Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Encyclopedia
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series
The Simpsons
. He is voiced by Hank Azaria
and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head
". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart
, a popular convenience store in Springfield
, and a friend of Homer Simpson
. He is also an Indian
immigrant. Apu is well known for his repeated and characteristic delivery of the catchphrase, "thank you, come again."
, but stayed afterward as he had come to enjoy his job and the friends he had made. He remained an illegal immigrant
until Mayor Quimby
proposed a municipal law to expel all undocumented aliens. Apu responded by purchasing a forged birth certificate from the Springfield Mafia that listed his parents as U.S. citizens Herb and Judy Nahasapeemapetilon, but when he realized he was forsaking his origins, he abandoned this plan and instead successfully managed to pass his citizenship test with help from Lisa
and Homer Simpson
. Thus, he refers to himself as a "semi-legal immigrant". During 1985, Apu was a member of the barbershop quartet
The Be Sharps along with Homer Simpson
, Barney Gumble
, and Seymour Skinner
. Upon the advice of the band manager Nigel, Apu took the stage name Apu de Beaumarchais (a reference to Beaumarchais
, author of The Barber of Seville
). Apu is also a vegan
, and is rumored to be a big fan of the Cheap Trick
song, "Dream Police
" even though he knows the words imperfectly.
", Apu enjoys a brief period as Springfield's leading ladies' man after being spontaneously drawn into a bachelor auction. He spends the days following the auction on a whirlwind of dates. These come to a sudden halt when his mother announces it is time for his arranged marriage
to a woman named Manjula, whom he had not seen in years. Apu tries to wriggle out of the arrangement at first, with Homer making Marge pretend to be his wife until Apu's mother finds her with Homer, but is won over when he meets Manjula face-to-face at the wedding, and the two decide to give the marriage a try (Manjula notes nonchalantly that they can always get a divorce). Later the two actually do fall in love. In the episode "Eight Misbehavin'
", Manjula receives too many doses of fertility drugs from herself, Apu, and the well-meaning, but unsynchronized, Simpsons, due to difficulties with having a baby. This leads to her giving birth to octuplets
: Anoop, Uma, Nabendu, Poonam, Priya, Sandeep, Sashi, and Gheet. This causes difficulties for the family, but finally they decide to get on with their life. During the episode "Bart-Mangled Banner
", when the town changes its name to Libertyville to be patriotic after it is claimed Springfield hates America, Apu temporarily changes his children's names to Lincoln
, Freedom
, Condoleezza, Coke
, Pepsi
, Manifest Destiny
, Apple Pie
, and Superman
.
Apu and Manjula have a mostly happy marriage, despite understandable marital problems caused by Apu's workaholic
nature and long hours, and the strain of caring for eight children. A further strain came up when Apu was unfaithful
to Manjula with the Squishee delivery lady, causing him to briefly move out and even making him contemplate suicide, and one of his punishments was to legally change his name to Slime Q. Slimedog. He and his family are devout Hindu
s.
Sanjay, Apu's brother, helps run the Kwik-E-Mart. Sanjay has a daughter named Pahasatira, and a son named Jamshed. They all share the Nahasapeemapetilon surname. Apu has another younger brother, who is only mentioned in "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons". When Apu's and Manjula's parents were first arranging their marriage, Apu was shown on a chart as the oldest of three. Apu also has a cousin living in India named Kavi, who was the voice of Angel Espinosa, who helped Homer while he was in India. He works for several American companies taking service calls using American, cowboy, and Jamaican accents.
Apu is a playable character in The Simpsons Hit & Run
video game. His quest in the game is to redeem himself for unknowingly selling the tainted Buzz Cola that has driven the residents of Springfield insane.
