Maggie Simpson Maggie's occasional speaking parts and other vocalisations are currently provided by Nancy Cartwright, but she has also been voiced by guest stars James Earl Jones, Elizabeth Taylor and Jodie Foster, and by series regulars Yeardley Smith and Harry Shearer. Maggie has appeared in various media relating to "The Simpsons" – including video games, "The Simpsons Movie", "The Simpsons" Ride, commercials and comic books – and has inspired an entire line of merchandise. "The Simpsons" uses a floating timeline in which the characters do not physically age, and as such the show is assumed to be set in the current year.
The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase guest stars appear in the episode; Phil Hartman as Troy McClure, Tim Conway as himself and Gailard Sartain as Big Daddy. McClure is used as a host of the episode, something he had previously done in the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular". Conway appears as himself. Conway, a comic veteran, is known for his work on "The Carol Burnett Show", which has a similar format to "The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour". Due to Lisa being substituted for an older teenager (voiced by Pamela Hayden) in the third segment, Yeardley Smith has only one line in the entire episode.