Nelson Mandela Muntz is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

and the lead school bully from the

animated television series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'', where he is best known for his signature mocking laugh "Ha-ha!". He is voiced by

Nancy Cartwright Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...

. Nelson was first introduced in Season 1's "

Bart the General "Bart the General" is the fifth episode of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 4, 1990.. In the episode, Bart Simpson enlists Grampa's help to battle local bully ...

" as an

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, ri ...

, but later became more of an

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actio ...

, continuing to bully those weaker than him while occasionally showing a friendly and sensitive nature underneath. Nelson lives in poverty with his mother in a run-down home, and often shoplifts from convenience stores to get by.

Role in ''The Simpsons''

Nelson is a 12-year-old student and

bully Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an i ...

Springfield Elementary School Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...

. He is known to have terrorized virtually every child in Springfield at one point or another. Most often, it is the school nerds and less popular students, such as

Milhouse Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at ...

and

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

, who are the subjects of his cruelty. Nelson shows the occasional glimpse of humanity, and other characters have warmed to him because of that; Lisa dates him briefly in "

Lisa's Date with Density "Lisa's Date with Density" is the seventh episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 15, 1996. It was written by Mike Scully a ...

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

informally adopts him in " Sleeping with the Enemy", and Bart is shown as a friend to him several times, such as in "

The Haw-Hawed Couple "The Haw-Hawed Couple" is the eighth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 10, 2006.Nelson's dad going insane and abandoning him, Nelson's parents divorcing because of his mom's cough drop addiction, or Nelson's dad in prison while his mom "has bigger problems"), the current canon story is that he lives in a dilapidated house with his mother, who works on the fringes of the sex industry, either as a waitress at Hooters or in a topless bar. The

character design Character design may refer to: *Characterisation, the process of conveying information about characters *Character creation, the process of defining a game character *Model sheet In visual arts, a model sheet, also known as a character board, cha ...

and voice portrayal of both parents have varied throughout the course of the series. It is shown in many episodes that Nelson's father abandoned him and his mother at an early age when he "went to pick up some Pop-Tarts," although later on in the series he was said to have gone to pick up a pack of cigarettes. In the fourth-season episode " Brother from the Same Planet," Nelson's father is the children's soccer coach who awards Nelson with a free trip to Pele's Soccer and Acting Camp. Nelson's father also appears briefly in the sixth-season episode "

Bart's Girlfriend "Bart's Girlfriend" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 6, 1994. The plot of the episode follows the secr ...

," depicted capturing Nelson with a leash as the children run through the cornfields in an attempt to avoid attending church. He also appears in the ninth-season episode " Bart Star" to congratulate Nelson after a football game victory and take him to Hooters (with Nelson turning down the invitation because he "doesn't want to bother isMom at work"). Nelson's father returns in the sixteenth-season episode " Sleeping with the Enemy". It turns out that he did not leave Nelson deliberately; he bit into a chocolate bar, not knowing it had peanuts, and had an

allergic reaction Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derm ...

, covering 90% of his body with large tumors. Looking like Joseph Merrick, he ran out of the store and encountered a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

that made him a part of its

freak show A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...

. Whenever there are performances, circus attendees threw peanuts at him, which perpetuated his reaction, preventing him from returning to normal. When the circus came through Springfield, Bart recognized him and brought him home to rid himself of Nelson (who had been taken into the Simpson home by Marge). Nelson is also a natural athlete. In the episode " Bart Star", Nelson almost single-handedly carries the entire Springfield Pee-Wee football team. As the team quarterback, he also on one occasion catches his own pass and plows through the opposing team with extreme ease. In various episodes, he gives out the impression that he is a lot smarter than he may first appear. Nelson often points out painfully obvious things to adults and kids alike that take them longer to grasp. Another example is a running joke where Nelson does a class assignment that is implied to be of high quality. However, he is always brushed off by the teachers before he gets to show them his work. Another running joke, though, is Nelson presenting ridiculously simple assignments, such as repeatedly showing a can of tomato paste in Show and Tell, and a presentation on ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Priz ...

