The Tragic Story of the 'Real Life' Simpsons House
After reading that a couple of Simpsons fans have recently decided to turn their kitchen into a replica of The Simpsons’ kitchen (impressive as it is), it got me thinking about the original “real-life” Simpsons house. Does it still exist? Unfortunately, it does.
Back in 1997, Pepsi, FOX and Kaufman & Broad Homebuilders launched a competition that would make any true Simpsons fan’s dreams come true. The major prize on offer was the choice between either $75,000 (USD) or a life-size replica of The Simpsons house. The very thought of owning a replica Simpsons house in 1997 is enough to bring a tear to your eye.
The contest winner, Barbara Howard, chose the money. Her reasoning being that she lived on the other side of the country and didn’t really feel like moving to Nevada. On top of that, she wasn’t exactly a huge fan of the show to begin with.
To make matters worse, the house’s exterior would also need to be re-painted in order to meet residential estate guidelines. Still, it’s still the bloody Simpsons’ house!
More than 50 hours were spent analysing old episodes of the show, ensuring as much detail was implemented as possible. At 2,200 square foot, the house was built and furnished almost exactly as it appeared on TV. The only notable difference being that the address was 712 Red Bark Lane, as opposed to 742 Evergreen Terrace. It took 49 days in total to build and it was unveiled to the public on August 1, 1997.
The house was estimated to be worth at least $120,000 (USD), which makes one question why Ms. Howard didn’t choose to accept the house and sell to the highest bidder. Considering the popularity of the show, a replica Simpsons house would surely have garnered some serious bidders.
Nonetheless, the decision was made to accept the 75k and so as a result, the interior was stripped down and sold for parts. Heartbreaking.
Whilst understandable given Ms. Howard’s circumstances, the proceeding decision to simply gut this replica house, rather than maintain it for historic purposes, is one that will forever haunt this die-hard fan. In 2025, I can only imagine how many of us would travel to Nevada just to admire the workmanship of the interior. A wasted opportunity if there ever was one.
Did YOU ever get a chance to see the house in its original state? Here is a shot of how it looks today:
In fact, to this day the owners claim to still receive junk mail.
You can also check out this video of YouTuber Adam The Woo as he wanders around the front yard.
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