This will probably be hard for some of you to imagine, but at one time — back when New Kids on the Block were causing teenage girl panties to cream and Michael Keaton was Batman — The Simpsons was considered edgy and controversial. Yeah, I know, shocking right? Personally, I stopped watching the show at some point during the early days of the Clinton administration, but from what I remember of it back then I found it about as edgy as white bread, but hey, whatever.
So when she was asked about it in an interview with People magazine, then-First Lady Barbara Bush — a sweet old lady who once kept her dead fetus in a jar just because — blasted the show as “the dumbest thing I have ever seen,” and future Playboy centerfold Marge Simpson didn’t take too kindly to that.
Yes, someone, presumably Simpsons creator Matt Groening, wrote a letter from Marge to the first lady on the show’s letterhead to take issue with Bush’s comments, and the letter found its way to the wonderful blog, Letters of Note — one of my favorite things on the internet.
To her credit, Barbara Bush was a good sport about it and responded with a letter of her own…
Dear Marge,
How kind of you to write. I’m glad you spoke your mind; I foolishly didn’t know you had one.
I am looking at a picture of you, depicted on a plastic cup, with your blue hair filled with pink birds peeking out all over. Evidently, you and your charming family — Lisa, Homer, Bart and Maggie — are camping out. It is a nice family scene. Clearly you are setting a good example for the rest of the country.
Please forgive a loose tongue.
Warmly,
Barbara Bush
P.S. Homer looks like a handsome fella
Personally, I think old Babs was just jealous of Marge’s spectacular rack.
(HT: Daily What)