'Is The Simpsons Racist?' Has Become One of the Year's Biggest Pop Culture Questions

In its 29th season with more than 600 episodes, The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted TV show in primetime ever. Outside of having made it all the way to the silver screen in 2007 (with Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations to boot), the beloved American animated sitcom has capitalized its success in many forms beyond the usual t-shirts and coffee mugs. The show has inspired its own beer and even a theme park at Universal Studios in Hollywood. According to Variety, The Simpsons exceeded $4.6 billion from consumer products in 2013 alone. As once portrayed in Portlandia, there’s even an underground market for The Simpsons merchandise, including a water bong based off the superfluous character Otto.