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NEED TO KNOW
A longtime character on The Simpsons has retired
In season 37 episode "Seperance," the show revealed that the Duffman mascot has been discontinued after nearly 30 years on the show
"The Duff Corporation has retired that character forever," he told the Simpsons family
The Simpsonsis bidding farewell to one of its longtime characters.
On the Sunday, Jan. 4 episode, aSeveranceparody entitled "Seperance,"The Simpsonsrevealed the "forever" retirement of a character who has been a staple on the show for nearly three decades — but the writers didn'tkill anyone offthis time to make it happen.
Instead, the season 37 episode found Duffman — the popular Duff Beer spokesperson who speaks in third person — announcing that the company mascot he's portrayed for much of the show's run has been retired for good.
Duffman, or Barry Duffman, shared the news with viewers when he entered Homer and Marge Simpson's home to greet the titular family. "The Duff Corporation has retired that character forever," he revealed. "All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots. Today's kids can't even sing the jingles."
AsTVLinepointed out, Barry — who tried to recruit Homer to join a corporation called EOD in the episode, before eventually deprogramming himself — could be seen later in the episode still not in his classic Duffman uniform. So his retirement may just be for good.
The Duffman mascot, voiced by Hank Azaria, has been played by multiple characters in the show over the years — so it's not just one guy yelling out "oh yeah." The mascot is best known for his signature catch phrase and outrageous costume featuring a red cape, sunglasses and a belt decorated with beer bottles.
He first appeared in the 1997 episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," with his last proper appearance before Sunday's episode taking place in last season's "P.S. I Hate You."
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Duffman's apparent send-off comes less than two months after the death of another longtimeSimpsonsregular, First Church Organist Alice Glick, who died during a sermon. Before the character's death, she appeared on the show for 34 years and a total of 35 seasons.
Earlier in season 37, in an episode entitled "Sashes to Sashes," Springfield Elementary honored her in a memorial service. Executive producer Tim Long told PEOPLE in a statement that Alice was gone for good.
"In a sense, Alice the organist will live forever, through the beautiful music she made," he said. "But in another, more important sense, yep she's dead as a doornail."
The Simpsonsairs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
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