Moe's Tavern. Moe speaking.

Hi, I was hoping you could tell me what state Springfield is in?

Listen you! When I get a hold of you, I'm gonna' use your head for a bucket, and paint my house with your brain

Well that escalated quickly.

SSSSSSSHHHHHHH WWWWWHHHHHHEEEEETTTTTT

00:00:11,700 --> 00:00:27,520 [Theme Tune]

Hello Internet, welcome to Film Theory!

The show that proves you can turn watching Netflix reruns into a job.

And while reruns are the only way to enjoy most of our favorite shows from the 90's.

Unless, you know, someone is eager for a quick cash grab based on brand awareness

There is one show that has hung on...

The Simpsons...

"The Simpsons" came out in a simpler time

A time when cellphones where the size of bricks

and the word "fleek" hadn't earned itself a place in the dictionary.

Speaking of the dictionary though...

Homer's catchphrase of "Do'h" was actually added a few years ago

And it's the common useage of the word 'meh' comes from

Crazy, right?

From the Kwik-E-Mart, the prototype of internet trolls...

The Simpsons is truely a cultural icon

And yet, after nearly 3 decades, of one HUGE mystery about the series

remains unanswered...

Where do the Simpsons live?

We all know they live in Springfield, that parts obvious...

But the state has always been a question

And this isn't by accident...

The show has taunted viewers for YEARS...

00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,540 By giving information that would make it virtually for anyone

to determine exactly where Springfield is

Notice though, that I said, virtually impossible

because after sifting through the evidence

there is more than enough proof to deduce where the Simpsons

actually reside.

today we're closing the books

on one of prime time's longest running riddles

now hold on to your comment hand you walking Simpsons encyclopedias

i'm sure you just waiting to point out

there are tonnes of jokes and references

Matpat is so cool from Golden Marcus lol

in the Simpsons that contradict each other

what about that time in the Simpsons movie for instance

when Flanders says that the four states that border Springfield are

Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky

no such states does or ever could exist

well stupid sexy flanders

that's a fair point but here's the thing

the running jokes on where Springfield is

are mostly there to throw off would be theorists

so if we wanted to determine where Springfield really is

we need to look for evidence for when the show isn't joking

about the impossibility of its location

preference also goes to episodes that where older

both because they are less likely to present springfield

as a place that couldn't exist

and because many die hard Simpsons fans

consider episodes after season 9 to be non- canonical

because the show changes executive producers

got all that?

good because we have a mystery to solve

hehehehehehe

Hee Hee like Michael Jackson lol

since the Simpsons takes so much pride in never revealing its big mystery

haha

our best tactic to prove where Springfield is

is to work backwards and eliminate where it isn't

50 states is a lot to cover so let's knock out a bunch right off the bat

in season 5 Bart wins a call in contest

that Springfield local radio station

and gets to choose between a grand price of $10,000 or an elephant

Bart picks the elephant hijinks ensues

and Homer gets stuck in the la brea tar pit

so what's this have to do with Springfield's location?

well the radio station Bart calls is named "KBBL"

and it is referenced in a number of other Simpsons episodes

from the first several seasons

so we can say that it is indeed a permanent fixture in Springfield

and not some one off joke a random writer came up with

why does this matter?

well in the early 1920's federal communications commission

established a system for radio station call letters

all states east of the Mississippi start with the call letters W

and stations west of the mighty mississippi start with the letter K

Springfield's KBBL thus could not be one of the 26 states eastof the Mississippi river

Minnesota and Louisiana are the exceptions

with stations starting with both K and W

so they will stay for now

but still there goes half the country in one fell swoop

how has no one figured this out yet? Seriously people do your research

then again maybe I've spoken too soon

because from here it gets a lot tricker

we get some good geographical clues from the season 7 episode "Bart on the road"

Bart manages to get a fake ID

rents a car for spring break

and ends up getting himself and his friends stranded in Knoxville, Tennessee

on the road from Springfield to Knoxville

the group drives through Branson, Missouri

stopping to listen to the smooth crooning of Andy Williams

and if you are wondering who Andy Williams is

don't worry people watching that episode at the time it was aired probably didn't know who Andy Williams was

cant read it