Vermont town wins Simpsons premiere

The New England town won after making a video showing a Homer Simpson lookalike chasing a giant pink doughnut through the town.

It also boasted similarities to the cartoon Springfield, such as having a nuclear power plant nearby.

Vermont senator Patrick Leahy said: ‘After 18 years, it's good to finally welcome the Simpsons home. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will look great on that yellow carpet with the green mountains as a backdrop.’

The Vermont town beat Springfields in Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana in the contest for the town that best portray the ‘Simpsons' spirit’.

It attracted more than 15,000 online votes – despite having a population of just 9,500.

Patricia Chaffee, of the local chamber of commerce, said: ‘We're still in shock here.’

While Vermont's Governor, Jim Douglas, said: ‘To all the other Springfields, I say, “Don't have a cow, man.”‘

The 76-year-old Springfield Theater will now host the premiere on July 21, a week before its worldwide release.

Simpsons creator Matt Groening chose the fictional setting of Springfield after noting that this was one of the most common U.S. town names – and the fact its exact location has never been revealed on the show has becoming something of a running joke.

Springfield, Vermont, was once a thriving industrial town, but fell into slow decline in the Eighties.

Click here to watch the Vermont video -and the submissions from the other towns.

Published: 11 Jul 2007