Summary

The Simpsonsseason 36 is set to shake up the show’s canon like never before, as one upcoming episode is teasing that it will finally age Bart up after all of these years.The Simpsonstimeline has always been a bit strange, with time passing in the sense that the world changes around the characters ofThe Simpsons, but the characters themselves never age. EachThe Simpsonscharacter has remained the same ageever since the show started, but that could finally be changing, asThe Simpsonsseason 36 will feature a storyline that requires Bart to finally get older.

The Simpsonshas been running for 35 years, and while the show is notorious for having done almost everything imaginable, there is one thing that it hasn’t done: aged the Simpsons up. ThroughoutThe Simpsons' run, the characters have remained almost frozen in time, with their consistent ages being one of the show’s biggest appeals. The fact that the Simpsons don’t age means thatthe show doesn’t have a strict continuity, meaning that new viewers aren’t expected to catch up on 35 years of episodes to understand everything. However, this may all be changing soon.

A composite image of Bart looking shocked in front of a picture of the Simpson family fighting over the remote from The Simpsons

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The Simpsons Season 36 Is Teasing Making Bart 1 Year Older

After 35 Years Of Being 10

After all these years,The Simpsonsseason 36 premiere is teasing that it will finally make Bart Simpson one year older. Since the very beginning ofThe Simpsons, Bart has always been 10 years old, despite his character appearing in nearly every episode ofThe Simpsonsfor 35 years.Bart has spent 35 years in fourth grade, 35 years of being a fan of Krusty the Clown, and 35 years of barely being a decade old. Despite him being around for so long, the one thing that could finally age him up is coming: a birthday party.

The Simpsonsseason 36 premieres on July 09, 2025.

The synopsis ofThe Simpsonsseason 36 premiere states that the episode will revolve around Bart Simpson’s birthday party, meaning that it will be nearly impossible not to age the character up along with this episode. If Bart Simpson has a birthday party without turning 11, then the episode doesn’t make any sense, although it could hand-wave thecanonThe Simpsonstimelineaway like many other episodes do. Bart Simpson being 11 wouldn’t change too much about the show, but it would be a monumental step forward for the show’s timeline.

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Bart Being Older Would Make The Simpsons Canon Even Harder To Follow

The Other Characters Would Need To Be Older Too

Bart finally aging a year could create a problem forThe Simpsonstimeline, as it would make the show’s timeline even harder to follow. Even if Bart does age up a year, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and the rest ofThe Simpsons' cast of charactersstill wouldn’t have, meaning that they would all have to get birthdays if the show wants to remain consistent.

If Bart truly does age up a year, one possibility is thatThe Simpsonscould simply explain that the first 35 seasons of episodes are all contained within one year. While this could create a plethora of problems of its own, it would be a way to at least try and make sense of Bart aging up after all this time.The Simpsonsdoes have more episodes than there are days in a year, plus many episodes take place over more than one day, althoughThe Simpsonsmay simply hope that fans don’t think too hard about it.

A composite image of Bart looking worried in front of Marge giving Homer a dirty look in The Simpsons

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Why The Simpsons Shouldn’t Make Bart Older In Season 36

It Would Make The Show Less Timeless

Although a birthday party may sound like agood setting for aThe Simpsonsepisode, it isn’t worth aging Bart up after all of these years.The fact that the Simpsons are frozen in time is one of the appealsthat makes the characters so timeless. Multiple generations have projected their childhoods onto Bart and Lisa only to go on to project their adulthood onto Homer and Marge, with this being one of the many reasons why the show is so great.

Starting to age the Simpsons up even a little would cause the show to lose this element of its charm, asThe Simpsons' main characters will no longer feel like immortal icons of pop culture. Fans have gotten comfortable with the Simpsons being their current ages for almost four decades now, so throwing all of that out the window for one episode would be a bad idea. If the Simpsons really need to be aged up, the show can do another one of its future timeline episodes without changingThe Simpsonscanon.

Simpsons collage with Kamp Krusty, Bart in the center position, and Lisa jumping in tie dye.

The Simpsons

Cast

The Simpsons is an animated series set in the fictional town of Springfield, following the daily lives of the Simpson family—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Premiering in 1989, the show is renowned for its satirical commentary on politics, media, and American culture, featuring numerous celebrity guest appearances.

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