Object Details
- Associated Name
- Azaria, Hank
- Playmates Toys, Inc.
- Description
- This Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart interactive environment Apu talking figure playset was one of a series of licensed Simpsons action figures and interactive environment playsets made by Playmates Toys in the early 2000s. This particular model was released in August 2000, and Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the proprietor of the fictional Kwik-E-Mart convenience store in the town of Springfield. The playset is a model of the Kwik-E-Mart, with its sales counter, microwave, cash register, and Squishy frozen drink machine. A sign on the cash register identifying Apu as the store’s owner also bears his signature catchphrase “Thank you, come again!” The Apu action figure depicts him in his customary costume of high-waisted khaki pants, half-unbuttoned black dress shirt, and green cardigan sweater, with black hair, a thin black mustache, and darker skin than the rest of the yellow skinned residents of Springfield. A photograph on the box illustrating the toy’s Intelli-Tronic “talking” function depicts Apu saying “I take it from your telling that you like my tofu dogs!” (sound recordings of actors reading phrases in the character voices are triggered by placing the action figures on a port embedded in the playset).
- The Simpsons is an animated television sitcom that has aired on the Fox network since 1989, becoming one of the longest-running and most critically acclaimed television series of all time. Apu is an Indian immigrant to the United States and like many real-life immigrants, he works in the service sector. Voiced by Hank Azaria, the character was named in honor of the title character of The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray and first appeared in the series’ eighth episode, “The Telltale Head,” which aired February 25, 1990. In the seasons that followed, Apu was frequently featured in episodes as a side and sometimes main character, becoming a fan favorite and one of the most prominent South Asian characters on primetime television in the United States. Azaria won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and the Apu character was featured in a wide range of licensed merchandise. However, the character has not had a speaking appearance on the show since 2017, a decision apparently made in response to criticism of the character as a racist caricature of Indian Americans.
- In his 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu, comedian Hari Kondabolu explored the impact of Apu on South Asian Americans and perceptions of South Asian Americans in American culture and society. Kondabolu brought attention to the history of the narrow and dehumanizing stereotypes that contributed to the character of Apu and the impact the character has had on the community. Apu’s voice is performed by a white man affecting a caricaturized Indian accent, with stilted pronunciation and grammar. Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani has said that early in his career he was told to do “the Apu accent” in performances. Many other South Asian American actors have spoken out about the narrow and typecast roles they’re offered, often limited to convenience store clerks, cab drivers, or technology workers. Apu is said to have earned a PhD in computer science from the Calcutta Technical Institute yet began working at the Kwik-E-Mart to repay his student loans. Like Apu, many South Asian men are depicted as being forced into arranged marriages and living in crowded homes with large families. With his wife Manjula, he raises eight children. In one episode, Apu is revealed to be an undocumented immigrant; he attempts to circumvent a new Springfiend illegal immigration deportation policy by purchasing a false birth certificate before finally passing a citizenship test.
- The documentary and resulting conversation about Apu as a racist caricature forced the Simpsons creative team to respond. Though the show’s creator Matt Groening dismissed the criticism in a USA Today story, saying, "I think it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended," Hank Azaria spoke of his increasing discomfort with the character and journey to learn more about Apu’s harmful impact on South Asian Americans. The character was used sparingly in the years following the release of the documentary, with Azaria last performing his voice in the 2017 episode “The Serfsons.” In early 2020, he announced that he had come to an agreement with the production team to step away from performing as Apu, and in a 2021 interview on the Armchair Expert podcast, Azaria apologized for "racism, my participation in racism, or at least in a racist practice or in structural racism, as it relates to showbusiness or...all the above."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- 2000
- ID Number
- 2023.0035.01
- catalog number
- 2023.0035.01
- accession number
- 2023.0035
- Object Name
- toy playset
- toy
- action figure
- Physical Description
- plastic (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 8 1/2 in x 10 in x 6 in; 21.59 cm x 25.4 cm x 15.24 cm
- place made
- China
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
- Popular Entertainment
- National Museum of American History
- Subject
- South Asians
- Stereotypes
- Toys
- Record ID
- nmah_2025620
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng48e5f8e56-5ecc-4c22-8131-d078bd4c153c
