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Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)
Encyclopedia
Mona J. Simpson is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons
. She has been voiced by several actresses, including Maggie Roswell
, Tress MacNeille
and most prominently, Glenn Close
. Mona is the estranged wife of Abe Simpson
and the mother of Homer Simpson
. Homer believed that his mother was dead, a lie his father Abe told him when in reality she was on the run from the law. Mona first appeared in the second season
in a flashback in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
". She returned in the seventh season
for her first main appearance in "Mother Simpson
" and also had a large role in "My Mother the Carjacker
". The character appeared again in Season 19
's "Mona Leaves-a
", but died during the episode.
The character is named after writer Richard Appel
's ex-wife, the American author Mona Simpson. The personality for the character is based upon Bernardine Dohrn
of the Weather Underground
. Glenn Close's performances as Mona have been well-received by critics and she was named one of the top 25 guest stars on the show by IGN
.
and made two brief flashback appearances, but her first major appearance was in "Mother Simpson
". In the episode, it is revealed that in the 1960s, Mona was a housewife who lived with her husband Abraham Simpson
and Homer, who at the time was a child. She became caught up in the hippie movement
after her beliefs were ignited by seeing Joe Namath
's long hair during Super Bowl III
. Mona soonafter became a political activist and, at one event, Mona and a group of other activists protesting germ research entered Montgomery Burns
's laboratory and destroyed all the biological warfare
experiments. As the gang escaped, she stayed behind to help a fallen Burns, who in turn threatened her. Since that night, Mona was forced to leave her family. Seeking to comfort his son, Abe lied and said Mona had died while Homer was at the movies. For 27 years Homer presumed that his mother was dead. He was accidentally reunited with Mona after he faked his own death to get a day off of work and Mona visited his supposed gravesite. Overjoyed at their reunion, he brings Mona home to meet his family. At first, Mona does not reveal her whereabouts and spends time catching up with her family, but is forced to reveal her past. She later travels to the post office with Homer, where Mr. Burns recognizes her face and tracks her down with FBI assistance. Forced to go on the run again, Mona tells Homer she loves him and escapes to the underground.
In "D'oh-in in the Wind
", it is revealed that at some point, Mona started spending time at a commune with two hippies Seth and Munchie after life with Abraham became unbearable. It is also strongly implied that she was unfaithful to Abraham.
In "My Mother the Carjacker
", Homer discovers a secret message left for him in a newspaper that tells him to go to a location. Homer does, and finds Mona, who explains that she had to return after she saw a macaroni pencil holder Homer had made for her when he was five. Still on the run from the law, she is captured by the police and forced to go on trial for the crime she committed. Due to Homer's heartfelt testimony she is acquitted. Mr. Burns is angered by this and has her imprisoned for the minor charge of signing into a national park under a false name. As she is being transported to jail, Homer attempts to break her free from the prison bus, but the chase ends in what appears to be her death when the bus drives off a cliff and lands in the water, where it explodes, and sets off a rock avalanche which buries it. In truth, she narrowly escaped before the bus went off the cliff, and is still on the run.
Mona returned in "Mona Leaves-a
" to try to make up for lost time with Homer, but he angrily refuses, saying that she will just end up abandoning him again. Homer feels guilty about being mad at her and tries to make up with her only to find she has died. She is cremated and according to her will, Homer is supposed to throw her ashes out on a mountain, where they disrupt a missile guidance system which would have devastated the Amazon Rainforest
once again plotted by Burns. Although disappointed that the last thing his mother asked him to do was "another hippie protest", Homer successfully stops the launch.
Mona Simpson is first mentioned in season one
's "There's No Disgrace Like Home
", where Homer recalls his mother telling him that he's a "big disappointment". She later made two brief flashback appearances, the first being season two
's "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
" and the second being season six
's "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
", and in both cases she was voiced by Maggie Roswell
. Mona's first major appearance was in the seventh season
episode "Mother Simpson
". The episode was pitched by Richard Appel
, who had been desperately trying to think of a story idea and decided to do something about Homer's mother. Many of the writers were surprised that an episode about Homer's mother had not previously been produced. The writers used the episode as an opportunity to solve several puzzles about the show, such as where Lisa
's intelligence came from. The character is named after Richard Appel's wife, who is the novelist Mona Simpson. The inspiration for the character comes from Bernardine Dohrn
of the Weather Underground
, although the writers acknowledge that several people fit her description. Her crime was intentionally the least violent crime the writers could think of, as she did not harm anyone and was only caught because she came back to help Mr. Burns.
Mona Simpson was designed in a way so that she has a little bit of Homer in her face, such as the shape of her upper lip and her nose. There were several design changes because the directors were trying to make her an attractive older and younger woman, but still be "Simpson-esque".
was convinced to voice the character in "Mother Simpson" partially because of James L. Brooks
. She was directed in her first performance by Josh Weinstein. When Mona gets in the van, her voice is done by Pamela Hayden
because Glenn Close could not say "d'oh!
