Born on February 15th, 1954, Matt Groening (MG) grew up in Portland Oregon.                                      Groening began his doodling career at an early age- in fact, it was the first day of                                      school.   Matt admits, however, that his doodling during class hours often resulted in a                                      visit to the prinicpal's office.  Yet despite the disapproval of his teachers, Groening                                      refused to give up his labour of love.

                                   In 1977, Matt graduated from the "Evergreen State College" in Olympia, Washinton.                                      According to an article in the book "Simpsons Mania," Evergreen was not exactly                                      your average college - it didn't give grades and had no required classes.  While at                                      Evergreen, Matt spent most of his time working on the school's newspaper and later                                      headed to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a writer.  Instead of writing for a                                      newspaper or magazine, Matt worked as a chauffeur and "biographer" for an                                      88-year old movie director.

                                   Matt's career took a drastic turn when he created a cynical comic entitled "Life In                                      Hell" which was based on his early experiences in Los Angeles. The comic strip was                                      centred on a bitter and simply drawn rabbit named "Binky." Other characters in the                                      comic were Sheba (Binky's girlfriend) and two identical characters called Akbar and                                      Jeff (resembling a mutated Charlie Brown). In 1980, "Life In Hell" debuted in the Los                                      Angeles Reader, a weekly newspaper where Groening served as editor. Life In Hell                                      became a huge success for Matt and the comic, after ten years of existence, is                                      featured in over 200 newspapers in both the United States and Canada. Several                                      books by Groening including "School Is Hell," "Love Is Hell," "Work is Hell," "The Big                                      Book of Hell," "Akbar and Jeff's Guide to Life," "Binky's Guide to Love" and "Love is                                      Hell - 10th Anniversary Edition," can be found in local bookstores. Matt's cartooning                                      career, however, did not end there ....

                                   On September 8, 1986, The Simpsons made its debut as a two minute sketch on the                                      Tracey Ullman Show. According to Groening, he had received a phone call from                                      James Brookes who wanted him to do some animation for the popular show. Matt                                      quickly drew five brand new characters for the presentation - characters that would                                      inevitably garner a huge following of fans. The Simpsons was Groening's first                                      experience with animation.

                                   The Simpsons earned instant acclaim by critics and fans when in 1990, it debuted as                                      the Fox Network's highest-rated program. Over the last eight years, the show has                                      won an Emmy award and made history for becoming the longest running prime time                                      animated series on television. The Simpson family, comprised of Homer, Marge, Bart,                                      Lisa and Maggie, are named after, but not based on, Groening's family. Matt's father                                      and son are named Homer, his mother is named Margaret and his younger sisters are                                      named Lisa and Maggie. Bart, on the other hand, is an anagram of the word "brat",                                      however, Groening insists that Bart is not a portrayal of himself. As well, many of the                                      characters such as Chief Wiggum have been named after various streets where Matt                                      was raised. With the success of his show, Groening when on to form the "Bongo                                      Comics Group" in 1993. As the publisher of Bongo Comics, Groening has created four                                      different comic book titles including: "Simpsons Comics," "Radioactive Man,"                                      "Bartman" and "Itchy and Scratchy Comics." Groening has also produced two special                                      comic series: "Lisa Comics" and Krusty Comics." The Simpsons Comics are currently                                      still in production today and have published over 30 issues. A number of books about                                      the Simpsons have also been published including: "Bart's Guide to Life," "Making                                      Faces with the Simpsons," "The Rainy Day Fun Book," "The Simpsons Family Album."                                      Simpsons merchandise like T-shirts, posters, video games are still extremely popular                                      with die hard fans.

                                   Since its debut on the Tracy Ullman Show, "The Simpsons" have become the most well                                      known animated prime time series worldwide. While the core characters have                                      remained the same, the show has expanded its "cast" to include interesting, comical                                      and well rounded characters. But, what hasn't changed is the show's ability to make                                      people think, laugh and tune in every week.