Snowball (The Simpsons)
Snowball, Snowball II, Snowball III, Coltrane, and Snowball V are five fictional cats that have been owned by the Simpson family in the TV show The Simpsons. The differences between them are:
- Snowball, a white female cat who died and only briefly appeared in a flashback in the series, but has been mentioned numerous times.
- Snowball II, a dark grey female cat which was the cat owned from the first episode up until her death in the episode "I, D'oh-Bot".
- Snowball III, a brown male cat that only appeared in "I D'oh-Bot"
- Coltrane ("Snowball IV"), a white male cat with hair similar to Bart's that only appeared in "I D'oh-Bot".
- Snowball V, a dark grey female cat that first appeared in "I D'oh-Bot" and has been the family cat ever since. In order to save money on a new food dish, Snowball V was renamed Snowball II to save confusion about the cats before her. She is the current cat owned by the family.
The various Snowballs have mainly been in the background but have been featured in several episodes, including "Old Yeller Belly", "The Seven-Beer Snitch", and the aforementioned "I D'oh-Bot".
Snowball
Snowball, also known as Snowball I, was the Simpsons' first cat. Her death was never seen in the actual series, since it occurred "before" the show's continuity began. She was first mentioned in the series premiere in a Christmas letter Marge was writing where she explains that Snowball I had died that year. In "Treehouse of Horror III", a picture of Snowball I (as a black cat) is shown with the words "1988-90" underneath and Lisa says "she died four years ago tonight" (although that particular episode aired in 1992). In a song Lisa wrote, she says her cat died on Christmas Eve.
Snowball I has been shown both as a black cat (in a picture in "Treehouse of Horror III") and a white cat (in the screenshots to the left and right). Snowball was, according to Lisa in a poem, run over by a Chrysler. At a later point it emerged that Snowball was run over by Clovis Quimby, drunkard brother of Mayor Quimby (in a parody of the youngest Kennedy brother (Ted Kennedy), Roger Clinton, Jr., or even Billy Carter). Snowball was so-named due to her white-colored fur, though in a few occasions in the series, Snowball I is pictured similar to Snowball II. Although the Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Albright, tells Lisa that Snowball cannot go to Heaven, this proves to be wrong as Snowball has been seen in heaven by characters who have undergone near-death experiences, including Bart, and sometimes in flashback sequences. Due to election forgery, Snowball was listed as posthumously voting for Sideshow Bob. There is evidence that the family owned a similar white cat before Snowball I: In a flashback to "five years ago" in Lisa's Sax, a much whiter cat is seen and in the episode "And Maggie Makes Three", a young naked Bart is seen riding a white cat in a photograph, which is presumed to be Snowball I.
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Snowball II
Snowball II was the Simpson family's second cat. Snowball II was named after Snowball I. Though Snowball I had white fur, which inspired her name, Snowball II had black fur.
She first appeared in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", where it is explained that Snowball I had died the previous year and they had gotten Snowball II. Neither Snowball I or II were seen or mentioned in the Tracey Ullman Shorts. Snowball II received little attention in the series, although she appeared in many episodes.
Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper have always been shown as having a good relationship; usually they are seen sleeping near each other. In the "Fly Vs. Fly" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VIII", Santa's Little Helper chases Snowball II into a transport device and their DNA gets mixed. Two different animals emerge: Santa's Little Helper emerged with both pets' heads (similar to CatDog), Snowball II with their rear ends. Snowball II also found a love interest in Scratchy in the "Terror of Tiny Toon" segment of "Treehouse of Horror IX".
Her largest role was in the fourteenth season episode "Old Yeller Belly", in which Snowball II saves Homer from a burning treehouse built by the Amish after Santa's Little Helper runs away. She also had minor roles in "Bart Gets an Elephant", where she tries to get attention; in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", in which she is scared by the many puppies; and in "Make Room for Lisa", in which Lisa has a hallucination in which she becomes Snowball II.
In "I, D'oh-Bot", Snowball II was hit and killed by Dr. Hibbert's Mercedes-Benz G500. After numerous fleeting replacements for Snowball II, the fifth (and last surviving) Snowball was named Snowball II to avoid future confusion and having to spend more money on a new bowl.
Snowball III
Snowball III is the third cat owned by The Simpsons. Snowball III is a male cat that is brown in color. In I D'oh Bot, Lisa adopts him from an animal shelter shortly after the death of Snowball II. She passes over a skunk, a siamese cat, and a cat with an eye infection before finally deciding upon Snowball III. He drowns trying to catch a goldfish in an aquarium while Lisa is preparing his cat food in the kitchen for the first time. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
Coltrane (Snowball IV)
Coltrane is the Simpsons' fourth cat, adopted from an animal shelter shortly after the death of Snowball III. Originally, Lisa is not certain she wants another cat, but Coltrane's name wins her over due to its resemblance to that of the jazz musician John Coltrane. Upon bringing Coltrane home, Lisa decides to play him some of John Coltrane's music on her saxophone, but the noise frightens him and he jumps out the window to his death. He is voiced by Frank Welker.
Coltrane is the Simpsons' only cat since Snowball I to have been white; this is ironic, as he is the only one not to be named Snowball. However, Lisa evidently considers him as part of the Snowball lineage, as she names her next cat Snowball V, implying that Coltrane was Snowball IV.
Snowball V
Snowball V, known as Snowball II, is the Simpsons' fifth cat and is almost identical in appearance to Snowball II. In "I, D'oh-Bot", the Crazy Cat Lady throws a cat at Lisa while she is mourning the death of her other three cats that are killed in the episode. Lisa then tells the cat to leave, because any cat that she owns is unlucky and is certain to be killed. As the cat starts to cross Evergreen Terrace, a car driven by Gil drives past. Gil swerves; his car hits a tree and bursts into flames, thereby giving Gil insurance compensation for his meals. Since the cat is unhurt, Lisa takes it as a sign of good luck and adopts her.
Lisa renames Snowball V "Snowball II" at the end of the episode, in her words "to save money on a new dish", also vowing to pretend the whole thing never happened. Most viewers recognize this as the writers making a subtle self-jab at The Simpsons' often-forced tradition of maintaining a status quo continuity in the series. Principal Skinner, who happens to be walking by, asks "Isn't that a cheat?" to which Lisa replies, "I guess it is, Principal Tamzarian." (a reference to The Principal and the Pauper, another episode with a similar continuity gag at the end.)
Snowball V also was the focus of a subplot in the sixteenth season episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch", in which she becomes overweight after abandoning the Simpsons for brief periods to visit a different family. Here she is taught tricks and given the name "Smokey" by the new family.
See also
External links
- Snowball I's profile at TheSimpsons.com
- Snowball II's profile at TheSimpsons.com