What is matter? Never mind!" Those few words began it all: The legacy of Homer Simpson. He started as a crudely drawn cartoon character, and now his likeness is on anything and everything imaginable. From the more common memorabilia such as action figures and tee shirts, to the more abnormal items ranging from barbeque sets to "soap on a rope," Homer has lent his image. The Simpsons, which airs in numerous countries, has affected and influenced millions of fans around the globe. I am one of those fans.
Although The Simpsons originally aired in 1987 on the Tracy Ullman Show, I didn't really get hooked until I was in 9th grade. (Before that, I was never allowed to watch the show, as my mom dubbed it "inappropriate".) But, once I entered high school, The Simpsons soon became my new favorite TV show. At that time, over 200 episodes had already aired, so I had a lot to catch up on. Even after coming home from school and watching the two syndicated episodes on TV that night, I realized that I couldn't get enough of The Simpsons. So, to fulfill my need, I began collecting Simpsons merchandise. I just didn't know how far this need would take me.
On Christmas day, 2001, I received my first two pieces of Simpsons merchandise from my brother. They were action figures of two of the lesser-known characters on the show. After researching the figures, I soon learned they were only a small part of a much larger line of toys. Now knowing that there were more action figures of my favorite TV characters, I was soon filled with anticipation. I would try my hardest to collect every single figure in the "World of Springfield" line. After only 6 months of searching on eBay and other online sources (and a few thousand dollars), I was completely caught up. While researching however, I had found other Simpsons merchandise. Posters, tee shirts, Burger King meal prizes, ceramic statues, and more, all accompanied my WOS figures.