The Simpson family are cartoon characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town of Springfield, U.S. and they were created by cartoonist Matt Groening who conceived the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted April 19, 1987 in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" and were later spun off into their own series which debuted on December 17, 1989.