Clarence "Clancy" Bouvier^[2][3], occasionally referred to as Grandpa Bouvier or Mr. Bouvier,^[4] was the husband of Jacqueline Bouvier, the father of Selma Bouvier, Patty Bouvier, Marge Bouvier, and possibly Uncle Arthur. He was the brother-in-law of the late Gladys Gurney, the son-in-law of Ferdinand Gurney and Alvarine Gurney, the father-in-law (possibly only posthumously) of Homer Simpson and the late maternal grandfather of Maggie, Lisa and Bart Simpson and Ling Bouvier. He was of French ancestry.^[5][6] He made his appearance in flashback in "The Way We Was."

He was voiced by Harry Shearer.

Biography[]

Like Patty and Selma, he was a chain-smoker. When he was first trying to catch his future wife's eye, he sent a box of candy with his photo in it to her. After that, she never forgot him. Marge suggested try the same thing when Homer was upset because Mr. Charles Montgomery Burns did not remember his name.^[7] Before his death, Clancy was the only recurring member of the Bouvier family not to outwardly display hatred of his son-in-law, Homer. Like his daughters, he murmured.

Ever since his children were little, Clancy went to Springfield Town Hall to sing the City Anthem and continued to do so as he aged. He lost his right leg at some point when Marge, Patty and Selma were children.^[8]

Physical Appearance[]

In most of his appearances, Clancy had brown/auburn hair. However in "Fear of Flying and "Puffless, he had blue hair like Marge. In his debut appearance, he wore an olive green shirt, a blue bow tie and blue pants with orange spots.

As an elderly man, he had thinning gray hair, wore a light blue sweater with a white shirt underneath and gray pants.

Throughout the series, Clancy often had different designs when he appeared in flashbacks.

Jobs[]

He was one of the earliest male flight attendants, although he was ashamed of it. This was discovered when Marge boarded his plane to see her "pilot" father, but when she saw him performing stewardess duties, he begged her not to look at him. This, along with several other plane-related mishaps, may have resulted in Marge's fear of flying.^[9] At some point, he also served in the United States Navy where he picked up a swearing problem, which nearly cost him his job as a baby photographer.^[10]

Marge also mentioned that he played a pizza in an antacid commercial, which she witnessed on a "take your daughter to work day".^[11]

Swear jar[]

In the season 3 episode "Bart the Lover", Ned Flanders and Marge think Homer swears too much. Marge tells Homer the above story of her father almost losing his job due to his swearing problem. To solve this problem, Jacqueline put a swear jar in the kitchen. then every time he said a bad word he put in a quarter. It worked for Homer, and apparently it worked for Clancy, too.

Opinion of Homer[]

Clancy first met Homer when he arrived at the Bouvier home claiming to be Marge's prom date. He was kind and complimentary to Homer, saying, "From what she's told me, I'm sure you're a solid citizen." Sadly, for Homer, that was actually Marge's description of Artie.^[12]

When Marge returned home after the prom, she overheard her father saying, "When that Simpson boy showed up, it took years off [his] life!", to which her mother replied, "Will you stop? She went with the good one" (referring to Artie).

Death[]

At the start of the series, Clancy is strongly implied to have died. He isn't present with the rest of the Bouvier family in "Bart vs. Thanksgiving", and Jacqueline is portrayed as being unmarried in "Lady Bouvier's Lover". It was never outright stated that he is deceased until season 18's "Jazzy and the Pussycats".^[13] It was later revealed by his widow Jacqueline that he died of lung cancer.^[14]

Exactly when Clancy died is vague. He was not present in the episode "I Married Marge" when Homer and Marge marry while the latter was pregnant with their son Bart, implying he died prior to that (though it's likely he was just out of town at this time). However, a flashback in "Walking Big & Tall" shows him as an aged man seated next to the Bouvier family, when Bart and Lisa were toddlers singing the City Anthem. Clancy wasn't seen in the present day instead, Jacqueline is sitting in his seat suggesting that Clancy died sometime before Maggie was born. In "Bart's Not Dead", when Bart briefly visits Heaven, he sees Clancy, unaware that he is missing a leg (implying he has no conscious memory of his grandfather).

In "Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass", when Homer briefly visits Hell, he meets Clancy, who has been sent there for tax evasion.

Non-canon[]

The contents of this article or section are/can be considered non-canon, and exist outside of the main continuity of The Simpsons.

Clancy's first name originally appeared in various Simpsons books and didn't become canon until season 20's "Wedding for Disaster", when it can be seen on Homer and Marge's wedding certificate.

In an issue of the comic Simpsons Illustrated, Lisa says that Clancy died in a rollercoaster accident in 1985.

In "Treehouse of Horror III", he was eaten by King Homer at his and Marge's wedding despite this Marge was not upset.

In The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Clancy's ghost comes to warn Homer during the episode tie-in quest line "Ghouls and Gluttons".

Appearances[]

As Clancy is deceased, and only a minor character, he is rarely seen or referred to. Episodes in bold are incidences when Clancy had a major role or featured heavily in the episode's storyline.

Notes[]

• In the series, he first appears with reddish brown hair. However, he later appears with blue hair, to match with the hair color of his wife and youngest daughter. In the latest episodes, he again appears with reddish brown hair, except in "Puffless".

First name[]

Mr. Bouvier's first name was Clancy on the Bouvier Family Tree from The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album which was written during the production of season 3. Police Chief Wiggum's first name being Clancy did not happen until season 5 episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" (Sarah Wiggum after her husband shot his gun at the TV: "Clancy, use the remote.") and in the script for season 1 episode "The Tell-Tale Pants" Chief Wiggum's first name was Abner.^[15] Mr. Bouvier's first name was never used in any episode until season 34 episode "Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass" where his first name was Clarence.

Gallery[]

Citations[]