The Simpsons (franchise) a family and their life in a typical American town. However, because of its animated nature, "The Simpsons"' scope is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant, the show can comment on the state of the environment. Through Bart and Lisa's days at Springfield Elementary School, the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features a vast array of media channels—from kids' television programming
The Simpsons 2007, "The Simpsons" reached their 400th episode at the end of the eighteenth season. While "The Simpsons" has the record for the number of episodes by an American animated show, other animated series have surpassed "The Simpsons". For example, the Japanese anime series "Sazae-san" has over 7,000 episodes to its credit. In 2009, Fox began a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of "The Simpsons". One of the first parts of the celebration is the "Unleash Your Yellow" contest in which entrants must design a poster for the