Santa's Little Helper the dog was a "sympathetic" character. Welker has been praised by staff members for his performances on the show. David Mirkin has noted that "he can do anything, and it fits perfectly. You forget you're listening to a guy, and he's a pleasure to work with." Groening has commented that he was "unbelievably good" at doing animal noises. After 1995, Castellaneta voiced Santa's Little Helper on his own while Welker performed other animal noises until his full departure in 2002, when he was denied a pay raise. In the "questions and answers" section on his website, Welker revealed that the
Springfield (The Simpsons) legs, presumably some sort of insect or spider (or perhaps a mutated animal from the vicinity of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant), that was driven into extinction by its production. Places based on places shown in "The Simpsons" exist at Universal Studios Florida, including one based on Krusty Burger. Lard Lad Donuts is a donut store in Springfield. Its mascot is an (estimated) tall statue of a rather chubby boy proudly holding a donut over his head. The name and the statue of the eponymous boy are likely references to Big Boy Restaurants. In "The Simpsons Game", the Lard Lad