Don’t count out the underdog. It’s a lesson 13 other Springfields learned the hard way today. In a contest to crown the Springfield of all Springfields, tiny Springfield, Vermont beat out more than a dozen other like-named cities for the right to host the premiere of “The Simpsons Movie.”
Thousands of “Simpsons” fans were asked to cast their online ballots on “The Simpsons Movie Springfield Challenge” website. In the end Vermont (population 9300) got 15,367 votes, edging out Springfield, Illinois, which received 14,634.
Next week the sparely populated Vermont city will host the film’s premiere in its 100-seat movie theater. (The rest of us will have to wait until July 27th to see the movie around the nation.) The city will also host dressed up members of America’s favorite dysfunctional family who will be in attendance to see themselves on the big screen.
As for the residents of the other Springfields—the ones in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee—Vermont government officials say: “Don’t have a cow, man.”
Perhaps they should have a donut instead. After all, the favorite sweet treat of Homer Simpson was prominently featured in the town’s video submission. The video entry showed buildings with “Springfield” in them and featuring Homer – played by a Burlington talk-show host – running through town chasing a big, pink, rolling doughnut.
Much like the fictional Springfield, Vermont’s Springfield has a bowling alley, a pub, a prison and a nuclear power plant. Personally, I thought Springfield, Illinois would walk away the winner given that it has the largest population (and you’d think residents there would want the notoriety). On the other hand, residents of Springfield, Oregon figured they were a shoe-in to win because “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening is from Portland, the state’s largest city, and many of the show’s landmarks are named after streets in Portland. But, alas the Springfield located about as far away from Hollywood as possible wins the right to play Tinseltown for a day.
Related Articles:
Which Springfield Will Be THE Springfield?
Bye Bye Bart–China Bans Simpsons From Airwaves