Apu also makes an appearance in The Simpsons Road Rage as a passenger, and unlockable playable character.
episode "The Telltale Head
". While creating the character, the writers decided they would not make him ethnic. They felt it would be too offensive and stereotypical and did not want to offend viewers. However, at a table read for an episode, Hank Azaria
's reading of the line "Hello, Mr. Homer" received a huge laugh from the writers, so the concept stayed. Azaria took Apu's voice from the many Indian convenience store workers in Los Angeles whom he had interacted with when he first moved to the area. He also loosely based it on Peter Sellers
' character Hrundi V. Bakshi from the film The Party
, whom Azaria thinks has a similar personality to Apu. Apu's first name is an homage to the main character in the Apu trilogy
directed by Satyajit Ray
. His surname is Nahasapeemapetilon, and it was first used in the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge
". It is a morphophonological
blend
of the name Pahasadee Napetilon, the full name of a schoolmate of Simpsons writer Jeff Martin
. In the season seven
episode "Lisa the Vegetarian
" it is revealed that Apu is vegan.
Apu married Manjula in the episode "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
". Rich Appel first constructed the idea for Apu's marriage. Andrea Martin
provided the voice of Apu's mother in the episode, recording her part in New York
. She wanted to get the voice perfect, so in between takes she listened to tapes of Hank Azaria
reading lines for Apu, to make sure her voice could realistically be Apu's mother's.
Hank Azaria has won three Primetime Emmy Award
s for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
. Winning in 1998 for his performance as Apu, and again in 2001 for "Worst Episode Ever
" and 2003 for "Moe Baby Blues
" for voicing several characters, including Apu.
Apu's image has been widely licensed, on items ranging from board games to auto air fresheners. In July 2007, convenience store chain 7-Eleven
converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts to celebrate the release of The Simpsons Movie
. There was a mild controversy when the promotion offended members of the Indian-American community who felt that Apu is a caricature that plays on too many negative stereotypes. Despite this, 7-Eleven reported that many of its Indian employees reacted positively to the idea, although it was noted that it was "not a 100 percent endorsement".
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. He is voiced by Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head
The Telltale Head
"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons first season, and it originally aired February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of...
". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
, a popular convenience store in Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
, and a friend of Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
. He is also an Indian
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
immigrant. Apu is well known for his repeated and characteristic delivery of the catchphrase, "thank you, come again."
Biography
Apu is a naturalised U.S. citizen and holds a Ph.D. degree in computer science. He graduated first in his class of seven million at 'Caltech' — Calcutta Technical Institute — going on to earn his doctorate at the Springfield Heights Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.). Apu began working at the Kwik-E-Mart during his college years to pay off his student loanStudent loan
A student loan is designed to help students pay for university tuition, books, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in education...
, but stayed afterward as he had come to enjoy his job and the friends he had made. He remained an illegal immigrant
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
until Mayor Quimby
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...
proposed a municipal law to expel all undocumented aliens. Apu responded by purchasing a forged birth certificate from the Springfield Mafia that listed his parents as U.S. citizens Herb and Judy Nahasapeemapetilon, but when he realized he was forsaking his origins, he abandoned this plan and instead successfully managed to pass his citizenship test with help from Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
and Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
. Thus, he refers to himself as a "semi-legal immigrant". During 1985, Apu was a member of the barbershop quartet
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
The Be Sharps along with Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Barney Gumble
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
, and Seymour Skinner
Seymour Skinner
Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...
. Upon the advice of the band manager Nigel, Apu took the stage name Apu de Beaumarchais (a reference to Beaumarchais
Pierre Beaumarchais
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a French playwright, watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms dealer, satirist, financier, and revolutionary ....
, author of The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
). Apu is also a vegan
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
, and is rumored to be a big fan of the Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
song, "Dream Police
Dream Police
Dream Police is a 1979 studio album by Cheap Trick. It was their fourth studio release, and third in a row produced by Tom Werman. It is the band's most commercially successful studio album, going to No...
" even though he knows the words imperfectly.
Family
In the episode "The Two Mrs. NahasapeemapetilonsThe Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons ninth season, that originally aired on November 16, 1997. It was written by Richard Appel and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode sees Apu Nahasapeemapetilon marry Manjula, and incorporates several aspects of Hindu...
