The Simpsons might not be part of the cultural Zeitgeist in the same way it was in the early 1990s, but over the last 30 years it’s built up a immense following—enough for it to remain a tempting licensing target. Vans is the latest, and arguably one of the higher-profile, fashion brands to pay tribute to Springfield’s yellow-skinned family, with a collection of footwear, apparel and accessories.
The Simpsons family appears on the Sk8-Hi shoes, both in their original form from The Tracey Ullman Show and in their definitive form once they were spun off into their own series; individual characters can be found on Old Skool and Sk8-Hi designs. There are Lisa Simpson items with ‘Lisa Simpson for president’ slogans; a Sk8-Lo shoe design features Bart Simpson’s ‘El Barto’ graffiti tag. Subsidiary characters get a look-in, too, with Krusty the Klown, the Bouvier sisters, Otto, Moe, Lenny, Carl and Barney, and even Itchy and Scratchy, and Blinky the three-eyed fish. Socks, caps, fleece hoodies, and T-shirts complete the collection.
In New Zealand, the collection will be available from August 15. More information can be found at vans.co.nz/thesimpsons.