Editing Lisa Simpson (section)

==Character==
===Creation===
[[Matt Groening]] conceived Lisa and the rest of the Simpson family in 1986 in the lobby of producer [[James L. Brooks]]'s office. Groening had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts for ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' and had intended to present an adaptation of his ''[[Life in Hell]]'' comic strip. When he realized that animating ''Life in Hell'' would require him to rescind publication rights, Groening went in another direction,<ref name="americasfirstfamily">{{cite video |people=BBC |year=2000 |title='The Simpsons': America's First Family (6-minute edit for the season 1 DVD) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/ |format=DVD |location=UK |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> hurriedly sketching his version of a [[dysfunctional family]], named after members of his own family. Lisa was named after Groening's younger sister, but little else was based on her.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525111318/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |title=The real people behind Homer Simpson and family |author=Rose, Joseph |date=August 3, 2007 |website=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref> In ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' shorts, Lisa displayed none of the intelligence for which she later became known. She was more of a "female Bart"<ref name=MirkinBSNTH/> and was originally described as simply the "middle child", without much personality.<ref name=Carty/>

Lisa made her brief debut with the rest of the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' [[The Simpsons shorts|short]] "[[Good Night (The Simpsons)|Good Night]]".{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=14}} On December 17, 1989, the shorts were adapted into ''The Simpsons'', a half-hour series on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company]].<ref name="americasfirstfamily"/>

===Design===
[[File:Lisasmall2.gif|right|frame|alt=Lisa's head is a quartered sphere with a horizontal axis, viewed obliquely from the side; three hair spikes emerge from each upper quarter and two emerge from the near lower quarter.|This image illustrates how to draw Lisa's head and hairline using the three-three-two arrangement]]
The entire Simpson family was designed to be easily recognized in silhouette.<ref>Groening, Matt. (2005). Commentary for "[[Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|Fear of Flying]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead, they just traced over his drawings.<ref name="americasfirstfamily"/> Lisa's physical features are generally unique. In some early episodes, minor background characters occasionally had a similar hairline. However, in the later seasons, no character other than Maggie shares her hairline.<ref>Groening, Matt; Reiss, Mike; Kirkland, Mark. (2002). Commentary for "[[Principal Charming]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> While designing Lisa, Groening "couldn't be bothered to even think about girls' hairstyles".<ref name=THOHV/> At the time, Groening was primarily drawing in black and white; when designing Lisa and Maggie, he "just gave them this kind of spiky starfish hair style, not thinking that they would eventually be drawn in color".<ref name="Groening, Matt 2006">Groening, Matt. (2006). "A Bit From the Animators", illustrated commentary for "[[All Singing, All Dancing]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

To draw Lisa's head and hair, most of the show's animators use what they call the "three-three-two arrangement". It begins with a circle, with two curving lines (one vertical, one horizontal) intersecting in the middle to indicate her eyeline. The vertical line continues outside of the circle to create one hair point, with two more added towards the back of her head. Three more points are then added in front (in the direction Lisa is facing), with two more behind it.<ref>Archer, Wes; Groening, Matt; Kirkland, Mark. (2005). "A Bit From the Animators", illustrated commentary for "[[Summer of 4 Ft. 2]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> Several ''Simpsons'' animators, including [[Pete Michels]] and [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]], consider Lisa the most difficult ''Simpsons'' character to draw.<ref>Michels, Pete. (2006). "A Bit From the Animators", illustrated commentary for "[[All Singing, All Dancing]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> Silverman explains that "her head is so abstract" due to her hairstyle.<ref name=THOHV>Silverman, David; Reardon, Jim; Groening, Matt. (2005). Illustrated commentary for "[[Treehouse of Horror V]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

