Editing Maggie Simpson (section)

==Role in ''The Simpsons''==
''The Simpsons'' uses a [[floating timeline]] in which the characters do not physically age (or if they do, then very slowly), and as such the show is assumed to be set in the current year. In several episodes, events have been linked to specific times, though sometimes this timeline has been contradicted in subsequent episodes.{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=78}} Maggie is the youngest child of [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]], and younger sister to [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]]. When Marge became pregnant with Bart, she and Homer got married at a chapel in Las Vegas. To support his impending family, Homer all but demanded a job at the [[Springfield Nuclear Power Plant]], impressing its owner, [[Mr. Burns]] with his aggressive submissiveness.<ref name=IMarriedMarge>{{cite episode |title=I Married Marge |episode-link=I Married Marge |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Martin, Jeff |network=Fox |airdate=December 19, 1991 |season=03 |number=12}}</ref> When Marge became pregnant with Lisa, two years later, she and Homer bought [[742 Evergreen Terrace|their first house]]. Another six years later, Homer felt financially secure enough to finally quit his job at the Power Plant and take his dream job at Barney's Bowlarama. However, Marge became pregnant with Maggie, so Homer, once again unable to support his family, was forced to reapply for his old job. By the time Maggie was born, Homer had shown great signs of distress, but he managed to find motivation in the form of his newborn baby girl.<ref name=MaggieMakesThree>{{cite episode |title=And Maggie Makes Three |episode-link=And Maggie Makes Three |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Crittenden, Jennifer; Scott, Swinton O. |network=Fox |airdate=January 22, 1995 |season=06 |number=13}}</ref>

During the earlier seasons of the show, Maggie's equivalent of a hallmark was to trip over her clothing and fall on her face while trying to walk, causing a loud thud on the floor,{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=11}} but this was toned down in the later seasons. She has a penchant for her pacifier, on which she is always seen sucking.{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=11}}

Maggie has performed a number of feats that for her age suggest she is highly intelligent, akin to her sister, and possibly a genius. She has spelled out [[E=MC²]] with her baby blocks, driven Homer's car, escaped from the Springfield daycare center,<ref name=NewBadge>{{cite episode |title=Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge |episode-link=A Streetcar Named Marge |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Martin, Jeff |network=Fox |airdate=October 1, 1992 |season=4 |number=2}}</ref> written her name on an [[Etch A Sketch]],{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=11}} played Internet poker,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/guides/internet.html|title=The Simpsons Archive: Internet References|first=Hari Michael|last=Wierny|date=July 3, 2010|publisher=The Simpsons Archive|access-date=August 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709073048/http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/guides/internet.html|archive-date=July 9, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> spelled words with her baby blocks, [[Who Shot Mr. Burns?|shot Mr. Burns]], played Lisa's saxophone, and treated her pacifier like a cigarette. However, the rest of the Simpsons family are unaware of Maggie's maturity and Marge carries Maggie wherever they go rather than letting her walk by herself. Maggie is keenly aware of her surroundings, and can usually be seen imitating the flow of action around her. She shows a high degree of dexterity, and she once hit Homer on the head with a mallet and shot a dart at a photograph of him in imitation of ''[[The Itchy & Scratchy Show|Itchy and Scratchy]]''.<ref name=ItchyScratchyMarge>{{cite episode |title=Itchy & Scratchy & Marge |episode-link=Itchy & Scratchy & Marge |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Reardon, Jim |network=Fox |airdate=December 20, 1990 |season=02 |number=09}}</ref> Despite her age, Maggie is a formidable [[marksman]], as seen in "[[Who Shot Mr. Burns?]]" where she shoots [[Mr. Burns]] with a handgun that falls into her hands,<ref name=Whoshotmrburns>{{cite episode |title=Who Shot Mr. Burns? |episode-link=Who Shot Mr. Burns? |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Oakley, Bill |network=Fox |airdate=May 21, 1995 |season=06 |number=25}}</ref> though whether or not it was intentional is not clear, and in a deliberate manner during "[[Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge]]" where she is able to non-fatally shoot a group of mobsters in rapid succession with a rifle that she apparently hides in her crib.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite episode |title=Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge |episode-link=Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Gould, Dana; Michels, Pete |network=Fox |airdate=May 22, 2002 |season=13 |number=22}}</ref>

Maggie is usually frightened and exasperated by Homer's attempts to bond with her, but has on several occasions stepped in to save Homer's life: once from drowning,<ref name=HelloGutter>{{cite episode |title=Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder |episode-link=Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Jean, Al; Anderson, Mike |network=Fox |airdate=November 14, 1999 |season=11 |number=6}}</ref> once from being shot by mobsters,<ref name=NewBadge/> once from being kidnapped by a tow truck driver,<ref name=Towboy>{{cite episode |title=Midnight Towboy |episode-link=Midnight Towboy |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Gillis, Stephanie; Nastuk, Matthew |network=Fox |airdate=October 7, 2007 |season=19 |number=3}}</ref> and once from being shot by [[Russ Cargill]], head of the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]].<ref name=movie>{{cite video |title=[[The Simpsons Movie]] |medium=Film |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |date=July 27, 2007}}</ref>