Springfield (The Simpsons) be a specific real town, although the producers acknowledge basing the town on numerous locations including "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, and Mike Scully's hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts. Groening named Springfield after Springfield, Oregon, and also took inspiration from Springfield being the fictitious setting of the series "Father Knows Best". He said, "I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do." Groening liked "Second
Springfield (The Simpsons) to have Flanders own a failing business and the idea for the store was suggested by George Meyer. He got the idea from a friend whose family had owned a left-handed specialty store which had failed. Matt Groening himself is left-handed, and once remarked that 1 in 3 Springfieldians were left-handed. Noiseland Video Arcade is the video arcade in downtown Springfield, a popular place for the youth. Arcade games include Escape from Grandma's House (versions I-III), Kevin Costner's Water World and Larry the Looter. The video arcade has had several appearances in "The Simpsons", although mostly in the earlier seasons.