", Apu enjoys a brief period as Springfield's leading ladies' man after being spontaneously drawn into a bachelor auction. He spends the days following the auction on a whirlwind of dates. These come to a sudden halt when his mother announces it is time for his arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
to a woman named Manjula, whom he had not seen in years. Apu tries to wriggle out of the arrangement at first, with Homer making Marge pretend to be his wife until Apu's mother finds her with Homer, but is won over when he meets Manjula face-to-face at the wedding, and the two decide to give the marriage a try (Manjula notes nonchalantly that they can always get a divorce). Later the two actually do fall in love. In the episode "Eight Misbehavin'
Eight Misbehavin'
"Eight Misbehavin" is the seventh episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 1999...
", Manjula receives too many doses of fertility drugs from herself, Apu, and the well-meaning, but unsynchronized, Simpsons, due to difficulties with having a baby. This leads to her giving birth to octuplets
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
: Anoop, Uma, Nabendu, Poonam, Priya, Sandeep, Sashi, and Gheet. This causes difficulties for the family, but finally they decide to get on with their life. During the episode "Bart-Mangled Banner
Bart-Mangled Banner
"Bart-Mangled Banner" is the twenty-first episode from The Simpsons fifteenth season. It aired on May 16, 2004 on FOX.-Plot:Homer and Marge take the kids to get their shots. Just before Dr. Hibbert is about to inject Bart, he escapes. After a chase through town, Hibbert finally outsmarts Bart and...
", when the town changes its name to Libertyville to be patriotic after it is claimed Springfield hates America, Apu temporarily changes his children's names to Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, Freedom
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, Condoleezza, Coke
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
, Apple Pie
Apple pie
An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. It is sometimes served with whipped cream or ice cream on top...
, and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
.
Apu and Manjula have a mostly happy marriage, despite understandable marital problems caused by Apu's workaholic
Workaholic
A workaholic is a person who is addicted to work.The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it...
nature and long hours, and the strain of caring for eight children. A further strain came up when Apu was unfaithful
The Sweetest Apu
"The Sweetest Apu" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 5, 2002. In the episode, Homer and his wife Marge discover that convenience store owner Apu is having an affair with the Squishee delivery lady working...
to Manjula with the Squishee delivery lady, causing him to briefly move out and even making him contemplate suicide, and one of his punishments was to legally change his name to Slime Q. Slimedog. He and his family are devout Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s.
Sanjay, Apu's brother, helps run the Kwik-E-Mart. Sanjay has a daughter named Pahasatira, and a son named Jamshed. They all share the Nahasapeemapetilon surname. Apu has another younger brother, who is only mentioned in "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons". When Apu's and Manjula's parents were first arranging their marriage, Apu was shown on a chart as the oldest of three. Apu also has a cousin living in India named Kavi, who was the voice of Angel Espinosa, who helped Homer while he was in India. He works for several American companies taking service calls using American, cowboy, and Jamaican accents.
Other appearances
The Simpsons Hit & Run
The Simpsons Hit & Run is an action-adventure video game based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons. It was released for the GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Windows in North America on September 16, 2003, In Europe and Australia on October 31, 2003 and in Japan on December 25, 2003...
video game. His quest in the game is to redeem himself for unknowingly selling the tainted Buzz Cola that has driven the residents of Springfield insane.
Apu also makes an appearance in The Simpsons Road Rage as a passenger, and unlockable playable character.
Character
Apu first appeared in the season oneThe Simpsons (season 1)
The Simpsons first season originally aired between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L...
episode "The Telltale Head
The Telltale Head
"The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons first season, and it originally aired February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon, Matt Groening, and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart cuts the head off the statue of Jebediah Springfield in the center of...
