to put the 30 or 60 second animation shorts of “The Simpsons” “on between skits on “The Tracy Ullman Show” on the unsuccessful Fox network. Cast members Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner did the voices of Homer and Marge. Yeardley Smith (later to star in Herman's Head) did the voice of Lisa. Nancy Cartwright did the voice of Bart. Cartwright previously supplied the voices for many cartoons, including “Galaxy High”, “Fantastic Max”, “Richie Rich”, “Snorks”, “Pound Puppies”, “My Little Pony”, and “Glo-Friends”. Tracy Ullman later added Cartwright to her cast. (Dale and Trich, 11.) Brooks, Groening, and Sam Simon, Tracy Ullman's producer, wanted to turn the Simpson family into their own show. The Fox network was looking for material to appeal to younger viewers. The only show they had that drew a young audience was “Married With Children.” To Fox's pleasure, “The Simpsons” saved the network from near failure. (Varhola, 3) On December 17, 1989, “The Simpsons” got their break. The Christmas special, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" aired. (Dale and Trich, 19.) In the episode, Bart got a tattoo, much to Marge's dislike. She quickly spent all of the family's Christmas money to remove Bart's tattoo with a laser. At the same time, Homer, still on his morning coffee break at 4:00 in the afternoon, learns that he will not receive a Christmas bonus. When he learns that Marge is relying on the money for Christmas, he decides that he will do the Christmas shopping for the year. He quickly buys Marge panty hose, Bart paper, Lisa crayons, and Maggie a dog toy. When he realizes that he is not doing very well, he gets a second job as a mall Santa for the extra money. On the way home from work, he steals a Christmas tree.The next day at the mall, Bart sits on his Dad's lap and pulls down his ...
