Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise
Fictional character
Ralph Wiggum
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First appearance
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Created by
| Matt Groening
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Designed by
| Matt Groening
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Voiced by
| Nancy Cartwright
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Gender
| Male
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Occupation
| - Student at Springfield Elementary School
- Future Police Chief of Springfield
- 2008 US Presidential candidate with bi-partisan endorsement
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Family
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Ralph Wiggum
is a recurring character in the
animated series
The Simpsons
.
He is voiced by
Nancy Cartwright
.
Ralph, the son of
Police Chief Wiggum
,
is a classmate of
Lisa Simpson
and is characterized by his frequent
non-sequiturs
which range from nonsensical and bizarre to profound. His
dim-witted
behavior lends him an air of blissful ignorance.
The creator of the show,
Matt Groening
, has cited Ralph as his favorite character.
[4]
He generally remains one of the more popular and often quoted secondary characters in the show. In 2006,
IGN
ranked Ralph No. 3 on their list of the "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters," behind
Sideshow Bob
and
Troy McClure
.
[5]
Role in
The Simpsons
[
edit
]
Ralph is characterized as a
mentally challenged
and good-natured 8-year-old boy in
Lisa Simpson
's second-grade class,
taught by
Ms. Hoover
. Initially, he was mostly used as a silent background character without consistent characterization. However, in later seasons his role expanded, being a featured character in several episodes.
These episodes include: "
I Love Lisa
", an episode which set him apart from other tertiary characters and largely defined much of his character,
[6]
"
This Little Wiggy
" and "
E Pluribus Wiggum
"; as well as appearances both minor and prominent in many other episodes. Ralph also appears in various other media, such as the
Simpsons comic book series by Bongo
, and has even received his own entry in
The Simpsons Library of Wisdom
series.
Personality
[
edit
]
Ralph's primary role in the show is to deliver clueless asides and odd
non-sequiturs
.
Ralph is presented as quite stupid, verbally challenged, and slow. In one of his most famous quotes, Ralph responds to the news that he is failing English class with the retort: "Me fail English? That's unpossible!",
[7]
However, in other instances, Ralph speaks with relative ease, notably in "
I Love Lisa
" when he gives an uncharacteristically powerful performance as
George Washington
in a school play. Occasionally, Ralph has even been used to break the
fourth wall
straightforwardly.
[8]
Although it has never been explicitly stated in any Simpsons-related media that Ralph is intellectually disabled and/or
brain damaged
, in a flashback
Chief Wiggum
drops baby Ralph, who lands flat on his head. When Wiggum picks Ralph up again, Ralph suddenly has difficulty drinking out of his bottle.
[9]
Creation and design
[
edit
]
Ralph was named after comedian
Jackie Gleason
's character on
The Honeymooners
Ralph Kramden.
[10]
[11]
Ralph's first credited appearance in the show was in the episode "
Moaning Lisa
", where he was considerably different in appearance and behavior. Ralph's modern design first appeared in the second-season episode "
Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment
". Early Ralph spoke with a voice similar to that of
Nelson Muntz
's until Cartwright settled into his higher-pitched whine. Originally intended to be a "Mini-Homer," Ralph eventually took on a life of his own.
[12]
[11]
The staff later retconned Ralph into the son of
Chief Wiggum
, a fact initially hinted at in "
Kamp Krusty
" and later made canon in "
I Love Lisa
".
[13]
Groening considers Ralph "really hard to write."
[13]
Ralph's normal attire usually consists of a blue long-sleeve shirt with a collar, a belt with a red buckle, and brown pants. However, almost all
Simpsons-
related media and merchandise, portray Ralph with white or light gray colored pants. Ralph's hair is meant to evoke a
bowl-cut
style.
[14]
In one particular issue of the comic book, Ralph is drawn in a realistic style, depicted with blonde hair.
[15]
Adult Ralph in "
Bart to the Future
" has light brown hair.
Reception
[
edit
]
Ralph has become one of the show's most popular characters. He is commonly featured on media and merchandise related to the show, including the
season 13
home media box set.
Kidrobot
released Ralph as a separate figure from the rest of their
Simpsons
line of figurines in 2009. The figure is twice as large as the other ones. The comedy band
The Bloodhound Gang
made a song titled "
Ralph Wiggum
" on the album
Hefty Fine
,
dedicated to the character and composed solely of some of his most famous quotes for lyrics. Show creator
Matt Groening
has stated that writers will most likely take credit for Ralph when someone asks who writes specific characters, which is a common misconception about the writing process.
[16]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Moro, Eric (2007-07-28).
"SDCC 07: The Simpsons Panel"
.
IGN
. Retrieved
2007-07-29
.
- ^
"The Simpsons: Top 25 Peripheral Characters"
.
IGN
. 16 February 2012.
- ^
Mula, Frank
;
Archer, Wes
(1993-02-11). "
I Love Lisa
".
The Simpsons
. Season 04. Episode 15. Fox.
- ^
Scully, Mike
;
Anderson, Bob
(1994-11-13). "
Lisa on Ice
".
The Simpsons
. Season 06. Episode 8. Fox.
- ^
Spoiler-centric events near the end of the game involving Ralph.
EA Redwood Shores, Rebellion, Amaze Entertainment (October 30, 2007).
The Simpsons Game
(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Portable). Electronic Arts.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
The Simpsons
episode "
Moms I'd Like to Forget
."
- ^
Larry Carroll (2007-07-26).
"
'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers"
.
MTV
. Retrieved
2007-07-29
.
- ^
a
b
Reiss, Mike; Klickstein, Mathew (2018).
Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons
. New York City: Dey Street Books. p. 105.
ISBN
978-0062748034
.
- ^
Jean, Al (2001).
The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode 'Moaning Lisa'
(DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^
a
b
Joe Rhodes (2000-10-21). "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves".
TV Guide
.
- ^
Grau, Doris; Mitzman Gaven, Marcia (2007).
The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips from the Pros
.
HarperPaperbacks
.
ISBN
978-0-06-123129-2
.
- ^
Hamill, Mark
(
w
),
Morrison, Bill
(
a
).
Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, "Catastrophe in Substitute Springfields"
, no. 7 (September 2001).
Bongo Comics
.
- ^
"Matt Groening | The A.V. Club"
.
The A.V. Club
. Archived from
the original
on 2007-06-23
. Retrieved
2006-04-26
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
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