The Simpson’s Real-Life Dream Home
AND WHY IT DISAPPEARED
Imagine owning the Simpson’s house, the one belonging to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, in real life — pink walls, orange couch, and all. In 1997, Fox Broadcasting Company partnered with Pepsi to make this a reality and built a full- scale replica of 742 Evergreen Terrace. The two companies intended to make one lucky fan’s dreams come true, but things didn’t go as planned. Bringing Springfield to the real world. De-fictionalizing a home from a famous cartoon is no small feat. Fox and Pepsi hired Kaufman and Broad homebuilders to build the house in Henderson, Nevada, and they overlooked no detail. They replicated everything, from the layout and interior design to Bart’s treehouse, to bring the home to life. The builders also included hidden gems throughout the house, including Duff beer in the fridge and a bowl
The builders pored over hours and hours of “The Simpsons” episodes to get the layout right while making the home livable for actual people. After completing the home, Fox opened it for tours as part of a promotional campaign for “The Simpsons” merchandise. Over 500,000 people visited the house in just four months, but that wasn’t the end of the story. The grand prize nobody took. While the home was open for tours, Fox and Pepsi held a sweepstakes to give it away. Fans entered by collecting numbered game pieces from select Pepsi products. During the 1997 fall premiere of the show, the winning number was flashed on the screen, but no one came forward to collect the prize. So, they later chose the winner via a random raffle of forms consumers submitted by mail. The winner was 63-year-old Barbara Howard of Richmond, Kentucky. But Howard didn’t want the house. Instead, she accepted a $75,000 cash prize offered as an alternative, which sealed the fate of the real-life Simpsons house. After the contest, the home underwent a total makeover to blend in with all the others in the surrounding housing development. Today, it still stands, but you’d never guess it was once the perfect replica of America’s favorite cartoon house.
for Snowball II in the kitchen.
SIMPLE SUMMER GARDEN PASTA
TAKE A BREAK!
INGREDIENTS • 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil • 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, to taste) • 1 tsp kosher salt • 1/2 tsp black pepper
Inspired by TheKitchn.com
• 1 lb angel hair pasta • 1 cup fresh basil • 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese • Cooked, chopped chicken for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper and toss until well coated. 2. Cover and let the mixture sit at room temperature while the pasta cooks. 3. Add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook per package directions until al dente. 4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add to the tomato mixture. 5. Coarsely chop the basil leaves. 6. Add the pasta, Parmesan cheese, and chopped basil to the tomato mixture and toss again until combined. 7. Serving suggestion: Add cooked, chopped chicken for more protein!
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