Springfield Nuclear Powerplant

In the television cartoon series The Simpsons, the Springfield Nuclear Powerplant, owned by Charles Montgomery Burns, employs Homer Simpson, Waylon Smithers, Lenny, Mindy Simmons and Carl Carlson. Frank Grimes (aka Homer's Enemy) once worked at the plant.

Aristotle Amadopolis owns the Shelbyville Nuclear Powerplant, SNPP's chief rival institution.

Employees

• Waylon Smithers (voiced by Harry Shearer) is Montgomery Burns' adoring henchman. There has been much speculation about the relationship between Burns and Smithers, and Smithers' sexuality in particular. This has now been compounded by the tendency of Simpsons writers to emphasise Smithers' sexual orientation to the extent that he is probably the first overtly gay cartoon icon (though he is officially "in the closet" on the show).

Smithers has the largest collection of Malibu Stacey dolls in the world. He was born around 1954, based on a claim that the stock market crash happened twenty-five years before he was born. A British behind-the-scenes documentary featured an interview with a head writer/producer who described Smithers as not so much homosexual but 'Burns'-sexual.

• Homer Simpson works as the Safety Inspector.

• Mindy Simmons is a female employee that nearly had an affair with Homer.

• Carl Carlson (voiced by Hank Azaria) is one of Homer Simpson's friends. Carl has black skin and black hair. His best friend (or at least his constant companion) is Lenny. Lenny is an unmarried Buddhist who lives in a house that is falling apart. (or as of late, a beautifully furnished apartment that is separated by glass from a jai alai court) Carl, Lenny, and Homer, when not working, can be found at Moe's Tavern

• Frank Grimes appeared in a single episode, Homer's Enemy, first broadcast in 1997.

He is revealed to have had an extremely tough life through a television news report. He was abandoned by his parents at age four and had to work throughout his childhood delivering toys to "more fortunate" children. On his 18th birthday, he was horribly injured in a silo explosion and had to teach himself to see and feel pain again. He gained a correspondence diploma in nuclear physics with a minor in determination. The news report ends with a shot of him holding up his diploma and suddenly being attacked by a huge eagle.

Noticed by Burns he is given a job at the Spingfield nuclear power plant. Initially a vice-president he is replaced by a dog and demoted to work in Sector 7G with Homer Simpson. He is outraged at Homer's flaws—dangerous incompetence, unprofessionalism, laziness, insensitivity and eating habits. That no one else seems to see this makes him more baffled and angry. Homer makes a number of clumsy attempts to make Grimes his friend, but angers Grimes further by calling him "Grimey", eating his lunch and chewing Grimes' personalised pencils. Grimes even saves Homer from drinking acid but is admonished for allowing it to eat through a wall when he knocks the beaker out of Homer's hand. Homer cannot understand why Grimes does not like him.

Grimes tries to show up Homer by having him enter a children's competition to built a model nuclear plant, in the hope that Homer will lose. When Homer wins and no-one seems to care that the competition was for children, in a final fit of enraged incredulity Grimes electrocutes himself while attacking Homer's idiotic behaviour. In the funeral eulogy Grimes is referred to as "Grimey" and Homer sleeps through the occasion, before getting a laugh by mumbling at Marge to change the channel.

Seasons later, Frank Grimes Jr. appears in one episode. Although Grimes Sr. was never married, he apparently liked hookers. In Junior's episode, he attempts to exact revenge on Homer by killing him. He fails and is sent to jail. Surprisingly, it is Sideshow Bob who is Homer's savior.

Other characters

Waylon Smithers' father was also once Mr. Burns' lickspittle. The plant (sometimes, anyhow), is "officially" owned by a canary, Canary M. Burns. It was briefly owned by a German consortium led by Hans and Fritz. Mr. Burns has a son, Larry Burns. A variety of nuclear safety inspectors periodically visit the plant. There is a guy who doesn't speak English, named Tibor, as well as Zutroy[?], who is American as apple pie. A duck was at one time employed by the firm; a rooster and a brick have filled in for Homer; a three-eyed fish named Blinky was produced by the plant's output. Mr. Burns' mother, who lives in the Deep South, is 120 years old but still alive.

Other powerplants in The Simpsons

Aristotle Amadopolis is the owner of the Shelbyville Nuclear Powerplant. He has collaborated with Montgomery Burns on several occasions. One such time is when Homer Simpson is sent to give a speech on how to keep calm in the face of an emergency. When an emergency occurs during his speech, he is sent to do what he did at the Springfield Power Plant. An einy meney miney moe later, and disaster is averted revealing Homer as a fraud instead of a hero.

See also: List of characters from The Simpsons