" properly and thus they used the original temp track
recorded by Hayden.
Glenn Close would record original material for two other episodes, season 15
's "My Mother the Carjacker
" and season 19
's "Mona Leaves-a
". A deleted scene featuring Mona from "Mother Simpson" would appear in season seven
's "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
". The character would also have a speaking appearance in season ten
's "D'oh-in in the Wind
", this time voiced by Tress MacNeille
.
Glenn Close has been well-received as the voice of Mona. IGN.com
ranked Close as the 25th best guest star in the show's history for her first two performances as Mona. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly
called Close one of "fourteen guest stars whose standout performances on TV make us wish they'd turn up in a Simpsons Movie 2". In 2008, Entertainment Weekly would also name Close one the 16 best Simpsons guest stars. The Phoenix.com placed Close in the second position on their list of the best 20 Simpsons guest stars. Star News Online listed Close as one of the four hundred reasons why they love The Simpsons. Close appeared on AOL
's list of their favorite 25 Simpsons guest stars. Robert Canning of IGN
wrote that Close "gave us the sweet voice of Mona Simpson. She's a perfect fit, able to convey a loving, motherly tone, while still convincing the audience she's a headstrong hippie activist."
"Mother Simpson" is one of Bill Oakley
and Josh Weinstein
's favorite episodes as they feel it is a perfect combination of real emotion, good jokes and an interesting story and they have expressed regret about not submitting it for the Emmy Award
in the Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
category. "My Mother the Carjacker" received a Writers Guild of America Award
nomination in 2004 in the animation category. "Mona Leaves-a" received mixed reviews from critics. Robert Canning described it as "clunky and forced and wasn't all that funny" but still gave it a 7/10. Richard Keller called it a decent episode, but despised Mona's brief appearance.
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...
. She has been voiced by several actresses, including Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell is an American film and television actress and voice artist from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series The Simpsons, in which she has played recurring characters such as Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss...
, Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
and most prominently, Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
. Mona is the estranged wife of Abe Simpson
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
and the mother 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...
. Homer believed that his mother was dead, a lie his father Abe told him when in reality she was on the run from the law. Mona first appeared in the second season
The Simpsons (season 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
in a flashback in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1991. In the episode, Grampa confesses that Homer has a half-brother, whom Homer immediately tries to track down. He eventually discovers...
". She returned in the seventh season
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...
for her first main appearance in "Mother Simpson
Mother Simpson
"Mother Simpson" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventh season and first aired on November 19, 1995. After faking his own death to get a day off of work, Homer reunites with his mother Mona, who he thought had died 27 years ago. It was directed by David Silverman and was the first episode to...
" and also had a large role in "My Mother the Carjacker
My Mother the Carjacker
"My Mother the Carjacker" is the second episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season and first aired on November 9, 2003. Homer receives a cryptic message in the newspaper informing him to come to a certain place at midnight, and soon discovers that the person who wrote the message is his mother, Mona...
". The character appeared again in Season 19
The Simpsons (season 19)
The Simpsons nineteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 23, 2007 and May 18, 2008.-Production:The nineteenth season of The Simpsons is the first one produced after the movie and contained seven hold-over episodes from season 18's JABF production line...
's "Mona Leaves-a
Mona Leaves-a
"Mona Leaves-a" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, and was first broadcast on May 11, 2008. The episode features the death of Homer's mother, Mona Simpson. Homer is reunited with his mother, Mona, but isn't willing to forgive her for all the times she left him as a child...
", but died during the episode.
The character is named after writer Richard Appel
Richard Appel
Richard "Rich" Appel is an American writer, producer and former attorney. Growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, Appel developed a love of comedy and dreamt of a career as a comedy writer; he attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Following in his mother's footsteps Appel...
's ex-wife, the American author Mona Simpson. The personality for the character is based upon Bernardine Dohrn
Bernardine Dohrn
Bernardine Rae Dohrn is a former leader of the American anti-Vietnam War radical organization, Weather Underground. She is an Associate Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law and the immediate past Director of Northwestern's Children and Family Justice Center...
of the Weather Underground
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
. Glenn Close's performances as Mona have been well-received by critics and she was named one of the top 25 guest stars on the show by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.
Appearances
Many of the details of Mona's life are unknown, but various pieces of her story have been revealed. Mona was first mentioned in 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...
and made two brief flashback appearances, but her first major appearance was in "Mother Simpson
Mother Simpson
"Mother Simpson" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventh season and first aired on November 19, 1995. After faking his own death to get a day off of work, Homer reunites with his mother Mona, who he thought had died 27 years ago. It was directed by David Silverman and was the first episode to...
