Here's Exactly How Homer Simpson Met Marge On The Simpsons

Now over 30 years past its premiere date, "The Simpsons" is still going strong on the small screen. Sure, the show isn't at the heights that it once was in terms of popularity and creativity, but that doesn't negate its overall importance to animation and television history. The fanbase has yet to dissipate, merchandise still moves, and the numerous memes the series spawned are still in circulation. Not to mention, after all these years, many viewers still care deeply about the show's characters regardless of what they're up to in a given episode.

After spending decades at the forefront of TV, the residents of Springfield have almost become like real people rather than cartoons. They all have defined personalities, backstories, and relationships and have gone through ups and downs that everyone can relate to. Some may have become caricatures of themselves over time — hence the creation of the term "Flanderization" – but at the end of the day, when the circumstances are right, they can cause longtime fans to feel emotions that are rooted in this unmatched longevity and character depth.

There's no better example of this phenomenon than Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner), who have gone through a lot over the years both as individuals and as a couple and brought audiences along every step of the way. Naturally, they've even gone over how they first met in vivid detail, providing a crucial marker in the "Simpsons" timeline.

"The Simpsons" Season 2 covered Marge and Homer's first meeting in the episode "The Way We Was," detailing how the two fell in love way back in high school via flashback. However, the 1991 episode didn't actually cover their true introduction to one another. That honor goes to 2004's "The Way We Weren't," which reveals that Homer and Marge technically met as children at summer camp even though neither of them fully remembered the events of that day properly.

At age 10, Homer attended Camp-See-A-Tree: a supposed summer camp that forced them to work in the kitchen of the girls' camp, Camp-Land-A-Man, across the lake. He finds Marge's retainer and returns it to her, prompting her to ask him if he'd like to meet up later. The two do so and share their first kiss, though Marge's hair was brown due to a curling iron mishap, and Homer wore an eyepatch thanks to a switchblade accident, so they grew up not knowing they'd met.

To put a nice little bow on this minor retcon, now-adult Homer and Marge present each other with their halves of the heart-shaped stone from camp, confirming that this story was, in fact, true. Some fans aren't exactly on board with this decision, but it's no less a part of the current canon. Besides, for all anyone knows, yet another retcon episode could come along down the road that'll toss "The Way We Weren't" in the bin.