In a 2012 interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Matt Groening kind-of, sort-of admitted that The Simpsons’ Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. Having grown up in Portland, it was only logical that Groening pulled influences from his home state—even if the Springfield that’s home to the Simpsons family is a constantly shifting, ever-expanding landscape, unlike any Springfield that actually exists. Now the Oregon town will establish a more official claim on its link to the series by having a Simpsons mural painted on the side of its Emerald Art Center this September.
An artist from 20th Century Fox is currently creating a work of Simpsons art that will then be recreated by a local artist, with the original piece then living inside the Emerald Art Center. Though it won’t be an original Groening drawing, the show’s creator has stated his intent to drop by and add his name to the mural at some point, by which time it will probably have at least a half-dozen “El Barto” tags.
[via HitFix]