Springfield, Vermont will host Simpsons premiere

Karen Brettell

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Welcome home to Springfield, Vermont, Homer and Marge Simpson.

The Vermont town on Tuesday beat 13 other Springfields from around the United States in an online vote for the right to host the premiere of the upcoming Simpsons movie featuring the popular television cartoon family.

The New England town, with a population of about 9,500, won with a video showing a Homer Simpson look-alike chasing a giant, pink doughnut through the town. It also boasted similarities to the cartoon Springfield, such as having a nuclear power plant nearby.

"After 18 years, it's good to finally welcome the Simpsons home. Vermonters love The Simpsons," Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said in a statement.

"Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will look great on that yellow carpet with the green mountains as a backdrop."

The Vermont town beat Springfields in Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana in the video contest to best portray the "Simpsons' spirit."

It landed 15,367 votes of 109,582 votes cast. Springfield, Illinois, coming in second with 14,634 votes and Springfield, Oregon, ranked third at 13,894.

Springfield, Florida, came last with 1,386 votes.

The creator of the TV series, Matt Groening, located Homer, Marge and their children Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie in the fictional town of Springfield after noting that this was one of the most common U.S. town names.

Some already had a claim to fame, such as Springfield, Illinois, which was home to Abraham Lincoln, and Springfield, Massachusetts, known as the birthplace of basketball.

But in the TV series' 18-year history it has never been clear which of the 34 Springfields in the United States was the basis for the version in the cartoon, a satirical parody of Middle American lifestyle.

The contest between the Springfields sparked friendly rivalry, with some pulling in top-name endorsements to try to win such as Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy for his home state of Massachusetts and skateboarder Tony Hawks for the Oregon bid.

The premier of "The Simpsons Movie," being released by News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox, will be held on July 21 in Vermont with the filmmakers on hand to walk the yellow carpet.

But the other 13 Springfields will also be given small screenings on July 26, the night before the movie hits theaters nationwide.