Initially called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell, Groening developed a new set of characters.

Known for his mischievousness, rebelliousness and disrespect for authority, Bart's most iconic traits include his chalkboard gags in the opening sequence, prank calls to Moe's Tavern, and catchphrases like "Eat my shorts", "¡Ay, caramba!

Bart has also appeared in The Simpsons'-related media, including video games, the film version of the series, The Simpsons Ride, commercials, comic books, and an extensive line of merchandise.

Smith's voice was deemed too high-pitched for a boy, while Cartwright found Lisa less appealing as a character and opted to try out for Bart—a role she felt better suited her.

Bart was the show's protagonist during its first two seasons, ensuing "Bartmania", which spawned Bart-themed merchandise touting his rebellious persona and pride in underachieving.

[1][2] At ten years old,[3] Bartholomew,[4] best known by his short-form name Bart, is the eldest child and only son of Homer and Marge Simpson;[5][6] he has two younger sisters, Lisa and Maggie.

[25][26] Groening was invited to pitch a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show and initially planned to adapt his comic strip, Life in Hell.

[38][39] According to The Oregonian, Bart was conceived as "a much milder, troubled youth given to existential angst who talks to himself"; the character was changed due to Nancy Cartwright's voice acting.

[41] Bart was envisioned as an exaggerated version of a typical misbehaving child, combining the extreme traits of characters such as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

[50][51] The characters were initially crudely drawn because Groening submitted rough sketches to the animators, expecting them to refine the designs, but they simply traced over his drawings.

Groening primarily worked in black-and-white at the time and, without considering the eventual use of color, designed Bart's spikes to look like an extension of his head.

[63] After Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner were cast as Homer and Marge due to their roles on The Tracey Ullman Show,[64] the producers held auditions for Bart and Lisa.

[67] Discovering that Lisa was described only as the "middle child", with little personality at the time, she became interested in Bart, who was characterized as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, [and] clever".

[71][72] Cartwright described Bart's voice as easy to create: "Some characters take a little bit more effort, upper respiratory control, whatever it is technically.

[76][77] A pay dispute arose that year, during which Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors and began preparing for new casting.

[89] In the opening sequence of many episodes of The Simpsons, the camera zooms in on Springfield Elementary School, where Bart is shown writing lines on a chalkboard.

[90] The messages often include political humor, such as "The First Amendment does not cover burping",[91] pop culture references like "I can't see dead people",[92] and meta-commentary such as "I am not a 32-year-old woman" or "Nobody reads these anymore".

[97] It became increasingly difficult for the writers to create new fake names and Moe's responses, leading to the pranks being phased out as a regular feature by the fourth season;[98][99] however, they have occasionally resurfaced in later episodes.

[100] The catchphrase "Eat my shorts" originated as an ad-lib by Cartwright during one of the show's early table readings, inspired by an incident during her high-school years.

[116] Bart's disregard for authority has been compared to America's founding fathers, and been described as a modern fusion of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

[117] In his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner characterizes Bart as a nihilist who has the philosophical view that life lacks inherent meaning, purpose, or value.

Bart hasn't changed.Bart's mischievous nature and Homer's often-negligent, incompetent behavior create a turbulent, volatile, and abusive relationship between them.

[172] He was one of the most popular write-in candidates in the 1990 United States congressional, senatorial and gubernatorial elections, second in a number of areas only to Mickey Mouse among fictional characters.

[151] In a 2024 review, Darryn King of Vulture called Bart a "back-talking, trouble-making, prank-calling, cherry-bomb-detonating, and, yes, graffiti-tagging cartoon creation, who was at the time fast becoming a cultural icon".

[208][209] Bart's rebellious nature, often accompanied by a lack of consequences for his actions, led some parents, educators, and conservative groups to view him as a negative influence on children.

[210][211] Critics said that Bart's behavior made him a poor role model, with Robert Bianco of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describing him as a character who "outwits his parents and outtalks his teachers; in short, he's the child we wish we'd been, and fear our children will become".

[221] The show's writers then produced a short segment that aired three days later (before a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad"), in which Bart says: "Hey, we're just like the Waltons.

"[222][47] In addition to T-shirts, Bart has been featured in a variety of The Simpsons-related merchandise which includes dolls, napkins, air fresheners, cups, chewing gum, beach towels, sleeping bags, snow boots, rubber sponge balls, license-plate frames, scratch paper, laminated magnets, and handheld pinball games.

[237] On December 9, 2024, Monday Night Football hosted an animated Simpsons version of the Cincinnati Bengals-Dallas Cowboys game which paralleled the events on the field.

[243] On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service introduced a series of five 44-cent stamps commemorating Bart and the other members of the Simpson family.