0177 - Lenny Leonard

Oh boy oh boy. This is an important entry so I'm opening it up to everyone as a festive treat - if you're new here, hi! I hope you enjoy my ramblings about a character that has unexpectedly become one of the most beloved figures in my life.

Lenford appears towards the end of "Life on the Fast Lane" without his beloved Carl. He is introduced as a colleague of Homers, simply as someone for Homer to talk to:

He is fully formed at this point, although his voice changes dramatically one episode later, keep an eye out for this moment where he sounds like Moe:

Apart from this one exception, Lenny is basically Lenny throughout the show. He is intended largely as an everyman, with no additional "gimmicks" that a Willie or a Frink might have. If the writer's want to show the effects of an episode's plot on an average schmo, there is a good chance we will see how things are currently going for Lenny.

This perception of Lenny as an average man has led to many many appearances throughout the show of course, and his casual, laid back attitude and slightly funny voice have ensured he is a fan favourite. Beyond his status as a regular dude, Lenny has two main talking points: his relationship with Carl (we'll cover that when we cover Carl) and his oddly specific horrific injuries, often to his eye:

Lenny has become very near and dear to my heart because of a comic I made back in March of 2021. I will try and not get too emotional about this but it was a day that literally changed my life. As someone who has been drawing comics and making stuff for my entire adult life, the reception that my silly eight page comic got was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was appreciated by staff members of the show, and even featured on Screenrant.

Without that, I probably would not have pursued other Simpsons based projects such as Eye on Springfield, Barney, the many paintings (digital and watercolour) I've produced, or even this very blog. I don't know what I'd be doing, but I probably wouldn't be making a living from my art like I am now. Of course, a majority of my gratitude goes towards the many lovely people who have embraced my weird art along the way (ESPECIALLY you wonderful Patreon supporters), but I keep a section of my heart reserved for Lenny.

When watching episodes of the show with my wife, we spontaneously burst into cheers and applause when Lenny appears on screen (and when he's not on screen all the other characters should be asking "Where's Lenny?"). My wife commissioned a piece of my now favourite character from one of my favourite artists, Iain Laurie. And even as I write this, a couple of little figures stare back at me, the only figures I keep on my desk:

It's difficult to overstate how much Lenny means to me now. I will forever associate him with this lovely period of my life, when I was granted more freedom in my career than ever before to make cool and weird stuff.

Hey thanks for reading an unusually sincere post. If you're not subscribed, there are over 200 other posts about Simpsons characters waiting for you, it's very silly and fun. If you are subscribed, thank you again, you are the coolest person of all time.

This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of my rules in this project, click here.