Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Pickering is Springfield

Where is Springfield? In CANADA of course

Displaying all 21 posts by 14 people.
Post #1
2 replies
You wroteon Aug 4, 2007 at 12:59 PM
Just in case anyone was caught up in the debate about where Springfield is really located, I think we've ended the debate. It's based upon Pickering Ontario.

Both have a 401 going through them. Both are 30 miles from the capital. Both are driving distance to MLB teams that play in a domed stadium. Oh yeah, and they both have a nuclear powerplant. Oh, and the Power Plant in Pickering is on MONTGOMERY Park Road. Yes, the character in the Simspons that owns the nuke plant was named after the street the nuke plant is on in Pickering, Ontario.

Don't believe me. Check out the link:

http://www.pickeringisspringfield.com
Post #2
Kyle Schruder replied to your poston Aug 15, 2007 at 7:01 AM
Hm, pretty craaaaazy.
Post #3
1 reply
Adam Joseph Foy (Vincent Massey Secondary School) replied to your poston Aug 15, 2007 at 12:41 PM
But in the Simpsons movie, didn't Flanders name off all the STATES (not provinces) surrounding Springfield?
Post #4
You replied to Adam's poston Aug 15, 2007 at 12:47 PM
Good catch! It's good to see you're paying attention.

Actually, Simpsons 'cannon' allows for the fact that Toronto, and Pickering as part of the GTA, is not in Canada. In one episode, Bart says "some say the birds flew to Canada, others say Toronto." So, according to Simpson cannon, Toronto, and Pickering as part of the GTA, isn't necessarily in Canada. Interesting, eh? That was a pretty big hint intentionally put in the show by the Canadian writers.

Actually, the states that Flanders named are actually nowhere close to each other. That bit was just put in there to throw people off the trail of the true inspiration for the town of Springfield, which is Pickering.

By the way, do you know what the state motto is for the state in which Springfield resides?

It's: "N O T J U S T A N O T H E R S T A T E"

No, it, not just another state, because it's not a state at all - it's a province! That was another pretty big hint the writers put in there.

Keep connecting the dots - they point to one conclusion.

http://www.pickeringisspringfield.com
Post #5
Francis Nixon (University of Ottawa) wroteon Aug 16, 2007 at 7:32 AM
Realistically, despite the similarities, I can't imagine this is true. Matt Groening is from Portland (Oregon) and based alot of the town (street names and such; Evergreen Terrace, for example) on that. He started the show in the mid 1980's. Why on earth would he ever have gone to Pickering?

I'll accept that perhaps some Canadian writer from there worked on the show and based one or two ideas off it. But to assume Springfield is based on a suburban Canadian town that barely even took off until the 1980's is a serious stretch.
Post #6
1 reply
Jamie Ringholm wroteon Aug 16, 2007 at 11:39 AM
Canada sucks too much to home Springfield
Post #7
1 reply
Aaron David Harwood (London, ON) replied to Jamie's poston Aug 16, 2007 at 12:54 PM
Like you'd know, you're too busy with your head up your butt! Canada Rocks!!!!!!!!!
Post #8
You replied to Aaron's poston Aug 16, 2007 at 1:08 PM
OK, eveyone, be nice! Canada indeed 'Rocks', but the US is a pretty kewl spot as well.

Indeed, since Fox took over the show, there are a number of Canadian writers and contributors. Much of the stuff in the early pre-Fox skits is based on Portland Oregon, such as some street names and character names. That's true. But that's what every writer does when they start - they take from what is familiar. (Springfield certainly isn't based on Portland Oregon, that's for sure.)

BUT, there have been a number of Canadian writers for the show, and a number of 'contributors' that have been with Matt since the beginning. It's these people that have been putting the hints in the show.

I only listed a few of the similarities above. But there is validation from a show insider that this is true as well.

Just connect the dots. They all create the same pattern - Pickering is Springfield. You have to ask yourself, when do all of the conincidences, show after show, storyline after storyline, frame after frame, stop being just 'coincidences' and start becoming a discernable trend? I think it's pretty clear that that's already happened.

http://www.pickeringisspringfield.com


(And Jamie...don't make me call you a "Shatner stealing, Mexico toucher", because I will.)
Post #9
1 reply
Troy Sepion (Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN) wroteon Aug 16, 2007 at 6:27 PM
When going to Toronto, Homer says, "Why would I leave America to go to America Junior?"

Actually, there's a Shelbyville near Springfield, IL.
Post #10
2 replies
You replied to Troy's poston Aug 16, 2007 at 7:46 PM
If your argument is that Toronto is in Canada, I will concede that, although there is evidence in the Simpsons cannon that would indicate that actually, it is not. :)

There's conflicting evidence all throughout the Simpsons, as was evidenced by the statement by Bart that I mentioned earlier, where he implies that Toronto is NOT in Canada.

Don't try and pick out one line in one episode and say "there, that's it." That would be like an American jury finding OJ Simpson innocent because a single glove didn't fit, despite all of the other overwhelming evidence against him. I mean, a jury wouldn't be that insanely stupid, would it? :)

Instead, put all the pieces, from all the episodes together, and find a city, anywhere in the world, closer to Springfield than Pickering. When you try, you'll realize that far and away, Pickering is Springfield.

Here's a start: name one other city that has a nuclear power plant, ahighway 401 running through it, is 30 miles away from a Capital city, and the capital city has a major league baseball team that plays in a dome stadium. You can't do it, and that's just like three similarities. I can name another hundred or so, from big to small.

