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Question of the Day - 19 December 2021

Q:

Is it true that there’s a “Simpsons House” somewhere in Vegas? I.e. a house resembling the cartoon family home from the famous TV show. I heard it might have been part of a casino giveaway. If any of this is true, does it still exist and what’s the backstory? Did casinos really give away houses?

A:

Yes. And it's an interesting story. Thanks for asking. 

The house in question is on Red Bark Lane in Henderson and it was build in 1997 as a nearly exact replica of the residence at 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, where Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson live on "The Simpsons." It was built as part of a promotion for the cartoon and according to the photos, no detail was spared, from the cat-food dish and Duff beer in the refrigerator to the fake chimney and garish interior colors. 

In 1997, the marketing director at a Henderson home builder had a brainstorm to build a replica Simpsons' house to promote its brand and new housing developing. He presented the idea to his company, which took it to Fox.

At that time, "The Simpsons" was already 10 years old and its fortunes, particularly ratings and merchandise, were waning. In conjunction with a major rollout of best-of tapes and an interactive CD-ROM, Fox approved the idea of a Simpsons' house and when it was built, the network opened it for tours and ran a contest with Pepsi products; each Mug Root Beer, Brisk Iced Tea, and Slice earned a numbered game piece. The winning piece was announced during the 1997 fall premiere of the show; the winner won the house, a $150,000 value. 

Well, the house was the last place the winner of the sweepstakes wanted to actually live and opted for the $75,000 cash instead. Then it sat vacant for four years, till it was sold in 2001 -- after being repainted and later covered over with stucco.

The house remains a curiosity to Simpsons fans. The address is well known and an image of Homer in the concrete is a dead giveaway. The current owners, who bought the house with eyes wide open in 2014, have to live with a lot of unwanted attention and even intrusions and say that they occasionally get letters addressed to the Simpsons at the house. 

 

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Comments

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  • Jackie Dec-19-2021
    Wanning at 10 years?
    And now in their 33rd year!
    When will it ever end?
    The longest running cartoon show of all kinds.
    Well there was Scooby-Doo for 52 years but that ran under multiple names whereas The Simpsons has run under one name only.

  • That Don Guy Dec-19-2021
    Link, complete with pictures
    The house is described on the Atlas Obscura website:
    
    https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-simpsons-house-henderson-nevada
    
    Note that the house had to be painted the same colors as the rest of the houses in the area. Also, I don't think the chimney is real (in that there's a fireplace attached to it; note that, on the show, when they do decide to have a fireplace, it's on the other side of the house).