". In the episode, it is revealed that in the 1960s, Mona was a housewife who lived with her husband Abraham Simpson
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
and Homer, who at the time was a child. She became caught up in the hippie movement
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
after her beliefs were ignited by seeing Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
's long hair during Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
. Mona soonafter became a political activist and, at one event, Mona and a group of other activists protesting germ research entered Montgomery Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
's laboratory and destroyed all the biological warfare
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
experiments. As the gang escaped, she stayed behind to help a fallen Burns, who in turn threatened her. Since that night, Mona was forced to leave her family. Seeking to comfort his son, Abe lied and said Mona had died while Homer was at the movies. For 27 years Homer presumed that his mother was dead. He was accidentally reunited with Mona after he faked his own death to get a day off of work and Mona visited his supposed gravesite. Overjoyed at their reunion, he brings Mona home to meet his family. At first, Mona does not reveal her whereabouts and spends time catching up with her family, but is forced to reveal her past. She later travels to the post office with Homer, where Mr. Burns recognizes her face and tracks her down with FBI assistance. Forced to go on the run again, Mona tells Homer she loves him and escapes to the underground.
D'oh-in in the Wind
"D'oh-in In the Wind" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 1998. In the episode, Homer Simpson travels to a farm owned by Seth and Munchie, two aged hippies who were friends with Homer's mother...
", it is revealed that at some point, Mona started spending time at a commune with two hippies Seth and Munchie after life with Abraham became unbearable. It is also strongly implied that she was unfaithful to Abraham.
In "My Mother the Carjacker
My Mother the Carjacker
"My Mother the Carjacker" is the second episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season and first aired on November 9, 2003. Homer receives a cryptic message in the newspaper informing him to come to a certain place at midnight, and soon discovers that the person who wrote the message is his mother, Mona...
", Homer discovers a secret message left for him in a newspaper that tells him to go to a location. Homer does, and finds Mona, who explains that she had to return after she saw a macaroni pencil holder Homer had made for her when he was five. Still on the run from the law, she is captured by the police and forced to go on trial for the crime she committed. Due to Homer's heartfelt testimony she is acquitted. Mr. Burns is angered by this and has her imprisoned for the minor charge of signing into a national park under a false name. As she is being transported to jail, Homer attempts to break her free from the prison bus, but the chase ends in what appears to be her death when the bus drives off a cliff and lands in the water, where it explodes, and sets off a rock avalanche which buries it. In truth, she narrowly escaped before the bus went off the cliff, and is still on the run.
Mona returned in "Mona Leaves-a
Mona Leaves-a
"Mona Leaves-a" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, and was first broadcast on May 11, 2008. The episode features the death of Homer's mother, Mona Simpson. Homer is reunited with his mother, Mona, but isn't willing to forgive her for all the times she left him as a child...
" to try to make up for lost time with Homer, but he angrily refuses, saying that she will just end up abandoning him again. Homer feels guilty about being mad at her and tries to make up with her only to find she has died. She is cremated and according to her will, Homer is supposed to throw her ashes out on a mountain, where they disrupt a missile guidance system which would have devastated the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
once again plotted by Burns. Although disappointed that the last thing his mother asked him to do was "another hippie protest", Homer successfully stops the launch.
Creation
The 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...
's "There's No Disgrace Like Home
There's No Disgrace Like Home
"There's No Disgrace Like Home" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons first season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 28, 1990. In the episode, Homer becomes ashamed of his family after a catastrophic company picnic and decides to enroll them in therapy. The...
", where Homer recalls his mother telling him that he's a "big disappointment". She later made two brief flashback appearances, the first being season two
The Simpsons (season 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
's "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1991. In the episode, Grampa confesses that Homer has a half-brother, whom Homer immediately tries to track down. He eventually discovers...
" and the second being season six
The Simpsons (season 6)
The Simpsons sixth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994 and May 21, 1995 and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
's "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" is the tenth television episode of The Simpsons sixth season. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 4, 1994. In the episode, Marge and Homer's sex life is struggling, but Grampa perks things up with a homemade revitalizing tonic...
", and in both cases she was voiced by Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell is an American film and television actress and voice artist from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series The Simpsons, in which she has played recurring characters such as Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss...
. Mona's first major appearance was in the seventh season
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 "Mother Simpson
Mother Simpson
"Mother Simpson" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventh season and first aired on November 19, 1995. After faking his own death to get a day off of work, Homer reunites with his mother Mona, who he thought had died 27 years ago. It was directed by David Silverman and was the first episode to...
". The episode was pitched by Richard Appel
Richard Appel
Richard "Rich" Appel is an American writer, producer and former attorney. Growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, Appel developed a love of comedy and dreamt of a career as a comedy writer; he attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Following in his mother's footsteps Appel...