So, that's your challenge. Give me your list of cities that meet that criteria, and then we have a place to start, and I emphasize, start. The list of similarities between Pickering and Springfield goes way beyond that.

http://www.pickeringisspringfield.com



Post #11
1 reply
Troy Sepion (Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN) replied to your poston Aug 16, 2007 at 8:11 PM
Homer does say, "Eh" a lot...

Why would Homer honk his horn and chant, "USA" though? Why would Grandpa have an American flag and claim he'd be in his cold grave before he recognized Missouri? Why would they help Apu become an American Citizen?
Post #12
1 reply
You replied to Troy's poston Aug 16, 2007 at 8:53 PM
He also spends his time drinking beer, eating donuts, chowing down on Canadian Bacon, and covering his food with maple syrup. Need I say more?

Recognizing Missouri has nothing to do with being American. I'm purebred Canadian, but I too will never, under any circumstance, recognize those civil war fence sitters from the "show me state. " :)

I don't think anyone has really caught onto the fact that Homer Simpson is a very English name, whereas Marge Bouvier is a very French name - and that's pretty much the whole history of Canada; a rocky union between the French and the English.

Indeed, The Simpsons are portrayed as an American family, largely because it's focussed towards an american audience. This isn't really about the country, but the city. The title of the post is misleading, and that's my fault. But Springfield is based largely on the history of a Canadian city, and that Canadian city that it's based upon is Pickering, Ontario.

By the way, anyone know where the worlds largest tire fire was? It was in Ontario. Just another similarity.

http://www.pickeringisspringfield.com

By the way, on the topic of Missouri, did you know St. Louis was settled by French Canadians from Acadia, after the British ran them out of Nova Scotia. Half settled in Saint Louis, and the rest went down to Louisiana. The term Cajun, which you hear so much in New Orleans, is actually just an evolved, mis-pronounciation of the word Acadian. (Acadian = acagian = cagian = cajun)

As I've said before, all the greatest things in America are actually Canadian.

:)



Post #13
Dean Moore (Vancouver, BC) wroteon Sep 1, 2007 at 12:16 PM
in the lighthouse episode Homer walks down hill west to the ocean,there is always references to giant redwoods(hank scorpio) and when they take Burns bout out on the water they are boarded by Oriental pirates gotta be near Matt's hometown in Oreagon
Post #14
1 reply
John Pantos replied to your poston Sep 4, 2007 at 5:58 PM
Cameron; Your ideas intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
Post #15
Chris Cairns (St. Catharines / Niagara, ON) wroteon Jul 5, 2008 at 5:26 PM
What about the episode when Homer, Abe, and Apu drove to Canada to get the perscription drugs cheap???
Post #16
Bonani Mpi (South Africa) wroteon Jul 5, 2008 at 8:34 PM
i bet our C. Montgomery Burns is as old as the street.
or is that in the book?
Post #17
Gregori James (Aberystwyth University) replied to John's poston Jul 7, 2008 at 4:04 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
LMAO!
Nice one John...


As for HOMER being an english name...
I'm British and I've never heard anyone in this country called that....
But Simpson is a common british name....thats true
Post #18
1 reply
Douglas M Tisdale Jr (Denver, CO) replied to your post4 hours ago
Cameron, I don't think that Bart's intention was to suggest that Toronto was not Canada, or not in Canada. The point was that he doesn't know (cuz he's, you know, kinda dumb). He could just as easily have said "Some say the birds flew to South America. Others, Brazil." This would have served the same end--to show that Bart's knowledge of geography is not all that great.
Post #19
1 reply
You replied to Douglas's post4 hours ago
I think you have to accept that the writers are very clever. There is often meaning under what is actually said. This is clearly one of those instances. There is obviously a duplicitous nature to the statement. It does indeed just come off to the unknowing as just another throw away line, but when you know what the real intention is of the Canadian writers from the show, you see the actual meaning.

Saw another great episode. Homer drops the instructions for building a BBQ into the mud, covering all the English instructions. So, he turns the instructions over, and which language do you think it is? Spanish? Italian? Portuguese? Yup, it was in French. Imagine, a land where the two most spoken languages are French and English...

Post #20
1 reply
Douglas M Tisdale Jr (Denver, CO) replied to your post4 hours ago
You are correct. The writers are very clever. In fact I would argue that the writers are so clever that over the years they've consistently (and cleverly) inserted an inordinate number of red herrings specifically designed to dupe certain individuals into thinking that they've uncovered conclusive proof that Springfield is definitively set in any one specific area.

Between the movie referencing four border states that are on opposite corners of the US, dozens of references to nearby geographic features (is there a Pickering Gorge? Is West Pickering three times the size of Texas? What about the Murderhorne?), and repeated nudge-nudge-wink-wink-oh-so-close moments in the show where we come *thisclose* to seeing it on a map only to have the camera blocked, I would argue that the writers--regardless of nationality--have managed to cover up the truth: that "Springfield" was never meant to be any specific town, and that any attempt to nail it down is, ultimately, an exercise in futility. Springfield is simply Springfield.
Post #21
You replied to Douglas's postabout an hour ago
Well, I guess you really would need to read the book to understand the whole truth.

Similar logic can be used to prove that Space Balls was not based on Star Wars. I mean, there was no Darth Vader in Space Balls, there was no Luke Skywalker, and there was no Death Star. So, I guess that proves there was no connection.

Is there any place in the world with more similarities to Springfield than Pickering, and uncanny similarities at that, such as the character that owns the powerplant being named after the ACTUAL ROAD that the nuclear power plant in Pickering is on, then I'd like to see it. The fact is, the writers have put a huge number of similarities between Pickering and Springfield because it was where the contributors grew up, and it was a great source of inspiration for their stories.

Any rational debate can only come up with one conclusion: Pickering is Springfield.

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