Bartholomew JoJo 'Bart' Simpson (his full name) and his family have been on air for the span of an entire generation. It's hard to imagine a time when they did not exist. They were created by cartoonist Matt Groening who named them all after his own family – except Bart. Bart is an anagram for 'brat.'
Shortly after the show aired, Bartmania ensued. His rebelliousness and blatant disrespect for authority gave him instant celebrity status, but at the same time it had parents and educators reeling. They were convinced that this will set a very bad example for children and a t-shirt reading "I'm Bart Simpson, Who the hell are you?" was banned in several public schools. One can only imagine Bart would have said "Don't have a cow, man!"
The fuss didn't effect his popularity and 'Time' named Bart one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century, and he was named "entertainer of the year" in 1990 by 'Entertainment Weekly.' Considering his pride at underachieving, that must have been a blow for the mischievous ten-year-old.
