'Simpsons' creator Groening says Springfield inspired by Oregon

Springfield - In an interview with the Smithsonian Magazine, Matt Groening, 58, creator of "The Simpsons" revealed that the 22-year-old TV show is named after Springfield, Oregon.

The Washington Post reports Groening told Smithsonian Magazine that the inspiration for the "The Simpsons" was the television show "Father Knows Best," set in a town called Springfield. E!Online reports Groening, who lived in a street called Evergreen Terrace while growing up, said: "The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show Father Knows Best took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do." When asked why he never revealed the information before, he said: “I don’t want to ruin it for people, you know? Whenever people say it’s Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusetts, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, ‘Yup, that’s right.’" The question about the location of Springfield is long-debated. The Washington Post reports that in one episode of "The Simpsons," Homer's daughter Lisa, points to Springfield on the map but the "camera view" was blocked by his son Bart's head. The animated cartoon series has been on air for 22 years and is the longest-running American sitcom. When Springfield, Oregon community-relations manager Niel Laudati, was told about Groening's statement, he said: “Oh OK, we knew that.” But The Washington Post notes that the depiction of "Springfield" in "The Simpsons" is very often unflattering. Laudati responds:“We kind of got past it. We don’t dwell on the bad stuff. Obviously we don’t have a nuclear power plant. We don’t have a lot of stuff in the Simpsons. What we do have are a lot of blue-collar working families that go to church every week and eat dinner together. That is accurate.” But "The Simpsons" fans have been assured that the big revelation is not meant to signal the end of the series. E! Online reports Fox has renewed "The Simpsons" for seasons 24 and 25.