". While creating the character, the writers decided they would not make him ethnic. They felt it would be too offensive and stereotypical and did not want to offend viewers. However, at a table read for an episode, Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
's reading of the line "Hello, Mr. Homer" received a huge laugh from the writers, so the concept stayed. Azaria took Apu's voice from the many Indian convenience store workers in Los Angeles whom he had interacted with when he first moved to the area. He also loosely based it on Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
' character Hrundi V. Bakshi from the film The Party
The Party (film)
The Party is a 1968 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, starring Peter Sellers and Claudine Longet. The film has a very loose structure, and essentially serves as a series of set pieces for Sellers's improvisational comedy talents...
, whom Azaria thinks has a similar personality to Apu. Apu's first name is an homage to the main character in the Apu trilogy
Apu trilogy
The Apu Trilogy is a trilogy consisting of three Bengali films directed by Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali , Aparajito and Apur Sansar . The films — completed 1955-1959 — were based on two Bengali novels written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay: Pather Panchali and Aparajito...
directed by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
. His surname is Nahasapeemapetilon, and it was first used in the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge
A Streetcar Named Marge
"A Streetcar Named Marge" is the second episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 1, 1992. In the episode, Marge wins the role of Blanche DuBois in a musical version of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire...
". It is a morphophonological
Morphophonology
Morphophonology is a branch of linguistics which studies, in general, the interaction between morphological and phonetic processes. When a morpheme is attached to a word, it can alter the phonetic environments of other morphemes in that word. Morphophonemics attempts to describe this process...
blend
Blend
In linguistics, a blend is a word formed from parts of two or more other words. These parts are sometimes, but not always, morphemes.-Linguistics:...
of the name Pahasadee Napetilon, the full name of a schoolmate of Simpsons writer Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (writer)
Jeff Martin is an American television producer and writer. He was a writer for The Simpsons during the first four seasons. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, as have many other Simpsons writers...
. In the season seven
The Simpsons (season 7)
The Simpsons seventh season originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995 and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining...
episode "Lisa the Vegetarian
Lisa the Vegetarian
"Lisa the Vegetarian" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 15, 1995. In the episode, Lisa decides to stop eating meat after bonding with a lamb at a petting zoo...
" it is revealed that Apu is vegan.
Apu married Manjula in the episode "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons ninth season, that originally aired on November 16, 1997. It was written by Richard Appel and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode sees Apu Nahasapeemapetilon marry Manjula, and incorporates several aspects of Hindu...
". Rich Appel first constructed the idea for Apu's marriage. Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
provided the voice of Apu's mother in the episode, recording her part in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She wanted to get the voice perfect, so in between takes she listened to tapes of Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
reading lines for Apu, to make sure her voice could realistically be Apu's mother's.
Reception
Apu is one of the most prominent South Asian characters on prime-time television in the United States.Hank Azaria has won three Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
s for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance is a creative arts Emmy Award given out by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It is awarded to a performer for an outstanding "continuing or single voice-over performance in a series or a special." Prior to 1992, voice-actors...
. Winning in 1998 for his performance as Apu, and again in 2001 for "Worst Episode Ever
Worst Episode Ever
"Worst Episode Ever" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 4, 2001. In the episode, Bart and Milhouse are banned from The Android's Dungeon after stopping Comic Book Guy from buying a box of priceless...
" and 2003 for "Moe Baby Blues
Moe Baby Blues
"Moe Baby Blues" is the 22nd episode of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons. It is the season finale.-Plot:The town goes to the Springfield Botanical Gardens to see the blooming of a Sumatran Century Flower...
" for voicing several characters, including Apu.
Apu's image has been widely licensed, on items ranging from board games to auto air fresheners. In July 2007, convenience store chain 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
converted 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada into Kwik-E-Marts to celebrate the release of The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
. There was a mild controversy when the promotion offended members of the Indian-American community who felt that Apu is a caricature that plays on too many negative stereotypes. Despite this, 7-Eleven reported that many of its Indian employees reacted positively to the idea, although it was noted that it was "not a 100 percent endorsement".
External links
- Apu's profile at TheSimpsons.com