The first family of TV
After more than thirty years on air, The Simpsons has a cast of thousands — and this word search rounds up the best of them. You'll start with the whole family: HOMER, MARGE, BART, LISA and baby MAGGIE, plus the family pet SNOWBALL.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh handful of Springfield residents from the list, so the grid changes every time you play — gentle on Easy for younger fans, and a Hard-mode challenge once the diagonals and backwards words switch on.
All of Springfield shows up
It's the supporting cast that makes the show, and they're all here. Pull up a stool at MOE's next to BARNEY, dodge Mr BURNS and his put-upon assistant SMITHERS, report to Principal SKINNER, and watch out for bully NELSON. There's a frosty DUFF beer and a pink DONUT for the snackers, APU behind the Kwik-E-Mart counter, and Chief WIGGUM on the beat.
We've also tucked in school friend MILHOUSE, good-natured neighbour FLANDERS, kids' TV clown KRUSTY, hapless RALPH, bus driver OTTO, Homer's pal LENNY, and Marge's chain-smoking sisters PATTY and SELMA.
Television's longest-running family
Created by cartoonist Matt Groening, The Simpsons began as a set of short sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 before launching as its own series on the Fox network in December 1989. It has since become the longest-running scripted prime-time series in American television history, with well over 700 episodes.
The family lives in the town of Springfield — deliberately never placed in a real state, so every American viewer can imagine it's their own. Long-running gags like the opening 'couch gag', Bart's chalkboard lines and the spooky 'Treehouse of Horror' Halloween specials have made it one of the most quoted shows ever, right down to Homer's famous 'D'oh!'.
A puzzle for every kind of fan
Because it only hides character names, the puzzle is friendly for all ages — a fun way to introduce younger fans to Springfield, or to test how many neighbours a grown-up superfan can name. Play online, print a PDF pack for a party, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own favourite characters and catchphrases.