'', consisting of himself crushing a bunch of grapes with a hammer, stating "Here's the grapes, and here's the wrath!" In later episodes, Nelson shows signs of being a tormented artist type, even submitting a film to the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

about his life as a child living in poverty with a single, unfit mother and no strong father figure. He memorably says in the documentary, "I like to cry at the ocean, because only there do my tears seem small." In the episode " Little Big Girl", it is revealed that Nelson is German-American. Ironically, in " Much Apu About Nothing", Nelson picks on foreign exchange student Üter for being German during Springfield's anti-immigration mania. He is shown to be a big fan of

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

as he, Bart, Milhouse and Martin went to a concert performed by him in "

Bart on the Road "Bart on the Road" is the twentieth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 1996. In the episode, Bart makes his own fa ...

". In "The Simpsons Guy", he was captured along with

Sideshow Bob Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a sel ...

, Principal Skinner, Jimbo Jones, and Apu by

Stewie Griffin Stewart "Stewie" Gilligan Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series ''Family Guy''. He was born in 1998 and is voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Gr ...

Relationships with other characters

Even though in the first season (and for many seasons afterward) Nelson seemed to be Bart's antagonist, he eventually becomes what can be considered Bart's second closest friend after Milhouse. In his debut episode, Lisa was the initial target of Nelson's friend. Nelson had two minions at first one of which snatched a box of muffins from Lisa which prompted Bart to defend her. Bart's actions resulted in frequent beatings by Nelson and his gang, but finally ended when Bart received help from Herman, who came up with the idea of standing up to Nelson and his gang by pelting them with water balloons. From that point on, Nelson shows grudging respect for Bart, though he occasionally reverts to his past behavior towards him. Although still prone to violence, Nelson hangs out with Bart and his less popular friends, such as

Milhouse Van Houten Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...

and occasionally even common bullying target

Martin Prince The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...

. In "

The Debarted "The Debarted" is the thirteenth episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 2, 2008, and features Topher Grace as guest star a ...

", it is shown that Nelson has become Bart's "other best friend", along with Milhouse. Nelson is shown participating in many things with Bart further proving they're friends. Some of the activities they do consist of football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, going to read comics, and playing pranks on people. They even competed on the same e-sports team and went to the world championship. Nelson has many other moments where he displays his hidden good nature, such as his brief amorous relationship with Lisa. Although he cannot control his delinquent tendency, he treats her with respect and even tries to change for her, although both of them realize that he is not being true to himself by doing so. In "

", Nelson kisses Lisa, only to be berated by

Jimbo Jimbo is a diminutive form of the given name James. It is also a Japanese surname, and it means state or province in Swahili. It may refer to: Given name or nickname * Jimbo (drag queen), Canadian drag queen * Jimbo Aquino (born 1985), Filipi ...

, Kearney, and

Dolph Dolph may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Dolph Briscoe (1923–2010), Governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979 * Dolph Camilli (1907–1997), American Major League Baseball player * Dolph Eckstein (1902–1963), American football player ...

, who believe that kissing girls is " gay" (despite the events that occurred revolving around Jimbo in "

New Kid On The Block "New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, Laur ...

"). He also punishes

Sherri and Terri The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...

for tormenting Lisa. Another curious example of his "good side" is with Martin, a boy whom Nelson picks on perhaps more so than any other kid in town. Despite the utter cruelty, there are occasional hints that Nelson does not harbor any real hatred towards Martin and only does so to maintain his 'tough guy' reputation. In " Dial 'N' for Nerder", when it is believed that Martin has died, Nelson endeavors to learn the truth and find Martin's killers. When it is revealed that Martin is alive, Nelson mocks and punches him, but also states that he is glad Martin is not dead. In this same episode, however, when Lisa tries to bribe him to not rat her out by offering to get back together with him, he rejects it. In another episode, it is revealed that both Martin and Nelson went to space camp and that Nelson was a loyal officer to Martin. (See " I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can") In " Loan-a Lisa", Lisa uses $50 to help Nelson fund his bicycle company, which becomes a success. When Nelson almost drops out of school to spend more time on the company, Lisa is saddened and attempts to stop him from doing so, but eventually respects his decision after realizing he will not change despite the money used to fund it. Nelson eventually decides not to drop out after all and takes Lisa skating to make it up to her. Though Nelson is often said to not really have friends aside from his on-and-off relationship with Bart and the others, Nelson sometimes hangs out with his fellow school bullies