===Voice===
While the roles of Homer and Marge were given to [[Dan Castellaneta]] and [[Julie Kavner]] because they were already a part of the ''Tracey Ullman Show'' cast,<ref name="The Age">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/27/1046064146568.html |title=D'oh, you're the voice |access-date=August 18, 2007 |date=February 27, 2003 |author=Lee, Luaine |work=The Age |location=Melbourne}}</ref> the producers decided to hold casting for the roles of Bart and Lisa. [[Nancy Cartwright]] intended to audition for the role of Lisa, but disliked the character's bland description—Lisa was described simply as the "middle child"—and read for the role of Bart instead.<ref name=Carty>{{harvnb|Cartwright|2000 |pp=35–40}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1017238.stm |title=Bart's voice tells all |access-date=May 16, 2007 |date=November 10, 2000 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Casting director [[Bonita Pietila]] brought [[Yeardley Smith]] in for an audition after seeing her performing in the play ''Living on Salvation Street''.<ref name="Freeman"/><ref name="Miranda"/> Smith was hesitant to audition for an animated series, but her agent had persuaded her to give it a try.<ref name="Happy"/> Smith originally auditioned for the role of Bart but Pietila believed her voice was too high. Smith later recalled: "I always sounded too much like a girl, I read two lines as Bart and they said, 'Thanks for coming!'"<ref name="Miranda">{{cite news |title= She who laughs last |date= December 8, 2007 |page=8E |work= [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |first= Charles |last=Miranda }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1565538/20070725/story.jhtml |title= 'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To "Burns-Sexual" Smithers |access-date= July 29, 2007 |date= October 26, 2008 |author= Larry Carroll |publisher= MTV |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071220140402/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1565538/20070725/story.jhtml |archive-date= December 20, 2007 }}</ref> Pietila offered Smith the role of Lisa instead.<ref name="Happy">{{cite news |title= She's happy as Lisa Simpson, although she'd like more d'oh |date= April 4, 2004 |work= [[The Spokesman-Review]] |agency= Associated Press |author= Heidi Vogt}}</ref>
[[File:Yeardley Smith 2012.png|thumb|upright|left |alt=A woman with blond-brown hair smiles, her eyes closed slightly.|Lisa's voice actress [[Yeardley Smith]]]]
Smith and the show's writers worked to give Lisa a more defined personality, and she has developed greatly during the series. In her 2000 memoir ''[[My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy]]'', Cartwright wrote: "with the brilliant wit of the writers and the wry, in-your-eye, honest-to-a-fault interpretation, Yeardley Smith has made Lisa a bright light of leadership, full of compassion and competence beyond her years. Lisa Simpson is the kind of child we not only want our children to be but also the kind of child we want ''all'' children to be. But, at the time, on ''The Tracey Ullman Show'', she was just an animated eight-year-old kid who had no personality."<ref name=Carty/>

Lisa is the only regular character voiced by Smith, who raises the pitch of her voice slightly for the role.<ref>{{cite news |title=She who laughs last |date=December 8, 2007 |page=8E |work= The Daily Telegraph |author=Charles Miranda}}</ref> In some earlier episodes she provided some of Maggie's squeaks and occasional speaking parts, and has voiced other characters on very rare occasions.<ref name=com>{{cite video |people=Smith, Yeardley |year=2007 |title=Audio commentary for [[The Simpsons Movie]] |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Usually they are derivative of Lisa, such as Lisa Bella in "[[Last Tap Dance in Springfield]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 11)|season 11]], 2000) and Lisa, Jr. in "[[Missionary: Impossible]]". (season 11, 2000)<ref>[[Ron Hauge|Hauge, Ron]]. (2008). Commentary for "[[Missionary: Impossible]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Eleventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

{{quote box |width=30em |bgcolor=transparent |align=right |quote=It's a happy fluke. When she was cast back in 1987, I just liked the sound of her voice. She's also a great actress. In general, people who make their living doing voices on cartoons aren't always great for us. Most cartoons want things peppy and cartoony. Yeardley can go through moments of great emotion and wring it for all she's worth. |salign=right |source=—[[Matt Groening]] on Smith's vocal style<ref name=love/>}}

