Marjorie Jacqueline "
Marge"
Simpson (née
Bouvier) is a character in the American animated sitcom
The Simpsons and part of the
eponymous family. She is voiced by
Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in
The Tracey Ullman Show short "
Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Marge was created and designed by cartoonist
Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of
James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on
Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the character after his mother Margaret Groening. After appearing on
The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, the Simpson family received their own series on
Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.