0340 - Dr Julius Hibbert (Patreon)

The most significant introduction of this episode, by far! Suffice to say, I will not be doing that thing where I track down and list every single one of this character's appearances.

Dr Hibbert's first appearance is not what we're used to from him, and not what the character is known for. His demeanour is serious and dour, and without a single chuckle through his two scenes. As far as I can tell, his trademark chuckle first appears seven episodes from now, in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", although he appears in three more episodes between now and then.

Hibbert's initial serious attitude is deliberate, in that he is intended as a reference to Cliff Huxtable, main character of The Cosby Show - he is sort of meant to be an anti-Bill Cosby, much less silly and an actual serious doctor. Initially this character was meant to be female, and named after Julia Sweeney (Julia Hibbert at the time.) But when The Simpsons moved to airing on Thursday nights in 1990, they suddenly aired directly opposite The Cosby Show, negatively affecting their ratings - and making a rival out of Cosby. And so, the doctor character became a direct reference to him.

This sort of "anti-Cosby" personification is soon forgotten as the character appears more, and his light-hearted goofy attitude is more reflective of Cliff Huxtable, even mirroring his wardrobe of colourful sweaters:

Thankfully, the longevity of The Simpsons has meant that Hibbert's relevance has far surpassed his creation as a mere Cosby parody, and he is a solid "B-list" character that casual viewers can immediately identify. Light hearted potshots at Bill Cosby will be a mainstay of the first few seasons, but Hibbert's legacy is more than that.

Unfortunately for him, the longevity of The Simpsons has also ensured that Hibbert has gone from a competent and respected member of the medical community to a wacky cartoon quack with a dangerous practice. This is a result of the need for escalation of jokes and seems natural for a long-running character like this, but eventually it means that in realistic terms there isn't actually as much of a gulf in expertise between Dr Hibbert and Dr Nick. By season 10, less than a third of the show's lifespan, it is implied that Dr Hibbert doesn't even have a medical license.

This is not necessarily a flaw of the show, but it does put things in perspective. Be a member of Springfield's buffoonish community for long enough, and it'll drag you down with it.

This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of my rules in this project, click here.