Spider-Pig
| Plopper | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons character | |
| First appearance | The Simpsons Movie |
| Voiced by | Tress MacNeille |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Family pet |
| Relatives | Unknown |
| Color | Pink with blonde hair |
Plopper, also known as Spider-Pig and later renamed to Harry Plopper (a play on the well known fictional character Harry Potter), is a pig who first appears in The Simpsons Movie. Plopper has also made appearances in the episodes, comics, and also appears in the reanimated opening sequence, featuring in the pan across Springfield.
Plopper's first appearance is in the movie, where he is dressed in a baker's hat and stars in a TV ad to promote Krusty's new burger, The Clogger. After the filming is completed, Krusty orders the pig to be killed. Homer immediately becomes upset about this, as he believes that animals wearing human clothing should not be killed. In a desperate bid for freedom, the pig runs up to Homer, who immediately adopts him. Homer introduces Plopper to Marge, who pressures Homer not to keep the pig because of a forewarning that Grampa Abe said at church (twisted tail). Since Homer does not spend time with Bart, because he's always seen with Plopper, Bart goes fishing with Ned Flanders. Later in the movie, Homer is seen making the pig walk on the ceiling whilst singing "Spider Pig", a parody of the Spider-Man theme song. Homer later calls him Harry Plopper, and the pig is seen with glasses and a lightning bolt-shaped scar, based on the character Harry Potter.
At one point in the movie, the Simpsons' house is completely destroyed after being sucked into a sinkhole in their backyard. This may lead to the assumption that the pig is killed in the movie or could have run off to the Springfield Retirement Castle. However, during the 2007 San Diego Comic Convention, an official Simpsons Panel revealed that there was a scene at the end of the movie involving Plopper that was cut, which later appeared on the DVD.[1] This removed sequence is a slightly alternate ending of the movie when the townspeople are rebuilding the Simpsons' house and involves Plopper, the Multi-Eyed Creature, and Santa's Little Helper painting a dog house.
During the following TV season, Plopper makes a few more appearances. He is shown in the couch gag for the episode "He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs" where Homer refers to him as his "summer love". Plopper appears again in the "Heck House" segment of the episode "Treehouse of Horror XVIII", in which Bart drops Plopper from the roof and his anus becomes wedged over Homer's head (while Bart mockingly sings "Trick or treat, lick my feet, your head smells like pig-butt meat!"). Plopper proceeds to run around the yard with Homer trailing from his backside. Plopper made an appearance in "Apocalypse Cow" as a wedding present. He also appears on the cover, but not in the story, of Simpsons Comics #141. Also, Plopper made a brief appearance in "All About Lisa" as a nominee for the 'Entertainer Of The Year' award. Plopper appears again in the comics as the focus of Simpsons Comics #149, in which Krusty and rest of the townspeople search for him. Homer again changes his name, to Ploptimus Prime and Wonder Pig during the story. Plopper can also be seen on the Springfield Wall of Fame in the episode, "Take My Life, Please".
Plopper can be briefly seen as a still picture in the opening scene in the segment "How to get Ahead in Dead-vertising" in Treehouse of Horror XIX.
Plopper made an appearance in the Simpsons episode Four Great Women and a Manicure, in the segment where Lisa tells the story of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".
Plopper appeared again in the billboard gag for Coming to Homerica, in an advertisement for "Spiderpig the Musical". He also was seen swinging across the screen via web-lines in the opening sequence for Million Dollar Maybe.
Plopper appears in the Simpsons episode A Midsummer's Nice Dream in a cutaway gag where Chief Wiggum morphs into Plopper.
Plopper appeared again in the comic book and on the cover of The Simpsons Comics #168 with a few more identities such as Ploptimus Prime (a play on Optimus Prime) and Wonder Pig. It is likely that Plopper may return in a later episode of The Simpsons.
Plopper appeared again in the episode The Real Housewives of Fat Tony as a truffle pig for Luigi. After being replaced by Bart Simpson, he sharpens knifes.
Plopper has since become memetic[citation needed], gaining immense popularity in the real world and on the internet, especially his theme song, which peaked at number 23 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]