Who And What Is 'Graggle Simpson' And Is He Real?

The latest symptom of The Mandela Effect appears to have surfaced, being a forgotten Simpsons character named Graggle Simpson. The buffoonish, bald-headed weirdo seems to be, well, obviously fake, but the internet won't stop memeing him into existence.

Originally known as Gumbly to the proponents of the conspiracy theory, Graggle Simpson is no doubt a hoax. However, people keep falling for the screenshots and deep fakes every day.

So, how did Graggle Simpson come about, and why is the internet just finding out about him now? Let's explain.

Who Is "Graggle Simpson?"

Graggle Simpson is an internet hoax that started on 2chan back in October 2015. Graggle wasn't always known as "Graggle" though. The faked character was originally known as Gumbly and the first photoshopped image of him within a Simpsons screencap showed him as part of the infamous opening couch scene.

Despite originating in 2015, Gumbly wasn't known en masse until January 2021 when a photoshopped Simpsons screencap surfaced on 4chan. An anonymous user started a thread on the /x/ imageboard, telling the other anons that Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, had a self-insert character named "Weird Matt" or "Yellow Matt."

He became later known as Gumbly through a tweet posted by Twitter user @SimianJimmy. The hoax and name picked up traction going into 2021 as multiple faked screencaps emerged, all from trolls trying to fool confused fans.

Where Did "Graggle Simpson" Come From?

The nickname "Graggle Simpson" didn't become known until early 2022. The first Graggle Simpson post was uploaded by Facebook user Yeliab Ressap on May 22nd, 2022. After being reposted to accounts on Instagram, Ressap's new nickname for the character became the primary one used in memes going forward.

Is "Graggle Simpson" Real?

The short answer is no, he's not. Even though the original 4chan thread claims it to be Groening's self-insert, the other anons were smart enough to highlight the poorly drawn hand of Weird Matt, as well as the suspect inclusion of, "Matt Groening is very embarrassed about this character. If you ever see him do not bring up 'Weird Matt' or 'Yellow Matt,'" at the end of the post.

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For the full history of "Graggle Simpson," be sure to check out our entry on the meme here more information.