Despite Lisa's fame, Smith is rarely recognized in public, which she does not mind. She said, "it's wonderful to be in the midst of all this hype about the show, and people enjoying the show so much, and to be totally a fly on the wall; people never recognize me solely from my voice."<ref name="Sheridan">{{cite news |title=Meet the Simpsons |date=May 6, 2004 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|Daily Express]] |author=Peter Sheridan}}</ref> In a 2009 interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' she commented that "It's the best job ever. I have nothing but gratitude for the amount of freedom ''The Simpsons'' has bought me in my life."<ref name=guard>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/16/lisa-simpson-yeardley-smith-film |title=From Springfield to Tinseltown |date=January 16, 2009 |author=Lisa Marks |work=The Guardian |access-date=February 16, 2009 |location=London}}</ref> Although Smith received a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] in 1992, she considers it unimportant, saying "there's part of me that feels it wasn't even a real Emmy." The award is a [[Creative Arts Emmy Award|Creative Arts]] prize not awarded during the primetime telecast and, at the time, a juried award without nominations.<ref name="Happy"/> Still, Smith considers her work on the show a success. "If I had to be associated with one character in fiction," she said, "I will always be thrilled that it was Lisa Simpson."<ref name="Happy"/> Matt Groening has described Smith as being very similar to Lisa: "Yeardley has strong moral views about her character. Some lines are written for Lisa that Yeardley reads and says, 'No, I wouldn't say that.'"<ref name=love>{{cite news |title=Yeardley Smith Confesses: "I Love Lisa" |work=Simpsons Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Number 5 |date=Spring 1992 |author=L.W. Michion |pages=20–23}}</ref> Former ''Simpsons'' writer [[Jay Kogen]] praised her performance on the show, particularly in the episode "[[Lisa's Substitute]]", as able "to move past comedy to something really strong and serious and dramatic."<ref name=love/>

Until 1998, Smith was paid $30,000 per episode. A pay dispute erupted in 1998, during which Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing for casting of new voices.<ref name=Glaister/> The dispute was soon resolved, and Smith received $125,000 per episode until 2004 when the voice actors sought an increase to $360,000 per episode.<ref name=Glaister>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/02/1080544690429.html |title=Simpsons actors demand bigger share |access-date=October 26, 2008 |date=April 3, 2004 |author=Glaister, Dan |work=The Age |location=Melbourne}}</ref> The issue was resolved a month later,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/simpsons-cast-goes-back-to-work/ |title='Simpsons' Cast Goes Back To Work |access-date=September 21, 2008 |date=May 1, 2004 |publisher=[[CBS News]]}}</ref> and Smith earned $250,000 per episode.<ref name="Sheridan"/> New salary negotiations took place in 2008, and the voice actors currently receive approximately $400,000 per episode.<ref>{{cite news |title=Simpsons cast sign new pay deal |work=BBC News |date=June 3, 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7434296.stm |access-date=October 26, 2008}}</ref> Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, Smith and the other cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $300,000 per episode.<ref>{{cite news |last=Block |first=Alex Ben |title='The Simpsons' Renewed for Two More Seasons |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-renewed-two-more-seasons-245748 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=October 15, 2011 |date=October 7, 2011}}</ref>

===Development===
[[File:Lisa - Good Night.png|right|200px|thumb |alt=A yellow-skinned female cartoon character lies in bed, covering most of her body with a blanket. Her hair is noticeably spiked.|Lisa in her first televised appearance in "Good Night", while designers who worked on Lisa, Groening, who was primarily drawing in black and white, "just gave [her] this kind of spiky starfish hair style, not thinking that [she] would eventually be drawn in color"; Lisa's hair points would eventually be made less spiky<ref name="Groening, Matt 2006"/>]]
In ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' shorts, Lisa was something of a "female Bart": equally mischievous but lacking unique traits.<ref name=MirkinBSNTH>Mirkin, David. (2004). Commentary for "[[Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> As the series progressed, Lisa began to develop into a more intelligent and more emotional character.<ref name="Sax and Single"/> She demonstrates her intellect in the 1990 episode "[[Krusty Gets Busted]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 1)|season one]]), by helping Bart reveal [[Sideshow Bob]]'s plot to frame [[Krusty the Clown]] for armed robbery.<ref name="Reiss">Reiss, Mike. (2001). Commentary for "[[Krusty Gets Busted]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete First Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> Many episodes focusing on Lisa have an emotional nature, such as "Moaning Lisa" (season one, 1990). The idea for the episode was pitched by [[James L. Brooks]], who wanted to do an emotional episode involving Lisa's sadness, to complement the many "jokey episodes" in the first season.<ref name="Reiss1">Reiss, Mike. (2001). Commentary for "[[Moaning Lisa (The Simpsons)|Moaning Lisa]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete First Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

