What Happened To Edna Krabappel On The Simpsons?

For over 20 seasons, Marcia Wallace provided the voice of Bart Simpson's teacher Edna Krabappel on "The Simpsons." While Bart would often play pranks on his teacher, the two often shared a mutual understanding of respect, with Edna being one of the few people who could actually find a glimmer of hope in the prankster's misconduct. In Season 14's "Special Edna," he even went so far as to nominate the educator for the "Teacher of the Year" award to show how much she really meant to him. It's an impressive feat, especially when you consider how often she made him write something hilarious on the chalkboard.

But then, tragedy struck. Marcia Wallace died in 2013 (via The Hollywood Reporter), and rather than hire someone else to voice Bart's 4th-grade teacher, the team behind "The Simpsons" decided to "retire" the character. She disappeared without much fanfare, but fans didn't seem to mind. It seemed a lovely tribute to Wallace, and after all, we don't think anyone else could do the signature Mrs. Krabappel laugh as good as her.

However, a couple of episodes address what happened to Edna, and it's a touching tribute to the wonderful talent of Marcia Wallace.

Shortly after Marcia Wallace's passing, "The Simpsons" paid tribute to the actress with a special chalkboard opening. In it, Bart has written a single line that simply reads: "We'll really miss you Mrs. K." Aside from that, the show never really addressed her absence, much in the same way the show retired Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure after Phil Hartman's death. However, that changed in the Season 25 episode, "The Man Who Grew Too Much."

The episode ends with an epilogue, showing Ned Flanders in a dance room with Edna. They share a tango until it's revealed it was all a dream from Ned, who's wearing a black armband. He then says, "Sure do miss that laugh." While it's never stated how Mrs. Krabappel died, it does appear as though she passed away in "The Simpsons" universe.

Most recently, Mrs. Krabappel's demise was referenced in Season 32's "Diary Queen." In it, Bart stumbles upon his old teacher's diary, in which he believes she talked about how he had so much potential. Bart takes it as a sign to start doing well in school, but he discovers that she was actually talking about her cat named Bart. It all leads to an emotional finale where both Bart and Ned read entries about how much Edna cared for both of them. Edna Krabappel may be gone, but it's clear the many residents of Springfield haven't forgotten her.