, Kearney, and (to a lesser extent) two smaller and younger fraternal twin minions known as the Weasels. Though only seen with them occasionally, Nelson is also ironically the leader of the school bullies (possibly by virtue of being the most often seen and most recognizable of the gang). In " Sleeping with the Enemy",

Moe Szyslak Moe Szyslak is a recurring character from the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Moe is the proprietor and bartender o ...

appears briefly during a Muntz family reunion. The facial similarities between Moe and the Muntz are surprisingly quite apparent and Moe's childhood experiences and behaviors are somewhat relatable with Nelson's. Moe briefly appears and claims that he is part of the family and is then shunned off-screen by the Muntz' confused looks.

Character

'' creator Matt Groening named Nelson after the wrestling hold of the same name. Cast member

voices the character, which first appeared in the fifth episode of the first season, "

" (1990). American voice actress Dana Hill was first supposed to provide Nelson's voice and attended the

read-through The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading around a table of the screenplay or script by the actors with speaking parts is conducted. In addition to the ca ...

of the episode. However, as Cartwright wrote in her autobiography ''

My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy ''My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy'' is an autobiography written by Nancy Cartwright. First published in September 2000 by Hyperion, it details Cartwright's career, particularly her experiences as the voice of Bart Simpson on ''The Simpsons'' and co ...

'', "the producers were still putting together this ensemble of ctorsand, come Monday, at the recording, she was nowhere to be found and the part was assigned to me. I didn't have time to ask why and I still don't have a clue." Cartwright also commented that when she first found out she would be voicing Nelson, "I asked myself, 'What does a bully sound like?' Well... what you hear is what you get. When I first uttered, 'I'll get you after school, man!' I let out a sigh of relief when I got through the line and a double-sigh when it got a laugh." By the eighth season of ''The Simpsons'', the

writers A writer is a person who uses writing, written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, Short story, short stories, books, poetr ...

began to explore the secondary characters of the show. "

" (season eight, 1996) was the first episode to center around Nelson and was used to explain why he acts the way he does. The idea of Nelson dating Lisa Simpson had already been around for a while, but this was the first time that the staff worked it into the show. Cartwright said in 2012 that she thinks Nelson "has evolved the most out of all the characters I do. There's a soft spot in him that the writers have found. He's got this special attraction to Marge, and he sings these songs, and he's got a crush on Lisa. There's something about this poor kid – his mother works at Hooters, his dad went out to buy cigarettes and never came back. I wouldn't want him to come over for dinner, but I really love doing his voice."

Reception

The episode "

The Haw-Hawed Couple "The Haw-Hawed Couple" is the eighth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 10, 2006.Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Animated Program. The writer of the episode Matt Selman was nominated for a

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility ...

. In his review of the season 22 episode " Loan-a Lisa", Rowan Kaiser of '' The A.V. Club'' commented that Nelson's character has undergone a "Spikeification", in reference to the bully's near-exclusive portrayal as being likable and vulnerable in later seasons of the program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muntz, Nelson The Simpsons characters Television characters introduced in 1990 Animated characters introduced in 1990 Villains in animated television series Child characters in television Child characters in animated films Fictional bullies Male characters in animated series Fictional players of American football Characters created by Matt Groening Fictional German American people Male villains Fictional elementary school students de:Figuren aus Die Simpsons#Nelson Muntz