In the seventh-season episode "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]" (1995), Lisa permanently becomes a vegetarian, distinguishing her as one of the first primetime television characters to make such a choice.<ref name="PETA"/> The episode was written by David S. Cohen (in his first solo writing credit), who jotted down the idea one day while eating lunch. Then-executive producer [[David Mirkin]], who had recently become a vegetarian himself, quickly approved the idea. Several of Lisa's experiences in the episode are based on Mirkin's own experiences. The episode guest stars musician [[Paul McCartney]], a committed vegetarian and animal rights activist. McCartney's condition for appearing was that Lisa would remain a vegetarian and would not revert the next week (as is common on situation comedies). The trait stayed and is one of the few permanent character changes made in the show.<ref>Cohen, David S.; Groening, Matt; Mirkin, David. (2005). Commentary for "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/08/26/paul-mccartney-insisted-lisa-simpson-stay-veg/ |title=Paul McCartney Insisted Lisa Simpson Stay VEG |date=August 26, 2009 |publisher=ecorazzi |access-date=November 15, 2009 |archive-date=September 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917210805/http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/08/26/paul-mccartney-insisted-lisa-simpson-stay-veg/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref name="NZ">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sideswipe/news/article.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10593582 |title=Sideswipe: McCartney keeps Lisa vegetarian |date=August 28, 2009 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=August 27, 2009}}</ref> In the season 13 episode "She of Little Faith" (2001), Lisa underwent another permanent character change when she converted to Buddhism.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinsky|2007 |p=171}}</ref>

Lisa plays the [[baritone saxophone]], and some episodes use that as a plot device. According to Matt Groening, the baritone saxophone was chosen because he found the thought of an eight-year-old girl playing it amusing. He added, "But she doesn't always play a baritone sax because the animators don't know what it looks like, so it changes shape and color from show to show."<ref name="Saxophone"/> One of the hallmarks of the show's [[The Simpsons opening sequence|opening sequence]] is a brief solo Lisa plays on her saxophone after being thrown out of music class. ''The Simpsons'' composer [[Alf Clausen]] said that the session musicians who perform her solos do not try to play at the second-grade level and instead "think of Lisa as a really good player."<ref name="Sax and Single">{{cite magazine |title=Sax and the Single Simpson |last=Rhodes |first=Joe |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 26, 1991 |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/07/26/why-lisa-simpson-plays-blues/ |access-date=March 8, 2010 |archive-date=January 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109201759/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,314958,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Personality===
{{quote box |width=30em |bgcolor=transparent |align=right |quote=[Lisa is] a good soul. I love that she is so compassionate. She is wise beyond her years. She has remarkable optimism, despite the fact that she's disappointed so often.|salign=right |source=—[[Yeardley Smith]]<ref name="Freeman">{{cite news |title=Local actress finds a voice in 'Simpsons' |date=November 20, 1994 |work=The Washington Times |first=Paul |last=Freeman}}</ref>}}

Lisa, despite being a [[child prodigy]], often sees herself as a misfit within the Simpson family and other children due to possessing an unusually high level of intelligence. She shows characteristics rarely seen in Springfield, including spirituality and commitment to peaceful ways,{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=78}} and is notably more concerned with world affairs than her life in Springfield,<ref>{{cite news |title=Eat my lab coat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/oct/30/research.highereducation2 |work=The Guardian |date=October 30, 2003 |access-date=March 19, 2010 |author=Gross, Michael |location=London}}</ref> with her rebellion against social norms being depicted as constructive and heroic, yet she can be self-righteous at times.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinsky|2001 |p=46}}</ref> In "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]", an increasing sense of moral righteousness leads her to disrupt her father's roast-pig barbecue, an act for which she later apologizes. Like most children her age, she thinks in images rather than words.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Lisa the Vegetarian |episode-link=Lisa the Vegetarian |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Cohen, David X.; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox |airdate=October 15, 1995 |season=07 |number=05}}</ref> Episodes often take shots at Lisa's idealism.{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=229}} In "[[Bart Star]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 9)|season nine]], 1997), Lisa, who is departing from her typically more genuine nature and apparently looking for a new cause to crusade over,{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=230}} defiantly declares that she, a girl, would like to join the football team. In the 1990s, it was considered odd to allow a girl to play football. However, when coach [[Ned Flanders]] reveals that several girls already play for the team, she hesitates and claims football is "not really [her] thing". She then expresses distaste about a ball made of pig's skin, but one of the girls informs her that their footballs are synthetic and that proceeds are donated to [[Amnesty International]]. Upset by being unable to gain [[Self-righteousness|moral superiority]], Lisa runs off.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Bart Star |episode-link=Bart Star |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Cohen, David X.; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox |airdate=November 9, 1997 |season=09 |number=06}}</ref>

