Editing Marge Simpson (section)

===Creation===
[[File:Matt Groening by Gage Skidmore -retouch.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Matt Groening created Marge while waiting in James L. Brooks' office. |alt=A man in glasses and a plaid shirt sits in front of a microphone.]]
[[Matt Groening]] first conceived Marge and the rest of the Simpson family in 1987 in the lobby of producer [[James L. Brooks]]' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of animated shorts for ''The Tracey Ullman Show'', and had intended to present an adaptation of his ''[[Life in Hell]]'' comic strip. When he realized that animating ''Life in Hell'' would require him to rescind publication rights, Groening decided to go in another direction<ref name="americasfirstfamily">{{cite video |people=BBC |year=2000 |title='The Simpsons': America's First Family (6-minute edit for the season 1 DVD) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/ |format=DVD |location=UK |publisher=20th Century Fox |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081722/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/ |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> and hurriedly sketched out his version of a [[dysfunctional family]], naming the characters after members of his own family. Marge was named after Groening's mother Margaret "Marge" Groening, who has said she bears little similarity to the character, stating, "It's really weird to have people think you're a cartoon."<ref name="americasfirstfamily"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Groening's Mom: I'm no Marge Simpson |author=Kuipers, Dean |date=May 12, 1997 |work=[[Dayton Daily News]]}}</ref><ref name=sundvd>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt: [[Al Jean|Jean, Al]] |year=2007 |title=The Simpsons Movie: A Look Behind the Scenes |medium=DVD |work=[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]}}</ref> Marge's [[Beehive (hair)|beehive]] hairstyle was inspired by the titular Bride in ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]'' and the style that Margaret Groening wore during the 1960s, although her hair was never blue.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/magazine/22wwln-Q4-t.html |title=Questions for Matt Groening–Screen Dreams |access-date=October 31, 2008 |author=Soloman, Deborah |date=July 22, 2007 |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108004049/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/magazine/22wwln-Q4-t.html |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html |title=The real people behind Homer Simpson and family |access-date=October 31, 2008 |author=Rose, Joseph |date=August 3, 2007 |work=[[The Oregonian]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525111318/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html |archive-date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref>

Marge debuted with the rest of the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' [[The Simpsons shorts|short]] "[[Good Night (The Simpsons short)|Good Night]]".{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=14}}{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=20}} In 1989, the shorts were adapted into ''The Simpsons'', a half-hour series airing on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]]. Marge and the Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=568&IssueNum=32 |title=3rd Degree: Harry Shearer |access-date=October 30, 2008 |author=Kuipers, Dean |date=April 15, 2004 |publisher=Los Angeles: City Beat |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605005153/http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=568&IssueNum=32 |archive-date=June 5, 2008}}</ref>

Matt Groening believes that episodes featuring Marge are among the most difficult episodes to write. [[Bill Oakley]] believes that the "junior" writers are usually given Marge episodes because he and writing partner [[Josh Weinstein]] were given several to write during their first season.<ref>Groening, Matt; Oakley, Bill. (2004). Commentary for "[[Marge in Chains]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> During the third season of the show, most of the writers focused on Bart and Homer, so [[David M. Stern]] decided to write a Marge episode, which became "[[Homer Alone]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 3)|season three]], 1992). He felt that they could achieve a "deeper vein" of comedy in an episode where Marge has a nervous breakdown, and James L. Brooks quickly approved.<ref>[[David M. Stern|Stern, David M.]] in a letter that is read on the commentary by [[Dan Castellaneta]]. (2003). Commentary for "[[Lisa the Greek]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>