Latinos Leave Their Mark Throughout 500 'Simpsons' Episodes

By Michael Lopez

This may be hard to believe, but The Simpsons are about to reach their 500th episode next Sunday. Yup, in the past 20 years, this unassuming Springfield family has changed the cultural landscape (and broken a ton of Guinness TV records). But it's also important to note that Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie have had some Latino help along the way.

For one thing, a ton of Hispanic celebrities have lent their voices to the show during the past 23 seasons. Jose Canseco famously played himself in 1992's "Homer At Bat" episode (making him the first official Latino guest star). Linda Ronstadt also had a memorable role early on, playing a love interest for Barney in "Mr. Plow."

And as the years added on, so did the number of Latin celebrity guests. Who can forget Oscar de la Hoya's "Treehouse of Horror" episode? Or Placido Domingo teaching Homer how to sing opera? Even last season got a boost from Cheech Marin, channeling his old stoner persona alongside Tommy Chong.

Let's not forget that The Simpsons had some Latino assistance behind-the-scenes too. Valentina Garza (who went on to write for The George Lopez Show) penned "Loan-A-Lisa" and "Four Great Women and a Manicure," which famously featured Jodie Foster as the voice of Baby Maggie.

And how about Springfield's most famous Hispanic resident? That would undoubtedly be Yaritza Burgos, better known as "Bumblebee Man." Interestingly, the writers have admitted that they based the character after Chespirito, the Mexican TV icon created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños. Now we know Bumblebee has taken some flack for being "stereotypical," but he clearly is beloved by the die-hard Simpsons fans.

Unfortunately, it looks like there won’t be much of a Latino presence for the big 500th episode, but it'll still have some memorable guests. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is scheduled to appear next Sunday, perhaps spilling secrets about Homer and Marge. There will also be a special revamped version of the theme song performed by Alison Krauss.

And as far as another possible 500 episodes go, Homer voice Dan Castellaneta isn't ruling it out.

"When we had our 200th show reading, [our producer] came in and said, 'Well, we’re halfway there.' He didn’t know how wrong he was," Castellaneta told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don’t know if we’re going to reach a second 500…but I'll go as long as the show goes."

What's your favorite Simpsons episode? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alison Krauss, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bumblebee Man, Cheech Marin, chespirito, Dan Castellaneta, Hot Stuff, Jose Canseco, Julian Assange, Linda Ronstadt, Oscar de la Hoya, Placido Domingo, roberto gomez bolaños, Television, The Simpsons, Valentina Garza