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ENLARGE
NEVADA TRAVELER
Rich Moreno
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ENLARGE
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Until a couple of years ago, anyone driving by the house at 712 Red Bark Lane in Henderson did a double take. There, painted bright yellow and baby blue, was the spitting image of the Simpson family homestead as depicted on the popular animated TV show.
The two-story, four-bedroom house closely mimicked the suburban tract home design of the cartoon Simpson structure and included a swing set and barbecue in the backyard as well as Bart’s distinctive tree house.
Kaufman and Broad homebuilders constructed the house, which is located in the Springfield South Valley Ranch subdivision (the TV Simpson’s are said to live in a town named Springfield—hence the tie-in), in 1997. It was the grand prize in a contest/drawing sponsored and heavily promoted by FOX-TV network, Pepsi-Cola and K & B Homes.
Entry forms were included on packages of Pepsi’s Mug Root Beer, Lipton Brisk Ice Tea, Slice and other Pepsi brands. The winning entry, selected from more than 15 million nationally, belonged to Barbara Howard, a 63-year-old retired factory worker from Richmond, KY.
In addition to resembling the Simpson House on the outside, the interior of the 2,200 square foot home duplicated the actual rooms as depicted in various episodes of the Simpson show.
The copycat living room had coral and purple walls with a two-tone orange fireplace and a portrait of the Simpson family while the bright green kitchen had the familiar green and yellow checkered linoleum floor and other décor.
The television room, which appears at the start of each episode, included the large overstuffed coach favored by Homer Simpson as well as a sailboat painting. The replica of Bart Simpson’s bedroom included his seldom-used desk for homework, bulletin board and other furnishings.
In building the house, K & B architects reportedly viewed some 56 episodes of the long-running cartoon series in order to find just the right color schemes for each room.
In the weeks leading to the announcement of the contest winner, the home was opened for public and press tours as well as visited by Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons.
While there, Groening spray-painted his signature alongside a picture of Bart Simpson on the side of the garage, and etched a portrait of Homer Simpson in the wet sidewalk cement. While touring the property, he was joined by life-sized, cartoon doppelgangers of his characters, including Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie Simpson.
During the visit, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson presented Groening with a plaque proclaiming it, “The Simpsons Day. The cartoonist was also greeted by “Mr. Las Vegas,” singer Wayne Newton. An estimated 30,000 people toured the house during the promotion.
In the months after the contest ended, the builder removed the bright red fence around the property and repainted the house so that it would blend better with the rest of the neighborhood. The props were removed and sold.
Today, visitors have to look hard to spot the Simpson House because it’s now painted a light brown and looks almost like all the other 151 units in the subdivision. The contest winner never took possession of the house—she opted for a cash settlement—so K&B sold it to another party in 2001 after removing most of the Simpson touches.
The current residents don’t give tours or open the house to the public, but they have revealed that the original vivid paint scheme has been retained in the playroom and inside the closets. They also continue to receive mail from all over the world from hardcore Simpson’s fans, all hoping to find out what it’s like to live in Homer’s digs.
The two-story, four-bedroom house closely mimicked the suburban tract home design of the cartoon Simpson structure and included a swing set and barbecue in the backyard as well as Bart’s distinctive tree house.
Kaufman and Broad homebuilders constructed the house, which is located in the Springfield South Valley Ranch subdivision (the TV Simpson’s are said to live in a town named Springfield—hence the tie-in), in 1997. It was the grand prize in a contest/drawing sponsored and heavily promoted by FOX-TV network, Pepsi-Cola and K & B Homes.
Entry forms were included on packages of Pepsi’s Mug Root Beer, Lipton Brisk Ice Tea, Slice and other Pepsi brands. The winning entry, selected from more than 15 million nationally, belonged to Barbara Howard, a 63-year-old retired factory worker from Richmond, KY.
In addition to resembling the Simpson House on the outside, the interior of the 2,200 square foot home duplicated the actual rooms as depicted in various episodes of the Simpson show.
The copycat living room had coral and purple walls with a two-tone orange fireplace and a portrait of the Simpson family while the bright green kitchen had the familiar green and yellow checkered linoleum floor and other décor.
The television room, which appears at the start of each episode, included the large overstuffed coach favored by Homer Simpson as well as a sailboat painting. The replica of Bart Simpson’s bedroom included his seldom-used desk for homework, bulletin board and other furnishings.
In building the house, K & B architects reportedly viewed some 56 episodes of the long-running cartoon series in order to find just the right color schemes for each room.
In the weeks leading to the announcement of the contest winner, the home was opened for public and press tours as well as visited by Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons.
While there, Groening spray-painted his signature alongside a picture of Bart Simpson on the side of the garage, and etched a portrait of Homer Simpson in the wet sidewalk cement. While touring the property, he was joined by life-sized, cartoon doppelgangers of his characters, including Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie Simpson.
During the visit, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson presented Groening with a plaque proclaiming it, “The Simpsons Day. The cartoonist was also greeted by “Mr. Las Vegas,” singer Wayne Newton. An estimated 30,000 people toured the house during the promotion.
In the months after the contest ended, the builder removed the bright red fence around the property and repainted the house so that it would blend better with the rest of the neighborhood. The props were removed and sold.
Today, visitors have to look hard to spot the Simpson House because it’s now painted a light brown and looks almost like all the other 151 units in the subdivision. The contest winner never took possession of the house—she opted for a cash settlement—so K&B sold it to another party in 2001 after removing most of the Simpson touches.
The current residents don’t give tours or open the house to the public, but they have revealed that the original vivid paint scheme has been retained in the playroom and inside the closets. They also continue to receive mail from all over the world from hardcore Simpson’s fans, all hoping to find out what it’s like to live in Homer’s digs.
