0234 - Howard (Patreon)

Please bear with me a moment. This is the first post I've written since going off on paternity leave back in March so I may be rusty. But I'm back and ready to talk more about the...Simpuns? Is that right?

Howard, like Pawn Shop Clerk or Bill Dandy, is the sort of role that was perhaps meant for greater things. Designed specifically and given a name, he could have been a familiar Springfieldian. But he's limited to two appearances: this one, in which he moves quite unusually (I suspect this scene was in the infamous "original" animated version of this episode, before it was sent for retakes.

Howard is voiced by Paul Willson, who I know best as Paul from Cheers (a minor patron of the bar with a LOT of appearances), and as Leonard in It's Garry Shandling's Show. This is his only Simpsons appearance.

Later, he can be seen in the queue for Mt Splashmore in "Brush With Greatness", a scene that has really become a "who's who" of absolute nobodies.

Here he has a healthy tan, but perhaps that's not him and he can be seen here instead:

I've sent HUNDREDS of letters to the Simpsons staff in an attempt to clear this up. No response yet.

Sadly, at some point between season 2 and season 20, Howard passes away, with the family flower business now being run by his son, as shockingly revealed in season 20's "Wedding For Disaster."

Rest well, Howard. I'm sorry we were robbed of a chance to see your dramatic and narratively satisfying life.

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