, who had been desperately trying to think of a story idea and decided to do something about Homer's mother. Many of the writers were surprised that an episode about Homer's mother had not previously been produced. The writers used the episode as an opportunity to solve several puzzles about the show, such as where 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...
's intelligence came from. The character is named after Richard Appel's wife, who is the novelist Mona Simpson. The inspiration for the character comes from Bernardine Dohrn
Bernardine Dohrn
Bernardine Rae Dohrn is a former leader of the American anti-Vietnam War radical organization, Weather Underground. She is an Associate Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law and the immediate past Director of Northwestern's Children and Family Justice Center...
of the Weather Underground
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
, although the writers acknowledge that several people fit her description. Her crime was intentionally the least violent crime the writers could think of, as she did not harm anyone and was only caught because she came back to help Mr. Burns.
Mona Simpson was designed in a way so that she has a little bit of Homer in her face, such as the shape of her upper lip and her nose. There were several design changes because the directors were trying to make her an attractive older and younger woman, but still be "Simpson-esque".
Voice
Glenn CloseGlenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
was convinced to voice the character in "Mother Simpson" partially because of James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
. She was directed in her first performance by Josh Weinstein. When Mona gets in the van, her voice is done by Pamela Hayden
Pamela Hayden
Pamela Hayden is an American actress, best known for providing various voices for the animated television show The Simpsons.-Biography:...
because Glenn Close could not say "d'oh!
D'oh!
"D'oh!" is a catchphrase used by the fictional character Homer Simpson, from the long-running American animated sitcom The Simpsons . It is typically used when Homer injures himself, realizes that he has done something stupid, or when something bad has happened or is about to happen to him...
" properly and thus they used the original temp track
Temp track
A temp track is an existing piece of music or audio which is used in film production during the editing phase. It serves as a guideline for the mood or atmosphere the director is looking for in a scene....
recorded by Hayden.
Glenn Close would record original material for two other episodes, season 15
The Simpsons (season 15)
The Simpsons 15th season began on Sunday, November 2, 2003 with "Treehouse of Horror XIV".The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 production line...
's "My Mother the Carjacker
My Mother the Carjacker
"My Mother the Carjacker" is the second episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season and first aired on November 9, 2003. Homer receives a cryptic message in the newspaper informing him to come to a certain place at midnight, and soon discovers that the person who wrote the message is his mother, Mona...
" and season 19
The Simpsons (season 19)
The Simpsons nineteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 23, 2007 and May 18, 2008.-Production:The nineteenth season of The Simpsons is the first one produced after the movie and contained seven hold-over episodes from season 18's JABF production line...
's "Mona Leaves-a
Mona Leaves-a
"Mona Leaves-a" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, and was first broadcast on May 11, 2008. The episode features the death of Homer's mother, Mona Simpson. Homer is reunited with his mother, Mona, but isn't willing to forgive her for all the times she left him as a child...
". A deleted scene featuring Mona from "Mother Simpson" would appear in 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...
's "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on Fox on December 3, 1995. As the title suggests, it is the 138th episode and the third clip show episode of The Simpsons after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and...
". The character would also have a speaking appearance in season ten
The Simpsons (season 10)
The tenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between August 23, 1998 and May 16, 1999. It contains twenty-three episodes, starting with "Lard of the Dance". The Simpsons revolves around a working class family that...
's "D'oh-in in the Wind
D'oh-in in the Wind
"D'oh-in In the Wind" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 1998. In the episode, Homer Simpson travels to a farm owned by Seth and Munchie, two aged hippies who were friends with Homer's mother...
", this time voiced by Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
.
Reception
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
ranked Close as the 25th best guest star in the show's history for her first two performances as Mona. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called Close one of "fourteen guest stars whose standout performances on TV make us wish they'd turn up in a Simpsons Movie 2". In 2008, Entertainment Weekly would also name Close one the 16 best Simpsons guest stars. The Phoenix.com placed Close in the second position on their list of the best 20 Simpsons guest stars. Star News Online listed Close as one of the four hundred reasons why they love The Simpsons. Close appeared on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's list of their favorite 25 Simpsons guest stars. Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
wrote that Close "gave us the sweet voice of Mona Simpson. She's a perfect fit, able to convey a loving, motherly tone, while still convincing the audience she's a headstrong hippie activist."
"Mother Simpson" is one of Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
and Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
's favorite episodes as they feel it is a perfect combination of real emotion, good jokes and an interesting story and they have expressed regret about not submitting it for the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in the Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
category. "My Mother the Carjacker" received a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
nomination in 2004 in the animation category. "Mona Leaves-a" received mixed reviews from critics. Robert Canning described it as "clunky and forced and wasn't all that funny" but still gave it a 7/10. Richard Keller called it a decent episode, but despised Mona's brief appearance.