Lisa is said to have an [[Intelligence quotient|IQ]] of 159,<ref>{{cite episode |title=Homer's Enemy |episode-link=Homer's Enemy |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Reardon, Jim |network=Fox |airdate=May 4, 1997 |season=08 |number=23}}</ref> and in "[[They Saved Lisa's Brain]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 10)|season ten]], 1999) she becomes a member of the [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] chapter of [[Mensa International|Mensa]].<ref>{{cite episode |title=They Saved Lisa's Brain |episode-link=They Saved Lisa's Brain |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Selman, Matt; Michels, Pete |network=Fox |airdate=May 9, 1999 |season=10 |number=22}}</ref> Even prior to becoming a Buddhist, Lisa at times is seen meditating.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Dead Putting Society |episode-link=Dead Putting Society |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Martin, Jeff; Moore, Rich |network=Fox |airdate=November 15, 1990 |season=02 |number=06}}</ref> When unable to attend school due to a teachers' strike in "[[The PTA Disbands]]" (season six, 1995), she suffers [[Drug withdrawal|withdrawal]] symptoms because of the sudden lack of praise.{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=201}} She even demands that her mother grade her for no obvious reason.<ref>{{cite episode |title=The PTA Disbands |episode-link=The PTA Disbands |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=[[Jennifer Crittenden|Crittenden, Jennifer]]; [[Swinton O. Scott III|Scott III, Swinton O.]] |network=Fox |airdate=April 16, 1995 |season=06 |number=21}}</ref> In ''[[Planet Simpson]]'', [[Chris Turner (author)|Chris Turner]] writes that these traits make Lisa more realistic because "No character can aspire to realism without a few all-too-human flaws."{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=201}}

Although she is wise beyond her years, Lisa has typical childhood issues, sometimes requiring adult intervention. One episode to show this is "[[See Homer Run]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 17)|season seventeen]], 2005) where she goes through a developmental condition which causes her to get into trouble at school.{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=203}} In "[[Lost Our Lisa]]" (season nine, 1998), she tricks Homer into allowing her to ride the bus alone, only to become hopelessly lost and in need of aid from her father.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Lost Our Lisa |episode-link=Lost Our Lisa |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=[[Brian Scully|Scully, Brian]]; Michels, Pete |network=Fox |airdate=May 10, 1998 |season=09 |number=24}}</ref> Chris Turner writes in ''Planet Simpson'' that incidents like this illustrate that "Even when Lisa's lecturing like a college professor or mounting yet another protest, she never becomes a full-grown adult trapped in a child's body."{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=203}} In ''[[The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer]]'', Aeon J. Skoble states that although Lisa is an intellectual, she is still portrayed as a character who enjoys normal childhood and girl activities, plays with Malibu Stacy dolls, loves ponies, obsesses over teenage heartthrobs such as [[Brother from the Same Planet|Corey]], and watches ''[[The Itchy & Scratchy Show]]'' along with Bart. He writes, "One might argue that this is typical childhood behavior, but since in so many cases Lisa is presented not simply as a prodigy but as preternaturally wise, the fondness for ''Itchy & Scratchy'' and Corey seem to be highlighted, taking on greater significance. Lisa is portrayed as the avatar of logic and wisdom, but then she also worships Corey so she's 'no better [than the rest of us]'."<ref>{{harvnb|Skoble|1999 |pp=31–32}}</ref> Lisa occasionally worries that her family's dull habits will rub off on her, such as in "[[Lisa the Simpson]]" (season nine, 1998) she worries that the "Simpson gene" will make her a dimwit later finding out the gene only goes through the male side.<ref>{{cite news |title=Men on TV: Dumb as Posts And Proud of It |date=April 9, 2000 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/09/arts/men-on-tv-dumb-as-posts-and-proud-of-it.html?pagewanted=3 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 8, 2010 |author=Gates, Anita}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |title=Lisa the Simpson |episode-link=Lisa the Simpson |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=[[Ned Goldreyer|Goldreyer, Ned]]; Dietter, Susie |network=Fox |airdate=March 8, 1998 |season=09 |number=17}}</ref>
 
