The celebrated British graffiti artist Banksy (whose real identity remains unconfirmed), is a man known for creating satirical street art, and employing dark humour into his work (that often contains a political subtext) featuring on streets, walls and bridges in cities all over the world, but last night his worked graced American TV screens; as he created a special introductory sequence for The Simpsons (which can be seen below).
The show has been running for over 20 years (and had its 13th season reviewed here), but this is the first time an artist has ever been involved with crafting the infamous, and instantly recognizable, opening sequence which opens in a manner very similar to that of most episodes (with a few additions, and a little more going on), but contains Banksy’s tag sprayed over a bunch of recognizable Springfield monuments, and also features Bart ‘“tagging” his own classroom in detention; by writing ‘I must not write all over the walls’, all over the walls.
Where the opening really departs, is skipping the usual clips of Lisa, Marge, and Maggie, and waiting until after The Simpsons all arrive home, to delve into a sweatshop showing how the Simpsons media machine ‘really’ works; by showing dozens of youngsters toiling away to animate the show in an Asian sweatshop, seeing cats thrown into a wood-chipper to make the stuffing for Bart Simpson dolls, and using a chained up Unicorn to punch the holes in DVD’s.
Banksy’s said to have been inspired by hearing that the show is animated in Seoul, South Korea, and also used the opportunity to take a swipe at the show’s producers 20th Century Fox (something The Simpsons have actually become known for doing); by presenting a rather grim view of their company logo; and the show’s Executive Producer Al Jean, has since joked, “this is what you get when you outsource”; as the sequence resulted in delays, standards disputes, and a potential walkout, which was threatened by the animation department.
The unusual edition of the credits is already being talked about to no end on the internet, as the episode featuring the sequence; which is entitled MoneyBart, and focusses on Lisa coaching Bart’s little league team into a surprising winning streak; aired last night in the U.S., and will be shown in the U.K. on October 21st.
