.

11. The origin of “D’oh”: Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, told the Hollywood Reporter that the sound was derived from Jimmy Finlayson’s noise in the Laurel and Hardy films. Initially the script had asked for Castellaneta to make an “annoyed grunt.”

12. The length of “The Simpsons” opening sequence reportedly depends on how short the episode is. If space needs to be filled, the creators will add a gag to the scene.

13. Once “The Simpsons” deviated from their typical opening sequence by replacing it with a Ke$ha-inspired introduction:

14. Paul McCartney agreed to be on “The Simpsons” during episode 5 of Season 7, “Lisa the Vegetarian,” if writers agreed to make Lisa meat-free for the rest of the series.

15. McCartney also agreed to let them use his song “Maybe I’m Amazed” during the closing credits for that episode, while “Mad Men” had to pay a quarter of a million dollars to use a Beatles single.

16. Justin Timberlake gets the last word: The former *N Sync member didn’t want to say “word” during his guest appearance on “The Simpsons” because he didn’t feel it was “authentic.” Once he did, the creators looped it and used it repeatedly throughout the episode.

17. There’s actually a full-scale replica of “The Simpsons” house, which cost nearly $120,000 to make for a Fox and Pepsi-sponsored competition. But the winner of this prestigious contest decided to take the $70,000 alternate prize instead. We can’t understand why…

18. Conan O’Brien was a writer on the show from 1991 to 1993 and is credited for four episodes.

19. “The Simpsons” earned the title of longest-running prime-time animated series in America in 1997 when it surpassed “The Flintstones.”

20. The creators of “The Simpsons” are not fans of “Family Guy.” According to reports, the crew sent Matt Stone and Trey Parker a bouquet of flowers when they learned “South Park” was running an episode making fun of “Family Guy.”

21. Several of the characters from “The Simpsons” are named after streets in Groening’s hometown of Portland, Oregon. No wonder their slogan is to stay weird.

22. The creator even implied during his interview with Smithsonian magazine that the cartoon family is based on his own family.

23. You can check out every chalkboard gag of what Bart wrote during the opening sequence here.

24. Grandpa Simpson (Abraham) was coincidentally named after Groening's grandfather by writers Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky.

25. Bart’s first words were “Ay caramba!”