A tiny New England hamlet called Springfield has won a competition to host the premiere of The Simpsons Movie, seeing off bids from 13 other Springfields in the US which share the name with Homer Simpson’s cartoon hometown.
The 100-seat cinema in Springfield, Vermont, will host the premiere of the new film on July 21 – six days before it opens to the general public – after winning a competition against Springfields from Oregon on the west coast to Massachusetts in the east.
During 18 television seasons of The Simpsons, a satirical parody of Middle America seen through the misadventures of Homer and his dysfunctional family, the fictional Springfield’s location has never been identified.
Of the 34 Springfields in the US, 14 submitted a video making a case to host the premiere. The videos were posted on a website and the American public voted for their favourite.
Vermont’s Springfield – population 9,500 – was not initially part of the contest, despite boasting similarities to its cartoon namesake with a bowling alley, a pub, a prison, and a nuclear power plant nearby.
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But it was given a late entry after a local businessman appealed to the film’s producer Twentieth Century Fox – which is part of the Fox Entertainment Group, majority owned by The News Corporation, parent company of The Times.
The town won thanks to a video showing a Homer lookalike running through its streets chasing a giant, pink rolling doughnut. Eventually, a mob chases him into the cinema, where they sit down to watch the premiere.
The town had some stiff competition. Springfield, Oregon, hoped it had the edge because the cartoon’s creator, Matt Groening, is from Portland, the state’s largest city.
The other 13 Springfields have a consolation prize, however. Each will be given special screenings of the film before it opens on July 27.