She is also concerned that Maggie may grow up to be like the rest of the family and tries to teach her complex ideas. Chris Turner writes in ''Planet Simpson'' that "Lisa embarks on quests to find solace for her yearning spirit ... but the most reliable source of truth she finds is the one she always believed in: her family. It is from the other Simpsons that Lisa draws stability, meaning, contentment."{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=233}} Her loyalty to her family is most clearly seen in the flashforward "[[Lisa's Wedding]]" (season six, 1995), in which she must reconcile her love for them with the distaste of her cultured fiancé.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Lisa's Wedding |episode-link=Lisa's Wedding |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=[[Greg Daniels|Daniels, Greg]]; Reardon, Jim |network=Fox |airdate=March 19, 1995 |season=06 |number=19}}</ref> In the episode "[[Mother Simpson]]" (season seven, 1995) she meets her paternal grandmother [[Mona Simpson (The Simpsons)|Mona Simpson]] for the first time.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Mother Simpson |episode-link=Mother Simpson |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=[[Richard Appel|Appel, Rich]]; Silverman, David |network=Fox |airdate=November 19, 1995 |season=07 |number=08}}</ref> Mona is also well-read and articulate, and the writers used the character as a way to explain the origins of Lisa's intelligence.<ref>Appel, Rich. (2005). Commentary for "[[Mother Simpson]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

===Sexuality===
Lisa's sexuality has become the subject of speculation amongst viewers of the show. Lisa is shown to have [[heterosexual]] [[Limerence|crushes]] on Nelson Muntz and Langdon Alger in "[[Lisa's Date with Density]]" and "[[Bart on the Road]]" respectively. In some episodes Lisa is shown to have a boyfriend, such as Edmund Dracula in "[[Treehouse of Horror XXI]]" or Colin in "[[The Simpsons Movie]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/simpsons-movie-colin-lisa-boyfriend-what-happened/|title=The Simpsons: What Happened To Lisa's Boyfriend Colin After The Movie?|last=Tyler|first=Adrienne|date=August 19, 2020|work=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref> Lisa becomes engaged to, and later almost marries, Hugh Parkfield in "[[Lisa's Wedding]]" and the episode "[[Holidays of Future Passed]]" suggests that Lisa will go on to marry Milhouse Van Houten. However, "[[Holidays of Future Passed]]" also show Lisa being in both a [[Monogamy|monogamous]], and later [[Polyamory|polyamorous]], [[lesbian]] relationships.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/simpsons-lisas-best-romances/|title=The Simpsons: Lisa's 10 Best Love Interests, Ranked|last=Cvitesic|first=Magdan D.|date=December 1, 2019|work=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref>

Although Lisa's sexuality has never been confirmed on screen, showrunner [[Al Jean]] said in a 2019 interview with ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|The Metro]]'' that he had always envisaged for Lisa to grow up to become polyamorous.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/02/simpsons-showrunner-teases-lisas-sexuality-become-polyamorous-president-9090903/|title=The Simpsons showrunner teases Lisa's sexuality and could become polyamorous president|last=Pearce|first=Tilly|date=April 2, 2019|work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lisa-simpson-is-possibly-bisexual-and-polyamarous-says-showrunner/|title=Lisa Simpson is 'possibly bisexual and polyamorous', says showrunner|last=Morgan|first=Joe|date=April 9, 2019|work=[[Gay Star News]]|access-date=October 28, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319080653/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lisa-simpson-is-possibly-bisexual-and-polyamarous-says-showrunner/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In a 2020 interview with the ''Stryker & Klein show'' on [[KROQ-FM|KROQ Radio]], Yeardley Smith said that she believed that Lisa was "still exploring her sexuality". Smith also asked fans to stop speculating on Lisa's sexuality, as she was "ultimately an eight-year old girl".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/10/26/lisa-simpson-bisexual-lesbian-gay-yeardly-smith-voice-actor/|title=Lisa Simpson voice Yeardley Smith sets the record straight on those bisexual theories|last=Singh|first=Rajdeep|date=October 26, 2020|work=[[PinkNews]]|access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref>