[Lisa is] a good soul. Lisa Simpson turned 8 in the now classic season three episode "Stark Raving Dad", which had Michael Jackson make a guest appearance to sing "Happy birthday Lisa". [10], Lisa has had a few brief relationships with boys, including Ralph Wiggum in "I Love Lisa" (the fifteenth episode of season 4, 1993),[11] Nelson Muntz in "Lisa's Date with Density" (season 8, 1996)[12] and Colin in The Simpsons Movie (2007). The Simpsons composer Alf Clausen said that the session musicians who perform her solos do not try to play at the second-grade level and instead "think of Lisa as a really good player."[52]. "[47] Although Smith received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992, she considers it unimportant, saying "there's part of me that feels it wasn't even a real Emmy." Even though she's only 8 years old in the series, Lisa Simpson from FOX's cartoon series, "The Simpsons," has been laying down some pretty wise lessons for audiences across the globe. However, this episode is non-canon.[16][17][18][15]. The Lisa Book, describing Lisa's personality and attributes, was released in 2006. "[28], Lisa is the only regular character voiced by Smith, who raises the pitch of her voice slightly for the role. standing with the Tibetan independence movement) which usually sets her against most of the people in Springfield. With Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith. [38][39] Smith was hesitant to audition for an animated series, but her agent had persuaded her to give it a try. She's the heart of the show and she quite often questions gender politics. Most cartoons want things peppy and cartoony. [66] In "She of Little Faith," Lisa permanently becomes a Buddhist after being appalled at how the First Church of Springfield allowed Mr. Burns to rebuild the church, which burned after being hit with Bart and Milhouse's rockets, with commercialism. However, "Holidays of Future Passed" also show Lisa being in both a monogamous, and later polyamorous, lesbian relationships. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Get to know her and Lisa is as well-rounded as anyone you may ever meet in the real world. Lisa was named after Groening's younger sister, but little else was based on her. [28], Lisa made her debut with the rest of the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night". Comic actress and voice specialist Yeardley Smith has made a virtue out of her odd looks, small figure and distinctive, child-like nasal tones. "[71] In The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! Nancy Basile is an entertainment writer who specializes in cartoons, comic books, and other elements of pop culture. [90], Lisa's environmentalism has been especially well received. [74][75] She is often embarrassed and disapproving of her eccentric family: of her father's poor parenting skills and buffoonish personality; her mother's stereotypical image and social ineptitude; and her brother's delinquent and low-brow nature. He then makes an unforgivable mistake and that scars Lisa. "[76] Her loyalty to her family is most clearly seen in the flashforward "Lisa's Wedding" (season six, 1995), in which she must reconcile her love for them with the distaste of her cultured fiancé. Burns loses his fortune and recruits Lisa to help him get it back. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals included Lisa on their list of the "Most Animal-Friendly TV Characters of All Time". [24] An "End Apartheid Now" poster can be seen on her bedroom door during earlier seasons. [15] In the 2011 Season 23 episode 9 episode Holidays of Future Passed Lisa is shown holding hands with an unnamed dark-haired woman in a photo, and then shown in a second photo where she is holding hands with two different women at once, suggesting polyamory; she later ends up with Milhouse.