Matt Groening first came up with the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. He had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to pitch the Life in Hell series. Realizing that he would need to rescind his publication rights for his life's work, and needing to create a new idea, he sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family. He named the characters after his own family.
The Simpson family first appeared as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, with the first short, "Good Night," airing on April 19, 1987.