The Simpsons seemingly retired longtime character Duffman during a January 4 episode titled ‘Seperance,’ which spoofed the Apple TV series ‘Severance,’ after as many as 30 years. Duffman (voiced by Hank Azaria), known for his “oh, yeah!” catchphrase, said that his role as the mascot and chief spokesperson for Duff Beer would be retired. He would now go by Barry Duffman instead.
The beloved character shared the news with the Simpsons family when he showed up to Homer and Marge’s home. “The Duff Corporation has, uh, retired that character forever,” he said in his signature voice. “All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots — today’s kids can’t even sing the jingles.”
Duffman also attempted to offer Homer a job at a corporation called EOD. However, he eventually deprogrammed himself from the company.
Duffman was seen in his civilian outfit at the end of the episode, instead of his iconic costume comprising a red cape, sunglasses and a belt decorated with Duff beer cans. This indicated that the mascot character was gone.
However, the entire storyline might as well have been a joke, considering the episode was spoofing ‘Severance.’
When was Duffman first introduced?
Duffman was first introduced in the Season 9 premiere ‘The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson’. It aired on September 21, 1997.
Azaria previously said that he “dreads” playing Duffman. “There are certain voices I save, like Duffman will blow me out in a second,” he said on ‘Conan’ in May 2020. “I have to save Duffman for the end and I actually dread it. Like, ‘Oh no, I got a lot of Duffman to do today.’”
Read More | Simpsons predicted Andy Byron-Kristin Cabot Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ fiasco? Here’s the truth
“It actually does hurt,” Azaria added, “but I am not complaining.”
Azaria voices several other characters on The Simpsons, including Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy and Snake Jailbird. He revealed that he got his vocal chords insured after he once blew out his voice for two weeks from working on the show, according to the New York Post.
“When you think about the revenue that I’m lucky enough to bring him from doing ‘The Simpsons,’ that was a long time ago. A lot of money would’ve gone bye bye if I couldn’t make voices anymore,” he said.
The Simpsons premiered on Fox in 1989. The animated show has been renewed for four more seasons.
