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?
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.
|
Jackie
Dec-19-2021
|
|
That Don Guy
Dec-19-2021
|